Product Description

World-renowned scientist Richard Dawkins writes in The God Delusion: "If this book works as I intend, religious readers who open it will be atheists when they put it down." The volume has received wide coverage, fueled much passionate debate and caused not a little confusion.

Alister McGrath, along with his wife Joanna, are ideal to evaluate Dawkins's ideas. Once an atheist himself, he gained a doctorate in molecular biophysics before going on to become a leading Christian theologian. He wonders how two people, who have reflected at length on substantially the same world, could possibly have come to such different conclusions about God. McGrath subjects Dawkins's critique of faith to rigorous scrutiny. His exhilarating, meticulously argued response deals with questions such as

Is faith intellectual nonsense? Are science and religion locked in a battle to the death? Can the roots of Christianity be explained away scientifically? Is Christianity simply a force for evil?

This book will be warmly received by those looking for a reliable assessment of The God Delusion and the many questions it raises--including, above all, the relevance of faith and the quest for meaning.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #2393 in Books
• Published on: 2007-06-08
• Original language: English
• Number of items: 1
• Binding: Hardcover
• 118 pages

From Publishers Weekly
When authors write books that criticize other books, they have usually already lost; the original book has set the agenda to which the critics respond, and the outcome is foretold. Not in this case. The McGraths expeditiously plow into the flank of Dawkins's fundamentalist atheism, made famous in The God Delusion, and run him from the battlefield. The book works partly because they are so much more gracious to Dawkins than Dawkins is to believers: Dawkins's The Blind Watchmaker remains the finest critique of William Paley's naturalistic arguments for deism available, for example. The authors can even point to instances in which their interactions with him, both literary and personal, have changed his manner of arguing: he can no longer say that Tertullian praised Christian belief because of its absurdity or that religion necessarily makes one violent. The McGraths are frustrated, then, that Dawkins continues to write on the a priori, nonscientific assumption that religious believers are either deluded or meretricious, never pausing to consider the evidence not in his favor or the complex beliefs and practices of actual Christians. They conclude disquietingly: perhaps Dawkins is aware that demagogic ranting that displays confidence in the face of counterevidence is the way to sway unlearned masses. (July)
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Review
"Addressing the conclusions of The God Delusion point by point with the devastating insight of a molecular biologist turned theologian, Alister McGrath dismantles the argument that science should lead to atheism, and demonstrates instead that Dawkins has abandoned his much-cherished rationality to embrace an embittered manifesto of dogmatic atheist fundamentalism." -- --Francis Collins, Director of the Human Genome Project

"Alister McGrath invariably combines enormous scholarship with an accessible and engaging style." -- --Rowan Williams, Archbishop of Canterbury

"McGrath has distinguished himself . . . as an historical theologian, [and] a generous, . . . witty writer who brings to life topics that would turn to dust in others' hands." -- --Publishers Weekly

"The God Delusion makes me embarrassed to be an atheist, and the McGraths show why." -- --Michael Ruse, Lucyle T. Werkmeister Professor of Philosophy, and Director of the Program in the History and Philosophy of Science, Department of Philosophy, Florida State University

"With rigorous logic and exquisite fairness, the McGraths have exposed Dawkins's very superficial understanding of the history of religion and theology. Because he is so 'out of his depth' in these areas, Dawkins uses his fundamentalistic scientism and atheism to constantly misjudge the possibilities for dialogue between religion and science. Thank God for scholars like the McGraths who are committed to finding truth in both." -- --Dr. Timothy Johnson, physician, journalist and author of Finding God in the Questions

About the Author
Alister McGrath (D.Phil., Oxford University) is president of the Oxford Centre for Christian Apologetics and senior research fellow, Harris Manchester College, Oxford. His numerous and wide-ranging historical and theological studies include Iustitia Dei: A History of the Christian Doctrine of Justification (2 vols., 1986), The Twilight of Atheism, Theology for Amateurs, "I Believe," Exploring the Apostles Creed, The Genesis of Doctrine: A Study in the Foundation of Doctrinal Criticism (1990), The Intellectual Origins of the European Reformation (1987) and Evangelicalism and the Future of Christianity (1995) and Scientific Theology (3 volumes, 2002-2003).

Joanna Collicutt McGrath studied experimental psychology at Oxford, then went on to specialize for some years in clinical neuropsychology, and subsequently studied Christian theology, particularly biblical studies. Currently she is lecturer in the psychology of religion at Heythrop College, University of London. She is also coauthor with Jeremy Duff of Meeting Jesus: Human Responses to a Yearning God.

Customer Reviews

The Dawkins Delusion A:McGraith
As someone rather new to apologetics,I was curious to read The Dawkins Delusion.
Its simply great.Anyone who is an atheist,which I m not,does well to see this short book review of Richard Dawkins book The God Delusion.
It is clearly shown the DrDawkins has his facts,philosophies and attitudes very warped from reality.
Atheists are ashamed to have someone of his ilk trying to promote hatred against religion in such portions as, christians having an actual mental virus ,born with a religious bent.Anyone serious about investigating the claims of whether there is a grand designer and whether that person has any influence greater than that, will do well to read this book.DrDawkins is definietly not a psychologist.
Excellent.DrRobert Funk Honduras

A Tract of Thin Arguments, Evasions and Sycophancy
The title of `Darwin's Rottweiler' was not bestowed upon Richard Dawkins for a poor reason. On the contrary, the nickname was adopted to describe Dawkin's merciless criticism of religious belief, and his unbending resolution that supernatural faith is a blight, as opposed to a virtue, on both the individual and society. This, combined with a strong intellectual rigour, firmly established Dawkins as an educated heavy-weight, which few would succeed in challenging. After moving away from evolutionary biology, and into the field of shrill atheist apologetics with his publication of the best-selling `The God Delusion', it seemed apparent that somebody had to rise to the occasion, and put up as strong a fight on behalf of the Almighty. Unfortunately for theists, Alister McGrath decided that it would be him.

Clearly abandoning any concern for scholarly principles, and in a desperate attempt to claim recognition as the official opponent to Dawkins, McGrath has produced a thin attempted rebuttal entitled `The Dawkins Delusion'. At 65 pages long, it was always evident that McGrath would not succeed in countering the majority of issues raised in `The God Delusion', but just how badly he fails is rather astonishing. Instead of refuting Dawkin's arguments against theistic belief, McGrath has decided to opt for the weaselling and `throw us the crumbs' approach. Desperate to distance himself from `hard-line' religious apologists, McGrath continually flatters Dawkins on points of agreement, yet does very little in way of argument on the points of disagreement. Those areas where a challenge is raised are underdeveloped, or are quickly glossed over in a sea of platitudes and condescending smugness. An example that springs to mind is when Dawkins writes regarding the perceived cruelty of the Old Testament God. McGrath answers that Christians, due to the fulfilment of the Law in Christ, no longer must observe such commands. Right-ho... But how does that answer the question on the morality of the original instruction? That is but a taster of the general principles used by McGrath in his unenlightening and sloppy tract.

Granted, McGrath does write in his introduction that he has no intention of slaying each and every point offered by Dawkins. His claimed intention is to merely demonstrate that opposing intellectual view-points exist. But why seek to demonstrate that a view-point exists if little justice will be given to it?

As noted, while McGrath seems frightened to defend the traditional Christian religion, and while his points are often of very little significance, he at least does add something to `God Debate'. For those who failed to grapple with the arguments of `The God Delusion', or who simply didn't read it, McGrath's book may provide some inspiration. For the others, the short time spend reading it will be wasted.

Dawkins delusion
Very poor book. She describes Dawkins book at poor but does not back her findings, only her opinion. Terry McKeown