Introduction
Matt Oxley , “CL Bolt from Choosing Hats has a major crush on me, I think.” Now, what would make Matt think that I have a “major crush” on him? It’s the fact that I took the time to quote from and reply to one of his posts. Not only that, but I’ve debated him, and written at least one other post pertaining to him.
A Confession
Normally I would chuckle at the good-natured, tongue-in-cheek comment from Matt. Then I would likely point out that atheists often respond to Christian material by begging, “Stop answering us!” They publish all manner of anti-Christ chicanery and expect no reply. When they get answers, they complain about them.
But this time I am going to respond differently. I am going to affirm Matt’s suspicion. I can’t stop thinking about Matt. I think about him all the time. I plan to name my children after him. “Ox Lee.” I do, in fact, have a mighty man crush on Matt Oxley. Or at least I did. You see, I no longer believe in Matt Oxley.
Jesus Myth
If I recall correctly, Matt is a Jesus myther. Jesus mythers do not believe Jesus, the man Christians and many others posit as having actually existed in history, existed. That’s right, it’s not just that they do not trust on Christ Jesus for salvation; they do not even believe Jesus was a real man in history. Let’s forget for a moment that this theory is held by virtually no one who is anyone when it comes to the academic realm of history. Let’s likewise forget that this theory has been over, and , and , and , and . Instead, let’s focus on one of the major arguments used in an attempt to show that Jesus did not actually exist as a man in history.
Most Jesus myth theories are focused upon allegedly parallel accounts of dying and rising gods. The theories often involve comparisons regarding birthdays, disciples, miracles, ritual worship, and the like. It was following this type of thinking that made me lose my faith in the existence of Matt Oxley. Allow me to explain.
Matt Myth
A number of people have pointed out to me that Matt Oxley bears an uncanny resemblance to illusionist Penn Jillette.
The similarities are striking, are they not? And this is where all of my doubts began. Consider the following:
Penn Jillette has a goatee. Matt Oxley has a goatee.
Penn Jillette wears glasses. Matt Oxley wears glasses.
Penn Jillette has long hair. Matt Oxley has long hair.
Penn Jillette has a subtle, knowing smile. Matt Oxley has a subtle, knowing smile.
But forget about the physical appearances. Check this out:
Penn Jillette is an atheist. Matt Oxley is an atheist.
Penn Jillette has a Youtube channel. Matt Oxley has a Youtube channel.
Penn Jillette encourages skepticism and doubt. Matt Oxley encourages skepticism and doubt.
Penn Jillette is strongly libertarian in his political ideology. Matt Oxley is strongly libertarian in his political ideology.
Penn Jillette gives advice to young people struggling with questions of faith. Matt Oxley gives advice to young people struggling with questions of faith.
Penn Jillette was challenged to debate by a presuppositional apologist (Sye TenBruggencate). Matt Oxley was challenged to debate by a presuppositional apologist (C.L. Bolt).
Coincidence? I think not! These men never really existed.
Believers in Matt Oxley will point to the fact that Penn Jillette is a miracle worker; a magician. Surely the two men are dissimilar in this respect.
My reply is twofold. First, dissimilarity in the parallel accounts does not mean that they are not similar in many other ways. Second, Matt is actually a miracle worker or magician in the sense that he can predict the future.
Prophecies
For example, Matt [allegedly] wrote the :
This might sound strange to some of you, crass even, but I’m watching my feed and a number of my young Christian friends are at this gigantic Christian conference, Passion 2013…and I’m quite literally worried sick for them.
One day you won’t be surrounded by 60,000 of your peers in a stadium being filled by worship music. One day you’ll start to wonder and worry that just maybe everything you are feeling is just a chemical response in your brain.
…and it’s going to hurt. Exploring those things, tip toeing into your personal doubts. It’s easy to hush your concerns now, but it won’t always be. It’s easy to believe it’s all a part of reality and that you are experiencing the living God when the emotions are so thick in the air that you could cut through them with a dull blade.
I worry for you because one day you might be exactly where I was in 2006-2007. I worry that you’ll find yourself trying to take away that pain like I did, picking out spots on a long road to launch your car into a tree or shaking with a gun in your mouth. I worry because I care about you and I don’t want you to ever feel that way, that desperate for answers. I worry, I care, and I love you – even those that I barely know…and I want you to know that if it ever comes to that, or anything near it that I exist solely for the purpose doing all that I can to help you feel worthy of happiness again.
The prophecy is clear. If you are a Christian, Matt explains, “One day you’ll start to wonder and worry that just maybe everything you are feeling is just a chemical response in your brain.” You might even be where Matt once was, “picking out spots on a long road to launch your car into a tree or shaking with a gun in your mouth.” It’s strange. I remember being at a Passion concert many years ago, and I have never experienced anything Matt predicts here. Matt , “Most people who say that they’ve been where I am don’t know how far down the rabbit hole goes.” He continues, “They just dipped their toes into the seas of doubt, I was baptized in it.” Strangely enough, I have read a lot of doubt-worthy material, and have spent a lot of time around people who see (or at any rate claim to see) the world in a very, very different way from what I do, and I have wrestled with doubt before, but Matt seems to think all of my experience pales in comparison to his own. Moreover, I know a whole lot of exceedingly faithful Christians who have dealt with ten times more doubt and skepticism, pain and hurt, trials and temptations than what I have and they are even more in love with their God because of it. Is Matt’s experience really so unique as he would lead us to believe?
So, Matt takes his existential doubt as superior to everyone else’s. But perhaps the doubt was no stronger than anyone else’s. Perhaps Matt was just weaker in terms of how he dealt with the doubt. In any event, Matt is confident that people will eventually experience doubt the way that he has, and will leave their faith because of it.
Matt [allegedly] foretold the :
Seeing young people on fire and excited about god is one of the few things that can take my mood and flip it upside down.
It both enrages me that they’ve been convinced by someone that the Truth is so simple as believing in Jesus, and breaks my heart that they – like I once did – are now laying their lives down at the foot of a cross.
Maybe I shouldn’t be concerned about it, but I am.
I see young people that will one day be rocked by doubts so hard because they’ve been given certainty when it simply isn’t appropriate – and they’ll find themselves grasping for that certainty as if it is necessary, attempting to cling on to that simple faith sold to them in their youth.
I see a generation being set up to lose god in a big and painful way – who’ll be too afraid to ask the men who sold them this god why it’s become so hard to believe – who won’t know where to turn.
Matt acts as though there have not been countless generations before us who have dealt with much worse doubt than he ever did and came out believing. And yet, numerous examples of Christians never losing their faith are available for anyone who cares to spend a few moments looking. There will be many more. A Christian – even a passionate Christian – need not lose faith through existential doubt. I appreciate the concerns Matt has about rampant emotionalism in the church, but as a young, unconverted, professing atheist, he has no authority over pastors. He likewise has no place whereupon he may stand to give spiritual advice to young believers. When the going got tough, Matt gave up. Now he confines himself to saccharine expressions of self-pity. Others need not do so. People can, and do, have life-long, loving relationships with the Lord Jesus Christ. Perhaps Matt’s anger stems not from his bold proclamations concerning the alleged futures of passionate Christians, but from jealousy resulting from the realization that he does not have what they do.
Objection
Some will claim I am being needlessly offensive or harsh. I don’t think so. First, whether or not someone is offended by what I write is not the standard whereby the ethics or effectiveness of the matter are to be decided. Second, if there really is a Matt Oxley, then surely he is mature and loving enough to smile and maybe even laugh at a bit of well-intentioned jest coupled with some serious points to think about. Third, in order to offend Matt Oxley, he would have to exist, but he doesn’t, as I’ve clearly demonstrated in this post.
Conclusion
I can understand where the existence of Matt Oxley might give his believers the warm fuzzies in a time of crisis, but wishing he exists does not make it so.
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