By Coach Dave Daubenmire
“What If There Was No God?” I asked a pastor I bumped into that question the other day. He looked at me as if I had lost my mind.
“No, really.” I doubled-down. “What if there was no God and everything that happened in this world was a result of something you did or did not do? What if the only victory that the Christians ever won in this nation was the one’s that they earned? What if all of this faith talk, and prayer vigils, and religious freedom rallies were all for naught and the only liberties that we’re able to secure were the ones that we fought for and won? What if there was no God moving the pieces on the chess board?”
“What’s your point, Coach?” he sarcastically queried? “We both know there is a God. What is the point you are trying to make?”
“Ok Pastor. President John Adams famously said ‘duty is ours but the results belong to God.’ What if Mr. Adams was right? What if God was only able to bless what we DID rather than what we prayed for Him to do? What if God would only do His part after we had done ours?”
“Your point?” he grunted. “Are you insinuating that prayer isn’t necessary?” Do you think that we can change things in this world without the help of God?”
“No, I don’t believe that. But what if God could not do what He wanted to do if we didn’t help Him out by doing all that we could do? It seems that we expect God to work miracles all of the time, and I do believe in miracles. But a miracle is when God supernaturally intervenes in the affairs of man. Should ending abortion require a miracle?”
“I know where this is heading, Coach. You want me to lose my senses and start doing stuff out on the streets like you do. We see things differently. I believe God has a plan and that He is working His plan. It seems to me that you want to do it all yourself.”
“Lay down your sword a minute, Pastor. Why do you get so defensive when I bring this stuff up? What is it that makes you so on-edge when I simply ask you to get your sheep out of the pen? I am not your enemy. I think it is a legitimate question. Why do you think God will do everything while we do nothing?”
“Our church does a lot of stuff. We just don’t go out on the streets and picket. We think there are better, more effective ways of getting our message across. Sometimes I think some of the things you do drives people away from the Gospel. I like what you do, Coach but I don’t like the way that you do it.”
“Yeah. I’ve heard that before. But honestly, I like the way I do it better than the way you don’t do it. Let me ask you again. What if there was no God? What if there was no one to pray to? What if every change facing this world was determined by who did what? What if everything depended on you? Would you still sit so passively inside the four walls of your church?”
“Politics isn’t going to save us Coach? Only Jesus can change things in this world and it looks to me like, pardon the pun, we are going to hell in a hand basket. You have to admit that the Bible says things will wax worse and worse.”
“There you go again, Pastor. What if there was no God? What if the Bible was just a bunch of fables and our grandchildren’s future depended on what we did here and now? What if the only answer for our condition was the actions of courageous men? Would you be as complacent and apathetic as you are now? What if there is a God and He is waiting on you to DO something? What if you, not God, had the power to change the direction of this nation?”
“That’s ridiculous, Coach. We both believe that the Bible is true and that God is coming back soon. There is no use polishing the brass on the Titanic.”
My goodness, Pastor. Shake you head because your eyes are stuck? What if we are wrong? What if the only hope for unborn children was you? What if the only way to save the institution of marriage was you? What if ending the exploitation of women and the destruction of families through the use of pornography was dependant on you? What if this lying, thieving, out-of-control government could be brought back in line if you and your congregation got more actively involved in fighting the evil around us? What if the entire future of your grandchildren depended on what you did to destroy the darkness engulfing us? What if the survival of Western Civilization depended on what we did right now? Come on Pastor. Would you be sitting on your butt if there was no God?”
“Look Coach, I love your passion, but you and I both know that we are in the last days and that the greatest job we can do is share the Gospel with people before it is too late. I just preach the Gospel, Coach. We just need to pray more. The Lord is in control.”
“Really? Do you earn money or do you just pray for money? Do you pray you will stay in shape or do you work out to stay in shape? Do you simply pray God will feed the starving or do you and your church work to feed them? The Devil’s kids work like everything depends on them. God’s kids act like NOTHING depends on them? Would you act the same way if you really believed you could make a difference?
Look in the mirror, Pastor. What if your children’s future depended on you? What if there was no God?”
