Intellectuals Don't Need God and Other Modern Myths

by Alister E. McGrath

Rethinking Effective Apologetics for the Present Age. Christians have always had to defend their faith against all kinds of criticism and misunderstandings, but these attacks change overtime, and the strongest arguments of the famous classical apologists who preceded us are not necessarily the strongest today. Intellectuals Don't Need God is written to today's faithful apologists who are trying to commend Christianity in terms of its relevance to everyday life and not just its inherent rationality. Its focuses Theologian and scientist, Dr. Alister McGrath (author of the ECPA 2014 Christian Book Award Winning biography of C. S. Lewis) shows convincingly that appeal to reason is only one of many possible bridges between the non-Christian and the gospel. In today's world, cerebral and emotional concerns—such as a sense that life lacks purpose or a deep sense of longing for something unknown—are often more effective starting points for modern apologetics. Dr. McGrath combines the clarity of a brilliant scientific mind with a deep commitment to Christ and to reaching non-Christians. Intellectuals Don't Need God is for apologists and seekers alike—for both those defending and questioning the validity and value of Christianity.

Genres: Theology, Christian, Nonfiction, Christianity, Religion, Philosophy, Science

242 pages, Paperback

First published August 30, 1993

About the author

Alister Edgar McGrath is a Northern Irish theologian, priest, intellectual historian, scientist, and Christian apologist. He currently holds the Andreas Idreos Professorship in Science and Religion in the Faculty of Theology and Religion at the University of Oxford, and is Professor of Divinity at Gresham College. He was previously Professor of Theology, Ministry, and Education at King's College London and Head of the Centre for Theology, Religion and Culture, Professor of Historical Theology at the University of Oxford, and was principal of Wycliffe Hall, Oxford, until 2005. He is an Anglican priest and is ordained within the Church of England.

Aside from being a faculty member at Oxford, McGrath has also taught at Cambridge University and is a Teaching Fellow at Regent College. McGrath holds three doctorates from the University of Oxford, a DPhil in Molecular Biophysics, a Doctor of Divinity in Theology and a Doctor of Letters in Intellectual History.

McGrath is noted for his work in historical theology, systematic theology, and the relationship between science and religion, as well as his writings on apologetics. He is also known for his opposition to New Atheism and antireligionism and his advocacy of theological critical realism. Among his best-known books are The Twilight of Atheism, The Dawkins Delusion?: Atheist Fundamentalism and the Denial of the Divine, Dawkins' God: Genes, Memes, and the Meaning of Life, and A Scientific Theology. He is also the author of a number of popular textbooks on theology.

Reviews

[Anne]

Fantastic book, especially for those who think Christianity and logic do not go hand in hand.

[Nick Barrett]

While I wouldn’t recommend this book for a beginner in the field of apologetics, I found it to be an extremely helpful, insightful, and in-depth work on the difficulties one might face as a Christian apologist.

I especially enjoyed the final chapter on practical methods to be used in real life situations.

[Aaron Green]

This is a decent intro to apologetics, but it is just an intro; meaning, if you have any experience with apologetics there will be nothing new here. The problem with using the word 'modern' in your title is that, at some point, it's no longer modern, and although this book was only published in 1993, you can tell it was published in '93. As my rating states, I liked it, but I didn't love it. The chapters feel significantly longer than they are, and yet, at times, he seemed to stop just short of a full explanation on some things.

[Laurie]

Dense, but important. It took me a while to get through because I had to re-read sentences or even paragraphs, but it was very helpful to me in defining my personal theology as well as in learning ways to share my faith with others.

[April Cardinal]

I read this for apologetics class and I loved it. It is a collection of essays. I've read it again at least 2 other times. Good thoughts, good writing.

[Steven H]

AN APPROACH TO “COMPLEMENT” TRADITIONAL APOLOGETICS APPROACHES

Alister Edgar McGrath (born 1953) is an Irish theologian, priest, intellectual historian, scientist, and Christian apologist, who is a professor at the University of Oxford, and is Principal of Wycliffe Hall, Oxford. He wrote in the Introduction to this 1993 book, “This book does not seek to discard or discredit traditional approaches to apologetics---it seeks to supplement them. It aims to make available different ways of thinking and doing apologetics---ways that complement the more traditional approaches…. Above all, this book seeks to stimulate its readers to explore and develop approaches to the defense of the gospel that are appropriate to their own special needs and opportunities.” (Pg. 11)

He argues, “The Euthyphro dilemma has force if, and ONLY if, human and divine ideas of justice or goodness are understood to be two completely independent entities…. But the Christian doctrine of God destroys the dilemma by insisting upon an inbuilt and indissoluble link between human and divine ideas of goodness, which persists even in fallen human nature. We recognize that what God does is right, because we have been created in the image of divine ideas of righteousness. Human and divine ideas of goodness resonate; the disharmony proposed by Plato is an irrelevance, given the Christian understanding of God and human nature.” (Pg. 41-42)

He observes, “The idea that Christianity is obsolete has itself become obsolete. It has a curiously dated feel to it, like a relic of a bygone era. The person who mechanically repeats the parrot cries of earlier generations---‘science has disproved Christianity’; ‘Christianity is irrelevant in a world come of age’---has become stranded in a time warp. It may take some time for this fact to filter down from the opinion-makers to popular writing, but it has happened… It is a shift in favor of faith.” (Pg. 66)

He acknowledges, “Christian faith is a risk because it cannot be proven. It is not a state of calm and easy security, but is more like an adventure, a ceaseless battling with troubles… But Christian faith rests on history, reason, experience, and revelation, a formidable quartet that, like the four legs of a well-balanced table, gives security and stability to the life of faith.” (Pg. 81)

He notes, “Faith in the Resurrection and Incarnation is what kept and keeps Christianity growing and spreading… In a day and age when Christianity has to fight for its existence, winning converts rather than relying on a favorable cultural milieu, a nonincarnational theology despoiled of the Resurrection has little to commend it…. What, it must be asked in all seriousness, is the CONVERTING POWER of an incarnationless Christianity?” (Pg. 133)

He admits, “The doctrine of universal salvation initially seems attractive… All will be saved. But on closer inspection, this seems to amount to some kind of spiritual authoritarianism. All WILL be saved, whether they like it or not. Human freedom is compromised… the idea of spending eternity with God is profoundly unattractive to many people! The idea that this is going to be forced on them will hardly strike them as good news!” (Pg. 142-143)

He suggests, “The fact that we cannot prove that Christianity is true is no longer the crippling disadvantage it was once thought to be … It merely places Christians in the best of intellectual company and marks them off from those who naively think that the really important things in life CAN be proved with certainty. Those who lack psychological maturity may need to cling to the illusions of certainty; the rest of us are content to learn to live in a world in which nothing important is certain and nothing certain is important.” (Pg. 155)

He asserts, “There is no need to revert to pagan ideas of gods and goddesses to recover the idea that God is neither masculine nor feminine. Those ideas are already firmly embedded in Scripture… Feminism… is a powerful challenge to Christianity… Just as Marxism failed… so it seems that feminism will fail also. As a critique of Christianity, it has much to offer and much to say and deserves a careful hearing. But where it seeks replace the gospel with its own secularized worldview, it seems certain to fail, having overstepped its resources and failed to recognize its own limitations… feminism if one voice among many, not THE voice that relativizes everything else.” (Pg. 174-175)

He concludes, “We have stressed that apologetics is both a science and an art. It is an academic discipline, rigorously grounded in Christian theology and passionately concerned to demonstrate and defend the truth of Christianity. But it is also a draft, a creative attempt to ensure that the gospel proclamation meshes as closely as possible with the needs and concerns of human existence… Christian apologetics centers on twin foci: … the truth and reliability of the Christian revelation, and … the need to relate it to, and demonstrate its transformative potential for, the human situation.” (Pg. 211)

This book will be of interest to those studying Apologetics.

[Chico Collie]

I’m not certain why I bought this book or how it found its way into my reading space but I’m certainly glad it did. I had spent several years reading it intermittently. However, it wasn’t until writing this review that I realized how instrumental it was to my understanding of faith and apologetics, as well as how it had impacted my thought life in other meaningful ways.

Here, Dr. Alister E. McGrath explores important points of contact for the apologist, the nature of faith, and expounds upon the various barriers to faith. Additionally, as with a fresh scalpel, he dissects and challenges some of the common opposing worldviews encountered in Western societies at the time.

“Probability, not certainty, is the law of the life of experience”

Richly laden with insights, this ~210-page book is a dense reservoir for the aspiring Christian apologist. It’s not the easiest or most exciting book on the subject matter that you’ll read but it’s an underestimated resource.

Note. For the original review, see maygp.org/reviews

[Humberto Bardales]

A book with a lot of information for aspiring apologists. Although I wouldn't recommend this to a beginner, this book has resources for apologists of any level. Great book but not the most enjoyable read

[Wesley Stuart]

(4.5 stars)

[Rob]

At the risk of saying a book is great because I agree with what the author says, I really think McGrath strikes the right note in how Christians ought to present the Christian faith to a lost and dying world. Published in 1993, his irenic, comprehensive approach is perfect for the contentious times of post-911 Trump America. He eschews the bipolarity of right-left politics. Instead, he presents the story of Jesus as the better option, the richer narrative. His method is one Christians who want to share their faith ought to utilize. And all Christians, if they are Christian, must feel the Gospel tug to share the faith.

[Jay Risner]

Nifty