Writing God S Obituary

A former African American minister reveals his unusual journey from faith to atheism. Anthony Pinn preached his first sermon at age twelve. At eighteen he became one of the youngest ordained ministers in his denomination. He then quickly moved up the ministerial ranks. Eventually he graduated from Columbia University and then received a Master of Divinity in theology and a PhD in religion from Harvard University. All the while, Pinn was wrestling with a growing skepticism. As his intellectual horizons expanded, he became less and less confident in the theism of his upbringing. At the same time, he became aware that his church could offer only anemic responses to the acute social needs of the community. In his mid-twenties, he finally decided to leave the ministry and committed the rest of his life to academia. He went on to become a distinguished scholar of African American humanism and religious history. The once fully committed believer evolved into an equally committed nonbeliever convinced that a secular approach to life offers the best hope of solving humanity’s problems.

Outstanding thinkers of the Western world are pulled into his creation, adding luster, interest, and academic panache to this highly readable book.

Seeking Common Ground is a dialogue between an atheist philosopher and a Catholic theologian. It is about religion and nonreligion, as well as about dialogue itself. The book provides a framework for dialogue grounded in seven key values: Harmony, Courage, Humility, Curiosity, Honesty, Compassion, and Honor. Unlike typical “debates” about religion and atheism, Fiala and Admirand show that atheists and theists can work together on projects of mutual understanding. They explore the terrain of religion and nonreligion, discussing a range of sources, topics, issues, and concerns, including: adventures in interfaith dialogue, challenging ethical issues, problems interpreting biblical texts, the growth of secularism, and the importance of ritual and community. The authors show that it is possible to disagree about religion while also seeking common ground. The book includes a foreword by Rabbi Jack Moline, president of the U.S. Interfaith Alliance.

White Lies considers African-American bodies as the site of cultural debates over a contested "white religion" in the United States. Rooting his analysis in the work of W.E.B. DuBois and James Baldwin, Christopher Driscoll traces the shifting definitions of "white religion" from the nineteenth century up to the death of Michael Brown and other racial controversies of the present day. He engages both modern philosophers and popular imagery to isolate the instabilities central to a "white religion," including the inadequacy of this framing concept as a way of describing and processing death. The book will be of interest to students and scholars interested in African-American Religion, philosophy and race, and Whiteness Studies.

After a substantial author's preface recounting Peter S. Williams's life journey with the question of God's existence, A Universe From Someone pulls together essays and opgoo ening speeches from debates (including the 2011 "God is not a delusion" debate at the Cambridge Union) that jointly cover a wide variety of theistic arguments. Together with a foreword by noted philosopher J. P. Moreland, an annotated bibliography highlighting "Four Dozen Key Resources on Apologetics and Natural Theology in an Age of Science," and other recommended resources, A Universe From Someone offers an informed overview of the contemporary case for God.

This is an accessible response to the contemporary anti-God arguments of the 'new atheists' (Dawkins, Dennett, Harris, Hitchens, Grayling, etc). Atheism has become militant in the past few years, with its own popular mass media evangelists such as Richard Dawkins and Daniel Dennett. In this readable book, Christian philosopher Peter S. Williams considers the arguments of the 'new atheists' and finds them wanting. Williams explains the history of atheism and responds to the claims that: 'belief in God causes more harm than good'; 'religion is about blind faith and science is the only way to know things'; 'science can explain religion away'; 'there is not enough evidence for God'; 'the arguments for God's existence do not work'. Williams argues that belief in God is more intellectually plausible than atheism.

Perfect as a textbook yet excellent for lay readers, this updated edition builds a positive case for Christianity by applying the latest thought to core theological themes. J. Gresham Machen once said, "False ideas are the greatest obstacles to the reception of the gospel"-which makes apologetics that much more important. Wanting to engage not just academics and pastors but Christian laypeople and seekers, William Lane Craig has revised and updated key sections in this third edition of his classic text to reflect the latest work in astrophysics, philosophy, probability calculus, the arguments for the existence of God, and Reformed epistemology. His approach-that of positive apologetics-gives careful attention to crucial questions and concerns, including: the relationship of faith and reason, the existence of God, the problems of historical knowledge and miracles, the personal claims of Christ, and the historicity of the resurrection of Jesus. He shows that there is good reason to think Christianity is true. As Craig says, "If you have a sound and persuasive case for Christianity, you don't have to become an expert in comparative religions and Christian cults. A positive justification of the Christian faith automatically overwhelms all competing world views lacking an equally strong case."

This haunting question, in all of its variations and interpretations, has echoed through the annals of time. Since the dawn of philosophy, the world’s intellectual titans have grappled valiantly with this enigma, and many of them dedicated entire lifetimes to unearthing answers in religion, aesthetics, love, personal convictions, and myriad other realms, but to no avail. How has this ineluctable conundrum come to signify everything and nothing? To term it “the Holy Grail of philosophy” is almost to insultingly undersell its gravitas; the meaning of life remains maddeningly elusive, mocking our most desperate curiosities. Despite over 2,500 years of introspection, debate, and countless theories, its mysterious prize remains unclaimed. However, this tome is no mere philosophical expedition, for it is a revolution in the making: it manifests a rebellion against the two-thousand-year-old foundations of speculation and dares to shatter the orthodoxy. By venturing into the forbidden realm of a science philosophers long denied as relevant and converging the scientific method with peerless reasoning—the sort that would stupefy the most weathered thinkers—this most eminent opus heralds philosophy’s renaissance, no longer as a quaint, forgotten relic of bygone eras but as a vanguard discipline poised for reawakening.