Tag Archives: New Atheism

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Why Was Jesus Silent On The Issue Of Slavery?

In order to impugn the moral authority of Jesus of Nazareth, New Atheist Sam Harris claims:

“There is no place in the New Testament where Jesus objects to slavery”

Is this true? Actually, Jesus did speak to the issue of slavery, but he went after the root of physical slavery: spiritual slavery. Spiritual slavery has led to and continues to lead to immense misery. When Jesus began his public ministry, he stood in the synagogue to read the following passage: “The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, because he has anointed me to proclaim good news to the poor. He has sent me to proclaim liberty to the captives and recovering of sight to the blind, to set at liberty those who are oppressed” (Luke 4:18).

What a mission statement! Jesus came to set captives free, restore, heal, and transform—that is the good news of the kingdom of God. The good news of the kingdom of God is when “up there” comes “down here” and begins to be embodied by a new community. Given the reality of sinful humans and corrupted institutions, Jesus knew the best way to end slavery was first to liberate the hearts and minds of humanity. The truth sets people free. As Ravi Zacharias poignantly frames the question, “Slavery is now illegal, but is racism gone?” Simply passing a law doesn’t transform the brokenness in the human heart. If obscure Bible passages were really the problem, then why in the twenty-first century are we confronted with the horrible reality of human trafficking and the sex-slave trade?

For more, see my answer to the question of Does God Intend For Us To Keep Slaves? (p148-57)

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Is Religion Dangerous?

Learn how to respond to the 18 toughest questions atheists ask Christians

How do you (briefly) respond to the objection that religion is dangerous because it causes violence and leads to so much conflict? Here’s a start:

I appreciate your concern, but I think the first thing we need to do is clarify which religion you have in mind because they all teach very different things. But beyond that, it doesn’t appear to me that religion is the root problem; people are. I think the lesson of history is that almost anything (e.g., politics, science, economics, or religion) can be abused or misused simply because people are involved, and people tend to manipulate, control, or exploit to get what they want. People are the common denominator. This strongly suggests that there’s something broken in the human heart. So for Christians at least, we’ll want to come back to the example, vision, and teachings of Jesus and ask if we are living consistently with that (e.g., loving our neighbors as ourselves). The teachings of the Bible, properly understood, is our standard. Anywhere Christians are out of line with that, then they are deviating from biblical Christianity. But that’s not a religion problem, that’s a heart problem. Thankfully, Jesus offers the solution for that.

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Is Belief in the Supernatural Irrational? with John Lennox (Video)

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Is it rational to believe in miracles? Has science eliminated the supernatural? John Lennox doesn’t think so and he has an argument for it! Watch this Veritas presentation at Harvard. You may be surprised by what you did not know about the origins of science.

About John Lennox

John Lennox, Professor of Mathematics at Oxford University, is an internationally renowned speaker on the interface of science, philosophy and religion. He regularly teaches at many academic institutions including the Said Business School, Wycliffe Hall and the Oxford Centre for Christian Apologetics, as well as also being a Senior Fellow with the Trinity Forum. He has written a series of books exploring the relationship between science and Christianity and he has also participated in a number of televised debates with some of the world’s leading atheist thinkers.

Check out the new website of John Lennox.

Learn more about the Veritas Forum.

Here is a great video by John Lennox on reconciling modern science with Genesis. Recently, I had the privilege of interviewing Old Testament scholar C. John “Jack” Collins on the Genesis accounts (i.e., days of Genesis) that Dr. John Lennox lectured on. In Lennox’s excellent book, Seven Days That Divide the World, he cites and relies upon the Hebrew exegesis of Dr. Collin’s work. You can find my interview with C. John Collins on the days of Genesis here.

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Limited Time Only – $2.99 – Is God Just a Human Invention?

Everyone has questions about God. That’s why Sean McDowell and I wrote this book. It’s only $2.99 on Kindle for a limited time. Christmas is around the corner, maybe gift it to a student or parent you know who wants to explore their faith to see if it is actually true. We examine 18 of the toughest claims made by skeptics and atheists. If you find this helpful, please help us spread the word by sharing this post on Facebook and Twitter (below).

Atheism is making a comeback. From bookstores to bus campaigns, the question of God is up for public debate–and well-known atheists like Richard Dawkins and Christopher Hitchens are leading the charge. While these authors, who have been dubbed “The New Atheists,” argue against religion in general, they aim most of their criticisms and complaints at the world’s largest religion–Christianity. Why are people reading books that bash God and ridicule faith? And how can Christians respond?

The writings of the New Atheists are especially challenging to the emerging generation who are skeptical of authority and have not been given answers to the hows and whys of faith’s honest questions. For these readers especially, authors Sean McDowell and Jonathan Morrow have penned an accessible yet rigorous look at the arguments of the New Atheists. Writing from a distinctively Christian perspective, McDowell and Morrow lay out the facts so that the emerging generation can make up their own mind after considering all the evidence. Divided into two parts–the first addressing the scientific and philosophical challenges to belief in God and the second dealing with the moral and biblical challenges–Is God Just a Human Invention? will respond to each major argument in a way that is balanced, thorough, and easy to understand.

McDowell and Morrow believe that the current religious landscape is both an opportunity and a challenge for people of faith. Now is the time to respond.

Here is a post that explores the common objection that we just invent God to make ourselves feel safe in a scary world.

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Atheism, Justice, and Worldview Fit

Atheism as a worldview offers no concept or grounding of ultimate justice—Hitler, Stalin, and Mao get away with it in the end. After all, they can only die once. New Atheist Richard Dawkins admits as much:

“In a universe of blind physical forces and genetic replication some people are going to get hurt, other people are going to get lucky, and you won’t find any rhyme or reason in it, nor any justice. The universe we observe has precisely the properties we should expect if there is, at the bottom, no design, no purpose, no evil and no other good. Nothing but blind pitiless indifference. DNA neither knows nor cares. DNA just is. And we dance to its music.”

If there is no God then there is no ultimate justice. On the other hand, Christianity fits with our idea of ultimate justice because we believe in God. For as Christians, we can ask with Abraham, “Will not the Judge of all the earth do right?” (Gen. 18:25). Justice is just one of the many examples demonstrating the excellent worldview fit Christianity offers.