Challenge of atheistic questions

The other day we were talking amongst a group of young christians. I then asked what they thought of some questions raised by atheists. I wanted to find out whether christians (at least those around me) ever entertain the kind of questions atheists raise in their minds and if not why not.

 

I came to a point of thinking that we who are christian are sometimes afraid to ask difficult questions lest our faith should fail us. But I think that asking these difficult questions can only inspire us to seek knowledge and understanding, to take charge of our intellectual and spiritual development unfettered by superstitious fear of what the answers might be. That way, we who are christian could acknowledge that we are not 'know it alls' and super believers who never experience doubt. We could let the frailty and vulnerability of our humanity show forth for others to see and maybe, just maybe it could be shown that 'this power is contained in earthen vessels'

 

I like what one author says about the rise of atheistic voices and how to deal with it. He writes: ..in some sense atheism is "a disappointment with God and with the church. Some of these are people we wounded that we should be handling pastorally rather than with aggressive knockdown debate."