Chris Stedman walked away from Jesus and then wrote a book about how to hang around with people who didn’t. He’s gotten some praise from a few noteworthy personalities like Frank Schaeffer (who also walked away from Jesus).

“Stedman the atheist … lays the groundwork for constructive engagement between all of us—no matter what we believe…or don’t.”—Frank Schaeffer, author of Crazy For God

The thing to say when you want to convince simpletons that you are open-minded, gracious, compassionate, and totally not an arrogant jerk is, “We can get along. It doesn’t matter what you believe.” This phrase makes gullible Christians do the Happy Dance and conceited atheists nod their heads. Dimwitted folks of all stripes love the idea that a person’s core convictions don’t matter in a relationship.

If we were in the Kansas City airport and I was flying to Canada and you were flying to Mexico; what would you think if I suggested we travel together? “It doesn’t matter what direction you’re going,” says I. “Let’s ignore the compass for the sake of friendship!” THIS NEXT PART IS IMPORTANT: If you like the idea of us sharing a travel itinerary, stop reading.

Your beliefs tell you which airplane to board, what you’ll order from the drink cart, how you’ll interact with the person in the seat next to you, and whether or not you’ll hijack the plane to Cuba. So it matters very much what you believe, especially if we’re going to have ‘constructive engagement between us.’

You would do well to stop pretending that beliefs don’t matter at all. What you believe is ALL that matters.

(John 6:28) Then they asked him, “What must we do to do the works God requires?” Jesus answered, “The work of God is this: to believe in the one he has sent.”