Sign in with Facebook
Loading...
84th out of 120 books
—
46 voters
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, 67 pages
Published
September 1st 2008
by Canon Press
Friend Reviews
To see what your friends thought of this book,
please sign up.
Community Reviews
(showing
1-30
of
765)
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, "questions...more
If you want to see a fight where bare knuckles meet the same nose over and over, if you want to watch a strategist locate the tipping point again and again, if you want to admire the wit who can spot the rug his opponent is standing on and jerk it out from under him every time--then read this and watch Wilson bring Hitchens to his knees. The most amazing thing, however, and the most beautiful thing is that Wilson does this in order to present Hitchens with gospel grace, and he does it with the h...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 the Bible itself. From the fir...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 the Bible itself. From the fir...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 bad people don't ge...more
Wilson wheels out every Christian's favorite decrepit chestnuts, including "But if there's no god then bad people don't ge...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
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 have a...more
Good, good, good, so good.
Wilson is top-notch and has the upper hand to give the response.
Hitchens is spot-on typical atheist:
1. Remove God from the equation
2. Plug-in Evolution as the new source
3. Profit$
In this, the main hard-hitting topic was Morals and Ethics or the source of Morals and Ethics.
Wilson's explanation needs none here. Hitchens' explanation is that there is no source but rather, our morals have evolved.
Classic Romans 1:18-32.
The book is super-short and an awesome introduction to...more
Wilson is top-notch and has the upper hand to give the response.
Hitchens is spot-on typical atheist:
1. Remove God from the equation
2. Plug-in Evolution as the new source
3. Profit$
In this, the main hard-hitting topic was Morals and Ethics or the source of Morals and Ethics.
Wilson's explanation needs none here. Hitchens' explanation is that there is no source but rather, our morals have evolved.
Classic Romans 1:18-32.
The book is super-short and an awesome introduction to...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
view all 4 comments
I think that Doug Wilson did an excellent job answering Christopher Hitchens' objections to Christianity (presuppositionally), but the scope and brevity of the book didn't allow for more answers to flourish in the course of discussion. Hitchens rightly asked for "evidence" for Christianity, and while I suspect that Wilson could have supplied it, the book didn't allow for adequate extrapolation (we are only talking around 70 pages or so of discussion). Christopher Hitchens asks good questions and...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 words, opi...more
Anyone buying this book and looking for an exhaustive, facts-and-figures filled debate between a Christian and an atheist over the merits of the Christian faith will likely be disappointed. This exchange was originally a multi-part internet debate hosted by Christianity Today which was likely a more fitting medium for this level of exchange. However, this book does have its merits. For one, it is short. Many people are frightened away from large volumes on this subject but this takes the form of...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.
I wouldn't recommend this book, whether you are a fan of Hitchens or Wilson. This book is like reading a vocal debate... yet apparently the authors wrote to each other. I might even guess that this was an exchange of emails between the two. The content just isn't that good, the authors talk past each other, both make a couple good points but I would much rather have a well formulated argument from each side for their views instead of this format.
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 read this as part of a Christian apologetics discussion group here on Goodreads. I found it a fun read as both authors know their stuff and present their sides well. It is a very quick read, so check it out if you are interested in faith, religion and such.
Far from impressive arguments on either side. Wilson tries to argue that atheism cannot result in any concept of morality and hitchens argues that believing in a flying man in the sky doesn't provide any better answers.
Short and rather funny though.
Short and rather funny though.
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.
Dec 13, 2008
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.
This very short book requires a couple of focused hours to digest, but given the time I thoroughly devoured the content. Douglas Wilson does a great job of arguing that the Christian faith is good for the world because it provides the fixed standard which athesism cannot provide and forgiveness of sins. Christopher Hitchens argument that innate morality evolves is continually and in my mind, successfully rebuffed.
I completely agree with Douglas's conclusion:
"Before the meek could inherit the ea...more
I completely agree with Douglas's conclusion:
"Before the meek could inherit the ea...more
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.
| topics | posts | views | last activity | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Christian Apologe...: Is Christianity Good for the World? | 3 | 13 | Jun 11, 2013 11:11am |
"Christopher Eric Hitchens (April 13, 1949 – December 15, 2011) was an English-born American author, journalist and literary critic. He was a contributor to 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 of ta...more
More about Christopher Hitchens...
Share This Book
No trivia or quizzes yet. Add some now »
“But for you to make this move would reveal the two fundamental tenets of true atheism. One: There is no God. Two: I hate Him.”
—
5 people liked it
More quotes…
