There seems a lot to read at the moment and I find the whole “does God exist?” a bit of a been there done that bore. Having said that, I’m reading a book by Peter Hitchens, the well aired and vitriolic anti-Christian Christopher Hitchens’ brother. As fate or God would have it, Peter is a devoted Anglican Christian of over 25 years.
While Christopher, along with his mate and sidekick Professor Dawkins, rail at Christian hypocrisy and soft headedness, Peter shares his testimony from atheism to faith.
I’m only a little way in but the themes are familiar; we come to whatever world view we come to largely because it makes sense to us and works for us. Most “isms” and religions work on one level or another. Most people are keen to find a compass. A good compass shows us how to sail when the weather is rough. The best compasses take seriously the ultimate human questions; who am I? Why am I here? How should I live? Where am I going? And how do I get there?
Peter makes the point that the militant atheist – read his brother – sees his “ism”, atheism and intellectualism, as inherently superior. The presupposition is that he is cleverer than you so he must be right and if you disagree he will intellectualy mock you into submission. Cleverness is not a measure of rightness. And humiliating and mocking people is not a sign of strength or intellectual integrity.
Our church is full of clever people who love God and believe he saved them from their sins – it ain’t about being clever – remember that next time you feel diminished by someones intellect. It’s just their prop. At least you know what yours is!
Christianity doesn’t rely on intellect but on revelation. God reveals himself in Christ. He has done this largely through the testimony of Gods people through history. The Bible is the record of this. They share what they have encountered – Christ in me, the hope of glory. No intellect can extinguish or dismiss a persons experience of God in Christ.
This is not to argue against the intellectual arguments for Christian faith, of which there are many. It is to say, don’t be bullied by smart people who glory in themselves at others expense. They are shallower and more fragile than you might think.
Would love to borrow this when it is free Mal.
I’ve finished Peter Hitchens book. He seems to me to be nearly as annoyed at his brother as his brother (vanguard atheist Christopher) is at anyone who might have a tincture of sympathy for Christian faith – like little brother Peter.
The epilogue of the book contains a rather lovely and even hopeful truce; at least on Peters part.
What surprised me about the book and is it’s major focus, was P Hitchens relentless argument that atheist societies; especially the utopian vision of Soviet Russia, has proved to be both quasi religious in it zeal and its adherents blind to the visciousness of atheist ideology in practice.
I suppose one could say Hitchens argument rests on the phrase, “by their fruit you shall know them”. Communist Russias brutality and failure says it all in his mind and he just seems to want his brother to concede the point – then they can get on with getting on together.