We’re often told that people quite like Jesus, but just don’t do church. Here are 300 people who do do church, and don’t like Jesus! Perhaps it’s that people like their version of Jesus (teacher, healer, nice guy, loving and affirming, non-existent, take your pick); the reason they don’t like church is because church challenges their comfortable Christ.

Britain has its first atheist church.

It’s in north London, drew over 300, erm, worshippers last Sunday, and offers the chance to sing songs like Queen’s Don’t Stop Me Now and Stevie Wonder’s Superstition.

And the “Sunday Assembly” has its own mantra, too: “Live better, help often, wonder more”.

Here are four thoughts:

1. Everyone is religious. We long to belong to a community of fellow believers, with a code for living, and a purpose for our lives. Romans 1 v 25 tells us that humans are wired to worship something—it will either be the Creator, or created things, but it will be something.

2. It’s interesting that the theme for the meeting was “wonder”, and included a two minute silent reflection on the miracle of life. Presumably, no one reflected on the reality of death, the tragedy of abortion, the millions who live in abject poverty every day of their short lives, or the brokenness that sooner or later enters all our lives. Without God in the picture, we either have to ignore the reality of the brokenness of the world, or despair at it. We cannot hold both the beauty and the brokenness together. Only the Bible, with its explanation of creation and fallenness, does this.

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