Here’s a nifty idea: What if churches volunteered to interview an atheist for a church service as part of a mutually beneficial dialogue?
You’d need atheists willing to be interviewed and pastors willing to challenge their congregations — and both sides would have to respect the fact that this would be a dialogue and not a debate.
Kile Jones, a student at Claremont Lincoln University (in California), is trying to make that happen:
The Facebook site where atheists and pastors can sign up to volunteer themselves (or their churches) is called “Interview an Atheist at Church Day“:
Interview an Atheist at Church Day is a community project aimed at bettering the understanding between atheists and religious persons. We hope to connect atheists who are willing to be interviewed with congregations in their area that are interested in developing ties with atheists in their area. The “day” represents our desire to grow into something far-reaching and beneficial to atheists and churchgoers alike.
As unbelieving populations around the world contion to rise, dialogue and understanding between atheists and people of faith is more important than ever. We live and work in the same world: understanding better what both unites and divides religious and non-religious people can only help us make this world a better place.
We hope that these interviews will benefit both believers and non-believers
If you’re interested in signing up, just send Jones an email. As responses come in from both sides, Jones will pair up people who are relatively close to each other and you can work out your own timeline to make this happen!