I was recently reading a conversation on a friend's FB status regarding church. Specifically, atheists going to church. For the sake of privacy, the people in the part of the conversation I'm sharing will be labled "A" and "B".
The original status (and I'm paraphrasing) was essentially "Why do atheists think they don't have to go to church because they're atheists if going to church is considered the 'right' thing to do?"
A: Because we're not going to waste our time doing something we don't believe in.
B: Well, what if you started dating a Christian girl and she wanted you to go to church with her?
A: I would go because I was asked. Regardless of beliefs, it's the polite thing to do.
In it's entirety, the conversation was much longer, but mostly comments were unrelated. This section of the conversation is the only part relevant to my point. I have a lot of acquaintances. I've lived a lot of places, and the reality is, the majority of my friends are not Christians. While this conversation was hypothetically speaking about a 'couple' it is not exclusive to that scenario.
How many people do you know that don't go to church? Professing believer, atheist, agnostic, whatever. Personally, I know a LOT. Now, how many of them have you asked to attend church with you? If you're like me the answer is, sadly, if any, not many.
Now, read that conversation again. A said that he would go to church... if only he was asked. While it was in reference to a romantic connection, the simple truth is, they would probably say yes if it was just a friend that asked them.
The fact is, an atheist, or non believer of any form, is not going to just walk into a church. It's intimidating. It's scary. The unknown always is. But what if someone asked them to go along? Invited them in? You know what makes the unknown bearable and a lot less scary? Support. Someone standing by your side.
So, think about it. Is it really that hard to say "Hey! You doing anything this weekend? Would you like to go to church with me and grab some lunch on Sunday?" The worst they can do is say no. But what if they say yes? It could be the first step to salvation for someone. And all you have to do, is ask one little question.
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