John Loftus posted the four blurbs for God or Godless today so I figured I’d follow suit. Unfortunately these blurbs stand in an uneasy juxtaposition with my philosophical reflection on blurbs from a few days ago. But I have faith that these four stellar scholars (two atheists and two Christians) are all telling the truth!
I’ve also added four blurbs that I just received from dead scholars. Enjoy!
Living Scholar 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
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“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
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“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
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“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
Dead Scholar Blurbs
“Arrest that heretic and his apostate friend and burn all copies of their scurrilous tract that you can find. Then subject their bodies to the temporal flame so that they may be spared the flame eternal.”
Tomás de Torquemada, leader of the Spanish Inquisition (1420-1498)
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“Alas, this is mediocre at best. If you want to read a real debate look up the time I sparred with Father Copleston. As I recall it was back in 1948 on the BBC.”
Bertrand Russell, the Third Earl Russell, British polymath and analytic philosopher (1872-1970)
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“Natural theology? Nein!”
Karl Barth, Swiss Reformed theologian, author of Church Dogmatics (1886-1968)
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“This book isn’t too bad. But it’s a little too cute for the topic. if you’re going to get just one book on God and atheism be sure it is mine. It is still in print, isn’t it?”
J.L. Mackie, author of The Miracle of Theism (1917-1981)
