WHY GOD WON’T GO AWAY
Engaging with the New Atheism
By Alister McGrath. SPCK. 118 pages. £7.99
ISBN 978 0 281 063 871
This is an excellent and robust analysis of the views and influence of the writers known as ‘the four horsemen’ — namely Sam Harris, Richard Dawkins, Daniel Bennett and the D’Artagnan-like new addition, Christopher Hitchens.
What is clear is that Alister McGrath has not only read their work extensively, but also debated with them and is, therefore, able to help us get underneath the headline phrases they’re known for. Reading the book gave me much greater confidence: that I need not fear these four men, but that behind their bluster are a lot of very unfounded assumptions which we can graciously challenge with our friends without needing a PhD in astrophysics.