Earlier this year, New York Times columnist Maureen Dowd was in Australia talking about her book, Are Men Necessary? At one event in Sydney, Dowd and an interviewer walked on stage, took their seats and settled in to discuss their topic. Soon into the conversation though, a voice from the audience asked if a podium could be moved that was blocking the view. As the interviewer got up from her chair, two men leapt from the front row and on to the stage. The audience broke into laughter as they watched the men heave the heavy podium, which carried a large poster with the words, ‘Are Men Necessary?’ The interviewer sat down and said, ‘I think the question has been answered.’

This year we’ve heard some loud voices proclaim the wonders of atheism, the irrationality of belief, and the nonsense of divine matters. In their own words, authors like Richard Dawkins, Christopher Hitchens and Sam Harris have posed the question: ‘Is God Necessary?’ And as I ponder Maureen Dowd’s experience, I wonder if the ironic twist is that as the armchair debates take place, God is already on the stage answering the question by His actions.

‘Is God necessary?’ the critic asks—when his very words are spoken with breath that God has given. ‘There is no God,’ says the atheist—as he bathes in sunshine and drinks up rain that God has provided. ‘I’m living fine without God,’ says the humanist—not realising that his place of birth was determined by God (Acts 17:26) and that every hair on his head has been counted (Matthew 10:30).

‘God is the cause of all evil,’ some say. And yet we benefit from hospitals, aged-care homes and charities—all created in the name of God. ‘God is a crutch for the emotionally weak,’ others claim. And yet He inspired Wilberforce, Luther-King, and other gutsy reformers who fought slavery and racism, and outlawed things like infanticide and gladiatorial combat. ‘God is dead,’ wrote Nietzsche. And yet how many times has that God leapt on to the stage when we’ve been in a spot of bother?

Many years ago two men were walking along a dusty road, talking about God. As they walked a third person joined them. They didn’t recognise this person’s face, but his words set their hearts beating. They urged him to stay a little longer, and then over dinner their eyes were miraculously opened. The stranger turned out to be Jesus.

I’m glad the swag of atheistic books being released at the moment is stimulating discussion. But wouldn’t it be ironic if, as we debated the existence of God, he turned out to be walking right beside us? Or already on the stage helping out?

May our eyes be opened. 

© 2007 Sheridan Voysey is a writer, speaker, broadcaster and author of Unseen Footprints: Encountering the divine along the journey of life (Scripture Union, 2005). www.thethoughtfactory.net