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This title moves beyond the polemics to present an overview of atheism that is rigorous yet accessible. Interest in atheism has surged since the 'New Atheism' trinity of Sam Harris, Richard Dawkins, and Christopher Hitchens launched their attack on religious belief. Their militant, in-your-face style has delighted readers who are already nonbelievers and infuriated theists, and in the process made them best-selling authors. But the cost of their approach is that the current cultural and intellectual dialogue about atheism frequently generates more heat than light: acrimony replaces reasoned investigation, polemic overpowers philosophical analysis, and too often the outcome is confusion rather than truth. "Atheism: A Guide for the Perplexed" moves beyond the polemics to present an overview of atheism that is rigorous but still accessible to the educated layperson as well as the undergraduate student in philosophy and theology courses.After a preliminary investigation of what atheists mean when they use the words 'atheism' and 'God' - a much more complex investigation than one might suspect - the book: explores the differences and similarities between 'old' and 'new' atheism (the primary distinction is that the latter relies heavily on science whereas the former relied on philosophy and is uncompromisingly hostile to religion); places atheism of either variety in context by examining the naturalistic worldview that grounds it; provides a short historical sketch of atheism; examines a number of arguments against God-belief; investigates whether an atheist worldview is consistent with ethics and a sense of purposefulness; asks is an atheist 'spirituality' is possible; inquires into whether the current militancy against religious belief is pertinent or a red herring; and, concludes with a few suggestions for continued dialogue between believers and nonbelievers. The goal throughout is to present a balanced, non-partisan introduction to the worldview, principles, and arguments of atheism that highlights the positions strengths as well as its weaknesses."Continuum's Guides for the Perplexed" are clear, concise and accessible introductions to thinkers, writers and subjects that students and readers can find especially challenging - or indeed downright bewildering. Concentrating specifically on what it is that makes the subject difficult to grasp, these books explain and explore key themes and ideas, guiding the reader towards a thorough understanding of demanding material. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (1)

very good introduction
This is indeed a very balanced introduction to atheism, without the polemics of dawkins et al. If you just want to know the main arguments and thoughts of atheism, i recommend this book. Easy to read, written for non academic readers. It really helped me to find my own position in the matter, without forcing . ... Read more

Customer Reviews (1)

An excellent history ofthe development of modern atheism.
In this (regretably out of print) 1200 page volume, Fr. Fabro extensively details the key ideas and the interaction of major/minor figures who directly contributed to the development of modern atheism. He lays blamefor the "Death of God" largely at the he feet of Renaissance andEnlightenment theologians who themselves "ungod-ed God" as heclaims, in their attempts to modernize their systematic theologies,beginning with Descarte.

By reducing (or subordinating)the concept ofGod to flawed methodologies, renaissance theologians fell victim to thelater critique and influence of countless rationalists, empiricists, anddissident social philosophers, who created the foundationsof atheisticthought (with all of it's "-isms") as a reaction against theologyfor various reasons.

According to Fabro, the atheistic movementswhich have helped shape modern history and thought: e.g. naturalism,communism, humanism, etc, share common and unresolvable philosophicproblems which derive directly from the "Death of God".Epistemology and linguistics eventually lose their meaning, when we eitherover-analyze, or negatively-react to the concept of God. In effect, wequickly loose sight of the essential mystery and faith which has alwaysdefined man's quest for answers to ultimate questions.

As a Catholicpriest, Fr. Fabro seems to fall victim to some of the thesis of his book,insisting that the Catholic Church speaks with all authority in suchmatters. Protestants, Humanists, and of course atheists would stronglydisagree. Nevertheless, Fabro convincingly argues that the "Death ofGod" created a greater trauma for the cohearance of modern philosophy,than specifically for Christian theology. In Fabro's view Christiantheologians may have indeed promoted reductionist ideas about God, butmodern atheism and postmodern philosophy was essentially a reaction toreductionist theology, and itself reductionary; clearly fraught withessential contradictions.

In light of Nietzsche's declaration:"Faith has became no longer worthy of faith," both atheists andmany theologians today seem to have lost an essential part of themselves.We, subsequent faithless, postmodern generations, have yet to fully recoverno matter what we may actually call ourselves. What direction such arecovery might take toward belief, and what specifically to believe, istruely a practical matter of faith for all parties concerned.I wouldhighly recommend this book to any graduate student of philosophy and/ortheology.--R. C. Stephens ... Read more

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Despite the prevalence of religious belief in the United States (nearly 200 million Americans belong to 350,000 congregations), a growing minority (14 percent) of U.S. adults identify with no religion whatsoever. Journalist James A. Haught addresses the secular segment of American society in this interesting collection of incisive essays that give voice to honest doubts about religious beliefs. Taken together, Haught’s essays endorse the idea that freedom of religion must include freedom to doubt as well as to believe. Individually, the articles present many different reasons to doubt:

· Intellectual integrity demands that we express doubts about beliefs for which there is no scientific evidence.
· The historical record, past and present, shows that religion is often the cause of evils, from the Inquisition and the burning of witches to current terrorist violence committed in the name of religion.
· Natural evils, such as the 2004 Asian tsunami and devastating diseases, should make any thoughtful person question whether an all-powerful and all-merciful God governs the universe.
· The sheer number and diversity of often-conflicting belief systems raise serious doubts about the philosophical coherence of religion as an approach to finding the truth.
· Scandals among the clergy undermine the credibility of religion as a sound basis for morality.

Written in a straightforward conversational style that makes clear the many scientific, philosophical, and ethical difficulties that plague religion, Haught’s thought-provoking essays will appeal to atheists, agnostics, and anyone with questions about religion. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (1)

Honest Doubt: Essays on Atheism in a Believing Society
The title is not as offending to theist as some in the atheism field. The first two chapters and the last couple are very antireligious. Written by a journalist, it is easy to read. The chapter on Unitarians also discloses that he is a Unitarian.

Mostly a book for nonbelievers to understand the standing of their own group in America today. Some coverage to main atheist issues and philosophy.

Good atheist view point coverage. A theist would not write this, but may not be offended.

You can read the chapters as essays, no need to read the whole book. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (2)

Three-Dimensional Responses to a One-Dimensional Challenge
When I saw the title of this book, I was already hooked-although I didn't consciously make the connection to the Lewis Grizzard book with a similar title, the joke had me hooked before I read even the subtitle.The book turned out to be even better than the title.

The form of the book grew out of a conversation the editors were having in which they agreed that one of the more offensive things about the Nü Atheism (not their spelling, of course) is that it assumes that questions about God and the gods, inquiries that have inspired centuries of poetry and philosophy and sculpture and other human endeavors, could be dispensed with in the course of a wave of the hand and a three-page syllogism.Never mind that many of the best-known books in the movement exhibit a profound philosophical illiteracy.(As Stan Hauerwas, in one of the book's interviews puts it, "...one of the problems of being a Christian today is that the secular has just become so stupid" (111).)What rubbed these editors the wrong way is the assumption that all of the depth of human experience basically counted for nothing.The flatness of the endeavor inspired these editors to put together a collection that exhibits not only a grasp of logic (though it does exhibit that) or a critical acumen (again, check there) but a richness of genre and of approach that shows not only the rigor but the beauty of what lies beyond the myopic scope of the Nü Atheism, and the book that resulted is a compilation of theological essays, conversational interviews, narratives, and poetry whose attention to the flexibility of human existence stands as a reminder of one very important thing that Dawkins and Company neglects.

Also present here is a range of responses not afraid to disagree with one another.Notably, towards the beginning of the book, Jon Stanley offers a very Brian-McLaren-flavored liberal Protestant response essay, one mostly sympathetic with Derridean atheism as a help for Christians navigating our own historical and conceptual flotsam, and directly afterwards, Ben Suriano responds directly to Stanley with a counter-essay advancing a John-Milbank-influenced critique of Derridean atheism as an extension of modernist-atheist ontologies of violence.Later on, in the collection's title essay, Peter Candler offers an array of arguments that situate the appeal of the Nü Atheism more in cultural milieu than in force of argument, and a few artifacts down the table of contents, Randal Rauser (not as a direct response to Candler) argues that the Emergents' eschewing of logical argument, while understandable as a frustration, nonetheless neglects a significant duty that Christians have to skeptics if we're to be intellectually hospitable. In this reviewer's mind, Rauser's essay on plausibility and rationality is the best straight essay in the collection.

The interviews were perhaps my favorite bits.In one especially delightful piece theologian Stanley Hauerwas interviews friend and former neighbor (and religious chameleon) Stanley Fish about the Nü Atheism, and part of that exchange is the characteristically offensive Hauerwas line that I quoted above.In addition to being two of the wittiest human beings that I'm aware of, the duo also explore the nature of theological and philosophical language, the unstated but painfully obvious philosophical assumptions of the Nü Atheists, and the contributions that John Milton and George Herbert make to the ways that English-speakers talk about God.(What's not to love?)In other interviews Charles Taylor talks about the strange tensions he's experienced in a field that asserts its preference for self-disclosure in its theorists but holds in suspicion those who would self-disclose as Christians, and John Milbank traces modern atheism back to medieval nominalism and holds forth a vision for a Christian globalism that stands in the face of atheistic Capitalist globalism.

I've never been a big fan of the personal narrative as theology, but this volume's stories about interactions with atheists and life in intentional community as a counter to practical atheism did hold my interest, and while I'm partial to Milton and Herbert over postmodern poets, the selections in this book were thought-provoking, even if they're not Milton.(But who is?) And as is often the case, it's the personal essays, the bits that didn't strike me as the most worthwhile, that keep returning to me as I think on the book.

Overall I delight in noting the success of this experimental project, and I recommend the book strongly to anyone with a philosophical bent who would like to read some intelligent, witty, and sometimes beautiful responses to what Becky Crook, in her personal essay "Mystery and Mayhem," refers to the culture of "awe-bashing" (158).

(Cross-posted from The Christian Humanist Blog)

Belief and Atheism in Logic, Love and Poetry
What if, instead of atheists and Christians trying to fire logical barrages at each others' entrenched fortresses, we began talking to each other in a different way? This delightful collection of essays from contributors to The Other Journal explores the conversation between atheism and belief through both argument and poem, essay and tribute, logic and life. The writers range from such heavyweights as Stanley Hauerwas, Stanley Fish, John Milbank, and Charles Taylor to theological carpenters and the leaders of intentional communities. Overall, the essayists recognize both the paucity of the New Atheist arguments and the all-too-idolatrous nature of 21st century American Christianity that deserves the atheists it gets, and seeks to find a new way to critique whatever idols hold us back from truly living on all sides.

Particularly recommended are Robert Inchausti's essay on Thomas Merton's apology to an unbeliever; John Stanley and Ben Suriano's conversation on atheism, Derrida, and the ontology of violence; the delightful interviews with the above-mentioned heavy-hitters; and Becky Crook's lovely reflective essay, "Mystery and Mayhem: Reading Bulgakov's The Master and Margarita while Dating an Atheist in Seattle." This book is a wonderful refreshing read for theologians, ordinary believers, ordinary nonbelievers, and any thoughtful person who wants to have a conversation instead of just continue the shouting. ... Read more

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To Read Chapter 1, visit: createspace.com/Preview/1071725

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Introduction by Carl Olson

British author Philip Pullman is widely acclaimed by critics and readers for his best-selling, award-winning trilogy, His Dark Materials. But he has been criticized by some for attacking Christianity and promoting atheism. What is the truth about Pullman and his books? What does he believe about God, religion, the Catholic Church, and atheism? What does he hope his books will accomplish? Why does he express such strong disdain for the fiction of C.S. Lewis and J.R.R. Tolkien? Should children be reading the His Dark Materials trilogy, or watching the film version of The Golden Compass, the first book of the trilogy?

These are just some of the many important questions addressed by Pete Vere and Sandra Miesel in their accessible, concise, and thoroughly-researched analysis of Pullman's fiction and beliefs. The authors provide a literary critique of His Dark Materials and reveal the many premises, and often surprising literary and philosophical sources of that popular work, as well as explain the symbolism present throughout. They also compare Pullman's fiction to The Chronicles of Narnia, the Harry Potter books, and other famous works of children's fiction. And they examine the metaphysical premises and moral propositions found throughout His Dark Materials, and point out the many objectionable aspects of the books--including violence and sensuality--about which every concerned parent should know. Readers looking for a fair, firm, and non-sensational critique of His Dark Materials will find it in Pied Piper of Atheism. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (3)

Book is fair and enlightening
Oxford man? Not sure why this matters. Pullman is not a fellow of any of the Oxford colleges and is probably, like me, one of the legions of Oxford MAs floating out there.

The point is Pullman does have an agenda that is explicitly anti-Christian and uses his books to make his case. It is a little ironic to see the atheistic-agnostic left jump and down crying "foul" when the Narnia movies come out but to purr approvingly when the shoe is on the other foot.

predictable and mean-spirited
Philip Pullman has, perhaps, said a bit too much about his own atheism.As a consequence, defenders of the faith pounce upon his books, reading for the "evils" they seek to find and ignoring the overall ethical and even potentially Christian message they impart (if loving one's neighbor remains the second great commandment).The two essayists in this book, Peter Vere and Sarah Miesel, come at Pullman's trilogy prepared to find it specifically designed to indoctrinate children to atheism and anti-Catholicism.Vere provides the clumsiest attack as it seems he really hasn't read the novels carefully.For example, he asserts that Roger is "seeking solace from the Church during a harsh Arctic blizzard" when Roger shows up at Lord Asriel's house on Svalbard, never mind that Asriel's home is about as far from the Church as anyone could get in that world--physically or spiritually. That is, alas, not the only gaffe.Miesel's essay makes for some interesting reading as she ties the novels to gnosticism and other heresies and attempts to rebut Pullman's attack on the Narnia novels.Yet like Vere, she straps the novels to her own pre-interpretation and ignores what doesn't work to her purpose of denigrating the books.

Neither writer assumes that children have the critical intelligence to read fantasy as fantasy.

The novels are open to scrutiny for their heavy-going attacks on organized religion and the Judeo-Christian world view.Christian parents might well want to discuss the issues raised by the novels with their children.Many others have written commentaries criticizing Pullman's irreligiosity.For a far stronger, more balanced, and more intelligent critique of His Dark Materials from a Christian perspective, readers would be well-served by picking up Tony Watkins's Dark Matter.

Well, alright.
It is a book that helps one think about Mr. Pullman's trilogy. But there were moments, when I read this book, where I could not help but sympathize with Mr. Pullman, as they make him to be a darker devil than he ever hoped to be. Certainly more than I hope him to be. Christians nowadays, for reasons unknown, give this Oxford man far too much credit, and a great deal too much attention. I don't suggest ignoring the man (goodness no): but why not swallow his trilogy with a smile? It is quite hard to stumble across Pullman's books without knowing what he preaches.

Furthermore, read this book AFTER reading through His Dark Materials. Whereas if you have read the trilogy, you can shuffle through this book and think to yourself, "Yes, alright, that's well and good," or "No, no; I don't think Pullman ever intended that." But for parents who desire some insight into Pullman's own head, the book does what it says. But I suggest reading Pullman himself to figure out the mind of Philip Pullman. ... Read more

Product Description
The book has no illustrations or index. It may have numerous typos or missing text. However, purchasers can download a free scanned copy of the original rare book from the publisher's website (GeneralBooksClub.com). You can also preview excerpts of the book there. Purchasers are also entitled to a free trial membership in the General Books Club where they can select from more than a million books without charge. Publication date: 1858; Subjects: Atheism; Theism; ... Read more

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This pertinent short history illustrates the leading issues separating the theist from the atheist and agnostic, and sheds light on world events and the inconsistencies inherent in supernaturalism and theistic theories. Thrower discusses atheism both as a reaction to belief and as a separate and consistent form of belief in a world stripped of the divine, where reason, science, and humankind's endless search for knowledge flourish. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (5)

Uneven
James Thrower has tried to write a quick overview of western atheism.It's an ambitious scheme, and he's to be congratulated for his efforts.In the first seven chapters, he moves from the classical to the hellenistic ages, showing that although naturalism, the general worldview endorsed by most atheists, has an ancient lineage, atheism proper is much less spotty.There are some exceptions--Carneades, for example--but not many.The medieval and renaissance periods are also relatively free of atheists, although the "double truth" split between faith and reason endorsed by many medieval philosophers, as well as the rise of science and the steady retreat of theological explanations of the world in the later renaissance, paved the way for the fullblown appearance of atheism in the 18th century.

Given this historical paucity of atheism up to the Enlightenment, it's rather remarkable that 80% of Thrower's book is devoted to the pre-1800s.When he finally gets to the modern era, he does a decent job of summarizing some of the highpoints of Enlightenment free-thought, but his discussions of the 19th and 20th centuries are, respectively, spotty and spottier.He interestingly concludes with the claim that linguistic analysis is the most important challenge to God belief today.Although many philosophers might take this to be an antiquated claim (believing that we're long past the days of bliks and verificationism), I think it's still relevant.Unfortunately, Thrower doesn't explore it.

What especially disturbs me is that Thrower rarely cites original sources, but instead relies heavily--almost exclusively, as a matter of fact--on secondary ones.This is strange.Why would I want to read quotations from secondary sources in a source that's already secondary--or now, I suppose, tertiary?

So we're badly in need of a good history of western atheism.Until one comes along, more specialized studies will have to do:for example, Jennifer Michael Hecht's Doubt, Susan Jacoby's Freethinkers, and Michael Buckley's At the Origins of Modern Atheism.

Atheism as old as religion
This book is easy to read even for them who - like me - have English as second language. The book starts already before Socrates with a very good overview of the objections to religion in general and gods in particular. Thrower follows the chronological order over antiquity, Rome, medieval time and up to our own time. The book never looses the perspective of the first ideas against religion and it show clearly how counter-arguments refines when theology get more advanced.

It gives numerous references and is obvious very interesting for both believers and non-believers who want to structure the ideas of atheism and put the different ideas in a proper time perspective.

Anyone who lives with the conception that atheism is a new invention should read the book. All the important objections are there from the start.

AtheistWorld.Com Book Review
Comfort can be taken in the acknowledgement that many "theologians and religious philosophers now openly state, that religion is a 'blik', a perspective, an attitude, a way of looking at the world, rather than a descriptive account of how reality actually is." Thrower also clarified for me the thought that I have always had that "atheism" is not a satisfactory description of my own philosophy of life. "For if the assertion that there is a god is nonsensical, then the atheist's assertion that there is no god is equally nonsensical, since it is only a significant proposition that can be significantly contradicted." Which implies that agnosticism is also ruled out. Instinctively, I have referred to myself as a non-theist rather than atheist. After reading Thrower, I am even more comfortable referring to myself as an unbeliever or Humanist without any further qualifications.

I highly recommend this book for those who are either theist or humanist in their belief because it gives a wonderful overview of the history of these two different views of our human awareness. For the theist, it provides a fresh look at the "old arguments" against religion and will help to sharpen or deepen your faith (since I doubt those of true faith will be persuaded against their faith by a review of atheism's history). For the humanist, it will provide roots for your own life philosophy. An excellent addition to both libraries!

Proud roots for the humanists . . .
Another book recommended by my good friend and mentor, Dr. Gus Rath, and another winner. This small volume gives a wonderfully concise synopsis of the history of Western Atheism. It gives some hope to those who want to understand that they are not alone in their humanist or agnostic view of the world. They in fact are part of a long history and associated with some of the most powerful "thinkers" of our species.

Comfort can be taken in the acknowledgement that many "theologians and religious philosophers now openly state, that religion is a 'blik', a perspective, an attitude, a way of looking at the world, rather than a descriptive account of how reality actually is." Thrower also clarified for me the thought that I have always had that "atheism" is not a satisfactory description of my own philosophy of life. "For if the assertion that there is a god is nonsensical, then the atheist's assertion that there is no god is equally nonsensical, since it is only a significant proposition that can be significantly contradicted." Which implies that agnosticism is also ruled out. Instinctively, I have referred to myself as a non-theist rather than atheist. After reading Thrower, I am even more comfortable referring to myself as an unbeliever or Humanist without any further qualifications.

I highly recommend this book for those who are either theist or humanist in their belief because it gives a wonderful overview of the history of these two different views of our human awareness. For the theist, it provides a fresh look at the "old arguments" against religion and will help to sharpen or deepen your faith (since I doubt those of true faith will be persuaded against their faith by a review of atheism's history). For the humanist, it will provide roots for your own life philosophy. An excellent addition to both libraries!

Carneades and More
"There is...a way of looking at and interpreting events in the world, whose origins...can be seen as early as the beginnings of speculative thought itself, and which I shall call naturalistic...in the sense that it is incompatible with any and every form of supernaturalism." --James Thrower, Introduction to Western Atheism

James Thrower, currently Professor of the History of Religions at the University of Aberdeen, Scotland, originally published his book with Pemberton Books in 1971. To its republication, he has added a Preface, Afterward, and updated Bibliography. The main text and indexes, however, are unchanged from the original. The book's focus is broad, not only discussing individuals who were outright atheists, but also thinkers and schools whose thoughts have contributed to the naturalistic outlook. But while the book is conceptually broad, it is geographically narrow, that is, borrowing a term from non-European academia, almost entirely "Eurocentric." One of the thinkers covered in Thrower's book who astonished me was the Greek Skeptic, Carneades of Cyrene (214-129 BC).

Carneades anticipated by more than two thousand years much of the subsequent thinking in the debate between theism and atheism. He criticized in numerous ways Stoic theology's support of theism. He asked why theists find it necessary to support theism with logical arguments if it is really universally believed. Even if theism was universally believed, Carneades pointed out that popularity of a belief does not prove the belief to be true. He accused the Stoics of the hypocrisy of considering most of humanity to be fools while at the same time utilizing these fool's beliefs as evidence for theism. He dismissed reports of divine visitations as being old wive's tales. He criticized divination, saying that it was arbitrary, inexact, and does not rest on rational principles. He suggested that the origin of theistic belief was from the human propensity to deify awesome acts of nature, but also pointed out that knowing a belief's origin does not, in and of itself, either prove or disprove a belief. He also criticized the Stoic's conception of god as being incoherent and meaningless.

Carneades saw that personal attributes necessarily limit god's nature. For example, if god is omnipotent, he cannot also possess courage because, being omnipotent, he cannot be endangered, etc. Carneades also punched holes in the design argument for theism, pointing out that the evidence of design in the world is inconclusive, because evils like poisonous snakes, natural disasters, and disease are evidence against design.

Thrower's book is divided into three parts:"ATHEISM IN CLASSICAL ANTIQUITY," "WESTERN ATHEISM TO THE SEVENTEENTH CENTURY," and "MODERN ATHEISM." Thrower starts with the pre-Socratic Greek philosophers and ends with the British philosopher Sir A. J. Ayer. Excluding his page-long "Note on Atheism and Agnosticism within Jewish Thought in the period before the Fall of Jersusalem in AD 71" and his half-page mention in his Afterward of "radical Americal theologins" who have "sought to develope a Christian atheism," there is virtually nothing in Thrower's history of Western atheism that comes from outside of Europe. He is aware that this is a limitation, for in his Afterward, he highlights the global scope of atheism and then concludes that a "comparative history of atheism remains to be written." However, even a book intended to discuss only Western atheism should cover more than just Europe, because Western thought encompasses the Americas, Australia, New Zealand, South Africa, etc. Even in a short history, I would like to know what if anything relevant to atheism has been happening in Western culture outside of Europe. Surely, in his section on "MODERN ATHEISM," Thrower might have found something of note outside of Europe to include in his book. Nevertheless, although I find his short history too short -- the entire book including the index is a mere 157 pages -- Thrower's book is necessarily of value to the general reader, because what it does cover is well written and informative, and because there is little else as a general introduction the the history of atheism to take its place. ... Read more

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THE MAJOR WORK OF ONE OF THE "DEATH OF GOD" THEOLOGIANS
Thomas Jonathan Jackson Altizer (born 1927) taught religion at Wabash College, then he taught English at Emory Universityfrom 1956 to 1968. He is currently Professor Emeritus of Religious Studies at the State University of New York at Stony Brook, and has recently written a memoir (Living the Death of God: A Theological Memoir).

He begins this 1966 book by saying, "Let me confess that this book was written with the conviction that it is an expression of a new and profoundly radical theological movement in America."

Here are some representative quotations from the book:

"Thus the radical Christian reverses the orthodox confession, affirming that 'God is Jesus' rather than 'Jesus is God.'" (pg. 44)
"The 'atheism' of the radical Christian is in large measure a prophetic reaction to a distant and nonredemptive God who by virtue of his very sovereignty and transcendence stands wholly apart from the forward movement and the historical presence of the Incarnate Word." (pg. 62)
"True, every man today who is open to experience knows that God is absent, but only the Christian knows that God is dead, that the death of God is a final and irrevocable event, and that God's death has actualized in our history a new and liberated humanity." (pg. 111)
"Radical Christianity poses the real question which must now be addressed to the Christian: is faith speakable or livable in the actuality of our present?" (pg. 134)
"If we can truly know that God is dead, and can fully actualize the death of God in our own experience, then we can be liberated from the threat of condemnation, and freed from the terror of a transcendent beyond." (pg. 145)
"Thus, ultimately the wager of the radical Christian is simply a wager upon the full and actual presence of the Christ who is a totally incarnate love." (pg. 157)

Gospel of Christian Atheism
Product was shipped promptly and in the condition specified.(The book itself isn't too great, but that's no slam on the seller :P). ... Read more

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The last few years have seen a great assault upon faith in the publishing world, with an influx of books denouncing religious belief. While attacks on faith are not new, what is notable about these books—several of which have hit the bestseller charts—is their contention that belief in God is not only deluded, but dangerous to society.
In The Delusion of Disbelief, former Time senior correspondent and bestselling author David Aikman offers an articulate, reasoned response to four writers at the forefront of today's anti-faith movement: Sam Harris, Daniel Dennett, Richard Dawkins, and Christopher Hitchens.
Aikman shines a light on the arguments of these "evangelists of atheism," skillfully exposing their errors and inconsistencies. He explains what appears to motivate atheists and their followers; encourages Christians to look closely at what they believe; arms readers with powerful arguments in response to critics of faith; and exposes the social problems that atheism has caused throughout the world.
Aikman also takes on one of the most controversial questions of our time: Can American liberties survive in the absence of widespread belief in God on the part of the nation's people? The answer to that question, says Aikman, is critically important to your future.The Delusion of Disbelief is a thoughtful, intelligent resource for anyone concerned about the increasingly strident and aggressive new attacks on religious belief. It is the book that every person of faith should read—and give away. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (33)

New Atheism: Rotten Roots & Poisonous Fruits
Shaped by both the incisive analysis of a veteran journalist and the informed perspective of a trained historian, David Aikman's The Delusion of Disbelief is timely critique of the so-called New Atheism movement.With sophistication and precision, Dr. Aikman unearths the rotten roots and exposes the poisonous fruits of an old heresy.A chronicle of the personal and political destruction produced by `God-is-dead' thinking The Delusion of Disbelief is a much needed resource for all involved in Christian education and ministry.

A Real Review
I am admittedly not religious. I've read some of the books Aikman discusses and decided to read this to see what a religious argument had to say.

Because this book is an argument against atheism, this book has two main tasks it needs to accomplish:

1.) Show that belief in God is true, or at least likely
2.) Show that belief in God is less harmful to society than disbelief

The second task it accomplishes with some success. The first Aikman completely ignores, and unfortunately, this is arguably the more important task. As Dawkins is fond of saying, "Even if certain beliefs can be comforting, it doesn't make them true." Hence the most glaring problem with the book is its complete failure to even ATTEMPT to address one of the main atheist contentions.

As for the second task, Aikman gives readers a mix of legitimate and invalid criticism. Among its more legitimate arguments are examples of crimes actually committed IN THE NAME OF atheism and providing a clearer view of the religious beliefs of certain historical figures, such as Albert Einstein. Among the more invalid arguments are claims that disbelief in God somehow leads to a morality system acceptable of any kind of behavior, however cruel and barbaric.

As for overall writing style and quality, Dawkins is clearly a superior writer (though Aikman might beat out Hitchens in God is Not Great). While Aikman does provide some good factual information, he generally fails to unify all his facts into an effective framework. One often loses the purpose behind certain factual examples.

Overall, Aikman presents a few interesting ideas that are on the side of religion. Some of what he presents, however, is either questionable, oversimplified, or even just plain wrong. And the most egregious arguments against religion Aikman never even mentions.

A Must Read to Support The Belief in Jesus in a World Gone Mad
With intellectual prowess, acerbic wit and deep faith, David Aikman duels and wins the argument against atheism. In brilliant opposition to those who attack Christians as intolerant of opposing views, Aikman patiently and elegantly exposed each atheistic false assumption. (His specific targets are the writings and thoughts of Richard Dawkins, Sam Harris, Daniel Dennett, and Christopher Hitchens.)

Aikman quotes Albert Einstein wisely, since many feel that the mathematics genius would have had opinions on other subjects that would be trustworthy. although
Einstein eschewed all trappings of religion, he said, "I am a Jew, but I am enthralled by the luminous figure of the Nazarene." Einstein was also emphatic about asserting the existence of Jesus. "(Do I believe in Jesus?) Unquestionably! No one can read the Gospels without feeling the actual presence of Jesus. His personality pulsates in every word. No myth is filled with such life."

Powerful in his warning to 21st century liberals who tolerate atheism in the spirit of "it's all good", Aikman declares, "Atheism, when adopted wholesale by any government or society, has very profound and - as was evident in the twentieth century - disturbing consequences for political liberty. Every single one of the Founding Fathers understood this..." (page 136)

The Delusion of Disbeliefis civil, intellectually profound, occasionally humorous, stunning in it's logic, patient, a "must read" for anyone needing backup for their scholarship, history and logic of why Jesus lived, was the Son of God, was crucified and resurrected for the benefit of all.

A Must Read to Oppose Atheism
With intellectual prowess, acerbic wit and deep faith, David Aikman duels and wins the argument against atheism. In brilliant opposition to those who attack Christians as intolerant of opposing views, Aikman patiently and elegantly exposed each atheistic false assumption. (His specific targets are the writings and thoughts of Richard Dawkins, Sam Harris, Daniel Dennett, and Christopher Hitchens.)

Aikman quotes Albert Einstein wisely, since many feel that the mathematics genius would have had opinions on other subjects that would be trustworthy. although
Einstein eschewed all trappings of religion, he said, "I am a Jew, but I am enthralled by the luminous figure of the Nazarene." Einstein was also emphatic about asserting the existence of Jesus. "(Do I believe in Jesus?) Unquestionably! No one can read the Gospels without feeling the actual presence of Jesus. His personality pulsates in every word. No myth is filled with such life."

Powerful in his warning to 21st century liberals who tolerate atheism in the spirit of "it's all good", Aikman declares, "Atheism, when adopted wholesale by any government or society, has very profound and - as was evident in the twentieth century - disturbing consequences for political liberty. Every single one of the Founding Fathers understood this..." (page 136)

The Delusion of Disbeliefis civil, intellectually profound, occasionally humorous, stunning in it's logic, patient, a "must read" for anyone needing backup for their scholarship, history and logic of why Jesus lived, was the Son of God, was crucified and resurrected for the benefit of all.

Overall Great
I was very satisfied with the condition of the book. A little slower than expected delivery but otherwise grateful for the good service! ... Read more

Product Description
In this wide-ranging collection of articles, essays, and speeches, George H Smith analyses atheism and its relevance to society today. The featured essay in this volume provides a full analysis of Ayn Rand's unique contribution to atheism, explaining how her objectivist metaphysics and laissez-faire economic principles rested on a purely godless worldview. Several chapters address the evolution of atheism; arguments in favour of religious toleration; the efforts of early Church fathers to discredit Roman polytheism and how these arguments can be used with equal force against later Christian descriptions of God; and, a survey of the contributions to free-thought made by the deists of the 18th and 19th centuries. With incisive logic and considerable wit, Smith ties atheism to reason and argues that reason itself can be a moral virtue. In one penetrating chapter, Smith salutes three Christian theorists who he believes embody the spirit of reason: Thomas Aquinas, Desiderius Erasmus, and John Locke. This is followed by a philosophical drubbing of his 'least favourite Christians' - St Paul, St Augustine, and John Calvin.In subsequent chapters, Smith examines religion and education; addresses the 20th century fundamentalist revival; offers suggestions on how to debate atheism with religious believers; critiques 'new religions', including pop therapy, EST, and transactional analysis; and, provides a comprehensive bibliographic essay on the literature of free-thought. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (8)

The Precuror of God's Delusions by Atheists Today.
God is not a delusion, but he can and should be a personal God. Today, you find churches set up in storefronts or out in the country in hovels by untrained "preachers" instead of the denominations of days gone by. There were the Baptists, Methodists, Episcopalians, Lutherans, Presbyterians, Church of God, Church of Christ, etc. Now, it is non-denominational, which means "anything goes." Thus, this scientist has decided that the world would be better off without religious intervention. The churches do help their members in crisis, but otherwise they are in the business of money.

With the advent of telelevangists, we saw their public downfalls usually because of sex, though others were making a killing by using the money for personal luxuries. When Jeff went to Chicago to attend the U of C, he encountered his first atheist. Coming from a small Tennessee town, growing up Methodist, it was a bad discovery to find that his Physics and Astronomy professors did not believe in God. Everyone knows that the University of Chicago is a radical school. The Big Bang theory was that we were put here randomly and there are other aliens out there somewhere more intelligent than we. No intervention, no creation by God, no Jesus, (apparently he was a false prophet); my long-ago favorite prophet, Jeremiah (the prophet of doom) would have fit in as their advisor as he saw only the bad happening in his surroundings and was not inspired by the premonitions of Isiah and the Old Testament leaders who prophysized the coming of the Son of God. Atheists believe in the devil, so the rest of us can find comfort in God in his many varieties. The Catholics believe in communicating by calling on the Virgin Mary. I'm not an atheist, but no virgin could have a child, even a miracle child. Old women can, but not young virgins, so I believe that the Catholics have false beliefs for some reason all their own.

John Wesley taught us that Protestants of all persuasions can find life easier and we can get along with our neighbors if we have some kind of faith in a higher being. E. T. where are you?

In Pittsburg, PA, there is a large statue of Mary (mother of Jesus) looking down as she hold the babe. I saw a similar statue at a Methodist church in Nashville of Christ; when you kneel and look up (as I did) you look right into his eyes. It was eerie and moving all at the same time. At Sewanee, we had Church Women United sessions with the marvelous peacocks honking at you, but no Jesus statue in existence. That is near Bell Buckle where the original Webb School is located.

Atheists are not simply deluded, but are instruments of the devil.Today I see those young men and women all dressed in black with tatoos and black eye makeup, which are the modern version of cult members who have run amok.They could lose control at any moment, as it is clear that they are on drugs and the bad influence of something or someone not of this earth.They are definitely a danger to today's society.

Lucid, thoughtful, sometimes way off.
Most anthologies of essays are like a loose pile of sand, but thematically, I thought this one hung together fairly well. The style varied from popular to almost bibliographical.

The Ayn Rand essays were informative, though I thought Smith bent over backwards a bit too far to shield Rand herself from the charge of fanaticism.(As is so often done with Marx.) The essays I liked the best were "My Path to Atheism," "Atheism and the Virtue of Reasonableness," (good advice for theists as well), and "Frantz Fanon and John Locke at Stanford," which I read as a stirring defense of free thought against the PC mind control so prevalent in our academic establishments.If everyone (including Smith himself)would follow his rules for debate in that second essay, we might be in for a lot of good, healthy debate!

As a Christian, I was perturbed, but not surprised (having seen it so often), to find someone as apparently well-informed as Smith badly misunderstand what orthodox Christians mean by faith.He repeated the old canard that "Faith conflicts with reason," and a great deal of his discussion was saddled with this profound and oft-repudiated error.Faith, he argued,
"cannot give you knowledge."It is "intellectually
dishonest, and should be rejected by every person of integrity."He backed up his mangled argument with the writings of some obscure theologian.But when understood as orthodox Christians understand it (as I argue in my book Jesus and the Religions of Man), it is truer to say that nothing besides faith can give knowledge."Never, never doubt the efficacy of your mind," Smith advised.Yes, and that is (in the Christian sense) an act of faith.Beyond a reasonable and tested faith in reason, memory, the fives senses, and other people, faith in God is the highest form not of blind faith (an un-Christian concept), but of the clear-headed act of reason by which rational beings perceive what is real in their environment.If you think faith is a wild and uneccessary leap in the dark, you misunderstand the Christian religion, and the nature of knowledge in general.

Suffering from this misunderstanding, Smith blames Augustine for the Dark Ages; which I think is radically unfair.(Especially considering that Augustine, one of the greatest thinkers in world history, died in a city under siege of the invaders who really did usher in the Dark Ages.)

Smith also tries halfheartedly to argue that Jesus fit the "profile" of an abusive cult leader.This is nonsense.In fact, compare the more detailed list of traits common to cult leaders compiled by such skeptical psychologists as Marcia Fabin and Anthony Storr with the Gospels, and it appears that Jesus was at the opposite end of the spectrum from that sort of person.I have been studying world religion, gurus, Messiahs, and "Living Buddhas" for many years, and I have not found any who resembled Jesus.

Despite these criticisms, I enjoyed this book and found a lot of value in it.Smith is extremely well-read, and writes with a style that is usually clear andreasonable.I look forward to reading his general defense of atheism.

Interesting collection of essays
Heresy, Smith defines in his preface, is the rejection of the orthodox, and heresies are considered a threat to the established social order once the dogma of the institution (be it religious or otherwise) has become aligned with the power of the state or political force. The state, holding the reins of power, uses force, instead of persuasion, to enforce the orthodoxy.The Founding Fathers, most practicing Deists, itself a form of heretical thought, understood this and insisted on the separation of church and state, thus preventing the establishment of an official religion, preventing, they hoped, official heresies as well.Orthodoxy itself is not dangerous, only its alliance with political power.The central theme of Smith's book is the "crucial difference between the voluntary orthodoxy of organizations and the politicized orthodoxy of governments. "A free society, complete with orthodoxies and prejudices, is the best of all worlds for the heretic.Liberty permits the heretic to pit his beliefs against those of the orthodox majority."The paradox for the heretic is whether if and when his view becomes the dominant - to politicize the new orthodoxy or to permit liberty, which enabled the heretic to conquer ideologically, to possibly undermine the new orthodoxy?

Smith is unapologetically atheist; belief in God for Smith is simply unreasonable and irrational. Asked to prove the nonexistence of God, Smith's answer is simply that one cannot prove a negative and that the person who asserts the existence of something bears the burden of proof. He asserts that to believe in faith or to rely on faith is to "defy and abandon the judgment of one's mind. Faith conflicts with reason.It cannot give you knowledge; it can only delude you into believing that you know more than you really do.Faith is intellectually dishonest, and it should be rejected by every person of integrity.

The book is a loosely connected series of essays that discuss a variety of Christian and social heresies. He begins with his own philosophic journey to atheism.He is certainly a libertarian, and the essays on public education and the War on Drugs reflect that philosophy. But the reason I began this book was to discover his writing about Ayn Rand. He devotes two substantial chapters to her and the Objectivist philosophy.

Rand evokes fierce passions, both pro and con."Accounts of Objectivism written by Rand's admirers are frequently eulogistic and uncritical, whereas accounts written by her antagonists are often hostile and what is worse, embarrassingly inaccurate." The situation has been made worse by her appointed heir to the throne, Leonard Peikoff, who has declared Objectivism to be a "closed" philosophy, i.e., no critical analysis will be tolerated;one must accept it as he says it is and that's that. Whether Objectivism will survive such narrow-mindedness remains to be seen.It's a classic case of the true believer "unwilling to criticize the deity.Thinking for oneself is hard work so true believers recite catechisms and denounce heretics instead."Typically, this was contrary to Rand's philosophy of individualism and critical, rational thinking where "truth or falsehood must be one's sole concern and the sole criterion ofjudgment -- not anyone's approval or disapproval."

A dissenter's mind
This loosely connected series of essays expands his earlier work,extending beyond Atheismto embrace various Christian and social'heresies'.Beginning with his personal Path toAtheism, he provides theskeptic with methods of argument and several readings.He givesaccountsof those Christian philosophers who wrote against atheists and heretics. Heretics, ofcourse, have been subjected to the severest punishments inthe Christian churches, for a soullost is more serious than anunconverted heathen.

Smith's discussion of Deism is the highlight of thisbook.As a philosophy accepting a godwithout a structured religiousorganization, Deism was a major theme among critics ofChristianity. Abolishment of church hierarchies, with their inevitable moral and monetary corruption, led many thinkers to leave Christianity in favour of apersonal relationship with adeity.Many of the Founding Fathers of theUnited States adhered to this view, a product ofthe EuropeanEnlightenment of the 18th Century.Arising coincidentally with many philosophies of personal freedom, it was almost inevitable that a nationexperimenting withdemocratic ideals would espouse it.Smith's essay onthe writings of Deists is enlightening.

Smith's discussion of Ayn Rand'sideas came as a bit of a shock.It's difficult to find anyone,apart froma few feminists, in this era who knows who she was.Smith's account of herlifeincludes a smattering of choice quotations, but the brevity of theentries demonstrates thepaucity of adherents.There is an Ayn RandInstitute site on the 'Net, but seems hardly worththe bother.

The twoessays on public education and the War on Drugs are heartfelt expressionsof a truelibertarian.Neither will add to Smith's popularity in a nationwhere 'Christian virtues' reignwith such strength, but they're requiredreading for anyone who wishes to understand viewsother than the accepted'norm'.Smith appears to forget that public education in the United States, even given its Puritan foundation, was furthered by a desire tofree education from thethrall of an Established Church.The strugglingeconomy of a growing nation would have ledmore children into hazardousand fatiguing work situations from which they would neverrecovered. Extending the years of compulsory education freed many children and openedjobopportunities.The result put more women into the work force,ultimately leading toimproving their role in society.

Smith confesseshis lack of a formal education, but he's certainly managed a wealth of research to produce this book.Not a deep study of the challenges toestablished thinking, thisbook is a valid starting point for thoseseeking further knowledge of libertarian thinking.

Worthy follow-up to "Atheism: The Case Against God"
This is a loose collection of essays by Smith. They cover a variety of topics, like Smith's personal atheism, heresies over the years, and Objectivism. His critiques of Objectivism are well-written and, IMHO,spot-on.

I wish I could give the book five stars, but there doesn't seemto be much of an underlying theme, as the title suggests. I would've likedto have seen something where the chapters lead to an inevitable conclusion,as in A:TCAG. ... Read more

Product Description
Thomas J.J. Altizer's The New Gospel of Christian Atheism is a largely rewritten version of his earlier classic and controversial book on this subject, which was a major contribution to twentieth century American theology. This revised and updated version is set forth in prose that is at once lucid and bold, and gives us nothing less than a new vision for the postmodern era in original and unforgettable terms. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (1)

Somebody somewhere is smart enough to know what to make of this book
This may be a postmodern tour de force. Or it may be nonsense. It may have made me think but I don't know what it has made me think.

Paul, John, Augustine, Luther, Blake, Kierkegaard, Nietzsche, Hegel, Joyce, and so on. Incarnation, crucifixion, resurrection, apocalypse, all given a new spin. But where?

What do you do with a book like this? Has it raised too many questions and perhaps answered none? Can you recognize Christianity in its pages? Has Altizer somehow found a bewildering wayto bring the revolutionary Jesus to life?

Did you think you might be comforted? Did you think you might find the way to Rome?

What have they done to Jesus, the orthodox, the Gnostics, the logical philosphers and the pleasant storytellers? Can you consider the crucifixion afresh, can you look back again on the history of the West, without being shocked?

This is not a simple book but neither is it postmodern play. There's are real challenges in these pages. Working within theologizing, Altizer is out to shove you to take up some cross and go some where for someones' sake. And several millenia will be on your back. And you will feel it.

In the "Politics of Experience", the great psychiatrist R.D. Laing wrote: "If I could turn you on, if I could drive you out of your wretched mind, if I could tell you, I would let you know." Altizer may have done just this for those of us who have become at all settled in their beliefs.

If you don't want to be challenged, hurry back to your church and Bible study group, before you begin to feel Altizer's pull. This is not a book Ican follow in one reading. I haven't understood what all this would mean for my daily life, but Western intellectual history may never be the same.

06/16/07: I just read Altizer's Living the Death of God: A Theological Memoir. I don't doubt that his writing is provocative and would make for a healthy challenge for orthodox Christians, but I'm more concerned now that he may enjoy the kind of wordplay "postmodern" writers seem to fall victim to. I'm also not clear from this book that he understands Gnostic Christianity (or Buddhism, although I am sure he must and has written elsewhere about these) although he does seem to acknowledge some power of Gnostic Christianity. But, as most often, it seems impossible to be clear just what he is saying. ... Read more

Product Description
As a thirty-seven-year-old, highly skeptical, deeply rational woman, Joan had it all: loving family, extravagant home, a high-profile career, even personal contentment. So Joan was more surprised than anyone when she was relieved in an instant from the luxury of spiritual doubt and compelled to realign her life around practices of faith--about which she was a novice. With an unexplainable desire to pursue whatever God had for her at whatever cost was called for, Joan left her high-salary profession, sold her home and all her furniture (with her husband’s support), and started life from a blank slate. Finally realizing that she had been flirting with faith since she was a young teen, Joan fell in love with the God who had been pursuing her.

Joan candidly shares the story of her radical life change as she moved from atheist, to agnostic in addiction recovery, to the unexpected moment when she was “struck” Christian. As Joan lets go of control and convention, her skepticism is gradually replaced with a realization that embracing her new faith with radical abandon led to a far more mysterious and countercultural lifestyle than she’d ever imagined. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (8)

A great demonstration of how God pursues individuals!
I thoroughly enjoyed this book. I particularly enjoyed "Andrea's" review above and would encourage you to read it.

Joan's conversion story is a great example of how God pursues individuals as He seeks intimacy and fellowship. In certain cases, like Joan's, such pursuit can be quite dramatic.

On finding her faith, it was fantastic to read how she was filled with a desire for both encounters with God and knowledge, so much so, that she read far and wide in gaining a better understanding of God. I kinda believe we all should do this. I also loved how she described situations where her new relationship with Christ led to changes in the way she thought and acted. Indeed, this is another indication of Christ's love molding Joan more into the person He has created her to be.

The fact Joan didn't limit herself to only backing the one denomination was also greatly encouraging. So, for example, I so appreciated Joan finding a monastery to spend days in silence, in simply being still and communing with God. I've had this upon my heart for a little while now and in reading Joan's story has given me the impetus to seek something with God. Yes, sure we don't all need to go to monastery's to have communion with God but too often many of us limit ourselves by not looking beyond our own denominations.

Congratulations Joan and I hope we get to read the sequel.

Joan takes this stuff seriously.
Flirting with Faith is the story of a woman who takes God seriously. From the moment God catches her attention, Joan is aiming to go where God leads her, neither whining nor becoming smug about it. I got the sense she was just constantly surprised by what was going on in her new life with God, but that she didn't turn away, no matter how weird it got.

As a person who's very much culturally atheist, I resonated with Joan's experience. I came to faith by a similar route to Joan's, sans attack-of-the-heart. I'd also been a seeker, then an atheist, then a believer in a higher power, an "anything-but-Christianity" spirituality. Unlike the Joan we read about here, though, I have a tendency to put up spiritual walls when I get scared or confused. I don't want to sit quietly and listen. I start doubting. No, not doubting; I wonder what the &#@% could have ever made me think God is real. My sense from Flirting with Faith is that Joan doesn't waver much, and somehow that brings me comfort. If you tend to bounce back to atheism when under stress, maybe it will bring you comfort too.

I recommend Flirting with Faith, especially for one who is astounded to suddenly find herself "a believer." It was definitely a shot of sanity in a world where, often, neither my old atheist world nor my new Christian world seems to make sense.

A Refreshing Breeze of God's Spirit
The most refreshing faith stories are those that confront the complexities of life and unflinchingly face the paradoxes of faith formation.Joan's spiritual experiences, recounted in Flirting with Faith, invites one to journey with her as God gently and at times startingly guides her life and family from a place of self assurance to God assurance.There are no easy "quick fix" answers in her book, but rather an honest recounting of her unfolding journey in faith.I was deeply blessed by her journey and pray God's continuing blessings be upon her and all whoFlirt with Faith.

Wonderful Book
This is such a splendid book.I am so happy my first Kindle book turned out to be one I could not stop reading.Ball describes her conversion and her new life in Christ is such a winsome way.I was drawn into her story very quickly and found it captivating.Her story is pretty powerful (conversion was like a heart attack!) and her new life has had plenty of twists and turns, but all of that is seen as part of her being shaped into the likeness of Christ.She's honest and vulnerable, but not sentimental.There is not a wasted word in this excellent book.I am looking forward to more books by her and will recommend this book for years to come.Highly recommended!

I'm not sure what I believe but I KNOW, I loved this book!
I thoroughly enjoyed this heartfelt and honest story and, like the reviewer above me, my favorite part was the bedroom shoe scene! I didn't just feel like I was a viewing the scene from a reader's perspective but rather I FELT I WAS THERE with her. I think that was the most powerful message I took away from this book, however it wasn't the only passage I marked.

I especially enjoyed the story of the professor, John and I highlighted his quote 'It's not about knowing everything and dispensing wisdom from on high. It is about reaching each student individually, heart to heart. Is about connecting with them as human beings in a way that meets their needs, not your convenience.' How much better off would we all be if we heeded his advice!

I felt that the story and the writing got stronger as the book progressed and you can see that as a first time writer she was really learning and growing as she was writing the book. I appreciated the way she really didn't make the conversion experience itself the focus of the work, but, rather what she did after the event and how she transformed her life and the lives of those around her. She seems to have done this by her example and deep faith without being preachy. In fact, at times it seems that she is about to become arrogant, only to become truly humble in the next moment. You really feel that you are on a special journey with Joan and she has left herself wide open to any and all criticism. I love her honesty, humor and ability to question and laugh at herself but never God. She really shows us that this is not just her special journey but that we all have within us the ability to radically change our lives if we will only give God an ear.

I'm not a holy roller by any stretch, not really claiming any particular religion as my own, and I don't like anyone preaching to me or trying to convert me to their beliefs. Never once does the author do this. In fact it seemed to me that she was very diplomatic when she recounted the events that took place at her church. She didn't point fingers or assign blame to any on person, yet she conveyed her disbelief in the events unfolding with humor rather than anger or hate. She seems to have taken the high road with her writing when she could have been scathing and criticizing.

While this book will definitely appeal to Christians, it's message is more broad and it's story engaging enough on it's own that it could appeal to a much wider audience. Anyone with a faith in a power greater than themselves will find inspiration and hope in Flirting with Faith. I would recommend this book to recovery groups, self-help and spiritual book clubs particularly as there are many points for debate and discussion. I look forward to reading more from Joan Ball. ... Read more

Product Description
Warning! This book contains dangerous ideas! Please use all proper caution and safety equipment while reading. We cannot be held responsible for damage to your mind, or the contents thereof. This book is about the past, present and future evolution of human ideas. Its primary emphasis is on parasitic collectivist ideologies. It examines where they come from, how they harm us and how we can remove them from our own minds and from the culture around us. Finally, it tells us the amazing things that will become possible for humanity when they are gone. Not only religions, but also nation states, racial groups, corporations and other collectives are targeted for clear minded observation and criticism. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (3)

worst ever written
one of the worst self help books I ever read. Don't waste your money or your time.

Great Eye Opener
This book is a shock and awe book. It will shake and rattle your core beliefs and for sure will make a better individual. I did enjoy the book lack of adornments but it is in need of footnoting and a bibliography. Why? These two elements will give the book authority.

Not everyone who will read this book will have enough scope in history, religion, politics, psychology and anthropology to really accept the contents of the book.

re-engineer your memes
This is an excellent cultural philosophy and memetic re-engineering book, chock full of ways individuals and the idealogical constructs they blindly follow assault you every hour. It will help you break out of sheeple mode if you are brave enough to try. ... Read more

Product Description
In this stimulating book distinguished theologian Michael J. Buckley, S.J., reflects upon the career of atheism from the beginnings of modernity to the present day. Extending the discussion he began in his highly acclaimed At the Origins of Modern Atheism, the author argues that atheism as ideology was generated neither by the rise of hostile sciences in the Renaissance nor by the medieval and inferential theology of Thomas Aquinas.

Professor Buckley locates the origins of atheistic consciousness in modernity’s bracketing of interpersonal religious experience as of no cognitive value. Atheism was generated by the very strategies formulated to counter it. This dialectical character of modern atheism suggests the further possibility of the negation of this negation, thereby bringing about the retrieval of the religious in form and content along with a new admission of the cogency of religious experience.

Michael J. Buckley, S.J., is University Professor of Theology at Boston College. He has published extensively in systematic theology, philosophy, spirituality, science and theology, and the history of ideas.
... Read more

Customer Reviews (2)

From the Back Cover
Time Magazine's Review from the back cover:

"Some people find it incredible that their otherwise intelligent friends can believe in a God, a Virgin Birth or the Resurrection of Christ.Others find it incredible that their otherwise intelligent friends can deny the existence of a Creator and fail to see the Bible as divine revelation.In a new book called Atheism in Our Time, Father Ignace Lepp, 53, who goes on the assumption that 'neither belief nor unbelief can be adequately explained by bad faith,' undertakes to define the varieties of modern unbelief."

Still reading it . . .
I'm still in the middle of this book, but so far I give it 5 stars. The author is as detached and objective as he is approachable and personal in his writing. ... Read more

Product Description

Customer Reviews (35)

An interesting step in the right direction
The main point of this book is that both fundamental Christianity and the "New Atheism" are too extreme in their rigidity.Schaeffer spends more time trying to tear down atheism than on his rejection of the fundamentalism in which he was raised.Perhaps he feels more threatened by atheism than he would like to admit.
There is a fundamental problem that is much wider than this book, and it also infects the books of the atheists.The root of atheism is "no god", as is well known.But this assumes that there is a definite concept of "god".I often ask atheists, "Which god do you not believe in?"There is obviously no way that god can be defined.This namelessness is beyond any human description.While people certainly have experiences and glimpses of something well beyond themselves, it is rather arrogant and egotistical to claim that you have the correct and full knowledge of "god".There are many different thoughts about this unnamable something (it is way too restrictive to use the word "entity").I think that in a way everyone is an atheist in the sense that he/she does not believe in a concept of god that someone else may have.While I was reading the last half of Schaeffer's book, it occurred to me that he was rejecting the "bearded father in the sky" image, and thus an atheist himself for that god.I certainly reject this form of theism.So do many others, such as Bishop John Shelby Spong.
That said, the "New Atheists" go too far by rejecting all religion just because they don't like the "bearded father in the sky".I was once there. My training was as a physicist.It took me quite a while to realize that there are other paths to understanding than only science.
So on the whole, I found this book an interesting examination of where religion might be going.I recommend it for those with an open mind.I would have liked it if Schaeffer had been a little more definite about what the faith promised in the subtitle (Faith for People Who Don't Like Religion {or Atheism}) was.I came away with the idea that we should have faith in love.Nothing wrong with that.But is it enough?I feel that there is something more.
I think that he spends too much time in the last half of the book on details of his childhood and his love for his granddaughter.While there were lessons that he learned, these lessons could have been presented much more briefly.Several times I wondered where his ramblings were going.

Predictable
Patience with God is tough.

Patience with lifetime blowhard Schaeffer is closer to impossible. How many books will he write trading on the sincere labors of his parents (I count five in his post-L'Abri incarnation)? How many times will he insist anyone who does not share his unbelief must be a sham? This time he wants us all to love and believe in mystery, and to wave good bye to Christianity as a belief system. And buy all his books, one imagines. And vote for Obama. He'd make aperfect Harvard chaplain if he could learnto get along with people.

Sinners at the hands of an angry Schaeffer
This book seems to have two different personalities. The first part is a rant against atheism, and evangelical right. It lumps both of these groups together under the umbrella of "Fundamentalists." With great skill and sharpness, the author dismantles the various ideologies and theologies for holding on to bigotted views which ultimately fails. The second part is part memoir, part reconciliatory especially when the author approaches life from an 'apophatic theology' perspective, which is the Greek Orthodox tradition.

This book has strong arguments against the flaws of groups exhibiting fundamentalist behavior. However, it is marred by an overly critical and angry mood. So much as that the subtitle could be: "Whatever Man Proposes, Schaeffer disposes." Driven to its logical conclusion, Schaeffer eventually becomes a victim of his own accusations. Probably the title ought to be "Patience with Man."

For a more detailed review, check out "is.gd/bU9Nj"

conrade

And Then the Bubble Popped
I, like Frank, grew up in an evangelical minister's family. I, like Frank, saw and heard things done in the name of God that seemed not only unethical but immoral and evil. I, like Frank, spend some of my early years in Europe and developed a love of intellectual pursuits that allowed room for both faith and reason. I . . . Well, I like Frank.

Sadly, many readers (particularly those who know his parents' books and teachings) will look for reasons to discount the ideas in "Patience With God." This is not a book to be held up like a battle herald for believers or atheists. It's an attempt--and a very good one--to bridge the gap between spirit and mind, between theology and science, between purpose and progression. Yes, Frank is candid about his parents' shortcomings, both domestically and spiritually, but he is equally candid about his own. He pulls no punches. He points fingers at those on both sides of the fence, but in particular those who claim to know it all--whether they be right-wing fundamentalists or the atheistic, self-proclaimed "Brights." Over the years, I've found myself struggling to reconcile the mostly good-intentioned but poor behavior of both sides. I appreciated some of Pat Robertson's early ideas, for example, but cringed when he put himself in the place of God and declared God's purposes in natural tragedy. I also appreciated Bill Maher's early years of candor and humor, but find it increasingly mean-spirited and--ironically enough--narrowminded in its accessment of religion.

Do I agree with all that Frank says here? No. And he and I are fine with that. We could sit and discuss these ideas logically, even passionately, but never lose sight of our love for God, life, and each other. That's the beauty of embracing the paradoxes of which he writes. We don't all have to subscribe to one narrow brand of faith, cutting others off or discounting everything they say because of nitpicky differences over End Times theology or evolutionary theory--or whatever the argument du jour may be. Personally, I love God and believe in the Jesus of the Bible. I hate the directions American Christianity has taken, turning the "milk of the Word" into smorgasbord affairs that masquerade as nutritous spiritual meals. It seems that, in many venues, Christians choose to hunker under the "safe" and "protected" bubble of their own beliefs, rather than relating to those around them with the love that Christ personified, living "dangerous" and "prepared" lives in the trenches of the real world.

"Patience With God" will challenge Christians, Muslims, and New Atheists. It will cause thinking readers to reevaluate and reconsider. It is sane and logical, while never dismissing the possibilities of faith and feelings. It accepts the concepts of a loving and gracious Jesus, while never confining Him to a particular evangelical bent. Some will find that threatening. Some will prefer to remain "safe" in their bubbles of religious or scientific thinking. Others, hopefully many, will admit the paradoxes on both sides.

For those who are tired of hateful atheism or exhausted by self-righteous religion, "Patience With God" offers a meeting place in between, a place where discussion can be honest, intelligent, and kind. The two extremes--thank God!--are not the only options. I always knew that. It's just nice to know that I'm not alone.

Patience with Frank
It did not occur to me until I began writing this review that my life has been impacted by the Schaeffer family probably more than almost any other.

When I was in college in the early 70s it was the writings of Frank's father, Francis, which helped me navigate my undergraduate studies from a Christian perspective.

In 1975, I attended the L'Abri Conference in Calgary, Alberta, where I sat under and got to know Francis, Edith, Hans Rookmaaker, and other L'Abri Associates. It was at this conference that they announced Franky's first film series. And the journey to this conference introduced me to several dear lifelong friends.

In 1997, I had been wondering what happened to Frank, because he had disappeared from the Evangelical scene. An item appeared in the local religion section that said Frank was going to speak at a school not far from where I lived. I attended, and heard him speak about his conversion to the Orthodox Christian Church. I bought an autographed copy of "Dancing Alone," which I devoured in days, and two and a half years later I was received into the Orthodox Church, as well.

I read several of Frank's subsequent books, but I became weary of the angry tone in them, so I hadn't read much by him in at least five years. "Patience with God" was favorably reviewed in The Word Magazine (the official magazine of the Antiochian Orthodox Archdiocese), so I thought I'd give it a shot.

After reading a few chapters, I told some friends at church about it, and they asked me if Frank was still "an angry young man." I said, yes, he appears to be.

I almost put the book down, but I was patient with Frank, and I was rewarded. Yes, there is still a bit of an edge in the early part of the book, and he still has a beef with his Evangelical/Fundamentalist background, but many of his observations are well founded and worthy of consideration.

I had a hard time relating to Frank's comments about the militant atheists (even though I have a few in my family), but he is most refreshing when he takes on an autobiographical, almost nostalgic, tone later in the book. If you've read any of the early works by Francis or Edith, here you'll see another side of the story of those early days at L'Abri in Switzerland, one by the boy who grew up in their midst.

There are many quotable gems in this book. Unfortunately, my copy was from the library and I was not able to highlight any of them. I'll close with his second to the last paragraph:

"Some days I know that life has no ultimate meaning. Other days I know that every breath I take has eternal meaning. I also know that I'm crazy to believe these two opposites simultaneously. I'd feel even crazier denying them. I believe that both statements are true. . . . I am in two places at once."

I recommend this to people who are asking questions about the Evangelical/Fundamentalist movement in North America, to Christians of all persuasions, but especially Orthodox Christians, and former Evangelicals, like me. I'm not sure atheists would get much out of his comments here. Have patience with Frank, to the very end. You'll be glad you did. ... Read more

Product Description
As heretical as it may sound to the modern orthodox views of both science and religion, science has proved God to be real. It is time for those in the religious community to address this. Is there a God? Is there life after death? Is evolution directed? As in his book, Why Science Proves God, which received a five star review on Amazon.com, John Denker answers these questions through the use of modern physics. Most people will be surprised, if not shocked, by what modern science has to say. ... Read more

Product Description
The development and pervasiveness of modern atheism as well as secularization poses an acute challenge to Christian theology. Theologians have either ignored this challenge or have sought to meet it in a variety of ways. Throughout his theological career, Walter Kasper (1933-) has maintained that theology has the mutual tasks of exposition of the Christian faith and of responding to contemporary challenges to this faith. In his seminal work The God of Jesus Christ (1982), he argues that the proper Christian response to modern atheism is the confession of the Trinity. In making this response, Kasper begins to chart a course for all future Christian apologetics, for all efforts to give an account of Christian hope (1 Peter 3:15). ... Read more