Sam Harris - Evangelistic AtheistHave you ever met an evangelistic atheist? One who is as passionate to spread the 'gospel' of atheism as Christians are to spread the gospel of Christ? I most certaintly would not characterize the majority of self professed atheists that I have encountered in this way. Most do not have a very well thought out worldview but would probably default to a more or less nihilistic outlook on life. In more recent days, however, atheism has jumped on the postmodern band-wagon and has re-invented itself. Thanks to the so-called ' Four horseman of the New Atheist apocalypse', atheism is becoming a whole new monster.

If you have not heard of Richard Dawkins, Sam Harris, Christopher Hitchens, or Daniel Dennet then you need to get to know them...and fast.  Due to their high profile academic, media, and social positions and their highly popular (even best-selling) books, this new brand of Atheism is being made available to the masses at a more rapid pace than ever. As Christians this should especially concern us. Every generation faces its own challanges in applying the gospel to its particular social and cultural context. It is not enough to simply know the gospel, but we must understand the particular ideas that have captivated the minds of our generation so that we will be able to "...destroy arguments and every lofty opinion raised against the knowledge of God..." ( 2Cor.10:5).

I am by no means saying the gospel is not enough and that something must be added to in order for it to be effective. But I am saying is that if we are to be most effective in our witness to the unbelieving world, we need to understand the worldview's embraced by the unbelieving world that we are witnessing in. With that said, I think it will be helpful to take a quick look at a few things  that make the 'New Atheism' new. I am endebted to Al Mohler's book, Atheism Remix, for these observations.

First of all, it is evangelistic and bold. Advocates of the New Atheism unashamedly and unabashedly take the offensive against Christianity. In older forms of atheism you could sense a feeling remorse, that by 'losing God' they were losing something important and dear to life. With the new atheism, however, this is far from the case. One can even sense a feeling of excitment that the God of the bible is not needed make sense of the universe.

Secondly, the New Atheism is very specific on its rejection of the God of the Bible. They are not merley interested in rejecting the idea of "god in general' or some abstract philosophical concept. They passionately believe that if any god does infact exist, it cannot be the God of the bible. It is just as likely that the 'flying spaghetti monster exists', to use one of Dawkins favorite sayings.

Thirdly, there is a specific rejection of Jesus Christ. There have obviously been many who have rejected Christ before, but the intensity with which the New Atheism rejects Christ is striking. Hitchens, for example, goes so far to say that "when it comes to violence, Jesus makes the God of the Old Testament look like an amateur". Dawkins also chastens Jesus for not having a more 'inclusivistic message'.

Fourthly, the New Atheism is grounded specifically in scientific argument. Three out of the four men listed above are scientists by training. They believe that, at the end of the day, science must be the explanation for everything that is capable of being explained. The "god hypothesis" was simply the ignorant and naive answer we used to explain the cosmos before being enlightened by the more rational explanations of modern science. Their predisposition to a naturalistic and materialist worldview is not something that they are willing to negotiate. All religion is restrictive, biased and harmful. Conversly, Science is liberating, neutral, and the path to enlightenment.

These factors and others put a twist on atheism that is unique to the New Atheism. In a very real way, I think it is more evangelistic and irate than ever. The highly popular and public nature of the men listed above combined with the the 'newness' of the New Atheism makes for a deadly combination. Back to my original question. Have you ever encountered an evangelist atheist? If you have not yet encountered one, you may not have to wait long until you do. While we can be confident that God's purpose will always prevail in the face of unbelieving thought, let us not forget our Christian duty to always be prepared to make a defense for the hope that is within us (1Pet. 3:15).