One of the more obvious things about doing television gigs is the compression of time. Everything has to be discussed in soundbytes and bumpersticker aphorisms. Five minutes is a long time, and twenty minutes stretches out in front of you like a highway in Montana. All the folks we dealt with were very kind, and …
An Axe at the Root of the Tree
I would like to recommend some really heartening thoughts from the UK, here and here. Having said this, I should probably explain why such blunt, discouraging analysis should be registered in the “heartening thoughts” column. The answer is that in times of crisis, the truth is your first and best friend. If you have a …
Christopher and Peter
Okay. Got home from work, and caught the second part of the Hitchens/Hitchens debate. Christopher posed a set of questions which he claims to have asked a lot, and also to which he claims to have heard nothing in response but the sound of crickets in the distance. His central question here was: can anyone …
Hitchens Liked the Cheese
Christopher Hitchens was kind enough to provide me with my first appearance in Vanity Fair — no, not Bunyan’s, but a lot like it. He wrote an article for them that reviewed his book promo work over the last few months, and you can read that article here. I don’t know why he’s flogging the …
Weird Guy
Christopher Hitchens is interviewed in the latest Atlantic Monthly about all the debates he was in promoting his book on atheism. That would include, of course, the CT debate he had with me. Some fun stuff shakes out in this. “What I haven’t had from anyone, in print or in person, is any argument that …
And Stay There
As a result of the atheism jag I am currently on, I received a very courteous letter from an unbelieving woman in the Chicago area. Her letter concluded this way. “Rev. Wilson, religion should be private. It belongs in churches, mosques, temples, etc. and in parochial schools. Most importantly, it belongs in people’s hearts.” The …
Last Installment of Hitchens/Wilson Debate
I want to offer my public thanks to Christianity Today for hosting this debate. I would also like to thank Christopher Hitchens for participating in it. The last installment can be found here.
Fifth Installment of the Hitchens/Wilson Debate
Christianity Today has now posted the fifth exchange between Christopher Hitchens and me. This is the penultimate round, with the final round going up next week. You can find it here.
Fourth Installment of the Hitchens/Wilson Debate
For those following this, the fourth installment of my debate with Christopher Hitchens is now posted at Christianity Today’s web site. If you want to get there quickly, just click on this magic word.
Description and Explanation
Christopher Hitchens concludes his book, and I conclude my review of it, with Chapter Nineteen: “In Conclusion: The Need for a New Enlightenment.” But if this is enlightenment, we need to check the batteries. “Religion has run out of justifications. Thanks to the telescope and the microscope, it no longer offers an explanation of anything …