Against Atheism

April 15, 2010
The title of this book is somewhat misleading. Markham (Virginia Theological Seminary; "Understanding Christian Doctrine") has written a rational defense of Christian belief in response to recent atheist books rather than a treatise against those books, as the subtitle suggests. Although claiming to be respectful and faithful to the arguments of his opposition, Markham frequently fails on both counts, taking several unnecessary shots ("Fortunately, most atheists are not rational") and misrepresenting key points (e.g., their views on Islam and Dawkins's account of the anthropic principle). Furthermore, he sometimes overreaches and oversimplifies (e.g., claiming that all successful art and music are evidence of God and doing hermeneutical gymnastics around tough biblical passages). That said, the book is not without merit. Markham's comparison of Nietzsche to the New Atheists is particularly insightful, and moderate Christians will find plenty of useful apologetic material on the reasonableness of classical, nonfundamentalist Christianity. VERDICT This book will be enjoyed by academically minded believers looking to bolster their arguments against atheism. However, it is probably too theological for most general readers and not likely to persuade many nonbelievers.Brian T. Sullivan, Alfred Univ., NY

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