You've probably heard that Christopher Hitchens, author of
God is not Great (
get Craig's God is Good, God is Great here) died last night after a long battle with Esophageal cancer. He was 62. He was a great author and had a great way with words even though he was dead wrong. That's what brings me to this post.
Phil. 2:9-11 states,
"Therefore God exalted him to the highest place and gave him the name that is above every name, that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father." Whether he trusted Christ before he died, or came to that knowledge on the other side of eternity is anybody's guess (and I truly hope it was the first of those two options) but rest assured, he is no atheist any more. I don't want that to come across harsh. He was created in God's image and endowed with numerous talents by his Creator. It is sad that he is dead. My hope is that he came to know Jesus before he died.
I can't help but see the irony in his cause of death. Hitchens wanted to enjoy his own freedom without having to give an account to an omnipotent God. In the end it was his own pursuit of freedom, namely his proud habit of smoking, that led to his death. Where would he be now had he surrendered to Christ with a repentant heart years ago and allowed Him to heal him of that vice, preventing what killed him in the end. Who knows. Hitchens wanted freedom from the confines of God's standards not realizing he was enslaved to his own sin (
Jn.8:31-36).
I don't want to miss the opportunity to highlight a huge area of common ground with Hitchens though. Hitchens considered himself pro-life to an extent and would often correct those calling an unborn baby a "fetus" by telling them it was an "unborn child." He was convinced the science alone led to that conclusion. I couldn't agree more.
Check out more on that here.
It's a sad day, but one in which I'm reminded of the hope we have in Christ; a hope Hitchens fought adamantly against but one that continues nonetheless. I discussed both Hitchens and hope in the God Solution show we recorded this morning (which will air Sunday), check that out below.
Check out more on Hitchens by clicking this link and get a short clip of a Hitchens - Craig debate below that (
I think you can get the full debate in parts here). Definitely be praying for God to comfort Hitchens' family and loved ones and bring them (and the many others who followed him) to Himself!
Finally,
check out these tips for witnessing to atheists.
