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      • 18. The Motivation of a Sucide Terrorest
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      • 38. Reckoned Righteous by Works
      • 39. Are New Year's Resolutions Biblical?
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      • 40. One of the Greatest Need America
      • 41. Your Memorial Table
      • 42. George W. Bush Verses Saddam Hussein
      • 43. Learning to Listen
      • 44. The Problem with Gambling
      • 45. Memorial Day
      • 46. My Ecounter with an Orthhodox Jew
      • 47. Scott Free
      • 48. What My Auto Accident Taught Me
      • 49. The Decline in Family Living
      • 50. Give Me a Problem
      • 51. Decoding the Da Vinci Code
      • 52. Thanksgiving is not a Holiday
      • 53. What a Christmas Present!
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      • 54. What Do You Mean by that?
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      • 56. "The Passion of Christ"
      • 57. Martha Stewart's Greatest Lesson
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      • 62. Kerry's Logic
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      • 67. Tribute to My Mother
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      • 79. The Redemption of Tookie Willaims
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      • 81. The Rights of the Born
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      • 83. Judas: Betrayer or Best Friend?
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      • 85. A Tribute to My (Spiritual) Father
      • 86. Your Relationship to the Word of God
      • 87. What an Opportunity!
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      • 89. How to Deal with Your Enemies
      • 90. The Case for Systematic Exposition
      • 91. Don't Miss the Message
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      • 92. I can Afford it!
      • 93. The Gospel according to Patricia
      • 94. The Functional Church
      • 95. Who wants to Deal with a Taxman?
      • 96. Vital Virtures
      • 97. Have You Grown up Yet?
      • 98. A July 4th Reminder
      • 99. The Volume of Silence
      • 100. Biblical Illiteracy
      • 101. A Modest Political Propospal
      • 102. How to Handle Credit Cards
      • 103. When it is Tough to be Thankful
      • 104. Romney's Religion
    • 2008 Articles 105-114 >
      • 105. Continue
      • 106. A Tribute to Jack
      • 107. Why Good Ftiday?
      • 108. Happy Birthday
      • 109. The Most Important Room in the House
      • 110. The 80-20 Rule
      • 111. Be Sensible
      • 112. To Be Like Christ
      • 113. Sweet Reasonableness
      • 114. The Other Benefit of Christmas
    • 2009 Articles 115-126 >
      • 115. What Determines who Obtains Eternal Life?
      • 116. The Healing Touch
      • 117. The Function of Dysfunction
      • 118. When Your World Falls Apart
      • 119. 24-7-365
      • 120. To Complain or not to Complain
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      • 127. Don't Ask; Don't Tell
      • 128. A Forest Dark
      • 129. The Rule of Law
      • 130. The Hits and Miss of Grace
      • 131. People Need the Lord
      • 132. Examples Worthy of Notes
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      • 135. My Favorite Poem
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      • 137. "Don't Spare Me"
      • 138 The Unseen Message of Christmas
    • 2011 Articles 139-147 >
      • 139. What Parents Should Teach their Children
      • 140. How to Avoid Having to Serve
      • 141. What Happen to Mike?
      • 142. An Atheist Recommends God
      • 143. Surprise
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      • 146. Get in the Way
      • 147. "Let George do it."
    • 2012 Articles 148-160 >
      • 148. Truth or Consequences
      • 149. Don't Leave Home without it
      • 150. Take a Break
      • 151. The Worth of an Individual
      • 152. A Tribute to Nana
      • 153. Jesus Crossed the Line
      • 154. Thomas Jefferson
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      • 159. Is There a Santa Claus?
      • 160. A Tribute to Sumner Wemp
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      • 161. How to Finish Well
      • 162. Rewards
      • 163. Spiritual Binging
      • 164. There is no way out of this one
      • 165. Half Empty or Half Full
      • 166. Nones
      • 167. Greet One Another with a Holy Kiss
      • 168. God's Answer to Atheism
      • 169. Obedience
      • 170. The Problem of Fellowship with God
      • 171. Character Development
      • 172. For Mercy's Sake
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      • 173. Lies
      • 174. Endure to the End
      • 175. Teaching Children How Money Grows
      • 176. The Principle of Delay
      • 177. By Their Fruit
      • 178. Sermons that Changed My Life
      • 179. If Paul Harvey were the Devil
      • 180. The Principle of Practice
    • 2015 Articles 181- >
      • 181. In Wrath Remember Mercy
      • 182. Choosing the Right Shepherd
      • 183. The Lord's Requirements
      • 184. Your Ear Lobe. Thumb, and Big Toe
      • More articles will be added as they are written
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  • 1185. What is Your "Attitude" tiward Scripture?
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                  An Atheist Recommends God

Matthew Francis Parris was born in Johannesburg, South Africa (1949). He obtained a Law degree from the University of Cambridge and studied at Yale University. He was the correspondence secretary to Margaret Thatcher and served in Parliament (1979-1986). He eventually left politics to pursue a career in journalism. arris is a prolific writer who has authored many books on politics and travel. He is also a homosexual and an atheist.

Rusty Wright, who holds a Bachelor of Science degree (Duke) and a Master of Theology degree (Oxford) and Meg Korpi, who has a PhD from Stanford University, wrote an article about Parris that appeared in the Times of London. In the article, Parris is quoted as saying, “As  an atheist, I truly believe Africa needs God.” He argues, “Missionaries, not aid money, are the solution to Africa’s biggest problem – the crushing  passivity of the people’s mindset.”

 Parris traveled to Africa to cover a story for the Times about a secular organization that helped provide clean water to rural communities. He
discovered that several of its “most impressive” African representatives were devoted followers of Jesus. That encounter evoked memories for him. It refreshed a belief he said he had “been trying to banish all my life, but an observation I’ve been unable to avoid since my African childhood. It confounds my ideological beliefs, stubbornly refuses to fit my world view, and has embarrassed my growing belief that there is no God. Now a confirmed atheist, I’ve become convinced of the enormous contribution that Christian evangelism makes in Africa: sharply distinct from the work of secular NGOs, government projects and international aid efforts. These alone will not do. Education and training alone will not do. In Africa Christianity changes people’s hearts.It brings a spiritual transformation. The rebirth is real. The change is good.”

 Parris observed, “The  Christians were always different.” Their faith seemed to have “liberated and relaxed them.” The article in the Times states, “They (the Christians) exhibited (to Parris) a liveliness, curiosity, engagement and directness that seemed absent in traditional African life. The Christian Pump Aid workers he met stood out for their honesty, diligence, and optimism. Parris bemoans tribalism for fostering an attitude of fear and ‘exaggerated respect for a swaggering leader.’ He credits Christianity’s emphasis on a direct, personal relationship with God for encouraging an individuality that can help ‘cast off a crushing tribal groupthink. That is why and how it liberates.’”

In Sermon of the Mount, Jesus said, “Let your light so shine before men, that they [that is, unbelieving men] may see your good works and glorify your Father in heaven” (Mt. 5:16). Critics claim that Christianity produces and promotes groupthink. Religion masquerading as Christianity might, but Biblical Christianity crushes “tribal groupthink.” It transforms, liberates, and relaxes people. True Christianity, “direct, personal relationship with God,” shines so brightly, even some blind atheists can see it!
 
                                   © G.  Michael Cocoris, 11/26/2001
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