Convictions & Affections » atheism

Lessons from the Life of Antony Flew

Jeff Lash — Thu, 29 Apr 2010 16:28:04 +0000

Al Mohler has a good article on the life and thought of Antony Flew, one of the foremost atheists of the 20th century. In 2004, Flew shocked many people with his rejection of atheism based on recent studies on the complexities of DNA. He posited that evolution’s theory of origins could not possibly explain such complexities and that human life could not have been formed from simple matter. Flew believed that an intelligent First Cause was necessary to explain the existence of human beings. However, it is important to note that Flew never became a Christian.

He rejected the possibility of divine revelation and flatly rejected the idea of divine judgment and hell. He told The Sunday Telegraph [London] that the God he had come to believe “probably” existed is “most emphatically not the eternally rewarding and eternally torturing God of either Christianity or Islam,” but only God as First Cause of the universe. In other words, Anthony Flew embraced a form of Deism (the belief in a God who creates but then removed himself from creation), rather than theism (the belief in a communicating, ruling, and judging deity).

Mohler ends the article by pointing out a few important observations and lessons from the life of Antony Flew. In my opinion, the most important lesson is this:

Third, the conclusion of Antony Flew’s life must affirm for us the fact that the rejection of atheism does not always lead to an embrace of Christianity. Salvation comes only to those who come to belief and faith in the Lord Jesus Christ — not to those who merely embrace the existence of a divine First Cause. Rejecting atheism is not enough.

Mohler’s comments would certainly be relevant to the rejection of any philosophy or religion. Unbelief in a false deity, system, or worldview does not automatically make a person right with the Triune God of the universe. Jesus says that repentance and belief is necessary to enter of the kingdom of God. Repentance is not only turning away from false religion but turning toward God in faith and belief. It is a reminder that it is not enough to simply refute the arguments of atheism or any other worldview. In the end, the goal should be to win the man behind the arguments.

The Story of Peter Hitchens

Jeff Lash — Tue, 30 Mar 2010 01:55:05 +0000

Here is the story of the man behind the forthcoming book The Rage Against God.

(HT: Justin Taylor)

The Rage Against God

Jeff Lash — Thu, 18 Mar 2010 13:00:43 +0000

Peter Hitchens, brother of the popular anti-theist Christopher Hitchens, has a book coming out in May that serves as a response to Christopher and the movement of new atheists. It is called The Rage Against God. Below is a taste of what you will find in the book. It could prove to be a helpful perspective from someone who is related to one of the key figures of the new atheism.

Collision – Hitchens vs. Wilson

Jeff Lash — Thu, 14 May 2009 06:29:22 +0000

If you haven’t caught wind of this new independent documentary then here’s a taste of what you can expect. Collision documents the debate, discussion, and tour over this question: Is Christianity Good for the World? The main players are Christopher Hitchens (journalist, author, atheist) and Douglas Wilson (pastor, professor, author, Christian). As Wilson puts it in the documentary, the whole tour and interaction between then two of them is really more a collision of lives than a simple debate over a specific topic. There is no official release date for this documentary. However, you can read the correspondences between Hitchens and Wilson in their book: Is Christianity Good for the World?

COLLISION – 13 min VIMEO Exclusive Sneak Peek from Collision Movie on Vimeo.