At First Things, Professor Robert George usefully explains internal viewpoints that are shaping external issues which are shattering our culture today.
The other week, Victoria Beeching, a well-known singer in the Christian music scene, came out and announced: "I am gay and God loves me just the way I am." Ok, got it. But one understandable response to such a statement might be: "What makes you say that?"
In his article, Professor George looks to Plato's description of the three forms of "atheism" -- the belief that there simply is no God, the belief that God exists but doesn't really care what goes on down here, and the belief that there is a God who sees what's going on down here, but he is malleable and makes no demands of us. This third form, Professor George argues, is the biggest threat to the West today.
I would agree. Most acknowledge some sort of god, and many appeal to his existence regarding earthly affairs. While their appeals vary widely in form and substance, they still appeal to a god in some way, and thus recognize his relevance for our lives today. These facts dispense at the outset with the first two forms of atheism mentioned above. All one has to do is look to the appeals all around us and all over social media -- "Jesus is love"; "Jesus never condemned anyone"; and Ms. Beeching's "I am gay and God loves me just the way I am" etc., etc., to get a sense of the overwhelming prevalence of the view that God won't tell you what to do, He just wants to hang out, and He loves you regardless of your actions. This view is of course convenient for human beings to hold (as Professor George points out), and ultimately places our authority over that of God -- consequently removing Him from that station of authority in our lives which defines His very existence. God is thus obliterated, and our "god" becomes our desires.
No doubt some reading this will call me a "hate-monger" or some such term, and in doing so, will only help me prove my point. Nevertheless, I will point out, as it is important to do, that my communication of these truths is done in love. Of course, God's love is all-encompassing and greater than we can conceive, but this does not entitle us to deny His truths and objective reality. A firm distinction must be made between loving the person no matter what he or she chooses to do (and we are all called to do that), but not enabling him or her to live according to a subjective reality based on one of these forms of atheism. It is no love which ceases to act to draw people into a right relationship with God (which is my desire) -- but this can only be done by presenting the truth, the whole truth, and nothing but the truth so help me God.