THE TABLE BRIEFING
The New Atheism and the Problem of Evil
BY DARRELL L. BOCK AND MIKEL DEL ROSARIO
FORMAT: PDF
SOURCE: BIBLIOTHECA SACRA,171 (October-December 2014): 472-77
THIS PEER-REVIEWED ARTICLE ON THE NEW ATHEISM IS PART OF THE TABLE BRIEFING SERIES. ©2014 BY DALLAS THEOLOGICAL SEMINARY. USED BY PERMISSION.
INTRODUCTION
The 9/11 Terrorist attack on New York and Washington, DC, instigated many changes—not only in American foreign policy, but also in the overall tone of international conversations about religion. Almost immediately, outspoken atheist authors like Richard Dawkins, Sam Harris, Daniel Dennett, and the late Christopher Hitchens gained popularity among critics of all religions, focusing their angst on both Islam and Christianity.
In public lectures and debates, however, the New Atheist conversations often turned to emotionally charged attacks on the Judeo-Christian conception of an omnipotent, omnibenevolent God in view of the evil and suffering present in the world. Indeed, one need only turn on the television, access a news app, or drive past local flag poles —which so often seem to fly the American flag at half-mast—to be reminded of a fallen world filled with evil and suffering.
What do Christians need to know in order to bettor engage a skeptical culture, especially amidst continued assertions the at the existence of evil disproves the existence of God? In a podcast called “Challenges to the Existence of God,” Darrell Bock, Glenn Kreider, and Doug Blount discuss objections popularized by the New Atheism, concerning the problem of evil. The following is adapted from their conversation. It defines the New Atheism and highlights three key points from the conversation. [Download the full-length article]
Does evil disprove God? Download this journal article on engaging the New Atheism and discover how even evil and suffering point us to the existence of God. #ApologeticsClick To Tweet