Considering that I am writing this review after Mr.Dawkin’s passing, one of the chief hitters against organized religion, there is an ironic undercurrent to the theist’s position – that God wont go away. This is a must read book, if you always grappled with the new age atheism and were not clear who’s who’s position differs from the other. The bad rap that religion gets is debunked by asking fundamental questions about the nature of evil, most potently residual in each man, according to the judaeo – christian view.
The cool thing about this book is, that Mcgrath takes the battle into the hometurf of the New agers.Richard Dawkins, Daniel C Dennett, Sam Harris and Christopher Hutchins are all taken head on while making periodic references to the on-line religion of atheists and the constant high priests that trawl on-line boards. He refers to the blindspots on the other side as well ie Organized religion. It is not a defence of the faith, or even the faithful. He wants us to pay attention to the dialogue. the conversation that we need to have in public life and in the public square. He calls the answers proffered by the New Atheists, despite their aggressiveness are inadequate.
This is not a theologically or intellectually heavy book. An easy read, is a manual to reflect upon some of the limitations of new age movement. For instance, he calls out the new age thinker’s ability to garner media bytes, through pithy soundbytes but as a thinker such universal, generic statements beg more questions than answers. No matter how many prophets of doom continue to act as pall bearers for the death of organized religion, somehow there seems a revival of the idea of God – across generations.