The Global Atheist Convention held recently in Melbourne brought together some of the biggest names in the ‘New Atheism’ movement. The numerous media appearances by the conference speakers such as Richard Dawkins – including his much hyped debate with George Pell on the ABC’s Q&A – has given the claims of the New Atheists unprecedented media attention.
This is a good thing.
So often we can be frustrated by our world’s failure to engage with the big questions about life, the universe, and everything. But right now, in God’s providence, we have an opportunity to engage with our friends and family and give a clear and coherent defense for the hope that we have in Jesus.
But how do we join the conversation?
The current edition of Eternity newspaper contained two articles urging us to avoid a knee jerk response. Rather than immediately dismissing the claims of the New Atheists, they encouraged us to offer a thoughtful response. Against the claim for example that ‘Christianity has been a force for bad’, we must be willing to admit that churches are a human institution, and that at times they do fail us, and that Jesus himself attacked the hypocrisy present in the religion of his day.
Of course at the same time we mustn’t fall into the opposite error, which I have heard one Christian leader label ‘concessionalism’. This is where we too quickly concede a point, which we would dispute if we were better informed. For example, Dawkin’s claim on Q&A that Christians were missing in action in the fight against slavery, is simply wrong, and is not a point that Christians should ever simply concede.
The point is, for us to be able to give a defense for the hope that we have, we need to thoughtfully engage with the claims of the New Atheists. That is why it is my pleasure to introduce our new sermon series beginning next week, focusing on the “The New Atheism”.
The series will be presented by Dr Lewis Jones, who is the director of The Simeon Network, a network of Christians in academia committed to knowing God and making him known at universities around the world. Lewis is based at UNSW, and has a degree in theology and a doctorate in astrophysics. He regularly engages in the debate surrounding the new Atheism, whether as one of the co-creators of doubtingdawkins.com, or through speaking and debating on university campuses.
In the first talk of the series, ‘Can We Be Good without God’, Lewis will articulate how the New Atheists understand morality. He will explore the implications of their view, and will argue that the Biblical witness not only makes better sense of our own personal experience, but also provides a more satisfying and compelling answer.
The second week, ‘Does Science Believe in God?’, will begin by debunking the oft-made claim that science rules out Christianity and requires a commitment to atheism. As a Christian who has worked in the scientific community, Lewis is perfectly positioned to highlight the historical and logical errors lying behind such a claim, and will argue that science and Christianity are anything but enemies.
The last talk, ‘Why Can’t Richard Dawkins Find God?’, will address the claim that belief in God is equivalent to believing in ‘fairies at the end of the garden’, by focusing on the evidence that we have for God in the person of Jesus.
It promises to be a wonderful series, and in God’s hand will help us to engage thoughtfully with our community.
Mike
