ChristianWeek

TORONTO, ON—Oxford theologian and scientist Alister McGrath made a timely appearance at Wycliffe College on the University of Toronto campus, rebutting renowned atheist Richard Dawkins who was in town to promote his bestselling book The God Delusion a week before.

The Refresh continuing education conference for clergy and laypeople was billed as "a conversation about the reason for the hope that is in us," based on 1 Peter 3:15. Keynote speaker Alister McGrath entered the fray as anti-religion wars heated up in Canada. A recent Maclean's cover story "Is God Poison?" describes how "a new movement blames God for every social problem from Darfur to child abuse."

Dawkins made several media appearances in Toronto, while the latest atheist salvo God Is Not Great: Why Religion Poisons Everything, by Christopher Hitchens, debuted as number one on Canadian bestseller lists.

McGrath is a former atheist who earned Oxford doctorates in both molecular biophysics and Christian theology, and is a British Anglican theologian. His latest book, The Dawkins Delusion? Atheist Fundamentalism and the Denial of the Divine (IVP), was just published in North America.

Logical battle

"[Dawkins'] rhetoric runs ahead of his evidence," McGrath told 250 people during a public lecture at Refresh. He rebutted Dawkins' four key points: belief in God is irrational; science shows there is no God; faith in God can be explained away on scientific grounds; and faith in God leads to violence.

McGrath concentrated his address, filmed for Ontario TV, on a logical line of reasoning rather than faith-based arguments. He pointed out that science has changed its mind over the years as new theories supplant old theories proven erroneous.

"How can Dawkins base his atheism on the tentative current state of science?" he asked.

McGrath maintained that "fanaticism is part of human nature, not of religion…Beliefs of any kind can inspire greatness or evil." He cited the French Revolution, where the humanist ideal of liberty became the basis for terror, and the fact that Lenin, Stalin and other atheist regimes utilized violence when in power.

"Atheists are alarmed at the persistence of religion. It's a credibility issue for them," McGrath contended. "Dawkins' book is written for atheists who are wondering if they made a mistake." He added that Christians should use the current public interest in atheism as a spur to improve their apologetics skills and to deepen their knowledge of and confidence in their faith.

McGrath was also interviewed by George Stroumboulopoulos on the CBC television program The Hour, during which he criticized Dawkins' aggressive atheism as "disrespectful to people of faith." Dawkins had been interviewed on a previous show. (Both interviews may be seen at www.cbc.ca/thehour.)

Wycliffe's Refresh meeting included plenary speaker Lauren Winner, author of Girl Meets God, who discussed "Memoir as Testimony in a Post-Modern Age."

Other speakers included David Short, rector of St. John's Church, Shaughnessy, B.C. and Bruxy Cavey, teaching pastor, The Meeting House, Oakville.

Wycliffe College is an evangelical Anglican graduate school of theology, part of the Toronto School of Theology at the University of Toronto.