God or Godless is now available!
Randal takes on atheist John W. Loftus in twenty debates on the existence of God and truth of Christianity.
Check out these blurbs:
“In God or Godless?, Randal Rauser and John Loftus provide bite-sized discussions on a variety of topics. The discussions are very readable and provide helpful overviews. Rauser is a progressive evangelical. Although many will not always agree with the answers he proposes, such as what to make of child sacrifices and genocide in the Bible, he more often than not makes clear points I find compelling. Loftus is a worthy foe who has earned a bit of attention and respect through his publications and public debates. This book is an enjoyable and informative read that will challenge you to think about the issues discussed.”
Dr. Michael R. Licona, associate professor of theology, Houston Baptist University; author of Paul Meets Muhammad
“This is a fascinating and sometimes humorous intro to twenty common debates between atheists and theists. You’ll find countless rambling and confused versions of such debates online. But here you will find a clear, concise, well-written exchange on each. Keeping it short, they can’t include every point to be made. But they make a good show of where each side stands on these questions and why. If you want to continue these debates further, start with this.”
Dr. Richard Carrier, author of Sense and Goodness without God
“This is not a quarrel, nor one of those flame wars of the deaf that rage across cyberspace then spills angrily into print, nor even that stuffy, artificial creation, a ‘religious dialogue.” What we have here is conversation: at times witty, at times tendentious, often humorous and almost always engaged on emotional as well as intellectual levels. Rauser is master of parables with a philosophical point: Loftus makes an art form of heart-on-his-sleeve pragmatism. Both land blows, yet the book contains hardly a trace of bitterness: at best, it reaches the level of a mythical, Platonic debate in a pub. Almost no one will fully agree with either writer, nor fail to enjoy the rhetorical flow.”
Dr. David Marshall, author of The Truth Behind the New Atheism
“The argument between skeptics and Christians has existed since the beginning of Christianity. Randal Rauser and John Loftus continue that argument with gusto, conciseness, and civility. This book should be the first stop for readers shopping for dueling voices from two of the most articulate advocates for Christianity and atheism.”
Dr. Hector Avalos, Professor of Religious Studies, Iowa State University
You can order God or Godless here:
God or Godless. One Atheist. One Christian. Twenty Controversial Questions. (with John W. Loftus)
Randal interviewed on Apologetics 315 (with Brian Auten)
To hear/download the interview click here: interview-randal-rauser
Check out this dialogue between Randal and atheist Ralph Jones on “Unbelievable” with Justin Brierley.
Randal’s apologetics debate book
The Swedish Atheist, The Scuba Diver, and Other Apologetic Rabbit Trails
Randal Rauser talks the Swedish Atheist on Drew Marshall
“Meet Randal Rauser, a Christian, and Sheridan, an atheist. Over the course of one caffeinated afternoon, they explore a range of honest questions and real objections to Christian faith.
-
Do people hold to a particular religion just because of an accident of geography?
-
Is believing in Jesus as arbitrary as believing in Zeus?
-
Why would God order the slaughter of infants or send people to hell?
“Their extended conversation unfolds with all the rabbit trails, personal baggage and distractions that inevitably come in real-world encounters. Rauser provides substantive argument-based apologetics but also highlights the importance of apologetics as a narrative journey.
“This imaginative narrative is a model of the rigorous pursuit of truth in conversation. Apologetics is not just about winning arguments; it is a transformative apprenticeship where eternity touches down in everyday life. It’s about the discovery of truth through winding, weaving, honest, aimless, pointless and completely purposeful conversations between people who desperately want to know the way really things are.” (Excerpts from the InterVarsity Press Catalogue)
Check out this blurb:
“Rauser’s dialogue brings the best tools of philosophical thinking within the reach of thoughtful believers and skeptics alike. His representative in the conversation knows when to stick to his guns, and when to admit to uncertainty and fallibility. His atheist counterpart is no straw man–he knows his Dawkins, Dennett and Hitchens. Rauser has the philosophical chops to cut through a lot of rhetorical nonsense, but he also has the intellectual honesty to face up to the genuine difficulties confronting his faith. This enjoyable book is a model of candid, winsome, thought-provoking apologetics.”
(Dean Zimmerman, Professor of Philosophy, Rutgers University )
You can read about The Swedish Atheist, the Scuba Diver and Other Apologetic Rabbit Trails in the InterVarsity Press Winter Catalogue here.
You can order the book here.
Some new radio interviews:
Randal on Faith Radio Mornings
![bridgefront[1]](http://randalrauser.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/09/bridgefront1.jpg)
Also check out my 2011 book You’re Not As Crazy As I Think: Dialogue in a World of Loud Voices and Hardened Opinions
|
||||||||
(Sample chapter available here)
NEW RADIO INTERVIEWS for You’re Not as Crazy as I Think
Randal Rauser on “He’s Alive” Radio with Melissa Flores. A five part interview: Part 1, Part 2, Part 3, Part 4, Part 5
Randal Rauser on Drew Marshall Canada’s most listened to spiritual talk show
Randal on”Morning Mahyem” with Tommy Briggs (YES FM)
Check out other interviews, talks, lectures and sermons here.
Blogging
Randal blogs at randalrauser.com/blog on matters of apologetics, theology, philosophy and popular culture.
Helping Entrepreneurs in the Developing World
Randal is a supporter of Kiva, a micro-lending organization which connects entrepreneurs in the developing world with the wallets of people in the developed world. Basically you get to invest in specific people. But it isn’t charity. Rather, through Kiva you loan them money to build their businesses and better their lives and communities. Jesus totally thinks Kiva is way cool, and if it’s good enough for Jesus, well then it’s good enough for me. Learn more >>
Latest Books
The Portuguese translation of Finding God in the Shack has become a bestseller in Brazil. Here is a copy at Rio de Janeiro International Airport. (Photos courtesy of Junior Figueiredo). MORE BOOKS
Audio/Video Library
Find a growing library of lectures in audio and video format, as well as radio and television interviews discussing my books and other issues HERE.
Recent Blog & News Items
A conversation doomed from the start? Exchanges with The A-Unicornist
Over the last few days I’ve had some exchanges with “Mike D” who, it turns out, moonlights as “The A-Unicornist.” Mike summarizes the exchanges in a couple blog posts here and here. Things have not gone well, and it is not hard to see why. Consider this opening of Mike’s first article-summary. He notes that [...]
A Theologian, An Atheist and A Schmuck walk into a radio show…
Tomorrow I’m going to be on The Drew Marshall Show, a Toronto-based talk radio show hosted by (you guessed it!) Drew Marshall. The title they’ve selected: “A Theologian, An Atheist and A Schmuck walk into a radio show…”A Panel Discussion About The Existence Of God! I’ll be on the panel with Justin Trottier, chief spokesperson for [...]
God and the arbitrary attribute charge: A response to Jason Thibodeau
Jason Thibodeau has been offering a series of critiques of my views on God and explanation over at his blog. Here’s the most recent entry: “Do theists need to explain God’s existence? Part 3“. In case you were wondering, Jason has a PhD in philosophy from the University of California and is a professor in philosophy [...]