The rise of a creed without a god

We increasingly hear, I am not religious, I just trust science and reason. Yet Scripture says, “The fool says in his heart, ‘There is no God’” (Psalm 14:1). Unbelief is not a vacuum. It has doctrines, rituals, missionaries, and moral visions.

God’s word is plain about what lies beneath hardened unbelief. “The wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men who suppress the truth by their unrighteousness” (Romans 1:18). Creation itself speaks daily and nightly of the Creator’s glory (Psalm 19:1–2), so “they are without excuse” (Romans 1:20).

What makes a religion, functionally

Religion is about ultimate allegiance—what we trust, love, fear, and obey. Even without temples and hymnals, a worldview can take a religious shape.

- Creed: nature is all there is, matter in motion explains everything

- Canon: peer consensus elevated to final authority, beyond its proper limits

- Clergy: celebrity skeptics and gatekeepers of acceptable speech

- Conversion: deconstruction of faith, initiation into skepticism

- Catechism: slogans of scientism, progress, and self-sovereignty

- Cultus: rituals of consumption, activism, and digital liturgies

- Church discipline: public shaming, cancellations, and ideological purity tests

- Eschatology: utopian progress or doomsday narratives apart from God

God’s word describes this exchange of worship: “They exchanged the truth of God for a lie, and worshiped and served the creature rather than the Creator” (Romans 1:25). When anything creational takes the Creator’s place, a religion of self and nature emerges.

Scripture exposes the exchange of worship

Unbelief is not neutral. It is a trade—glory for vanity. “Claiming to be wise, they became fools” (Romans 1:22). Isaiah ridicules idols that cannot save, crafted by those who then bow to what their hands made (Isaiah 44:9–20). The psalmist notes the futility: “Their idols are silver and gold, made by the hands of men. They have mouths, but cannot speak” (Psalm 115:4–5).

The gospel, by contrast, is God’s power. “You turned to God from idols to serve the living and true God” (1 Thessalonians 1:9). Our message does not flatter man; it exalts Christ as Lord.

Not science vs faith, but Christ vs idols

Christians delight in the goodness of God’s world and the lawful insights of science. “Through Him all things were made, and without Him nothing was made that has been made” (John 1:3). “In Him all things hold together” (Colossians 1:17). Science studies what the Son sustains.

The real conflict is with scientism, a belief that science alone gives truth. Scripture warns, “See to it that no one takes you captive through philosophy and empty deception, which are based on human tradition and the basic principles of the world, rather than on Christ” (Colossians 2:8). “The heavens declare the glory of God” (Psalm 19:1); they do not dethrone Him.

How atheism disciples its converts

Secular culture offers a daily liturgy. It shapes loves, habits, and hope, not just thoughts.

- News and feeds catechize by fear and outrage

- Ads preach identity by consumption

- Classrooms and shows narrate reality without God

- Algorithms reward self and punish dissent

Counter-liturgy is our call.

- Scripture morning and night (Psalm 1:2)

- Lord’s Day worship and the means of grace (Hebrews 10:24–25)

- Family catechism and shared songs of Zion (Deuteronomy 6:6–7)

- Regular fasting, confession, and the Lord’s Supper (1 Corinthians 11:26)

How we engage—truth with tenderness

We contend and we care. “We tear down arguments and every presumption set up against the knowledge of God, and we take captive every thought to make it obedient to Christ” (2 Corinthians 10:5). Yet we do so with the tone of Christ. “Always be prepared to give a defense to everyone who asks you the reason for the hope that is in you, but respond with gentleness and respect” (1 Peter 3:15).

Paul shows us how in Athens: he observed, reasoned, and proclaimed the risen Lord amid an idol-rich culture. “Men of Athens, I see that in every way you are very religious” (Acts 17:22). We can do the same—see, listen, and speak of the God who “gives everyone life and breath and everything else” (Acts 17:25).

- Listen for loves and wounds beneath arguments (Proverbs 20:5)

- Ask for definitions and foundations, then offer Christ as the cornerstone (Ephesians 2:20)

- Appeal to conscience and creation (Romans 2:15; Romans 1:20)

- Open Scripture and center on the cross and resurrection (1 Corinthians 15:3–4)

Guarding against practical atheism among us

Unbelief can creep into Christian lives through prayerlessness, technique-trust, and silence about Christ. “Apart from Me you can do nothing” (John 15:5). The fear of man often replaces the fear of the Lord.

Watch for these signs.

- Planning without kneeling (James 4:13–15)

- Consuming more screens than Scripture (Psalm 119:105)

- Hiding the lamp of witness (Matthew 5:14–16)

- Cynicism toward God’s promises (2 Peter 1:4)

- Compartmentalized obedience (Romans 12:1–2)

Return to first love. “Trust in the LORD with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding” (Proverbs 3:5). Meet together, stir up one another, and persevere in hope (Hebrews 10:24–25).

The better story and the living Lord

Christianity rests on events, not wishes. “If Christ has not been raised, our preaching is worthless and so is your faith” (1 Corinthians 15:14). But “Christ has indeed been raised from the dead” (1 Corinthians 15:20). He is the truth and the life (John 14:6).

God’s love answers our deepest need. “God proves His love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us” (Romans 5:8). He calls all people everywhere to repent and believe, and He sends us to herald this good news. “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to Me. Therefore go and make disciples of all nations” (Matthew 28:18–19). Faithful courage today will bear fruit forever.

Scripture leaves no middle ground. “He who is not with Me is against Me” (Luke 11:23). The mind set on the flesh “is hostile to God; it does not submit to God’s law, nor can it do so” (Romans 8:7).

This explains why the same facts are read through opposite lenses. “The natural man does not accept the things of the Spirit of God... he cannot understand them, because they are spiritually discerned” (1 Corinthians 2:14). Friendship with the world remains hostility toward God (James 4:4), so we preach Christ crucified in the power of the Spirit.

Objective morality and borrowed capital

Atheism still speaks moral language—justice, dignity, rights—but lacks a transcendent anchor. Scripture reveals the source: “The work of the law is written on their hearts, their consciences also bearing witness” (Romans 2:15).

- Human dignity stands because man bears God’s image (Genesis 1:27)

- Moral obligations bind because the Lawgiver speaks (Exodus 20:1–17)

- True justice reflects God’s righteous character (Psalm 89:14)

- Mercy has meaning because God is love (1 John 4:8)

Without God, these realities drift into preference or power. With God, they rest on the Rock.

Reason, logic, and the Logos

Reason requires a rational, moral order and minds suited to know it. That is exactly what Scripture reveals. “In the beginning was the Word [Logos]” (John 1:1). “He upholds all things by His powerful word” (Hebrews 1:3).

- The laws of logic reflect the consistent character of the God who cannot lie (Titus 1:2)

- The uniformity of nature flows from the faithful Creator (Genesis 8:22)

- Human rationality images the rational God (Genesis 1:26)

Christ, the Logos, makes sense of our thinking and our world.

Creation, design, and the theater of God’s glory

The universe’s beginning, fine-tuning, and information-rich life point beyond blind processes. Scripture agrees. “By the word of the LORD the heavens were made” (Psalm 33:6). “For He spoke, and it came to be; He commanded, and it stood firm” (Psalm 33:9).

- Cosmos: contingent reality that began to exist, calling for a sufficient Cause

- Constants: finely tuned conditions for life, best explained by purposeful wisdom

- Code: DNA’s information and language, signaling mind before matter

“For in Him all things were created” (Colossians 1:16). “He did not create it to be empty, but formed it to be inhabited” (Isaiah 45:18).

Evil and suffering: the cross-centered answer

Atheism can describe pain but struggles to call anything truly evil. Scripture names it and answers it. “All have sinned and fall short of the glory of God” (Romans 3:23). At the cross, divine justice and mercy meet. The risen Christ now turns even sorrow to good for those who love Him (Romans 8:28).

Our hope is solid. “He will wipe away every tear from their eyes” (Revelation 21:4). Present pains are “light and momentary affliction” producing “an eternal weight of glory” (2 Corinthians 4:17).

The resurrection in history

The gospel roots itself in public truth. “Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures, He was buried, He was raised on the third day according to the Scriptures, and He appeared” (1 Corinthians 15:3–5).

- Empty tomb publicly known in Jerusalem

- Multiple, varied eyewitnesses over time

- Transformed disciples and the church’s explosive birth

- Enemy conversions like Saul of Tarsus

- Early creeds embedded within the New Testament record

Luke investigated “everything carefully” to provide “an orderly account” so that we “may know the certainty” (Luke 1:3–4). Christianity stakes everything on facts.

Forming resilient disciples in a secular age

We must disciple minds and loves, not only teach answers. “The fear of the LORD is the beginning of knowledge” (Proverbs 1:7). Aim for whole-life formation.

- Catechize with Scripture, confessions, and psalms

- Read exemplary Christian biographies that model courage

- Train in logic and rhetoric under the Lordship of Christ

- Practice hospitality and service as embodied apologetics

- Pair young believers with wise mentors for real-life conversations

Let homes and churches become greenhouses of convictional kindness.

Public witness in the modern Areopagus

Christ places us on campuses, in labs, offices, and councils to shine. “You are the light of the world” (Matthew 5:14). Speak plainly, live beautifully, and suffer well.

- Speak the whole counsel of God with patience and clarity (2 Timothy 4:2)

- Refuse shame and own the Name (2 Timothy 1:8)

- Seek the good of the city while resisting its idols (Jeremiah 29:7; 1 John 5:21)

- Do good works that display the gospel’s power (1 Peter 2:12)

Paul’s courage in Athens can be ours. He began where they were and led them to where they must go—to Christ.

Stand firm, shine bright

Times of confusion demand settled hearts. “God has not given us a spirit of fear, but of power, love, and self-control” (2 Timothy 1:7). Present your bodies “as a living sacrifice” and be “transformed by the renewing of your mind” (Romans 12:1–2). In a world crowded with creeds without a god, let us gladly declare, “As for me and my house, we will serve the LORD” (Joshua 24:15).