Truth From An Atheist

The quote below is from an interview in Portland Monthly Magazine between "liberal Christian" and Unitarian minister Marylin Sewell and Christopher Hitchens, the well known atheist writer. Sewell asks a question, which Hitchens responds to.

"The religion you cite in your book is generally the fundamentalist faith of various kinds. I’m a liberal Christian, and I don’t take the stories from the scripture literally. I don’t believe in the doctrine of atonement (that Jesus died for our sins, for example). Do you make and distinction between fundamentalist faith and liberal religion?

I would say that if you don’t believe that Jesus of Nazareth was the Christ and Messiah, and that he rose again from the dead and by his sacrifice our sins are forgiven, you’re really not in any meaningful sense a Christian."

When even the atheist can see this truth, why is it that so many church members and theologians cannot see it?

Hat Tip: Kathryn Jean Lopez - The Corner on National Review Online