Reading Genesis: Order and Chaos

How should we read the Bible’s book of Genesis? Most of the time, Christians and non-Christians simply talk past each other on this point. If you are unsure about the existence of God, then claiming divine authority for a holy book seems like an illegitimate short-cut, avoiding all the tough questions. If the word “literal” comes up, the conversation is usually over, bar the shouting. To paraphrase that...

Why Is Atheism Attractive?

At the heart of atheism is an appealing premise: “My will be done, not Yours.” If atheism is true, and there is no God, then everything really is all about me, and what I want, and what I can get. No wonder it strikes such a chord in our self-obsessed culture. Put your finger on the pulse of modern culture: it throbs with “me, me, me.” Advertisements tell me: “Indulge yourself! You deserve it!” I can...

The Parable of the Sweater: or, Why Evangelism Can Drive People Crazy

How do you evangelize when people aren’t interested in the Gospel? They don’t feel a need for it, they think it’s silly and embarrassing, it interferes with their daily lives, and they just don’t want to hear about it. One approach is to try to work in appeals to the Gospel in conversation – to look for an opening and point out that Jesus really is the answer. Many Christians don’t understand why this...

Skepticism as Snobbery

Skepticism about religious belief, and indeed about the existence of truth itself, is often dressed up as being highly “rational” and “intellectual.” Logic and reason drive the skeptic, not feelings and wishful thinking, right? Well, maybe sometimes. However, skepticism is often based quite firmly in emotional reactions. In fact, skepticism is often a form of snobbery. Take an ordinary Christian, not a...

Not God’s Type – now available!

“It is a hard thing to look at the truth when it runs contrary to what you’ve always believed.” “I was not looking for God. Make no mistake. I did not believe that He existed.” I was a college professor – logical, intellectual, rational – and an atheist. But in the spring of my thirty-first year, “I was drawn, against my conscious will, and against my own...