The End of Reason: A Response to the New Atheists

The air is thick with tension and angry rants. I'm discussing the epistemic necessities of reason, with a caustic atheist, during a one-on-one conversation, on the heels of reading Ravi Zacharias' book on the argument from Reason (obviously not all the new atheists are acerbic and pugnacious). Yes, I'm a Christian apologist trained to engage unbelief with careful analysis and sound arguments. One of my primary tactics is to demonstrate the untenable position of atheism's use of reason. One needs a resource that helps constrain atheistic fury while refuting their epistemic base. And this little book by Zacharias furnishes plenty of critical questions that exploit the flaws of atheism's epistemic ground in a congenial manner. The author describes the numerous suicides among unbelieving university students (p. 16) and he proves that "atheism is bankrupt" (p. 17). He employs numerous humorous stories and powerful passionate philosophical inquiries and arguments. This international lecturer contends that the new atheists advocate "outdated, overused arguments" (p. 21). Notable aspects of this volume are: - The Forward is by Lee Strobel - Michael Ruse is quoted as saying that the new atheists make him "embarrassed to be an atheist" (p. 22) - Zacharias vehemently attacks the irrational notion that "reason comes from non-reason" Additionally he: - Deconstructs and confutes the argument against God from evil (p. 51) - Discusses modern genetics and the need of theism - Furnishes a form of a verificationist proof (almost cumulative formulation) and provides an explanation for the existence of God. In this approach he contends that theism is true utilizing: - Logical consistency - Empirical adequacy - Experiential relevance (p. 117). The author may not extend indisputable or undeniable evidence for theism (I personally prefer certain and necessary proof from a priori essentials), but he does deliver a very enjoyable, capable, and profound evaluation of the new atheism's lack of epistemic capacity to account for reason. Letter to an Atheist Nation: Presupositional Apologetics Responds To: Letter to a Christian

This is a small but powerful book. I would'nt advise recommend this to someone that is looking for the scientific arguement for theism but for the philosophical("The devils delusion" is a great book for those of the scientific mindset that are interested in the subject). Understand also that this book is written as a response to the works of another author, Sam Harris. In this book Ravi puts together a very cohesive argument against some lines of thought that are becoming very popular as of late. If you are new to the debate between atheism and theism this is a great resource to challange your way of thinking about the world and this great question. If you are are a Christian that is underfire and looking for some encouragement this is also a great resource.

Ravi is quickly becoming one of my favorite Christian Apologists. This book did not disappoint. And I think I read it in a couple of hours. That's the positive side of this. The negative is that the target audience probably won't waste their time reading this. Sure, the Christian community will applaud this, but will the non-believer take it seriously? Their ears are already deaf to the truth of Jesus Christ, so I would have a hard time believing that they would want to waste their time on sound theological arguments that rail against the lies that they so strongly shout out about. Nevertheless, I enjoyed this little book. A good read with some sound arguments, for those that would actually care.

With The End of Reason, Ravi Zacharias has written a brief but articulate argument responding to "the new atheists." In just under 130 pages--a read of an hour and a half--he refutes many of the claims and charges laid against religion in general and Christianity in particular. But Zacharias's book is not just negative, arguing against atheism, he eloquently argues for belief in God. The result is a well-rounded, thoughtful little book and one of the best apologetic works in recent years. The End of Reason is primarily a response to Sam Harris, author of The End of Faith and Letter to a Christian Nation. Zacharias uses Harris as a starting point, skilfully countering not only Harris's arguments, but also those of other well-known atheists like Richard Dawkins and Christopher Hitchens. The book is divided into several distinct sections. To begin, Zacharias notes the particular kind of atheist to which he is responding--those that make others "embarassed to be an atheist." He also describes his own past as an atheist and the suicidal hopelessness to which such thought brought him. The second and longest section describes this atheism in philosophical terms. Zacharias outlines this worldview's stance on life's origins, the meaning of life, morality, and hope in a painful world. In the third section, Zacharias sets out to confront and debunk a number of Harris's specific claims, whether of Christianity's inferiority to religions like Buddhism or Jainism or that the Christian doctrine of the virgin birth is erroneously founded on a mistranslation and the root of Christian "anxiety about sex." Zacharias also discusses Pascal's Wager--that the fulfilment brought by Christianity is worthwhile even if the universe turns out to be meaningless--and a number of other major issues. The final section is perhaps the best, and the lynchpin of Zacharias's book. In the closing pages, Zacharias puts forward a simple, understandable argument for the existence of God and discusses the true meaning of the Eucharist, at once the most important rite of the Christian church and the symbol of the unity brought through Christ to believers around the world. And, in closing, Zacharias suggests that in the end the final decision will not be between atheism and religion, but between Christianity and Islam. I found this book encouraging and refreshing--encouraging, because it fed my desire to not only believe but to believe for good reason, and refreshing because of its brevity and coolheadedness. What perhaps encouraged me most about the book is the overwhelming tone of reasonableness that Zacharias maintains throughout. Never once does he stoop to the level of crassness and vitriol demonstrated by polemicists like Harris. Instead, Zacharias proves by his own example the kind of peace and fulfillment of which atheism is devoid and only faith can bring. This book is a beautifully clear-headed respite from the current trend of "flame-war" argumentation. The End of Reason