‘What then? Are we better than they? No, in no wise. For we have before proved both Jews and Gentiles that they are all under sin.’

My subject this evening is ‘Being in Denial’. Being in Denial. Have you noticed how even the most avowed atheist uses the word good? They speak of people who are good, situations that are good and so on. On what basis can they ever pronounce anything good? How and what is it that they measure goodness from?

I watched [Penn & Teller] confused as to which one is which. I think Mr. Penn is the larger of the two. I know for a fact that he is an atheist. A very strong, vocal atheist. And after one particular magic trick, he went into a rant. A rant about immorality. How it was immoral for certain magicians to do things which put the lives or the health of anyone else at risk. And he got very worked up, very heated in this rant.

And I sat there and thought, morality? Immoral? But you’re an atheist. Why are you taking from my worldview as a Christian who says, of course there is a morality, because God is the one who has given law. He has set the standard. But you see, we basically, we want to believe that there is good in the world. There are people who will always try and find something good, even within the person who is outwardly, well, obnoxious. Oh, there must be some good that we can find in such a person. And of course, such a view is constantly today being reinforced by counsellors and psychologists. They’re not prepared to accept that man has a problem that is deep and within the very soul and being of them. No, basically, it is that at the very heart of everyone, there is a goodness. Why is it?