30/04/2026
Are you a structural atheist or a functional atheist?
Christians whose primary confidence is in their position, power, possessions, politicians, property, popularity and prestige represent a large chunk of functional atheists.
If we are easily susceptible to anxiety and worry when any of our confidence factors are at risk, perhaps that is a sign that we are functional atheists. Functional atheists will not deny the existence of God and His sovereignty like the structural atheists such as Richard Dawkins. They may even defeat a structural atheist in an apologetic debate. However, when faced with everyday choices to follow the path of our Redeemer Lord Jesus, if we opt for pleasure instead of purity, pride instead of prayer and fear instead of faith, we are functional atheists after all.
Sadly for functional atheists, they may not even realise this harsh reality of their own miserable state. It does not need to be so. Like Leonard Ravenhill once said, 'Trust AND obey or you'll rust and decay.'
