When Atheism is Not Rational

Why God Won’t Go Away
By: Alister McGrath

The title of this book is quite fitting for this discourse on what the author calls the “New Atheism.” The author brings years of personal experience as a former atheist, who found faith in Jesus as the Christ. Mr. McGrath goes to great lengths to explain some of the differences between New Atheism and what he calls their fundamentalist beliefs, and (regular old) atheism. One can certainly see parallels in this work of how the Christian church branched out over the centuries and how over the past few decades Atheism is doing the same. Perhaps this is an evolutionary trend that atheist tend to hold dear.

Adding a genuineness to the book is the fact that Mr. McGrath has publicly debated many of the more well known and respected people in the New Atheism movement. In the first five chapters of the book, the author carefully expounds on what New Atheism is, the main themes of the movement

The book may have been a bit clearer if the author had not briefly talked about a subject and then stated that he would go into more detail later. I prefer linear explanations when reading a book like this, but do not fault the author because the content he produced is very full. All in all, this is an informative, and I believe important read for people who are serious about understanding the thoughts that are directing the people involved in the New Atheism movement, and the arguments against it. I especially liked how the author ended the book-it was charming.

Thomas Nelson publishers did provide a free copy of Why God Won’t Go Away in exchange for my review.