Francis’ Wager? – Or – Ignore the atheist thing, focus on encounter

I have a new essay up on The Atlantic.

Money quote:

Perhaps the focus on atheism, as breathtaking has
this issue
has proven to be for the  media and the blogosphere,
misses the more powerful concept
at the core of Francis’ homily: the culture of encounter. In the
documents from the Second Vatican Council, as well as much older texts,
one finds numerous
explicit statements about our shared humanity, universal rights, and
the necessity to find common ground. This idea of encounter lays out a
pathway for us
to locate and recognize those commonalities.

 What do you think?