Book Review: Why God Won’t Go Away by Alister McGrath

Why God Won’t Go Away: Is the New Atheism Running on Empty?

9780849946455

By: Alister McGrath

Thomas Nelson Publishers (2011)

Review By: Eric Wood

Alister McGrath is one of the finest theological and apologetic minds of this generation; holding the chair of theology, ministry and education at King’s College in London. McGrath, a former atheist himself, has a keen interest in discussing questions of faith with atheists – hearing their objections and demonstrating the reason behind his beliefs. He has frequently debated leading atheists in public forums.

In his new book, Why God Won’t Go Away, McGrath turns his intellect and insight toward the movement known as New Atheism (a specific movement that goes beyond a simple denial of the existence of God to the nearly militant destruction of such a view), revealing it as “a hopelessly simplistic view that cannot be sustained in the light of subsequent scholarly research” (page 6). That is one of the beauties of this author – he is a Christian and a scholar, when much of modern media and general public opinion would suggest one should be one or the other.

By way of introducing “the four horsemen” of New Atheism, McGrath traces a very brief history of the movement highlighting some key figures and literature. This sets the scene for the quick and militant rise of the New Atheist movement which followed the devastating terrorist attacks on September 11, 2001. The key spokesmen within the movement used this event as an example of the irrational and violent end to which any and all religion leads. McGrath uses this backdrop to provide a brief summary and critical analysis of the writings of the four most popular authors of New Atheism – Sam Harris, Richard Dawkins, Daniel Dennett and Christopher Hitchins. He offers scientific and philosophical evaluations of their work and positions.

Having addressed the key proponents of the movement specifically, McGrath then turns to the chief arguments they bring against faith – namely, 1) religion leads to violence, 2) reason shows belief in God to be irrational and 3) science should be the main (or perhaps only) determining factor of truth.

After effectively walking the reader through these arguments and handily refuting them, McGrath gives a final look at where New Atheism goes from here. Before closing the book, he provides 3 pages of selections for further reading on New Atheism, atheism in a more general sense, and criticisms of and responses to New Atheism from both Christian and secular viewpoints.

This was a fantastic read. It is a short book, but even though one can run through it quickly, it provides a great overview and analysis of the movement of New Atheism, key arguments against this movement, and an arsenal of resources for further study. I highly recommend this book.

The Reason for God

The Reason for God: Belief in the Age of Skepticism
Timothy Keller
Penguin Group
Published in 2008
ISBN: 9780525950493

Review by Mike Meiser

If you are looking for a book that will inform you on how to make a defense of your Christian faith to a secular world, look no further than Timothy Keller’s The Reason for God: Belief in an Age of Skepticism. Mr. Keller’s book is the ultimate apologetic that will appeal to not only the scholar but also the layman. His writing style is clear and concise, and the way in which he presents information is easy to understand. However, even in light of its simplicity, it remains intellectually compelling.

Mr. Keller’s book is divided into two parts. The first part is concerned with showing why a secular worldview is as much if not more of a “leap of faith” as that of a religious one. He completes this task by debunking many of the most popular arguments against the conservative, Evangelical worldview. The arguments covered include such topics as Christianity’s exclusive nature, the problem of evil and suffering, God’s love vs. God’s wrath, religion and science, and the authority of the Scripture.

The second part of the book is concerned with making positive arguments for the validity of an Evangelical worldview. His arguments are of two sorts, historical and existential. These arguments range from Christianity’s explanatory superiority over other worldviews to topics such as the historical validity of the resurrection of Christ. I found his arguments to be quite compelling and encouraging to my faith.

I highly recommend The Reason for God to anyone who is interested in gaining a greater understanding of how to engage the contemporary, postmodern mind. It is very evident that Mr. Keller understands the present condition of Western thought, and he has taken steps to engage that way of thinking in an active dialogue. He understands that many of our arguments have become stale and outdated; however, Tim Keller has shown that one does not have to compromise traditional beliefs in order to appeal to modern minds.