"Love Your Enemies" in Action

Written By: Charlie Butts  |  Posted: Wednesday, April 25th, 2012

            An atheist may be experiencing a change of heart because a church in Texas is reaching out to him in his time of need.

            Atheist activist Patrick Greene of San Antonio threatened to file suit to try to force the city of Athens to remove a nativity scene from the Henderson County courthouse last Christmas, claiming the display was a state endorsement of religion. But Greene backed off once he discovered he was suffering from an eye condition that could result in blindness.
            Learning of the medical problem inspired members of Sand Springs Baptist Church in Athens to raise money to help him. After donating $400 to help him pay for treatment, Pastor Eric Graham has continued communication with Greene.
            "Even during this helping him, he has been kind of hardened and said … he hasn't changed his idea," Graham shares. "He's appreciative to the Christians for helping him, but he's still not changing his idea about Christianity. And as far as receiving the Lord, he was pretty hardened to that."
            But the pastor asserts that believers can only continue to show the love of Christ and pray that God will change a heart of stone to a heart of flesh. In the meantime, Greene is making some changes and showing some promise.
            "He's thinking about trying to, and I guess really pursuing it, moving to Athens. He has now asked me if I would do Bible study with him," the pastor reports. "So it's kind of progressing. He seems to be opening up to the Lord."
            The Bible instructs believers to "love your enemies" (Matthew 5:44). Pastor Graham hopes abiding by that teaching will lead his new friend to soon drop his atheist beliefs.

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