Atheism Remix: A Christian Confronts the New Atheists

This brief volume provides a concise overview of the New Atheism and four of its leading proponents - Richard Dawkins, Sam Harris, Daniel Dennett and Christopher Hitchens. What distinguishes the New Atheism from its intellectual forbears is its unbounded delight in the death of God. According to the New Atheists, it was impossible for pre-Enlightenment man not to believe in God. The Enlightenment changed everything; it became possible not to believe in God. We now live in a third stage of human development that is shaped by the Darwinian revolution, and which makes belief in God impossible. The New Atheists shed no tears over the death of God. Unlike atheists of previous generations, his demise is counted an unqualified good. Theists are dangerous people, and the sooner the world is rid of theistic belief the better off the world will be. Mohler notes eight characteristics of the New Atheism. * Unprecedented boldness. * Clear and specific rejection of the Christian God of the Bible. * Explicit rejection of Jesus Christ. * An atheistic worldview grounded in scientific argument. * A refusal to tolerate moderate and liberal forms of theistic belief. * An attack on religious toleration. * A challenge to the right of parents to inculcate theistic belief in their own children. * The conviction that religion itself must be eliminated in order to preserve human freedom. Mohler provides a concise critique of the scientific and philosophical foundations of the New Atheism, and also of the the defenses of theism offered by Alister McGrath and Alvin Plantinga. Mohler concludes: "The Christian church must respond to the challenge of the New Atheism with the full measure of conviction. We are reminded that the church has faced a constellation of theological challenges throughout its history. Then, as now, the task is to articulate, communicate, and defend the Christian faith with intellectual integrity and evangelistic urgency. We should not assume that this task will be easy, and we must also refuse to withdraw from public debate and private conversation in light of this challenge." Chances are that you will encounter vocal advocates of the New Atheism, or those influenced by its arguments. Atheism Remix is a helpful tool in preparing for the challenge.

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.

Atheism Remix is a high quality book on the subject of the New Atheism. Dr. Mohler expertly traces the rise of the modern Atheism. He discusses the four horsemen of the New Atheism - Dawkins, Dennet, Harris and Hitchens - giving more attention to Dawkins than the others. The New Atheism, unlike past versions of the philosophy, is not mournful and dirge-like, but celebratory and bold. Dr. Mohler does not provide a defense of theism as much as he calls for Christians to be educated on the New Atheism and to think biblically about it, its effect on our culture and how we should think about it and respond to it. The book is straightforward, readable, complete and fairly short. I would recommend this book to anyone curious about the subject or in a position of teaching in a church or family.

As of January 1, 2008, Al Mohler was the author of one book, and it was an edited volume to which he contributed only a single chapter. By the time January 1, 2009 rolls around, Mohler will be the author of five books. The first, Culture Shift (my review), was published by Multnomah and offered biblical perspectives on cultural issues. The second, published by Crossway, is Atheism Remix: A Christian Confronts the New Atheists. In September will come He Is Not Silent: Preaching in a Postmodern World (by Moody) and Desire and Deceit: The Real Cost of the New Sexual Tolerance (by Multnomah). Like Culture Shift, Atheism Remix is a small hardcover volume geared to a general audience. Where the genesis of Culture Shift was a series of blog posts, Atheism Remix is based on the W.H. Griffith Thomas Lectures Mohler delivered at Dallas Theological Seminary early in 2008. This series, like the book that has come from it, is geared to a general audience. The book follows a simple format. In the first chapter, Dr. Mohler introduces the new atheism by discussing the history behind this new brand of atheism--one that has gained widespread credibility and popularity. He sets it in its historic context as the endgame of secularism--a necessary consequence of philosophies that have shaped our postmodern world. In the second chapter he introduces the "Four Horsemen of the New Atheist Apocalypse"--Richard Dawkins, Daniel Dennett, Sam Harris and Christopher Hitchens. He provides brief biographical information about each of them and describes that man's unique contribution to the rise of the new atheism. Here he also offers eight characteristics that set apart the new atheism from older forms of atheism. The third chapter is given to a defense of theism by way of a biblical response to atheism. "At the worldview level," writes Mohler, "the New Atheism presents Christian theology with the need for a sustained and credible defense of theism--and of Christian theism in particular. ... Atheism is not a new challenge, but the New Atheists are perceived as presenting a new and powerful refutation of theism. Their challenge deserves and demands a cogent Christian response." This is exactly what this chapter offers. In the final chapter Mohler, taking it as a given that the New Atheism will continue to present a challenge to twenty-first century Christianity, he suggests that Christians must frame their thinking about the future of Christianity with this reality in mind. Dr. Mohler's book is only one of many to respond to the challenge of the new atheism and it is a welcome contribution. A reader who wishes to acquaint himself with the leading proponents of atheism, the arguments they use, and the most effective ways of thinking biblically about those arguments, will want to read this book. It is an ideal addition to any church or public library. I benefited from Mohler's wisdom and am convinced you will also.