Thank you to Jonathan Petersen for his wonderful article. Included is both a link to read and listen to the conversation.

Here’s a preview:

Critics ask, “Why would anyone become a Christian when there’s so much hypocrisy in the church?” With de-conversion stories being reported, why is it that the church inadvertently produces atheists despite its life-giving message? Does atheism explain the human experience better than Christianity? How can the truth of Christianity matter when the behaviors of some Christians are reprehensible?

Bible Gateway interviewed Mary Jo Sharp (@MaryJoSharp), author of Why I Still Believe: A Former Atheist’s Reckoning with the Bad Reputation Christians Give a Good God (Zondervan, 2019).

Describe why you were an atheist as a young woman.

Mary Jo Sharp: I didn’t grow up in the church and didn’t know much about Christianity other than what I saw on TV and in the movies. The societal environment of my childhood years also lacked a cultural Christianity: Oregon has rated among the top states for least religious participation in America. So, I thought non-religious people were the standard or the normative people and that religious people were somewhat of the fringe of society.

I wouldn’t have called myself an atheist growing up because I didn’t encounter that term until later on when I encountered Christianity. I just didn’t believe in God, nor did I see why I needed to do so.

Read the rest of Jonathan’s article here.