God loves atheists, and so do I. Jesus calls his followers to love our neighbors as ourselves. While some atheists are spiteful in denouncing the Lord we love, and all of us his followers, as simple-minded, Jesus also told us to love our enemies and even modeled this love for us by laying down his life and forgiving his executioners. He urges us to pray for those who persecute us. Moreover, some Christians on the internet have denounced atheists no less spitefully, though 2 Timothy urges us to be kind toward all, responding with patience and gentleness if we respond at all. If you’re an atheist, please forgive our people who have treated you with hostility. Not all atheists are hostile to believers; some simply do not find reason to believe, and they are sincere in their unbelief. I know, because I was once an unchurched atheist, and would never have known that there is good reason to believe had I not met the Lord for myself. Alister McGrath, William Lane Craig and some other Christian scholars who engage atheists most fruitfully were themselves once atheists, and therefore are able to care about engaging atheists in a way that some other Christians don’t. If you’re a Christian who doesn’t love atheists, I urge you to consider your heart. God loves atheists. If he hadn’t, I never would have come to know his love in Christ.