I’ve been working on an essay about the inerrancy of the bible, but need to post this real quick instead.
Christopher Hitchens, polemicist extraordinaire, has been diagnosed with esophageal cancer. He has canceled his current book tour and will begin chemotherapy immediately. Read more here.
Hitchens is a devout atheist and would most certainly request that nobody waste their time praying for him. Hundreds of thousands of Christians will ignore his preference and pray for his full recovery anyway.
I’m going to stop short of encouraging anyone to pray for Hitchens’ full recovery. I think we should be praying for God to break his pride and do whatever is necessary for Hitchens to repent and believe. (Matthew 5:44) His recovery or death matters much less than the disposition of his eternal soul. (Luke 12:20)
I think we should be praying for whatever will reveal God’s glory in the greatest way possible. (Philippians 2:10-11) If that means that Christopher Hitchens dies of cancer, pray for it. If that means that he recovers fully, pray for it. If it means that you or I die tomorrow, pray for it. Whatever is the will of God and will bring Him the greatest glory, pray for it.
Seriously? Praying for a man’s death is an actual prayer for you?
Hitchens is absolutely right about you guys – that would explain your desire to see him permanently silenced.
Jule,
Christians should be praying for whatever will reveal God’s glory in the greatest way possible. If that means that Christopher Hitchens dies of cancer or recovers fully, we should be praying for it.
His full recovery or death matters much less than the disposition of his eternal soul.
Romans 8:38-39 – For I am sure that neither death nor life, nor angels nor rulers, nor things present nor things to come, nor powers, nor height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord.