Praying For Christopher Hitchens

[Lil Red]

http://www.ncregister.com/blog/praying_for_christopher_hitchens

BY PAT ARCHBOLD Thursday, July 01, 2010 6:47 AM Comments (13)

I know he doesn’t want me to and I know he thinks it is useless but, Christopher Hitchens, I am praying for you.

Christopher Hitchens can be smart, acerbic, funny, mean, insightful, and thick. He defends Western Civilization while, via his outspoken atheism, semantically chipping away at the Christian pillars that support it. In short, Christopher Hitchens is a frustrating person. Christopher Hitchens is also very sick. He writes…
[indent]I have been advised by my physician that I must undergo a course of chemotherapy on my esophagus. This advice seems persuasive to me. I regret having had to cancel so many engagements at such short notice.[/indent]
There are no good cancers to have, but if you were forced to make a list of ‘good’ cancers to have, esophageal cancer would not be on the list.

I know he doesn’t want them, but he needs our prayers.

It is understandable that many have seen Hitchens as the enemy, a leading proponent of a proud and energetic atheism. He has often used his considerable wit to mock religion and in particular Christianity. In doing so, he has been an intellectual enabler of many non-intellectuals helping them to be grossly comfortable with their own impiety. These are not good things.

But Christopher Hitchens is not the enemy. God created him because He loves him. We need to love him too. We should continue to oppose his wrongheaded and destructive ideas at every turn using our gifts, to whatever degree we have been granted them, to undo what Hitchens has done with his.

But we can and should do something more. Something that he can’t or rather won’t do. We can pray for him. And pray for him some more. Let’s love him as much as we can. Let’s us love him with a patient unrequited love.

For him I will pray for very different things.

I pray for his healing.

I pray for his soul.

I pray he doesn’t suffer much while knowing suffering is unavoidable.

I pray that that he realizes the redemptive power of suffering when united with the suffering of our Lord.

I pray that in whatever times he has left, and I pray that is a long time, that he puts his myriad gifts into the service of the Lord.

I pray that he realizes the love of the God who created him.

I must confess that I smile when I ponder what a wonderful Christian Hitchens would make if ever he were to believe. I hope he doesn’t take offense at that. I often wonder the same thing about myself.

[Ziggamafu]

+1. Hitchens is a brilliant writer and very intelligent person. It would be wonderful if he noticed the reality of his soul in the process of his trial. I too will pray.

[Marie-Therese]

Prayers for him. May God use the grace of this trial to enlighten his soul to the merciful love and sacrifice of Jesus.

[Jaime]

tbh I struggle with praying for people who have asked me specifically not to pray for them. There are atheists I pray for, but I have their permission.

[Hassan]

[quote name='hot stuff' date='01 July 2010 - 01:12 PM' timestamp='1278004377' post='2136624']
tbh I struggle with praying for people who have asked me specifically not to pray for them. There are atheists I pray for, but I have their permission.
[/quote]


Were you in Bosnia?

[Jaime]

[quote name='Hassan' date='01 July 2010 - 01:14 PM' timestamp='1278004480' post='2136625']
Were you in Bosnia?
[/quote]

Yes

I'm not sure what the connection is.

[CatherineM]

Praying that having to embrace his mortality will soften his heart.

[Winchester]

[quote name='hot stuff' date='01 July 2010 - 01:54 PM' timestamp='1278006854' post='2136650']
Yes

I'm not sure what the connection is.
[/quote]
I think you are. Indeed, I think you are quite aware of the connection. You're not fooling anyone, "jai[i][/i]me."

[Gregorius]

My prayers have helped begun the road to conversion for one athiest. I can most certainly do it again.
I knew a deacon who is now on his way to God. He also happened to be a government physicist and the chief scientist for Advanced Computing. He is one of the best examples of the correlation of faith and reason I know of. I will ask for his intercession for Hitchen's conversion, as well as pray for deacon's speedy journey to heaven if he is not there already.

[Marie-Therese]

[quote name='hot stuff' date='01 July 2010 - 01:12 PM' timestamp='1278004377' post='2136624']
tbh I struggle with praying for people who have asked me specifically not to pray for them. There are atheists I pray for, but I have their permission.
[/quote]

Why in the world would you be hesitant to pray for someone?? I don't care what anyone says, I will pray for people regardless of how they might happen to feel about it. Anyone who refused prayers obviously has no idea of what is in their best interests in that regard. It's not like holding a gun to someone's head.

The day I think I need permission to pray for someone's soul is the day that I think people's opinions are more important than God, and I don't see that day coming.

[Selah]

Praying for him

[Seven77]

prayers.

[Archaeology cat]

[MIKolbe]

Prayers for him.

[Crispy]

God bless him. Unfortunately, I think this is probably (hopefully) one of the best things that could have happened to him. I hope he recognizes God's invitation to new life in this illness. Prayers.