Southwestern Journal of Theology Th E Ne W at H E I S M
Total Page:16
File Type:pdf, Size:1020Kb
Journal of Theology Southwestern the new atheism SWJT the new atheism Vol. 54 No. 1 • Fall 2011 THE NEW AT HEISM Southwestern Journal of Theology Volume 54 Fall 2011 Number 1 EDI T OR -I N -CHIEF Paige Patterson, President, Professor of Theology, and L.R. Scarborough Chair of Evangelism (“Chair of Fire”) Mana GI N G EDI T OR Malcolm B. Yarnell III, Associate Professor of Systematic Theology, Director of the Oxford Study Program, and Director of the Center for Theological Research ASSIS tant EDI T ORS Jason G. Duesing, Vice President for Strategic Initiatives and Assistant Professor of Historical Theology Keith E. Eitel, Professor of Missions, Dean of the Roy Fish School of Evangelism and Missions, and Director of the World Missions Center Mark A. Howell, Senior Pastor, First Baptist Church Daytona Beach Evan Lenow, Assistant Professor of Ethics and Director of the Riley Center Miles S. Mullin II, Assistant Professor of Church History, J. Dalton Havard School for Theological Studies Steven W. Smith, Professor of Communication, Dean of the College at Southwestern, and James T. Draper Jr. Chair of Pastoral Ministry Jerry Vines, Jerry Vines Ministries Joshua E. Williams, Assistant Professor of Old Testament EDI T ORI A L ASSIS tant W. Madison Grace II Southwestern Journal of Theology invites English-language submissions of original research in biblical studies, historical theology, systematic theology, ethics, philosophy of religion, homiletics, pastoral ministry, evangelism, missiology, and related fields. Articles submitted for consideration should be neither published nor under review for publication elsewhere. The recommended length of articles is between 4000 and 8000 words. For information on editorial and stylistic requirements, please contact the journal’s Editorial Assistant at journal@ swbts.edu. Articles should be sent to the Managing Editor, Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary, P.O. Box 22608, Fort Worth, Texas 76122. Books and software for review may be sent to Managing Editor, Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary, P.O. Box 22608, Fort Worth, Texas 76122. Please direct subscription correspondence and change of address notices to Editorial Assistant, P.O. Box 22608, Fort Worth, Texas 76122. Change of address notices must include both the old and new addresses. A one volume subscription in the United States is $27. An international subscription is $32. Southwestern Journal of Theology (ISSN 0038-4828) is published at Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary, Fort Worth, Texas 76122. Printed by Branch-Smith Printing Inc., Fort Worth, Texas 76101. For the contents of back issues and ordering information please see www.BaptistTheology.org/journal.cfm. © 2011 CO nt E nt S Editorial . 1 Malcolm B. Yarnell III Outrageous Quotes by New Atheists . 3 Introduction to New Atheism: Apologetics and the Legacy of Alvin Plantinga . 6 John D. Laing The New Atheists: Lessons for Evangelicals . 13 John D. Laing Should We Fear that We are Deluded? Comments on Dawkins’ THE GOD DELUSION . 29 John B. Howell III The “Tergiversation” of Antony Flew: A Review and Assessment of THERE IS A GOD . 45 John D. Wilsey How to Debate an Atheist—If you Must . 55 William A. Dembski Book Reviews. 71 Southwestern Journal of Theology • Volume 54 • Number 1 • Fall 2011 The New Atheism Malcolm B. Yarnell III Managing Editor [email protected] This issue provides an apology to the aggressive movement known as new atheism. Apologetics is a Christian discipline that bases its raison d’être on the biblical mandate and examples of Christian apologia. For instance, Paul in Acts 26 provided a lengthy apologia to that urbane ruler, Agrippa II, the last of the Herodians. Drawing upon his cultural and religious history, the apostle quickly came to the focus of his apologia, the resurrection of Je- sus Christ and his own life-changing encounter with the Resurrected One. Paul’s understanding of apologetics was not merely rational, though it was that, but also relational, personally and affectively, and its rational-relational aspects found their fulcrum in the gospel. Similarly, in this issue of Southwestern Journal of Theology, this semi- nary’s leading apologists bring both pristine logic and personal affection to their God-given task. Apologetics, which Southwestern Seminary places within philosophical and ethical studies, has an important position among the classical theological disciplines. Biblical studies consider the foundation of the faith; theological studies offer critical reflection on the communication of the faith from Scripture; preaching and pastoral studies, as well as mis- sions and evangelism, dwell upon the proper communication of the faith. If the purpose of apologetics is to defend the faith, the place of apologetics is to come alongside the preacher, the evangelist, and the missionary in offering a reason to those outside the community why the Christian faith is believable and preferable. Each of the authors in this volume exemplify why and how apologet- ics functions. For instance, John Laing, of Southwestern’s Havard School, has not only completed the huge task of bringing these essays together, but he has contributed two fine articles himself. The first uses the legacy of Al- vin Plantinga as a means to introduce the subject of new atheism and how Southwestern’s apologists have chosen to address it. His second essay de- scribes how evangelicals ought to engage the new atheists with subtlety and empathy. He concludes, with a superb blend of rationality and relationality, “Apologetics is both an intellectual and spiritual exercise and should always begin with prayer born out of love for the lost.” Second, John Howell interacts with perhaps the most venomous of the new atheists, Richard Dawkins. Howell’s rejoinder exposes the irrational basis of Dawkins’ atheism, meanwhile demonstrating how the various arguments Editorial 2 for the existence of God should be properly conceived and wielded. Where Dawkins is guilty of “a question-begging and reductionistic view,” Christians should provide a reasoned yet spiritually sensitive response. Howell concludes that the real problem for Dawkins is not reasonable but hamartiological. Third, apologists draw upon both natural theology, which is limited to the general revelation of God, and dogmatic theology, which relies su- premely upon the special revelation of God in Christ through Scripture. John Wilsey’s article demonstrates the capability of general revelation to convert an honest intellectual to theism, while also implicity affirming that general revelation is not enough, for the special revelation of Jesus Christ is required for salvation. Antony Flew may have accepted God as a postulate after years of debating Christian apologists, but that did not mean he became a Christian. Something else is required, and this is where the disciplines of preaching and evangelism must step forward. Fourth, Bill Dembski puts in writing a talk he has given in several venues. In “How to Debate an Atheist—If You Must,” Professor Dembski draws heavily upon the means of grace known as the Word of God to exem- plify how apologetics can, through the Holy Spirit, become another channel of that divine means of grace. According to Psalms 14 and 53, “the fool has said in his heart that there is no God.” With his characteristically subtle wit, Dembski argues that there really are no atheists; there are just foolish people who “said” they are atheists. Finally, there are a number of important book reviews that should be noticed in this issue, not only in the area of philosophy, but inter alia in biblical studies, theological studies, and historical studies. We begin with a series of “outrageous quotes” made by the new atheists themselves so that the reader can gain a sense of how belligerent the new atheism is. As for the title, “The New Atheism,” let it be noted that atheism is not new, for it is as old as man’s rebellion against God. The new atheism is “new” only in the sense of its cantankerous desire to defeat belief in God in the public square. Atheism is not new and neither is its result: divine judgment on such foolishness. The new atheists will discover that the God they say does not exist will remain the same living God long after their vain attempts to build a godless civilization have collapsed into ruins. Southwestern Journal of Theology • Volume 54 • Number 1 • Fall 2011 Outrageous Quotes by New Atheists “The God of the Old Testament is arguably the most unpleasant character in all fiction: jealous and proud of it; a petty, unjust, unforgiving control-freak; a vindic- tive, bloodthirsty ethnic cleanser; a misogynistic, homophobic, racist, infanticidal, genocidal, filicidal, pestilential, megalomaniacal, sadomasochistic, capriciously ma- levolent bully.” Richard Dawkins, The God Delusion, 51. “The only difference between The Da Vinci Code and the gospels is that the gospels are ancient fiction while The Da Vinci Code is modern fiction.” Dawkins, The God Delusion,123. “The nineteenth century is the last time when it was possible for an educated person to admit to believing in miracles like the virgin birth without embarrassment.” Dawkins, The God Delusion, 187. “More generally (and this applies to Christianity no less than to Islam), what is really pernicious is the practice of teaching children that faith itself is a virtue. Faith is an evil precisely because it requires no justification and brooks no argument.” Dawkins, The God Delusion, 347. “I suspect that the Binker [imaginary friend] phenomenon of childhood may be a good model for understanding theistic belief in adults. I do not know whether psy- chologists have studied it from this point of view, but it would be a worthwhile piece of research. Companion and confidant, a Binker for life: that is surely one role that God plays—one gap that might be left if God were to go.” Dawkins, The God Delusion, 390–91. “It is time that we admitted that faith is nothing more than the license religious peo- ple give one another to keep believing when reasons fail.