Last Updated on March 20, 2018
On my way to a dinner party last weekend, I drove behind a Honda Civic with a couple of bumper stickers proudly displayed on the back window. The cross sticker was nice and simple, and the sticker supporting a local cause was fine. It was the loud and proud one that took center stage, which said, “God doesn’t believe in atheists.” I instantly found myself pretending that this person would end up at the same dinner party, and I would park next to her. I envisioned myself being forced to ask what her motivation would be for such a sticker. Or would I say, “Are you serious?” Either way, I was feeling confrontational.
The sticker makes the issue seem like a banter of this-for-that. “Okay, well, atheists, if you don’t believe in God then He doesn’t believe in you.” Really? Really? Has it come to this? Is this the kindness that brings the unsaved to repentance, especially the atheists who think they have nothing in the afterlife or a hope for the future? They only have now to believe in. And in a moment of perhaps doubting their own beliefs, they see that this believer has displayed on the back window of her Honda what they have felt all along — if God did exist, would He reach out, even to me?
Why I am so bothered by such a piddly piece of a sticky paper on the back of an inconsequential little Honda? Well, for one thing, the assumption would be that this has been displayed by a Christian, and my pride is bothered that this person would falsely speak for me. But mostly I’m bothered because in the name of everything that exists and is created by a loving God, He does believe in the atheists whom he spoke life into. How dare you, you little Honda driver, display another contrived bumper sticker that chisels away at extravagant love!
I find myself building a case against this person who claims to know Christ; I’m really getting angry. I want to follow her and give her a piece of my mind. Instead, I take a deep breath, say a little prayer, and ask myself, what is my motivation? Is that the kindness that brings them to repentance? No, I guess I’ll just go home and create my own bumper sticker that says, “Do you judge the judger?” I then realize that alone in my car, slowly driving through this neighborhood to a dinner party, that God has gently used a simple little bumper sticker to lead me to repentance.
Hi, I’m Heather Hawkins. I’m a mother of four kids, ages 14 to 3. My husband, Tim, travels 11-14 days a month and I homeschool. Crazy? Maybe, but we love it! I love to know what people’s dreams are about, what they want to be, and then help them fulfill those dreams with prayers and cheering. In my spare time I love to travel, read, and exercise. As of November 2010, I am three years clear of breast cancer. And that’s something about which you can cheer for me!
I really appreciate this post. Since I’m the creative director of a company that sells t-shirts & stickers about homeschooling (Homeskoolie.com), the question of how we engage the culture around us using the mediums of pop-culture is foundational to our business. We want to raise awareness about the thing that we believe in (for us it’s home education, but it could be Christianity, some social cause or anything else) but want to do it in a way that is whimsical, friendly & engaging, not in a way that immediately creates tension and a confrontational spirit. There’s a fine line when it comes to how we express personal convictions that everyone needs to wrestle with, and the wrestling itself is a healthy exercise. But it is true that very rarely, if ever, are people argued into the kingdom of God, into home education, or into any other thing. It is understanding, friendship and genuine caring about others that ultimately breaks down barriers and changes peoples perspectives. We’ve all heard sayings like “seek first to understand before being understood,” yet far fewer of us actually put that into practice. It’s a lot easier to slap that bumper sticker on our car (wait… we want you to use our stickers!) and avoid the hard part of really connecting with others.
Hi Heather,
I enjoy your posts!
I'm curious as to why this sticker bothered you so much. Romans tells us that unbelievers "who by their unrighteousness suppress the truth." There really is not such thing as an atheist. They know the truth but suppress it. Also. to claim to be an atheist is to claim to have all knowledge. Really, those who claim to be atheists are agnostic (they don't know if there is a God).
I actually quite enjoy the saying on that bumper sticker, and I know of such stickers that have led to witness encounters as an atheists has said, 'hey, what do you mean by that?'
I do see your point of it appearing to be a juvenile banter, but (at least for me) I don't see that as the intention (I do not have this bumper sticker btw). It is more of an ice breaker than anything else, that will allow one to share the law of God that we all have broken, so that the 'atheist' can indeed see and understand the kindness of God in the gift of the cross.
That's my take anyways. Thanks for your posts.
Hey Heather,
That was a good post, and I don’t mean to sound like a know it all, but usually a bumper sticker like that means, God doesn’t believe that there are people who don’t believe in him, in other words, wither we choose to believe or not, we all know in our hearts there is a God. If you knew that already, sorry, not trying to sound smart.
Totally agree with you! This is how my husband and I feel about the bumper sticker that says “Life without Jesus? How’s THAT workin’ for ya?” These aren’t loving messages, and without love we’re just “clanging cymbals”. And that’s how those two stickers come across to me — as clanging cymbals.