Is this going to be a portion of the 3-volume Creation & Evolution set, or a separate book?
I also agree with Von, that the language is inflammatory & disrespectful. I would submit that the same points could be made & demonstrated, with more effectiveness, by utilizing a humble & irenic approach that doesn't make us Orthodox Christians appear pompous & snide.
No, this is a separate book, different from the Creation & Evolution set.
In the anti-atheist book, part of the goal is to treat the "four horsemen of atheism" with all the respect they deserve, which is zero. They are not wise men with good arguments who are just a little misguided. They are on a fool's errand, arguing for a world with no God. Their arguments are ridiculous, and it is good for them to be mocked and laughed at. As Christians, we should not pretend that the arguments of atheists merit any serious consideration.
I certainly look forward to reading the book! However, I have to say that I'm disappointed & somewhat repulsed by the derogatory & inflammatory tenor of the into (and as an Orthodox Christian I share your view on the subject matter, so I can only imagine how agnostic & atheist readers will respond to it.)
I thought everyone was deserving of respect by the virtue of the fact that all people are created in the image of God & Christ came to save every single lost sheep. Didn't our Lord Himself say from the cross, "Father, forgive them. They don't know what they are doing."
These four atheists are as sincere in their convictions as we are in ours. Love, which includes respect, is a necessary component of dialogue, dialectic and/or debate.
As the old saying goes, "You catch more flies with honey than with vinegar." I hope you prayerfully reconsider your tone as you proceed with this important work.
Quite often, this is true. Yet, not all of the time. — In the first century, a wicked man tried to turn someone away from the Christian faith. In response to this, the apostle Paul said directly to the wicked man,“O full of all deceit and all fraud, you son of the devil, you enemy of all righteousness, will you not cease perverting the straight ways of the Lord?" (Acts 13:10). There are many other times when Jesus, the Apostles, and Early Church Fathers don't beat around the bush, and they call a spade a spade.
It is important to remember that there are no honest atheists. According to St. Paul, God has made His existence clearly knowable to all, so that they are without excuse. The only people who are atheists, are those who willfully suppress the truth, because they do not want to believe in God. They may persist in this self-delusion long enough that they no longer remember the process of deluding themselves. But it is still a matter of self-delusion.
I will look forward to seeing how this works itself out. I must say the first chapter has a lot of invective, but not yet much logical argument. This is not so much of criticism. I’m just saying that it’s very introductory so far.
Is this going to be a portion of the 3-volume Creation & Evolution set, or a separate book?
I also agree with Von, that the language is inflammatory & disrespectful. I would submit that the same points could be made & demonstrated, with more effectiveness, by utilizing a humble & irenic approach that doesn't make us Orthodox Christians appear pompous & snide.
No, this is a separate book, different from the Creation & Evolution set.
In the anti-atheist book, part of the goal is to treat the "four horsemen of atheism" with all the respect they deserve, which is zero. They are not wise men with good arguments who are just a little misguided. They are on a fool's errand, arguing for a world with no God. Their arguments are ridiculous, and it is good for them to be mocked and laughed at. As Christians, we should not pretend that the arguments of atheists merit any serious consideration.
I certainly look forward to reading the book! However, I have to say that I'm disappointed & somewhat repulsed by the derogatory & inflammatory tenor of the into (and as an Orthodox Christian I share your view on the subject matter, so I can only imagine how agnostic & atheist readers will respond to it.)
I thought everyone was deserving of respect by the virtue of the fact that all people are created in the image of God & Christ came to save every single lost sheep. Didn't our Lord Himself say from the cross, "Father, forgive them. They don't know what they are doing."
These four atheists are as sincere in their convictions as we are in ours. Love, which includes respect, is a necessary component of dialogue, dialectic and/or debate.
As the old saying goes, "You catch more flies with honey than with vinegar." I hope you prayerfully reconsider your tone as you proceed with this important work.
Quite often, this is true. Yet, not all of the time. — In the first century, a wicked man tried to turn someone away from the Christian faith. In response to this, the apostle Paul said directly to the wicked man,“O full of all deceit and all fraud, you son of the devil, you enemy of all righteousness, will you not cease perverting the straight ways of the Lord?" (Acts 13:10). There are many other times when Jesus, the Apostles, and Early Church Fathers don't beat around the bush, and they call a spade a spade.
It is important to remember that there are no honest atheists. According to St. Paul, God has made His existence clearly knowable to all, so that they are without excuse. The only people who are atheists, are those who willfully suppress the truth, because they do not want to believe in God. They may persist in this self-delusion long enough that they no longer remember the process of deluding themselves. But it is still a matter of self-delusion.
I will look forward to seeing how this works itself out. I must say the first chapter has a lot of invective, but not yet much logical argument. This is not so much of criticism. I’m just saying that it’s very introductory so far.
Agreed. It's just the intro.