Atheism Remix: A Christian Confronts the New Atheists: Amazon.ca: Jr. R. Albert Mohler: Books

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A leading Christian intellectual explores the newest strain of atheism, its foremost thinkers, the cultural conditions that have bred it, and how Christians should respond. Something has changed in American culture. What for years was a little-regarded belief system-atheism-has now gained a large, and increasing, national hearing through the writings of “new atheists” such as Dawkins, Dennett, Harris, and Hitchens. Wanting to both inform and equip serious-minded Christians regarding this cultural shift, R. Albert Mohler Jr. explores the environment that has bred the “new atheism” while also introducing readers to the movements four leading thinkers and the contours of their arguments. Mohler-deemed “the reigning intellectual of the evangelical movement in the US” by Time magazine-then uses this foundation to pinpoint eight major distinctives that make the new atheism new, and to discuss the future of Christianity in relationship to it. At school and in the community, Christians are sure to encounter people who have been shaped by this strain of atheism. Here is keen insight that any believer can use to understand and challenge the new atheists.

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1 of 1 people found the following review helpful

4.0 out of 5 stars The Atheist's New Clothes, July 8 2009

By

D Glover (northern bc, canada) - See all my reviews
(TOP 500 REVIEWER)

This review is from: Atheism Remix: A Christian Confronts the New Atheists (Hardcover)

Al Mohler has written a great little introduction to the new atheism, which is actually hostile anti-theism. In this brief volume, Mohler summarizes the cultural climate that has paved the way for this new, if not fresh, round of assaults upon Christianity, as well as giving us a brief but sound introduction to the main personalities, perspectives and arguments of the new atheism. Mohler certainly issues a call for Christians to respond boldly and intelligently to the attacks and accusations of the new atheists but stops short of really getting in to the "how" and "what" of just what such a response would look like (the dust jacket is misleading here). Still, this is a worthwhile read for anyone who would like an intelligent and faithfully Christian introduction to the new atheism. I hope more apologists will take up Mohler's challenge to answer the new atheists with winsome and intelligent responses.

For those who would like to see what a rigorous Christian response to the new atheists ought to look like, the recent books by Douglas Wilson in response to those by Harris, Hitchens, and Dawkins are probably the best offerings out there. They are published by American Vision. Try starting with Wilson's: Letter from a Christian Citizen: A Response to Letter to a Christian Nation by Sam Harris

Another response to the new atheism is The Dawkins Delusion?: Atheist Fundamentalism and theDenial of the Divine

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Amazon.com: 3.4 out of 5 stars (15 customer reviews)

18 of 19 people found the following review helpful

4.0 out of 5 stars Informative, but Mistitled, Oct 17 2008

By Brian G Hedges - Published on Amazon.com

This review is from: Atheism Remix: A Christian Confronts the New Atheists (Hardcover)

This short book (108 pages) is an informative guide to the challenge of the New Atheists and their challenge to Christian theism. Mohler targets the "four horsemen of the New Atheism" - Richard Dawkins, Daniel Dennet, Sam Harris, and Christopher Hitchens.

Chapter one briefly surveys the history of atheism and situates the new atheism within secularism.

Chapter two is the most helpful chapter of the book; it discusses New Atheism's assault on Theism by giving thumbnail sketches of the "four horsemen,"then pointing out eight common features of their assault on theism: (1) The New Atheism is marked by an unprecedented new boldness; (2) There is a clear and specific rejection of the Christian God of the Bible; (3) The New Atheists explicitly reject Jesus Christ; (4) The New Atheism is specifically grounded in scientific argument; (5) The New Atheism is new in its refusal to tolerate moderate and liberal forms of belief; (6) The New Atheism attacks toleration; (7) The New Atheists have begun to question the right of parents to inculcate belief in their own children; and (8) The New Atheists argue that religion itself must be eliminated to preserve human freedom.

Chapters three and four discuss the defense of theism poised against by the New Atheists by various theologians and philosophers, including Alistair McGrath, Alvin Plantiga, Tina Beattie, and John F. Haught. While agreeing with some points of their arguments (especially McGrath and Plantiga), Mohler's primary criticism is that these responses represent various levels of accomodation. In contrast, Mohler argues that "Evangelical Christians simply cannot surrender biblical authority, propositional revelation, and biblical theism in order to meet the various challenges presented to us in the twenty-first century" (102). There are only two alternatives, atheism or biblical, Christian theism.

Unfortunately, this book does not itself present an argument for biblical theism. The book doesn't deliver on its subtitle, "a Christian confronts the New Atheists," for there isn't much confrontation with, and no detailed argumentation against, the New Atheists. That was disappointing. Readers who want thoughtful engagement with the New Atheists will have go elsewhere. (I'd suggest Timothy Keller's The Reason for God: Belief in an Age of Skepticism.)

That said, the second chapter of this book made it worth reading for me. I appreciated the review and summary of the various NA books.

22 of 27 people found the following review helpful

3.0 out of 5 stars Disappointed, Sep 2 2008

By Norm Macdonald "NMacDonald" - Published on Amazon.com

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This review is from: Atheism Remix: A Christian Confronts the New Atheists (Hardcover)

I cannot say for certain what I expected from Dr. Mohler's book. However, I will say I was disappointed to learn that the lecture series was really only a history of atheism and not comments related to the current trend in atheism. If you are a student of apologetics and need a historical background and trends for atheism, than this book may be a decent addition to your studies. Otherwise, your money might be better spent elsewhere.

The sub-title says "A Christian confronts the new Atheists." If that's the case, the publishers left those lectures out of the book.

7 of 7 people found the following review helpful

3.0 out of 5 stars Not Very Substantial, April 18 2009

By Lothe - Published on Amazon.com

This review is from: Atheism Remix: A Christian Confronts the New Atheists (Hardcover)

Albert Mohler's Atheism Remix is divided into four sections. In the first, he examines the history of atheism, from its presence in the Bible ("The fool says in his heart, `There is no God'") to Nietzsche and beyond. He explores how the "conditions of belief" in our world have changed from "impossible not to believe" to "impossible to believe," and how this paves the way for the New Atheists.

The second chapter profiles the "Four Horsemen of the New Atheism," viz., Richard Dawkins, Daniel Dennett, Sam Harris, and Christopher Hitchens, touching on their lives and work. The third chapter examines the responses to these writers by Alister McGrath and Alvin Plantinga, while the final section touches on more liberal responses to the New Atheism. Mohler is dissatisfied to some extent with all of the responses, as even McGrath and Plantinga allow for the possibility of evolution; in the book's last few pages, Mohler asserts that Christians must make a stand for biblical theism, not any accomodationist form of theism that would seek to appease the New Atheists.

The book serves as a decent review of the state of the debate, in that the middle two chapters consist more of long quotations from other authors' work than Mohler's own analysis or argumentation. However, his objection to McGrath's and Plantinga's otherwise cogent arguments is only barely sketched, rather than advanced, and he ultimately fails to make a case that in no form can evolution and God co-exist. In the end, Mohler's work may be a rallying point for conservative evangelicals who share his views, but does little to "confront" the New Atheists--or persuade others of his ideas.

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