In chaper twelve, Hitchens stops arguing fallaciously from the presumed origin of all religions, and argues briefly, but equally fallaciously, from the collapse of relgious movements. He makes this case on the basis of the collapse of one religious movement. “It can be equally useful and instructive to take a glimpse at the closing of …
More on the Atheism Front
I have some fun developments to report on the ongoing atheism discussion. First, we are getting some good reviews on Letter from a Christian Citizen. Here is a short but helpful blurb from Phillip Johnson, a man who is doing more than his share to keep Darwinists on their toes. “Douglas Wilson provides a good-natured …
You Have to Leave Wichita Too
As we continue through this book, it is becoming more and more apparent that Hitchens’ gods — science and reason — are really starting to let him down. In the previous chapter, Hitchens said in passing that “the argument from authority’ is the weakest of all arguments” (p. 150). And how do you know that? …
On Mulberry Street
In the first place, I think there must have been an editorial mishap in the assigned title of Hitchens’ next chapter. It was “The Tawdriness of the Miraculous and the Decline of Hell.” The chapter is about the former, and not about the latter at all. I can only conjecture that it was at one …
They Are Stronger Than I
Minister: Lift up your hearts! Congregation: We lift them up to the Lord! I cried out to God, Aloud with my voice. I cried to the Lord, Making supplication With my voice. My complaint poured out of me, I laid before Him my troubles. When my spirit staggered, You knew the path I was on. …
Grace and the Three Gs
Martin Luther once observed that young men are tempted by girls. When they are thirty, they are tempted by gold. When they are forty, they are lured and enticed by glory and honor. And when they are sixty, they think, “What a pious fellow I have become!” We too readily confuse the natural waning of …
The Cup of Reconciliation
You hear every week in the words of institution that this cup is the cup of the new covenant in the blood of Christ. What is the blood of Christ to us? In coming weeks, we will consider a number of truths concerning, but let us begin with this. This is the blood of reconciliation. …
Some Praise for Hitchens
I live in the north part of Idaho, in the portion that looks like a rock chimney. I bring this up merely to lend credence to my next claim, which is that the lakes up here are pretty cold year round. When you are swimming, or water skiing, even in August, you are always in …
Glorifying God in Tight Spaces
Nancy has a great post on sabbath living . . . here.
The Need for Human Sacrifice
I think I will treat the next two chapters together. Chapter Seven of Hitchens’ book is on the nightmare we call the Old Testament, and Chapter Eight informs us why the evil of the New Testament surpasses that of the Old. That which is good in the Old Testament is, according to Hitchens, not unique …