Interdisciplinary Book and Film Reviews

                                                               Do I Stay Christian?    By Brian D. McLaren   Reviewed by   Geoffrey W. Sutton   “He’s an atheist now.” “She came home from that church in tears.” “We’re agnostic. We just don’t know.”   In the past decade, it seems like young adults have been fleeing church as if there was an active shooter in the sanctuary. I am privileged to remain friends with former university students on social media. I see some have left evangelical churches and some declare themselves atheists. I interact with older friends across the USA whose adult children have given up their evangelical beliefs. Some felt welcomed in mainline congregations but others appear to be in some vague spiritual place that I couldn’t quite locate.   Brian D. McLaren appears in tune with the times in his 2022 book, Do I Stay Christian . Years ago a friend introduced me to McLaren with a gift of A Generous Orthodoxy . I liked his idea of inclusivit

  Why I became an Atheist :       A Former Preacher Rejects Christianity  By   John W. Loftus   Reviewed by   Geoffrey W. Sutton John Loftus explains his reasons for becoming an atheist in a way that’s quite different from the likes of Dawkins (2006) and Harris (2004). Loftus knows Christianity from the inside and the outside. He graduated from Trinity Evangelical Divinity School and served as a pastor. The text reveals his familiarity with Christian theologies and apologetics. The author covers some familiar territory by reviewing the problems with the classic arguments for the existence of God. These arguments are commonly presented in philosophy of religion courses. As is commonly known, the arguments do not offer a pathway to belief in the God of the Bible or another god. Loftus presentation is even-handed and not belligerent. He also challenges Christian views of the Bible. As might be expected, he points out problems with the texts and the associated difficulty of

My introduction to atheism occurred at a Christian college where I was required to read Bertrand Russell's classic work, Why I am not a Christian. " Thoughtful atheists offer people who identify as religious or spiritual  an opportunity to examine their beliefs, practices, and experiences. And I hope, thoughtful religious and spiritual leaders offer meaningful challenges for thoughtful atheists. I have reviewed some of the major books in this list. Some reviews are based on academic essays published in psychology journals. ********** Breaking the Spell by Daniel Dennett         Book REVIEW   BUY on AMAZON UK AMAZON   BUY on  GOOGLE Caught in the Pulpit: Leaving Faith Behind by Daniel C. Dennett & Linda LaScola     Book REVIEW   BUY on AMAZON UK  AMAZON   BUY on GOOGLE The End of Faith: Religion, Terror, and the Future of Reason by Sam Harris      

 Why I Am Not A         Christian By   Bertrand Russell Reviewed by   Geoffrey W. Sutton   I am still surprised by the memory of a professor at a highly conservative college who included Russell’s book, Why I am not a Christian as assigned reading in a Philosophy of Christianity class. I don’t recall what the professor said about the collection of essays so many years ago. However, it is a classic work and deserves at least a look by those like me interested in the psychology of religion and related fields like philosophy. The lead essay answers the author’s question in the title. It was presented as a lecture at the Battersea Town Hall (London, England) in 1927. His logical thinking is evident early on as he attempts to define the concept, Christian . He considers a few options and concludes first, that a Christian must believe in God and immortality, and second, a Christian must at least think of Christ as the “best and wisest of men.” The essay proceeds to explain w