(How) Does The Atheist Speak, Part Three

I've thought more on this. A brief outline. True speech is a vow, ok. Atheists are inarticulate, ok. But wait--our calling is to make the truth evident. So, we must teach the inarticulate. How do we do that? The best example is that of teaching a child. The child is taught be being spoken to, in a special loving way, in the imperative. The tone of 'MaMa' or 'DaDa' is: 'Say this after me'. It is like the Shema--Hearken, Israel. (Hearken means, 'listen and do,' it is 'strong hearing'.
So, command evangelism done in the right way is the way to effect a ministry of reconciliation.

On a Teaching Company audio about jazz it was stated that 'Jazz is an articulated howl'. This is another way of saying the above.

A third approach to the howl is given by a story about Frank Buchman. A prominent atheist as Oxford wanted to talk to FB. FB went, and listened mostly--to a tirade. At the end, the atheist asked Mr. Buchman what Mr. Buchman thought. Buchman replied: 'I know 2 things. 1--You had an unhappy childhood. 2--You are hiding some great sin. Shall we listen to God together?'

The atheist said 'No.' But later, he called Buchman back and confessed that Buchman was right, and the Spirit working through Buchman moved the atheist from a howler to a vower, for the atheist was converted.

Conclusion: We can turn howls to vows.

Love in King Jesus,

Chuck
PS: True speech is where one puts one's life behind one's words--incarnational. This is being lost in the past centuries in the West. The easiest way to see that is the lack of a declaration of war.