The Rage Against God: How a Former Atheist Came to Jesus



$8.99 Kindle version
 $9.29 paperback CBD
The Rage Against God by Peter Hitchens is a book by the brother of leading atheist Christopher Hitchens. In it, he describes his religious upbringing and his turn from the Christian faith to atheism. Instead of the doctrines and dogmas of Christianity, Hitchens latches onto some secular idols. From there he traces his journey from having those idols fail him while finding his way, grudgingly, back to the Christian fold.

With new-found eyes, Hitchens details his attitudes and behaviors while an atheist. He spares no judgment of his former self. His self-criticism is as sharp as was his tongue against anyone who espoused Christian faith.

One of the saddest parts of the book is where he gives his assessment of Christopher ever becoming a Christian. He recalls opportunities to debate his brother and people wanting them to go after each other viciously. However, a few days before, a decision and subsequent time together changed the tone of that debate. While that worked out, Peter gives the reader the reason he believes it unlikely Christopher will ever come to Christ. Note that Christopher Hitchens died in 2011, the year after this manuscript was first published. Christopher's son gave an account to a British journalist that he had indeed held onto his atheism until his last breath.

This book will help readers understand atheists, including those who are the hate-filled and angry at God variety. It will give you hope that God is seeking to save the lost even among the God-deniers. After engaging atheists, Christians may walk away wondering why they should bother. Peter Hitchens is a living, breathing example of why believers shouldn’t give up on their atheist friends and acquaintances.


Christopher Hitchens and Peter Hitchens: Brothers debate God and War (2008)

This review as it appears on Amazon 

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

The Call to be a Ragamuffin: A Review of the Movie on Rich Mullins' Life

Image
I thought this film was absolutely great.  The acting was good and the story was real.  Shocked and saddened at the ghosts of Rich's childhood, if I may use that terminology, I was drawn into the healthy and unhealthy ways he struggled with his raising.   Like the Bible does with its heroes, Ragamuffin doesn't sugarcoat Rich's life.  He struggled with smoking and with alcohol.  His language wasn't always church language, to put it mildly.  One sees someone seeking to be real.  Tired of the masks Christians often put on and the blindness to the call of Christ to provide for the least of these, Rich gives generously to Christian churches and charities while living humbly.  Seeing the poverty of others and the difference he could make in the lives of those with less, Rich Mullins pours himself wholly into ministry.   Just a few other thoughts in closing.  His tragic death is handled well.  In  the special features section, Dav e, Rich's brother, does a
Read more

What's In a Name?

Image
What’s in a Name?  In 1990, I graduated from Philadelphia College of Bible.  Over the years, PCB changed and with it, its name altered as well.  After achieving university status under President Babb, a new name was chosen, Philadelphia Biblical University, one that does not easily roll off the tongue.  Eventually, students, alumni, the community, etc., got used to it like will eventually happen with the new name change.  However, that doesn’t mean that there aren’t reasons to wrestle with the proposal.   The rationale for the name change Dr. Williams, current president of PBU, argues that there is a perception of PBU being a Bible college with “university” in its name, leading people to believe that it has “limited offerings and a narrow vocational focus.”  My thought:  The word narrow sounds familiar to me.   Matthew 7:13-14 Furthermore, market research conducted via focus groups and a survey yielded data that was considered in favor of a name change in gene
Read more

Reproducible Pastoral Training - A Book Review

Image
Reproducible Pastoral Training: Church Planting Guidelines from the Teachings of George Patterson by Patrick O’Connor is a book about missions. However, its insights are also helpful to anyone who is either starting a church or seeking to see it grow. Patrick O’Connor dives into the wisdom of George Patterson and presents it in an intelligent way. Various topics are explained in the text. How does one reach a culture with the Gospel of Jesus Christ? What is better, door-to-door evangelism or another technique? Is it best to begin with a multi-cultural church or to start with one culture? How does one utilize contacts for the sake of the Gospel? Also, how does one prevent establishing a foreign church rather than a native one? Furthermore, the author goes into issues like how leaders are trained and when they should begin serving. I found myself revisiting preconceived notions of what is done in Western churches and thus is considered to be biblical. For instance, the d
Read more