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66th out of 104 books
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7 voters
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Is Christianity Good for the World?
by
Christopher Hitchens,
Douglas Wilson (Goodreads Author), Jonah Goldberg
The gloves come off in this electric exchange, originally hosted by Christianity Today, as leading atheist Christopher Hitchens (author of God Is Not Great) and Christian apologist Douglas Wilson (author of Letter from a Christian Citizen) go head-to-head on this divisive question. The result is entertaining and provocative—a glimpse into the ongoing debate.
Hardcover, 1st Edition, 72 pages
Published
September 2nd 2008
by Canon Press
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Latest salvo in the New Atheism saga. This is a debate between Hitchens (atheist) and Wilson (Christian). Both are good rhetoricians, chuckles will accompany a read of this book. Wilson isn't a sophisticated apologist or philosopher. Hitchens is neither for his side. Both would have troubles if they faced the best from the opposing side. But as far as this debate goes, Hitchens comes off looking like a complete hack. Seemingly unable to "get" the question Wilson repeatedly poses. But, ...more
The latest snack sized offering from Hitchens features himself and Douglas Wilson
going one-on-one. Really nothing new here but it still made for an enjoyable enough read.
Wilson's main thrust is to challenge Hitch on what Wilson believes is atheisms
moral relativism. Hitchens counters that our morality has evolved just as the species has.
Which seems clear enough when one acknowldeges how our attitudes have changed over history.
It is so especially clear when one reads ...more
going one-on-one. Really nothing new here but it still made for an enjoyable enough read.
Wilson's main thrust is to challenge Hitch on what Wilson believes is atheisms
moral relativism. Hitchens counters that our morality has evolved just as the species has.
Which seems clear enough when one acknowldeges how our attitudes have changed over history.
It is so especially clear when one reads ...more
Imagine a highly condensed, unedited version of God is not Great. It doesn't contain the highly polished prose, the impactful arguments, or much of the smarmy wit that makes Hitchens a joy to read, but it still contains enough to get some basic points across. Now imagine this poor facsimile of the book interspersed with the trifling prattle of an extremely confident believer.
Wilson wheels out every Christian's favorite decrepit chestnuts, including "But if there's no god then ...more
Wilson wheels out every Christian's favorite decrepit chestnuts, including "But if there's no god then ...more
This book was cute. Upon reading it I pictured two older gentlemen,dressed in tweeds, settled into the snug at their local. Maybe they were two brothers, or two old colleagues who have existed side by side for years and years. You know exactly what each will say -- heck, they know what each other will say. The book reads like two well worn paths up the same mountain. The paths cross and diverge, but never seem to reach the summit. Another day, another polite trudge up the slope. I was left askin...more
Jimmy
added it
This work pits New Atheist Christopher Hitchens against Christian pastor Doug Wilson in a debate on the topic of whether Christianity is good for the world. There are six rounds in the book, not including each of their introduction. For such a serious and heavy topic, the book is short and concise and yet readers might enjoy this format over a long drawn out debate. Both Hitchens and Wilson seem to do a good job in stating their view in a short and concise matter. Unlike other books that ha...more
I think the best thing you can say about this book is it brings to mind what some of the important questions are. It doesn't really answer anything. The two debaters seem to talk past each other. When Wilson uses the idea that Christianity will save us all from sin and believers from hell, it makes the rest of the debate pointless. The debate is supposed to be about whether Christianity is good for the world - not whether it is true or not. Obviously if Christianity is true, it is good for the w...more
This is a rare phenomenon much like the related documentary Collision. In the foreword, Jonah Goldberg points out, as a secular Jew, that rarely do two opponents discuss religious views with joy and gratitude. This presence doesn't take away from the heat of the debate--not a punch was pulled--but it does appear to shed more light. Surely angry or overly serious people have their scopes so narrow that they miss nearly everything else besides what they fret. Wilson and Hitchens can change topic w...more
This book is written by two authors who are very accomplished and I was expecting a lot. The first thing to say, the book is very short, about 50 tiny pages. I am an agnostic atheist and I read it together with my very devout christian sister. We both hated this book. If you have had any intelligent discussion about Christianity in the past, this book is a waste of time. Both the Christian and I could destroy both authors points. It is very badly researched, barely mentioned passages from the bi...more
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In a debate to be remembered, Christopher Hitchens and Douglas Wilson face off in a battle of worldviews and philosophy. Though many points are covered in their discussion, one of Wilson's arguments was especially persuasive, namely, that the good Christian has moral grounds to condemn the bad Christian while the good atheist has no proper reason for passing judgment on the bad atheist.
Weighing in at less than seventy-five pages, this thought-provoking little book is an excellent acc...more
Weighing in at less than seventy-five pages, this thought-provoking little book is an excellent acc...more
It will be more beneficial to approach this book by breaking the rule of "never judging a book by its cover," or appearance. No more than 70 pages or so, it offers a quick and entertaining introduction into the opinions and rhetoric as employed by Hitchens and Wilson, but it is far from extensive or even terribly enlightening. Enjoy it for what it is, but I would direct curious readers to view any of the many filmed debates between Hitchens and Wilson for a more in depth look at their ...more
Hitchens and Wilson bounce off each other as in most debates of this type. Hitchens makes points that Wilson does not rebuff, and Wilson's searching questions are continually ignored by his opponent. This is an absurdly brief treatment of an absurdly weighty subject, and thus I am not convinced it was a useful exercise for either side. The documentary "Collision," which features Hitchens and Wilson and much of the same material, is much more cogent, interesting, and well-executed.
This is a short book based on the debate between Hitchens and Wilson a few years ago that was hosted by Christianity Today. It is a brief back and forth, so necessarily limited in scope. But it does demonstrate clearly the divide between atheism and Christianity. Wilson says it well, when he distills the atheist creed to, "There is no God. And I hate him."
Pastor Doug Wilson takes on the formidable atheist Christopher Hitchens in a back-and-forth discussion. This is a short book, and both writers are very talented and make salient points. But because of my bias, I ultimately thought that Wilson carried the day. He's funnier, too. If you're interested in more, their discussion turned into a movie, Collision.
Quick, entertaining read. I found the banter of prose between the two quite enjoyable. One gets the feel of two expert swordsmen enjoying the repartee. The arguments don't run very deep here, but the crux of the book is this: What is the basis for morality, what should be done about it, and why? Read it. See for yourself.
I bought this book purely for the forward/introduction because I followed the debate online when it happened. Glad I did, I enjoy supporting Mr. Wilson's ministry. This book was helpful to me in that it helped expose what I would call the main shortcoming of the atheist position: it's foundation.
Jason
added it
This book is a brief, lively debate between Douglas Wilson (Christian theist) and Christopher Hitchens (atheist). Wilson pressed Hitchens to provide a basis for making moral judgments. I agree with Wilson that Hitchens did not do so.
A good exchange...it seems Wilson fans think Hitch dodged the questions and Hitch fans think Wilson played dodgeball too. I am Wilson fan, so see above.
I was in Philly for an excellent exchange. Looking forward to the movie.
I was in Philly for an excellent exchange. Looking forward to the movie.
I thought that both debaters were mostly resorting to name-calling. So many logical fallacies. The only reason I gave this book two stars instead of one is because it was great practice for my logical fallacy detection!
Atheists have interesting arguments but ultimately they don't hold water. Hitchens is brilliant but so wrong. Wilson is brilliant and wise. I wouldn't want to be on the opposite side of the debate against Wilson.
It's a good book, however I didn't find anything new placed on the table by Mr. Wilson. Don't get me wrong, he makes an eloquent case, I don't agree with it, but eloquent non the less. I expected a bolder debate.
Inconclusive. Seems a bit commercially oriented. You know, let's exploit this popular interest of the debate between religious and atheists and let's make some money. We'll split the pot.
Read this online when it was first published in serial form by Christianity Today. Pretty good, but at times I felt like they were talking past one another more than directly engaging.
Well worth reading, but not very satisfying. Hitchens repeatedly refused to deal with the main question posed by Wilson. I believe this by choice as he has no answer.
Good debate, but obvious who the organizer of the debate was, as the arrogant Douglas Wilson, the pastor of Christ Church got the last word.
Hitchens hates the idea of an always-watching, unchangeable Judge, especially one who commanded genocide and other killing from his people in the Old Testament. Hitchens also thinks that men have come to recognize their mutual obligations to each other (morality) and a sense of justness through evolution.
Wilson keeps going back to the issue of the basis for making any conclusions, or why we should care about any one's conclusion on anything, if we are simply random matter. Christiani...more
Wilson keeps going back to the issue of the basis for making any conclusions, or why we should care about any one's conclusion on anything, if we are simply random matter. Christiani...more
This book would have ben much better if Hitchens could have answered a direct question, or applied an ounce of level 3 thinking.
Kermit's BFF
marked it as to-read
I can not wait to read this book!!! We are watching the movie based off it in youth group, and so far it has been fantastic.
This is a really great, punchy little debate. Loads of fun and extremely helpful because Hitchens is a good opponent to take on.
Joe
is currently reading it
how come these guys (the new atheists) never anwser the question? oh thats right. they cant.
fantastic interchange between a great theologian and a beautiful writer
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"Christopher Eric Hitchens (April 13, 1949 – December 15, 2011) was an English-born American author, journalist and literary critic. He was a contributor t Vanity Fair, The Atlantic, World Affairs, The Nation, Slate, Free Inquiry and a variety of other media outlets. Hitchens was also a political observer, whose best-selling books — the most famous being god Is Not Great — made him a staple o...more
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