The Christian Chronicle (Oklahoma City, Okla.), Vol. 68, No. 1, Ed. 1 Saturday, January 1, 2011 Page: 31 of 35
This newspaper is part of the collection entitled: Christian Chronicle and was provided to The Portal to Texas History by the Abilene Christian University Library.
Extracted Text
The following text was automatically extracted from the image on this page using optical character recognition software:
REVIEWS
32 THE CHRISTIAN CHRONICLE
JANUARY 2011
Atheists for Jesus? Books question faith in science
BYVAN SPRAGUE | FORTHE CHRISTIAN CHRONICLE
CE
the
athe>st
GROESCHLL
b
Alister ,\k< if.it h
( olliCUtl McGTJlth
AND
(Spirits
ship and complement his
previous works as being
Alister McGrath and Joanna Collicutt
McGrath. The Dawkins Delusion? Atheist
Fundamentalism and the Denial of the
Divine. Downers Grove, III.: InterVarsity
Press, 2007.118 pages. $ 13.
lived as if God did not exist. The fact
that many Christians live this way gives
this title of his book inherent value.
Using personal stories and illustra-
tions, he handles real Christian strug-
gles in a witty, easy-to-read way.
For the preacher, the book provides
ideas for topics that need to be
addressed — guilt, forgiveness, prayer
— and supplies tangible allusions that
powerfully illustrate such subjects.
One should take caution, though.
Groeschel attempts to swing away
from the “heavenly to-do list” kind of
Christianity, but teeters and falls into
an “attend-the-church-of-your-choice”
evangelicalism.
Is Christianity a valid form of belief in
the age of science? While many think
the battle between the two has subsided,
these books illustrate that it thrives.
In fact, the debate attracts the attention
of great minds on all sides of the issue.
Christians cannot afford to proceed
silently and uniformed. Naysayers are
attacking our principal beliefs. We stand
at the front lines. These books can help
equip us with the armor we need in such
an onslaught.
VAN SPRAGUE has preached for six years. A graduate
of the West Virginia School of Preaching, he serves with
the Church of Christ in Lubeck, W.Va.
Craig Groeschel. The Christian Atheist:
Believing in God but Living as If He
Doesn't Exist. Grand Rapids, Mich.:
Zondervan, 2010. 241 pages. $19.99.
The Dawkins
DELUSION?
MICH!
n a—
Drawing attention to misinformation
and assertions in “The God Delusion,”
Alister McGrath exposes areas where
Dawkins failed to practice such schol-
arly integrity. For instance, Dawkins
argues that religion is responsible for
violence, citing the attacks on 9/11.
The McGraths provide evidence that
render his point baseless. Referring to
the studies of Robert Pape, who docu-
mented every known suicide bombing,
worldwide, from 1980 to 2003, they
establish that “religious belief of any
kind is neither necessary nor sufficient”
to create such atrocities.
The authors do not write a defense of
theism, but of reason and fairness. While
refuting the claims of Dawkins, they
teach the valuable lesson that we must
also take care in the arguments we use.
Christians who have read “The God
Delusion” will be enlightened by the crit-
icism that the McGraths provide, but the
authors’ target audience is actually the
atheists “whose minds are not yet locked
into a pattern of automatic Dawkinsian
reflexes”
In “The Christian Atheist: Believing
in God but Living as If He Doesn’t
Exist” Craig Groeschel presents himself
as a former atheist of a different kind.
While he was never a denouncer of the
existence of God, he admits that he once
Is Christianity a valid
form of belief in the age Dawkins’ fine scholar-
of science? While many
think the battle between clear, helpful and well
the two has subsided,
these books illustrate
that it thrives.7
Michael Ruse. Science and Spirituality:
Making Room for Faith in the Age of
Science. New York: Cambridge University
Press, 2010. 264 pages. $30.
he famous atheist Richard Dawkins
calls Christians “dyed-in-the-wool
faith-heads.”
The authors of three recent volumes
on science and Christianity disagree.
Each is a former — or current —
atheist. And each, in some way, defends
the Christian position.
Michael Ruse, a self-avowed “conserva-
tive non-believer,” lays a broad foundation
for understanding the debate between
science and religion in “Science and
Spirituality: Making Room for Faith
in the Age of Science.” Those inves-
tigating philosophies regarding morals,
conscience or purpose of life will benefit
from the information he provides.
Ruse does impressive work presenting
others’ beliefs, information and discoveries
with little personal bias. This approach
makes the book a good overview of the
evolution (excuse the pun) of scientists’
philosophies, specifically showing the
“triumph of the machine metaphor since
the Scientific Revolution” in illustrating the
ways the material world works.
Despite Ruse’s attempts to involve the
reader with questions and vivid illustra-
tions, phrases like, “the fundamental
problem of biology becomes a problem
sui generis” negate whatever momentum
of interest one may have.
Being an atheist, it is not a shock that
Ruse views creation as “an idiosyncratic
legacy.” He says such Christians imagine
that God looks like
“Charlton Heston dressed
in a bed sheet,” an image
he draws from the way
Michelangelo depicts
God on the ceiling of the
Sistine Chapel.
But there is more to
Ruse than mockery. What
is surprising (even to
him) is his assertion that
he could be mistaken
for a theist, based on the
implications of his work.
Though he denies most supernatural
events, he concludes that Christianity’s
“central core claims ... by their very
nature go beyond the reach of science.
Therefore, he argues, since science
cannot provide a concrete answer for
things such as conscience, morality or
the purpose of life, these are rational
areas for religious thought.
While this is still an unacceptable
worldview for many, it is quite a middle
ground for an atheist or agnostic seeking
to avoid extremism on both fronts.
Alister and Joanna Collicutt McGrath
also take up the call for a more balanced
perception in the atheism-verses-theism
debate in “The Dawkins Delusion?
Atheist Fundamentalism and the
Denial of the Divine.” The book is a
response to Dawkins’ 2006
book, “The God Delusion.”
The McGraths admire
researched. But they crit-
icize “The God Delusion,”
as using “weak and
recycled arguments”
that make it “a work of
propaganda.”
Considering that the McGraths are
dealing with someone they describe as
“one of the most successful and skillful
scientific popularizers” in the world,
the authors of “The Dawkins Delusion”
prove themselves to be worthy oppo-
nents. On top of being a former atheist,
Alister McGrath is a graduate of Oxford
(so is Dawkins), and demonstrates his
views with the sound research one would
expect from a writer with his credentials.
Upcoming Pages
Here’s what’s next.
Search Inside
This issue can be searched. Note: Results may vary based on the legibility of text within the document.
Matching Search Results
View 24 places within this issue that match your search.Tools / Downloads
Get a copy of this page or view the extracted text.
Citing and Sharing
Basic information for referencing this web page. We also provide extended guidance on usage rights, references, copying or embedding.
Reference the current page of this Newspaper.
McMillon, Lynn. The Christian Chronicle (Oklahoma City, Okla.), Vol. 68, No. 1, Ed. 1 Saturday, January 1, 2011, newspaper, January 1, 2011; Oklahoma City, Oklahoma. (https://texashistory.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metapth1509300/m1/31/?q=%22~1%22~1&rotate=180: accessed July 16, 2024), University of North Texas Libraries, The Portal to Texas History, https://texashistory.unt.edu.; crediting Abilene Christian University Library.