"Has Christianity become so politically defined that true faith and the person of Jesus Christ is obscured in the minds of many?" he asks in his latest weekly commentary. "Is it possible that Christians are conducting themselves in such a way that the spiritually seeking are looking anywhere but to Christ?"
At a time when more Americans view Christianity as judgmental and hypocritical, Christians are being cautioned to live lives that do not contradict the message of Christ.
"In our culture, which is one that is hugely exposed to Christian images and verbiage, the credibility of the messenger is paramount," says Randy Hurst, commissioner on evangelism for the Assemblies of God.
Leading British atheist Richard Dawkins, author of the bestselling The God Delusion, is currently spearheading a campaign around the world, including the United States, to challenge the dominance of religion in everyday life and in politics and to get more atheists to speak out.
Dawkins believes atheists in the United States account for about 10 percent of the population, but that many are closeted.
"As with a lot of social groups, atheists have become defensive and have started to 'evangelize,'" says Creps of the Assemblies of God.
"Christians need to be well informed about atheism and able to give a defense of their faith," he notes. "But Christians shouldn't treat atheists as a special class of people. Like all humans, atheists need a radical solution - which is Jesus - to a radical problem - which is sin."
And when the Church serves like Jesus, it can make a tremendous impact, says Randy Rich, operations director for Convoy of Hope, a Christian relief agency, according to Today's Pentecostal Evangel.
"For many people - including atheists - such outreach may be the first real demonstration of Christ's love they've ever seen," says Rich. "When an individual feels loved, respected and cared for, that greatly opens up his or her heart and mind to Christ."
