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Coming to Faith Through Dawkins: 12 Essays on the Pathway from New Atheism to Christianity
Richard Dawkins = Christian evangelist?
Editors Denis Alexander and Alister McGrath gather other intelligent minds from around the world to share their startling Richard Dawkins and his fellow New Atheists were instrumental in their conversions to Christianity.
Despite a wide range of backgrounds and cultures, all are united in the fact that they were first enthusiasts for the claims and writings of the New Atheists. But each became disillusioned by the arguments and conclusions of Dawkins, causing them to look deeper and with more objectivity at religious faith. The fallacies of Christianity Dawkins warns of simply don't exist.
Spending time in this fascinating and powerful book is like being invited to the most interesting dinner party you've ever attended. Listen as twelve men and women from five different countries across a variety of professions--philosophers, artists, historians, engineers, scientists, and more--explain their journeys from atheism to faith. In the end, you may come away having reached the same authentic Christian faith is in fact more intellectually convincing and rational than New Atheism.
"Lucid as well as exhilarating and wide-ranging." --Rupert Shortt, Von Hügel Institute, University of Cambridge, and author of God Is No Thing
"Many people, including nonbelievers like me, have found Dawkins's strident atheism upsetting to the point of offensive. I would never have thought that--as Coming to Faith Through Dawkins shows in wonderful detail--for some, Dawkins's rantings were the spur to Christian faith." --Michael Ruse, Professor of Philosophy Emeritus, University of Guelph, Ontario
"This is a novel real-life stories of people who have actually come to faith, not in spite of but through Richard Dawkins. It must be his own worst nightmare!" --William Lane Craig, Houston Christian University
Editors Denis Alexander and Alister McGrath gather other intelligent minds from around the world to share their startling Richard Dawkins and his fellow New Atheists were instrumental in their conversions to Christianity.
Despite a wide range of backgrounds and cultures, all are united in the fact that they were first enthusiasts for the claims and writings of the New Atheists. But each became disillusioned by the arguments and conclusions of Dawkins, causing them to look deeper and with more objectivity at religious faith. The fallacies of Christianity Dawkins warns of simply don't exist.
Spending time in this fascinating and powerful book is like being invited to the most interesting dinner party you've ever attended. Listen as twelve men and women from five different countries across a variety of professions--philosophers, artists, historians, engineers, scientists, and more--explain their journeys from atheism to faith. In the end, you may come away having reached the same authentic Christian faith is in fact more intellectually convincing and rational than New Atheism.
"Lucid as well as exhilarating and wide-ranging." --Rupert Shortt, Von Hügel Institute, University of Cambridge, and author of God Is No Thing
"Many people, including nonbelievers like me, have found Dawkins's strident atheism upsetting to the point of offensive. I would never have thought that--as Coming to Faith Through Dawkins shows in wonderful detail--for some, Dawkins's rantings were the spur to Christian faith." --Michael Ruse, Professor of Philosophy Emeritus, University of Guelph, Ontario
"This is a novel real-life stories of people who have actually come to faith, not in spite of but through Richard Dawkins. It must be his own worst nightmare!" --William Lane Craig, Houston Christian University
272 pages, Paperback
Published August 29, 2023
6 people are currently reading
268 people want to read
About the author
Denis Alexander
23 books15 followersEmeritus Director of the Faraday Institute for Science and Religion at St Edmund's College, Cambridge, a molecular biologist and an author on science and religion. PhD in neurochemistry.
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Displaying 1 - 22 of 22 reviews
March 26, 2024
I loved the stories of smart, intellectual people who came to faith, many of them after reading Dawkins.
I have two things that kept this book from being five stars. While I understand there are many devoted believers who believe in evolution, I was bothered at the pointed and flippant dismissal of literal creation and young earth creationists in the story. Almost every essay made an comment about the ridiculousness of this view or how silly it is for people to take Genesis literally when it was 'clearly meant as allegorical'. I don't agree with the stance (and there are many intellectuals who back me up) and I found it odd that this book made such a point to mock that standpoint.
Second, as some others have pointed out, the title doesn't represent all the essays well. Some had little or nothing to do with Dawkins. However, all of them had been influenced by atheism.
I am glad I read this book and think many would enjoy it.
I have two things that kept this book from being five stars. While I understand there are many devoted believers who believe in evolution, I was bothered at the pointed and flippant dismissal of literal creation and young earth creationists in the story. Almost every essay made an comment about the ridiculousness of this view or how silly it is for people to take Genesis literally when it was 'clearly meant as allegorical'. I don't agree with the stance (and there are many intellectuals who back me up) and I found it odd that this book made such a point to mock that standpoint.
Second, as some others have pointed out, the title doesn't represent all the essays well. Some had little or nothing to do with Dawkins. However, all of them had been influenced by atheism.
I am glad I read this book and think many would enjoy it.
September 26, 2023
I thought this was a very good book and well worth reading.
A couple of weeks ago I was at the book launch where Denis Alexander, one of the editors, introduced it by interviewing three of the authors, and the following morning I heard him speak on genetic determinism, which happens to be his academic field. Dr Alexander, and the authors, made the book sound interesting, and so it was.
What bothers me a bit about writing a review, no matter how much I enjoyed the book, is that it is in effect a collection of twelve reviews of a book that I haven't read, The God Delusion by Richard Dawkins. The God Delusion is a polemic against religion in general and Christianity in particular, and in this book all twelve authors describe how reading it had the opposite of the intended effect on them.
Obviously not all readers will find Dawkins's book counterproductive, and indeed for some of these authors it initially wasn't; but in all of them it ultimately produced the opposite effect to what the author intended. Many of these authors were looking for something to confirm or reinforce their atheism, but instead The God Delusion had the opposite effect and made them doubt it.
Several of the authors had also read, and been similarly influenced by others of the so-called New Atheists, notably Sam Harris and Christopher Hitchens. I haven't read any of their books either. The nearest I got was picking up The Moral Landscape by Sam Harris in a book shop one day, and glancing through it. I curious to read what he had to say on the topic, but I didn't want to spend any money on it, so thought I'd wait till I could find someone who had a copy of the book and was willing to lend it to me. From my skimming through it I couldn't see anything new about the "new" atheism though; it all looked very much like the "old" atheism I'd learned about as a first-year university student through the arguments and the tracts handed out by members of the university Rationalist Society led by the redoubtable Dr Eddie Roux.
Some of the contributors to Coming to Faith through Dawkins are working in the same or related academic fields as Richard Dawkins, and admire his work as an evolutionary biologist, and say how disappointed they were when they read The God Delusion, which fell far below the standard of his scientific works. Celebrity in one discipline does not necessarily make one an expert in another, unrelated, field. For more on that, see here.
Though I haven't read any of the works of the "New Atheists", I have encountered some of their disciples and fans online. I usually try to avoid being drawn into arguments with them, as most of them tent to be more dogmatic than their heroes, and their logic tends to be even more simplistic, so that the arguments go round in circles. They love to recite the creed of valid and invalid arguments, often just before asking question-begging questions or setting up a straw man, so one thing I learned from this book was that even the models they base themselves on do that.
The authors of Coming to Faith through Dawkins come from many different Christian traditions, and many different academic fields. They come from five different countries (three of them are South Africans -- the ones who were at the book launch). Some of the contributions appealed to me more than others, but because of the variety anyone who has any interest in questions of science and faith, or related questions, should find this book interesting.
A couple of weeks ago I was at the book launch where Denis Alexander, one of the editors, introduced it by interviewing three of the authors, and the following morning I heard him speak on genetic determinism, which happens to be his academic field. Dr Alexander, and the authors, made the book sound interesting, and so it was.
What bothers me a bit about writing a review, no matter how much I enjoyed the book, is that it is in effect a collection of twelve reviews of a book that I haven't read, The God Delusion by Richard Dawkins. The God Delusion is a polemic against religion in general and Christianity in particular, and in this book all twelve authors describe how reading it had the opposite of the intended effect on them.
Obviously not all readers will find Dawkins's book counterproductive, and indeed for some of these authors it initially wasn't; but in all of them it ultimately produced the opposite effect to what the author intended. Many of these authors were looking for something to confirm or reinforce their atheism, but instead The God Delusion had the opposite effect and made them doubt it.
Several of the authors had also read, and been similarly influenced by others of the so-called New Atheists, notably Sam Harris and Christopher Hitchens. I haven't read any of their books either. The nearest I got was picking up The Moral Landscape by Sam Harris in a book shop one day, and glancing through it. I curious to read what he had to say on the topic, but I didn't want to spend any money on it, so thought I'd wait till I could find someone who had a copy of the book and was willing to lend it to me. From my skimming through it I couldn't see anything new about the "new" atheism though; it all looked very much like the "old" atheism I'd learned about as a first-year university student through the arguments and the tracts handed out by members of the university Rationalist Society led by the redoubtable Dr Eddie Roux.
Some of the contributors to Coming to Faith through Dawkins are working in the same or related academic fields as Richard Dawkins, and admire his work as an evolutionary biologist, and say how disappointed they were when they read The God Delusion, which fell far below the standard of his scientific works. Celebrity in one discipline does not necessarily make one an expert in another, unrelated, field. For more on that, see here.
Though I haven't read any of the works of the "New Atheists", I have encountered some of their disciples and fans online. I usually try to avoid being drawn into arguments with them, as most of them tent to be more dogmatic than their heroes, and their logic tends to be even more simplistic, so that the arguments go round in circles. They love to recite the creed of valid and invalid arguments, often just before asking question-begging questions or setting up a straw man, so one thing I learned from this book was that even the models they base themselves on do that.
The authors of Coming to Faith through Dawkins come from many different Christian traditions, and many different academic fields. They come from five different countries (three of them are South Africans -- the ones who were at the book launch). Some of the contributions appealed to me more than others, but because of the variety anyone who has any interest in questions of science and faith, or related questions, should find this book interesting.
January 9, 2025
This is a collection of 12 essays by 12 former atheists who were intrigued or disillusioned by Richard Dawkins' book, The God Illusion, and his hostility toward Christianity. Almost all of them came from different backgrounds with different reasons for choosing atheism, but all of them were transformed by the sufficiency of Scripture, the superiority of biblical logic and authority, and the irresistible grace of Jesus.
The essays I didn't really appreciate were the few that emphasized the greater logic of Scripture as their reason for switching sides and seemed to argue from a philosophical standpoint, rather than according to the person and work of Christ who had supposedly changed their lives. Also the essay by the Roman Catholic who was more enthusiastic about the reassuring strength of Catholicism than Jesus Himself. Also there seemed to be a weak stance, even opposing at times, against young earth creation view that was unnecessary and came across arrogantly.
But overall, this was a fascinating book, and I enjoyed reading it.
The essays I didn't really appreciate were the few that emphasized the greater logic of Scripture as their reason for switching sides and seemed to argue from a philosophical standpoint, rather than according to the person and work of Christ who had supposedly changed their lives. Also the essay by the Roman Catholic who was more enthusiastic about the reassuring strength of Catholicism than Jesus Himself. Also there seemed to be a weak stance, even opposing at times, against young earth creation view that was unnecessary and came across arrogantly.
But overall, this was a fascinating book, and I enjoyed reading it.
December 30, 2024
Very interesting book of Christian testimonies, the ones I thought resonated more with me were Sy Garte's (and he has a book-length treatment of his spiritual journey, "The Works of His Hands", which is excellent) and Peter Byrom who describes his "wake up" moment when he stumbled across YouTube videos of William Lane Craig (who's ministry Reasonable Faith and also his several books) I have also found very enlightening.
October 24, 2025
Fine read on how God can use unbelievers to draw us to His truth.
September 15, 2023
I really appreciate biographies. I love to see into people’s lives and hear their own stories. This book is a collection of the accounts of 12 people who share their faith pilgrimages. They are a rather diverse group of individuals but their common trait is that their testimony of following Jesus was significantly influenced by the writings of Richard Dawkins and the other Four Horsemen of New Atheism. I found the book to be thoughtful and was interested in seeing what was (or wasn’t) persuasive to each person in influencing their faith and philosophy. I resonated with some authors more than others and what was compelling to some would not have been compelling to me. Each essay came across as authentic and I highly recommend this book.
The book begins with a preface and introduction by the editors describing what prompted this book, a little of the history of New Atheism, and the growing disillusionment and decline of New Atheism which set the stage for the authors and their faith journeys. The body of the book is 12 chapters, each written by a different author who included the influence of New Atheism on their path to Christianity. Finally, the book concludes with end notes and a section about the editors and authors.
Chapter 1: A New Christian Meets New Atheism by Sy Garte
Garte is a scientist and he says after coming to faith in Jesus Christ, “I did not know any other scientists who were Christians. I wondered if there were any, or if I was some strange, anomalous beast who would eventually go insane from all the contradictions and cognitive dissonance.” p20. Garte grew up in an atheist, Marxist home that valued science, history, and humanism. His study of these, particularly science, was a large part of his spiritual growth, and reading books by New Atheists strengthened his faith since he found their arguments to be poor and often not accurate.
Chapter 2: Wrestling with Life’s Biggest Questions by Sarah Irving-Stonebraker
An atheist historian pursued and achieved her lifelong dream of gaining a PhD and fellowship at Cambridge and Oxford. In her studies, she was confronted with historic information on Christians who studied science as well as a failure by atheists to answer well some of life’s biggest questions. She says, “I spent a lot of time in reflection. I came to the conclusion that atheism could not provide adequate answers to the big questions; it could not make sense of what I saw as a historian and what I experienced of the human predicament of living in a world that does not satisfy our deepest longings.” p58. “I decided that the Bible’s explanations of who God is, who we are, and what life is about were true. I wanted to follow the God who made me, loves me, and died for me.” p58.
Chapter 3: From Dawkins to Christ via William Lane Craig by Peter Byrom
Byrom was a rebellious and carnal university student when one atheist friend became a Christian and another friend gave up his faith to become an atheist. He decided to investigate atheism and the claims of prominent New Atheists including Dawkins. During his research, he encountered William Lane Craig and found his logical syllogisms more sound than the claims of Dawkins and the other atheists. “Dawkins put me on the road to Christian faith (which is not belief without evidence but placing your trust in what the evidence shows you). He shook me out of my apathy and insisted that I follow the evidence where it led. The only twist was, the evidence took me where he (and I, initially) didn’t want it to go, and it transpired that his atheism was not as airtight as he’d claimed.” p85.
Chapter 4: A Winding Path Through New Atheism to Faith by Anikó Albert
Albert was raised in an agnostic family in a Soviet-controlled regime. Her education included “secular exposure to the cultural marks of Christianity.” p89. In college, she was curious about religion and moved to Jamaica after graduation where she taught at a Catholic-run school and even attended Mass occasionally. Later, she moved back to Hungary and then to the US, and, fueled by negative things she saw connected with religion and 9/11, her doubts about Christianity grew. She joined online discussion groups around atheism and read the works of the Four Horsemen. But the more she interacted, the more she saw hypocrisy, illogical arguments, claims that were simply wrong, and data that was cherry-picked or inaccurate. She began to engage with some Christians and attend a Methodist church where she could ask questions and her faith began to grow. “Faith and reason, far from the enemies the New Atheists believe them to be, held hands and led me to the communion table one Sunday.” p103.
Chapter 5: Hearing God Through Enchantment with Nature by Andrew G. Gosler
Studying the cooperation of the greater honeyguide birds and humans in finding bees’ nests for honey and beeswax, Gosler concluded that the presentation of evolution by New Atheists like Dawkins is flawed. Observations and immersion in nature nurtured his faith. He concluded “that ever life hangs by a thread, and that, therefore, all life is sacred and founded not on selfishness but on mutual interdependence which is truth; the spirit of love and peace.” p122.
Chapter 6: An Afrikaner’s Faith Pilgrimage by Johan Erasmus
“(Perhaps one of the strongest arguments against Christianity looks something like this: if God is good, why are Christian movies so bad?)” p125. I really resonated with the way Erasmus sees Christianity so holistically and his reason for belief isn’t reduced to a couple of apologetic arguments. “To think an eight-minute video clip is going to “destroy” a complex worldview is silly. … Perhaps the reason I am so annoyed when Christians fall into this polemic vortex is because I know the frustration I feel when atheists make the same move.” p133. I think this was my favorite chapter.
Chapter 7: Coming to Faith via The God Delusion by Nick Berryman
“For a significant part of my life, I had dismissed religion as incompatible with an intellectual mind. For one, science and religion were in opposition, and I had chosen the side of science.” p143. But once the author began to assess Christianity intellectually, he found it robust and persuasive, especially Jesus himself. The answers Dawkins offered in “The God Delusion” were insufficient by comparison.
Chapter 8: The God Delusion and Probability by Louise Mabille
Mabille grew up thinking “Religious belief was for the slightly backward, and theism was embraced by the bright and inquisitive. Then came The God Delusion.” p160-161. “What bothered me most about The God Delusion, and what contributed most to my eventual turn to Christianity, was that it made enormous claims upon which it then failed to deliver.” p161. Mabille points to statistics and probability claims which ultimately were more convincing in favor of a designer, a mind, behind creation.
Chapter 9: My Egyptian Journey to Faith by Rafik Samuel
Samuel’s father was a Christian preacher and apologist, and a professional psychiatrist. When he was 13 he discovered the Four Horseman of New Atheism and became an apologist for Atheism, arguing with youth leaders at church and convincing his friends too. While watching a debate between Christopher Hitchens and William Lane Craig, he was embarrassed by how poorly his hero, Hitchens, debated, not even engaging with Craig’s actual logical arguments. This was a turning point after which Samuel looked into many Christian intellectuals and found good reasons for Christianity. Most importantly, along the way he fell in love with Jesus.
Chapter 10: From Lukewarm Theism to Committed Faith by Judith R. Babarsky
“Certainly, if Dawkins expected to mount a credible attack on religious, specifically Christian belief, it would not be unreasonable to expect that he would have studied his opponent extensively enough to present the arguments fairly and objectively. The fact that he clearly failed to do so left me with the firm conviction that his was not a credible witness and certainly not scientific.” p195. “Mine was more of an intellectual conversion than anything else. And I’ve often said that I read my way into the faith. It was provoked by a process of reasoning – it most certainly was not an emotional conversion (although I would have welcomed that).” p202.
Chapter 11: From Religion to Agnosticism to Faith in Christ via Dawkins by Waldo Swart
Swart was an Afrikaner Christian from South Africa who felt like the only one of his peers who had questions and doubts about Christianity and the Bible. When his questions were met with shallow, pat answers at church, he looked elsewhere and found better answers in Dawkins and other atheists. He embraced atheism and continued to learn from them until he began having conversations with a friend who was studying theology. To arm himself to argue for atheism better, he decided to study Christianity and other religions. He found compelling reasons for faith and began to notice shortcomings in atheist arguments. “Ironically, it was not a Christian’s belief that convinced me in the end but rather an agnostic’s unrelenting unbelief.” p219.
Chapter 12: Seeking the Truth via New Atheism and Psychedelic Drugs by Ashley Lande
Lande embraced atheism in her rebellious youth and tried various drugs, yoga, New Age practices, meditation, a strict raw vegan diet, and more in order to find truth and satisfaction but instead found despair. When her husband decided to try church, she went too, and there she encountered Jesus. Previously, she had anticipated Hitchen’s book but now she found his ideas unpersuasive and futile. “I only wanted Jesus. I needed Jesus. In a lightning-rod revelation that was pure grace, I finally saw the truth; nothing and no one else would ever do.” p277. “But I could finally sing it with earnestness, holding nothing back; it is well with my soul.”
I thoroughly enjoyed reading this book. It could have been snarky or belittling toward Dawkins and the atheists whose views these authors rejected but instead was reflective and came across as respectful and authentic. In my own journey, I have asked some of the same questions and sought answers in some of the same places as a few of these authors and found their stories inspiring. I absolutely recommend this book and hope other readers will be encouraged by it too.
The book begins with a preface and introduction by the editors describing what prompted this book, a little of the history of New Atheism, and the growing disillusionment and decline of New Atheism which set the stage for the authors and their faith journeys. The body of the book is 12 chapters, each written by a different author who included the influence of New Atheism on their path to Christianity. Finally, the book concludes with end notes and a section about the editors and authors.
Chapter 1: A New Christian Meets New Atheism by Sy Garte
Garte is a scientist and he says after coming to faith in Jesus Christ, “I did not know any other scientists who were Christians. I wondered if there were any, or if I was some strange, anomalous beast who would eventually go insane from all the contradictions and cognitive dissonance.” p20. Garte grew up in an atheist, Marxist home that valued science, history, and humanism. His study of these, particularly science, was a large part of his spiritual growth, and reading books by New Atheists strengthened his faith since he found their arguments to be poor and often not accurate.
Chapter 2: Wrestling with Life’s Biggest Questions by Sarah Irving-Stonebraker
An atheist historian pursued and achieved her lifelong dream of gaining a PhD and fellowship at Cambridge and Oxford. In her studies, she was confronted with historic information on Christians who studied science as well as a failure by atheists to answer well some of life’s biggest questions. She says, “I spent a lot of time in reflection. I came to the conclusion that atheism could not provide adequate answers to the big questions; it could not make sense of what I saw as a historian and what I experienced of the human predicament of living in a world that does not satisfy our deepest longings.” p58. “I decided that the Bible’s explanations of who God is, who we are, and what life is about were true. I wanted to follow the God who made me, loves me, and died for me.” p58.
Chapter 3: From Dawkins to Christ via William Lane Craig by Peter Byrom
Byrom was a rebellious and carnal university student when one atheist friend became a Christian and another friend gave up his faith to become an atheist. He decided to investigate atheism and the claims of prominent New Atheists including Dawkins. During his research, he encountered William Lane Craig and found his logical syllogisms more sound than the claims of Dawkins and the other atheists. “Dawkins put me on the road to Christian faith (which is not belief without evidence but placing your trust in what the evidence shows you). He shook me out of my apathy and insisted that I follow the evidence where it led. The only twist was, the evidence took me where he (and I, initially) didn’t want it to go, and it transpired that his atheism was not as airtight as he’d claimed.” p85.
Chapter 4: A Winding Path Through New Atheism to Faith by Anikó Albert
Albert was raised in an agnostic family in a Soviet-controlled regime. Her education included “secular exposure to the cultural marks of Christianity.” p89. In college, she was curious about religion and moved to Jamaica after graduation where she taught at a Catholic-run school and even attended Mass occasionally. Later, she moved back to Hungary and then to the US, and, fueled by negative things she saw connected with religion and 9/11, her doubts about Christianity grew. She joined online discussion groups around atheism and read the works of the Four Horsemen. But the more she interacted, the more she saw hypocrisy, illogical arguments, claims that were simply wrong, and data that was cherry-picked or inaccurate. She began to engage with some Christians and attend a Methodist church where she could ask questions and her faith began to grow. “Faith and reason, far from the enemies the New Atheists believe them to be, held hands and led me to the communion table one Sunday.” p103.
Chapter 5: Hearing God Through Enchantment with Nature by Andrew G. Gosler
Studying the cooperation of the greater honeyguide birds and humans in finding bees’ nests for honey and beeswax, Gosler concluded that the presentation of evolution by New Atheists like Dawkins is flawed. Observations and immersion in nature nurtured his faith. He concluded “that ever life hangs by a thread, and that, therefore, all life is sacred and founded not on selfishness but on mutual interdependence which is truth; the spirit of love and peace.” p122.
Chapter 6: An Afrikaner’s Faith Pilgrimage by Johan Erasmus
“(Perhaps one of the strongest arguments against Christianity looks something like this: if God is good, why are Christian movies so bad?)” p125. I really resonated with the way Erasmus sees Christianity so holistically and his reason for belief isn’t reduced to a couple of apologetic arguments. “To think an eight-minute video clip is going to “destroy” a complex worldview is silly. … Perhaps the reason I am so annoyed when Christians fall into this polemic vortex is because I know the frustration I feel when atheists make the same move.” p133. I think this was my favorite chapter.
Chapter 7: Coming to Faith via The God Delusion by Nick Berryman
“For a significant part of my life, I had dismissed religion as incompatible with an intellectual mind. For one, science and religion were in opposition, and I had chosen the side of science.” p143. But once the author began to assess Christianity intellectually, he found it robust and persuasive, especially Jesus himself. The answers Dawkins offered in “The God Delusion” were insufficient by comparison.
Chapter 8: The God Delusion and Probability by Louise Mabille
Mabille grew up thinking “Religious belief was for the slightly backward, and theism was embraced by the bright and inquisitive. Then came The God Delusion.” p160-161. “What bothered me most about The God Delusion, and what contributed most to my eventual turn to Christianity, was that it made enormous claims upon which it then failed to deliver.” p161. Mabille points to statistics and probability claims which ultimately were more convincing in favor of a designer, a mind, behind creation.
Chapter 9: My Egyptian Journey to Faith by Rafik Samuel
Samuel’s father was a Christian preacher and apologist, and a professional psychiatrist. When he was 13 he discovered the Four Horseman of New Atheism and became an apologist for Atheism, arguing with youth leaders at church and convincing his friends too. While watching a debate between Christopher Hitchens and William Lane Craig, he was embarrassed by how poorly his hero, Hitchens, debated, not even engaging with Craig’s actual logical arguments. This was a turning point after which Samuel looked into many Christian intellectuals and found good reasons for Christianity. Most importantly, along the way he fell in love with Jesus.
Chapter 10: From Lukewarm Theism to Committed Faith by Judith R. Babarsky
“Certainly, if Dawkins expected to mount a credible attack on religious, specifically Christian belief, it would not be unreasonable to expect that he would have studied his opponent extensively enough to present the arguments fairly and objectively. The fact that he clearly failed to do so left me with the firm conviction that his was not a credible witness and certainly not scientific.” p195. “Mine was more of an intellectual conversion than anything else. And I’ve often said that I read my way into the faith. It was provoked by a process of reasoning – it most certainly was not an emotional conversion (although I would have welcomed that).” p202.
Chapter 11: From Religion to Agnosticism to Faith in Christ via Dawkins by Waldo Swart
Swart was an Afrikaner Christian from South Africa who felt like the only one of his peers who had questions and doubts about Christianity and the Bible. When his questions were met with shallow, pat answers at church, he looked elsewhere and found better answers in Dawkins and other atheists. He embraced atheism and continued to learn from them until he began having conversations with a friend who was studying theology. To arm himself to argue for atheism better, he decided to study Christianity and other religions. He found compelling reasons for faith and began to notice shortcomings in atheist arguments. “Ironically, it was not a Christian’s belief that convinced me in the end but rather an agnostic’s unrelenting unbelief.” p219.
Chapter 12: Seeking the Truth via New Atheism and Psychedelic Drugs by Ashley Lande
Lande embraced atheism in her rebellious youth and tried various drugs, yoga, New Age practices, meditation, a strict raw vegan diet, and more in order to find truth and satisfaction but instead found despair. When her husband decided to try church, she went too, and there she encountered Jesus. Previously, she had anticipated Hitchen’s book but now she found his ideas unpersuasive and futile. “I only wanted Jesus. I needed Jesus. In a lightning-rod revelation that was pure grace, I finally saw the truth; nothing and no one else would ever do.” p277. “But I could finally sing it with earnestness, holding nothing back; it is well with my soul.”
I thoroughly enjoyed reading this book. It could have been snarky or belittling toward Dawkins and the atheists whose views these authors rejected but instead was reflective and came across as respectful and authentic. In my own journey, I have asked some of the same questions and sought answers in some of the same places as a few of these authors and found their stories inspiring. I absolutely recommend this book and hope other readers will be encouraged by it too.
December 12, 2024
Excellent discussion on faith, science, philosophy, and New Athiesm through well-written personal testimony of people from many different national, religious, and social backgrounds.
I found it especially useful when unpacking irrationality in atheist belief, the flawed view of science vs. God, legitimate questions regarding issues with God and belief, the concept of justifiable faith in contrast to irrational "blind" faith, and the necessity to ask questions about your own belief and "wrestle" with God to form a stronger claim to true personal belief and relationship with God.
It was particularly interesting to read thoughtful rebuttals to common claims, such as when Richard Dawkins writes that "religious wars really are fought in the name of religion, and they have been horribly frequent in history." The suggested counter goes beyond the simple dismissal by Dawkins to explore the fact that people, such as the "pre-Christian tribes of Europe-the Saxons, Danes, Visigoths, and others- were not merciful, compassionate devotees of reason and high moral standing. Whether their eventual conversions to Christ made them better people could be debated, but there is no evidence that it made them worse" (32). Furthermore, the counter-claim elaborates on the actions of the Soviet state, under its official worldview of scientific athiesm. Dawkin argues that although Stalin was an athiest, crimes were not committed in the name of Athiesm. The book then continues that "this may be true in the sense that there are always complex power struggles and political calculations behind any targeting of specific groups for persecution and genocide (For the same reason, of course, antitheist claims Christianity or religion in general is to be blamed for most wars, slavery, and all the evil in the world are historically flawed" (31).
I found it especially useful when unpacking irrationality in atheist belief, the flawed view of science vs. God, legitimate questions regarding issues with God and belief, the concept of justifiable faith in contrast to irrational "blind" faith, and the necessity to ask questions about your own belief and "wrestle" with God to form a stronger claim to true personal belief and relationship with God.
It was particularly interesting to read thoughtful rebuttals to common claims, such as when Richard Dawkins writes that "religious wars really are fought in the name of religion, and they have been horribly frequent in history." The suggested counter goes beyond the simple dismissal by Dawkins to explore the fact that people, such as the "pre-Christian tribes of Europe-the Saxons, Danes, Visigoths, and others- were not merciful, compassionate devotees of reason and high moral standing. Whether their eventual conversions to Christ made them better people could be debated, but there is no evidence that it made them worse" (32). Furthermore, the counter-claim elaborates on the actions of the Soviet state, under its official worldview of scientific athiesm. Dawkin argues that although Stalin was an athiest, crimes were not committed in the name of Athiesm. The book then continues that "this may be true in the sense that there are always complex power struggles and political calculations behind any targeting of specific groups for persecution and genocide (For the same reason, of course, antitheist claims Christianity or religion in general is to be blamed for most wars, slavery, and all the evil in the world are historically flawed" (31).
November 15, 2023
This should be required reading for any sincere person who believes atheism is "the intellectual choice." I remember years ago reading "Why I Am Not a Christian" by Bertrand Russell, and thinking "These are the best arguments against Christianity that one of the greatest thinkers can come up with???"
June 19, 2025
Most of this book centres around Richard Dawkins, and most of what the contributors say about Dawkins centres around his book "The God Delusion". Other famous atheists also get a mention: the last chapter in particular, "Seeking the truth via new atheism and psychedelic drugs", is more about Hitchens.
This is a collection of 12 essays by 12 very different people, all of whom have been atheists or at least agnostics at some point in their lives, and all of whom have since become Christians. The title is a bit of a misnomer (but how could they call it anything else?) as it is not always Dawkins who actively led them to faith. But every contributor here, I think, has read at least "The God Delusion" at some point in their own spiritual journey and every one of them has found it ultimately wanting. It may be because Dawkins simply doesn't convincingly offer alternative explanations of things like beauty, truth, why science works ... all things that are generally held to be positive and good. It may be because his logic doesn't work. And it may be because sometimes Dawkins' arguments are so flawed, his personal animus against religion creeping out despite his best attempts to be a dispassionate scientist and leading him to make sweeping, sneering statements about believers that anyone can see are untrue just by looking around at real-life believers.
The book is very positive about Richard Dawkins so far as his work as a scientist and biologist goes, and in particular his descriptions of the simple, elegant beauty of evolution. There are no creationists here. But the further Dawkins gets from his speciality, the weaker he gets, and when he writes polemics about religion he is at his weakest. Each of these contributors had spotted the cracks and each of them has been quite scientific about it: sifting the available evidence and drawing conclusions. Dawkins couldn't possibly object.
This is a collection of 12 essays by 12 very different people, all of whom have been atheists or at least agnostics at some point in their lives, and all of whom have since become Christians. The title is a bit of a misnomer (but how could they call it anything else?) as it is not always Dawkins who actively led them to faith. But every contributor here, I think, has read at least "The God Delusion" at some point in their own spiritual journey and every one of them has found it ultimately wanting. It may be because Dawkins simply doesn't convincingly offer alternative explanations of things like beauty, truth, why science works ... all things that are generally held to be positive and good. It may be because his logic doesn't work. And it may be because sometimes Dawkins' arguments are so flawed, his personal animus against religion creeping out despite his best attempts to be a dispassionate scientist and leading him to make sweeping, sneering statements about believers that anyone can see are untrue just by looking around at real-life believers.
The book is very positive about Richard Dawkins so far as his work as a scientist and biologist goes, and in particular his descriptions of the simple, elegant beauty of evolution. There are no creationists here. But the further Dawkins gets from his speciality, the weaker he gets, and when he writes polemics about religion he is at his weakest. Each of these contributors had spotted the cracks and each of them has been quite scientific about it: sifting the available evidence and drawing conclusions. Dawkins couldn't possibly object.
March 22, 2025
I love to hear of people’s stories of coming to Faith. This book contains 12 essays of people who either lost their faith and found it again or who came to Faith later in life after being atheists , so even LSD users into New Ageism. I loved how they all found flaws in the teachings of the New Atheists that have had such an enormous impact on the last 2+ decades, but most of them seemed to still have one foot out the door after becoming Believers. I always say that we should be open to the possibility that we might be wrong. We should never be closed off to other ideas as we compare them with scripture. But most of the people in this book seem like they have been “swayed by every wind of doctrine “ and it makes me curious, now that this book is published, if they would all still call themselves Christian. My biggest issue with the book is that they are all very anti young earth. They have married their faith with evolution and an old-earth model. I know that none of us will get out of her with all of our questions answered, but I do believe we have all the information we need to have to have a firm reliance on the accuracy of the Bible and ALL it contains without squeezing it into an ever-changing man-made theory.
January 17, 2025
I am deeply turned off by McGrath's obsession with replying to Dawkins. The correct response from serious Christian academics at this point is basically to ignore him, as he isn't culturally relevant at the popular level and openly refuses to engage with the literature on an academic level. This book was surprisingly good though (and contained nothing from McGrath). As a collection of essays, it varies in quality, and surprisingly the worst essay was from a professional philosopher ("The God Delusion and Probability, what are the chances?). The best are from regular people just telling stories about how New Atheism failed to deliver on the boldness of its rhetoric, and ultimately their hearts and minds came round to Christianity. Despite the title, none of them are petty and bitter. A fine read.
October 28, 2023
The title of this book is certainly catches one eye. Many people know that Richard Dawkins is an atheist. So, how could Richard Dawkins lead people to faith in Christianity? Well, this book contains the stories of twelve people who became dissatisfied with their atheistic beliefs and became Christians. Some of the people had read Richard Dawkins book "The God Delusion" and/or Christopher Hitchens book "God is Not So Good" and came to the conclusion that atheism was not for them. This dissatisfaction with atheism led them to a search for God and eventually becoming Christians. It is worth reading this book to hear specifics things they found dissatisfying about atheism and specific things that led to their conversion to Christianity.
January 19, 2024
This was a fascinating and enjoyable book. The 12 essays were personal stories that typically followed the trajectory of: becoming (or starting as) an atheist, encountering the four prominent new atheist authors (such as Hitchens and Dawkins), discovering that their arguments were mostly rhetoric and mockery with little substance, wondering if the theistic arguments are stronger, finding intelligent theists (WL Craig, Lennox etc.) whose arguments were much stronger and more satisfying, then coming to faith in Jesus.
February 19, 2025
Religions and faith sure do interest me. I've read 1000 times how people have found atheism/agnosticism, but rarely the other way around.
It would've been nice to read even more from these people, and a couple of them mentioned how they would've written more but there wasn't enough space. That's unfortunate! Some of the points in the book were repeated at times, but that's only a tiny minus because according to the foreword the people writing their stories in this book didn't know what others would write.
It would've been nice to read even more from these people, and a couple of them mentioned how they would've written more but there wasn't enough space. That's unfortunate! Some of the points in the book were repeated at times, but that's only a tiny minus because according to the foreword the people writing their stories in this book didn't know what others would write.
May 8, 2025
Hard to rate the book as a whole because each chapter/essay was so different. But man there were some powerful testimonies and really smart people! It’s cool because testimonies are just so powerful and this book is getting to read really cool stories of some really intellectual thinkers and makes me feel so much more solid in my beliefs knowing how much consideration so many Christians (and I strive to do myself) put into it. It’s not just a faith people believe because their parents believed but has strong evidence and backing.
June 7, 2024
An excellent collection of pieces on the theme, this book did not disappoint. Not all essays hit equally, but a few brought me to tears (especially the last!).
One quibble — alternatives to theistic evolution are treated with derision when mentioned at all.
One quibble — alternatives to theistic evolution are treated with derision when mentioned at all.
May 14, 2025
One of the most ironic titles ever?
The new atheist moment has somewhat passed, (as atheists I knew disliked the virulence as much as believers) but these testimonies remain helpful critiques and good contemporary coming to faith stories.
The new atheist moment has somewhat passed, (as atheists I knew disliked the virulence as much as believers) but these testimonies remain helpful critiques and good contemporary coming to faith stories.
November 7, 2023
A fascinating read of the back door to the new atheism. Compelling stories of academics coming to faith in Christ because of the rational and reasoning of the Christian worldview.
November 24, 2023
It was interesting to read the different perspectives of the 12 essays. I enjoyed it.
January 31, 2024
Starts strong, finishes poorly. If one stopped 3/4 of the way through, the stars would bump up to 4.5
April 27, 2025
Very good and inspirational testimonies of how Dawkins and the new atheists caused people to turn from atheism to Christianity
January 12, 2026
Though I enjoyed some essays more than others, I appreciate each of these writers sharing their stories. Through them, I learned something about the thoughts and questions of man.
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