What I'm Reading: The Atheist Who Didn't Exist

The Atheist Who Didn't Exist by Andy Bannister

It took a bit of persistence to really get into this book, but after I worked out Bannister's quirky sense of humour, I started to enjoy his logical discussions.

Bannister sticks the boots into Richard Dawkins and other New Atheists, which I initially thought was a bit unprofessional, but the more I read, the more I realised he wasn't actually judging Dawkins and others, but countering arguments in a way that Dawkins would have trouble taking offence to.   In fact, Bannister was quite respectful of Dawkins as a person.  I expect they would be able to sit at a dinner table together and have a friendly, robust conversation without too much offence.

In chapter 11, Bannister pays credit to Dawkins:

For all of the fun I poke at Professor Dawkins, I do value him and his fellow New Atheists for forcing me to think.   Thus my challenge to my sceptical friends is whether they are similarly willing to critically examine their own assumptions and beliefs.  After all, it's only when you're willing to go down to the basement with a flashlight and poke around your foundations that you can really know whether what you're building stands on rock, sand or simply hot air.

I especially like Bannister's consideration for Dawkins's daughter:

I have no idea what Dawkins's daughter, Juliet, does or does not believe - but if she is an atheist like her father, I hope she isn't having to fend off argumentative Anglicans dinging her around the head with soundbites like "You are only an atheist because your daddy is".  Or maybe Dawkins displayed incredible philosophical consistency and raised her as a Mennonite, just so he couldn't be accused of foisting his beliefs on his child.

Bannister sets out his objective of the book at the end of Chapter 1:

... my hope is that it will encourage you not to be afraid of some of the atheist sound bites that are frequently hurled like brickbats from various directions in our culture.

Each of Bannister's chapters start with a nonsensical story, like The Aardvark in the Artichokes, and The Lunatic in the Louvre.   This, too, was disconcerting until I followed the logical progression of each chapter to where the nonsense was used by Bannister to demonstrate the equally ridiculous arguments of the New Atheists.  As I progressed through the book, the logic grew stronger and the nonsense more relevant.

In the chapter Humpty Dumpty and the Vegan, Bannister quotes Humpty Dumpty (ie. Lewis Carroll) from Through the Looking Glass,

When I use a word," Humpty Dumpty said, in a rather scornful tone, "it means just what I choose it to mean.

This forms the basis for a discussion about who gets to define "good" and "evil", as these definitions for fundamentals and moral absolutes for atheistic arguments.   (Humpty Dumpty's dilemma!)

Bannister often turns atheistic arguments on themselves throughout the book.  For example, in chapter 2 he quotes Christopher Hitchins (an Atheistic writer),

That which can be asserted without evidence can be dismissed without evidence.

Hitchins's most quoted statement has been turned around to argue against his very own case.

Whilst the book certainly tips the scales well onto the positive side for me, I see one glaring omission from Bannister's very logical approach:  there's plenty of discussion about "proof" but I'm yet to find deep discussion about faith in the sense that God's Word is self sufficient and self proving.   He missed the most important logical point.

As the rain and the snow come down from heaven, and do not return to it without watering the earth and making it bud and flourish, so that it yields seed for the sower and bread for the eater, so is my word that goes out from my mouth: It will not return to me empty, but will accomplish what I desire and achieve the purpose for which I sent it. (Isa 55:10-11 NIV)

For the word of God is living and active. Sharper than any double-edged sword, it penetrates even to dividing soul and spirit, joints and marrow; it judges the thoughts and attitudes of the heart.  Nothing in all creation is hidden from God's sight. Everything is uncovered and laid bare before the eyes of him to whom we must give account. (Heb 4:12-13 NIV)

This is a good book to challenge you to think, affirm your foundations, and add to your toolkit.


Bannister, A., 2015, The Atheist Who Didn't Exist Or: The Dreadful Consequences of Bad Arguments, Monarch Books, Oxford.  (I reviewed the Kindle version which I purchased from Amazon.)

4 Ways to Sharpen Your Leadership Skills

I have taken this post directly from an article by Dr. Scott Barfoot in the DTS Magazine - Fall 2016, pp. 12-13.   It's good enough to reproduce in its entirety.   All I would add is that I think Dr. Barfoot's fourth essential should be first!

See http://www.dts.edu/magazine/?issue=6a96170b-2997-492b-9ac0-8a1f1d892555 for the full magazine and http://www.dts.edu/read/four-ways-to-sharpen-your-leadership-skills-barfoot-d-scott/ for this article.

                                                                                                                     

In the early nineties, I was shepherding a small Baptist church in rural New Brunswick, Canada. As a single man in those days, I lived with various families in the community. One family, who owned a meat production business, graciously allowed me to stay with them for a couple of months. I helped prepare various cuts of meat as part of my room and board. I will never forget the importance of having a sharp knife. In fact, even if the knife appeared only a little dull, it just wouldn’t cut it!

If you and I are going to be all that God wants us to be, we have to experience regular, personal, and spiritual sharpening through close interaction with iron-men and iron-women.

I can still picture this husband and wife team pulling out the sharpening rods every few minutes. I watched sparks fly as their knife and rod collided in an almost rhythmic fashion. I have never witnessed such incredible sharpening skills! The ancient wisdom of Proverbs 27:17—“As iron sharpens iron, so one person sharpens another”—sparks a vital truth for us today. If you and I are going to be all that God wants us to be, we have to experience regular, personal, and spiritual sharpening through close interaction with iron-men and iron-women. In other words, we best grow when we most glow.

There are four essentials for casting a network of iron-friends that include building an inner circle of support, expecting critics and receiving criticism well, engaging with a like-minded community of learners, and connecting in prayer with our Lord every day. Each of these essentials can serve as God’s refining instrument to keep us sharp and effective for ministry leadership today and into the future.

Build a Support System

First, build an inner circle of support. It is vital to have a small group of trusted confidants—spiritually mature family and associates who walk with the Lord, pray for you regularly, and have your best interests at heart. These iron-friends know your story and see God’s fingerprints in your life. Lean on them. Seek their counsel. Give them permission to ask the hard questions and to journey by your side. I’m not sure where I would be without my wife, Debbie. Time and time again I lean on her for wisdom, feedback, and perspective.

Several years ago we were involved in a major church transition. With all the relational heat and friction mixed with my touch of a messiah complex, I felt completely worn down. She approached me with both graciousness and boldness, “Honey, you are not God. The world and all of its problems do not revolve around you. You are not that powerful!” Although hard to hear, she hit the nail on the head. God was in control, and I needed to move forward and trust him to help us ford the seemingly uncrossable river. Debbie’s support as an iron-friend and confidant honed my perspective and spurred me forward.

Criticism is an Opportunity to Grow

Second, expect critics and receive their criticism well. Clashes with faultfinders can certainly cause all kinds of pain. However, it can also provide a powerful tool and even an iron-friend to make us better. In Leading Your Church through Conflict and Reconciliation: 30 Strategies to Transform Your Ministry, Fred Smith rightly noted that "criticism properly given and properly received accounts for much of the progress in a person or an organisation" without which can lead to either dullness or lack of productivity.  Nonetheless, we also know that unbridled criticism can cause destruction if not contained. Charles H. Spurgeon winsomely advised his students in Lectures to My Students: Addresses Delivered to the Students of the Pastors’ College to limit criticism by having “one blind eye” and “one deaf ear” to disparagement. “To go about the congregation ferreting out disaffection, like a gamekeeper after rabbits, is mean employment and is generally rewarded most sorrowfully.”

“When someone criticizes you, stop and look in the mirror. If it is true, make the changes that are needed. If it is not true, then they must be talking about someone else.” ​

I especially cherish the advice passed on through family from a seasoned pastor who experienced his share of disapproval over several decades of pastoring the same church. “When someone criticizes you, stop and look in the mirror. If it is true, make the changes that are needed. If it is not true, then they must be talking about someone else.”

Keep Learning from Others

Third, engage with a community of learners. Foster an insatiable thirst to keep learning from those around you. Attend a seminar, take a seminary course, join a Bible study group, mentor a young person, listen to a sermon podcast, ask questions, be curious. Learn and grow. Excel as a student of God’s Word and his world to keep refreshed and razor-edged for the work of the gospel ministry.
One of the many things I love about the Doctor of Ministry (DMin) program is participating in the various general course and cohort-based learning communities. It is transformational to watch sparks fly as faculty mentors and small groups of students engage in robust dialogue around Scripture. Real-life ministry challenges the goal of spiritual and organizational enhancement. And all of this is at the heart of forging godly servant-leaders worldwide.

Cultivate a Relationship with the Lord

Fourth, connect in prayer with the Lord every day. Jesus cultivated a close and abiding relationship with the Father through prayer. When Jesus was about to experience his greatest agony, he demonstrated his greatest act of love. Through prayer and communion with the Father, he found clarity, strength, and determination to say, “Yet not what I will, but what you will” (Mark 14:36). In humility, Jesus loved his disciples to the end (John 13:1)—even to death on a cross (Phil 2:8). Jesus’s garden prayer was answered as he, in obedience to the Father, chose the path of loving self-sacrifice over fearful self-protection. Christ—the ultimate iron-friend—calls us to imitate his way of life. “A new command I give you: Love one another. As I have loved you, so you must love one another” (John 13:34).

Never underestimate the importance of having a network of iron-friends. The influence of your inner circle, your raging critics, like-minded fellow learners, and Jesus himself can be used by God to serve as a refining instrument keeping us sharp and productive for his glory, our good, and the work of the gospel.

Dr. D. Scott Barfoot (ThM, 1999) serves as director of DTS’s Doctor of Ministry (DMin) program. Scott aspires to equip and empower global executive, pastoral, and educational ministry leaders who impact the next generation for the cause of Christ. You can find more on leadership at www.xpastor.org
 

Pay Attention

Pay attention!

Jesus asked Mary, "Woman, whom are you seeking?" when she found the tomb empty and the body of the crucified Jesus missing (Jn. 20:15).

I have puzzled over this question.  Why did Jesus ask this question, and why did John report it to us in his gospel?   The (obvious) answer to the question doesn't seem to help unless we ask questions of the text.   What was the lesson for Mary, and what's the lesson for us today?

Jesus knew who Mary was seeking, so the question was not framed to give Him an answer to a puzzle, but rather in His regular style, He used a question to help another come to realise a truth.

So why did He ask the question?   The simple answer to the question, "Woman, whom are you seeking?" was "Jesus" or even "My Lord" as she had previously told the 2 angels a moment earlier.   But these weren't her answers to His question, and she still missed the point.

The other disciples missed the point too:

Before Jesus appeared to Mary, she had run from the empty tomb to the disciples and reported that His body was missing (see John 20:1-9):

Early on the first day of the week, while it was still dark, Mary Magdalene went to the tomb and saw that the stone had been removed from the entrance. So she came running to Simon Peter and the other disciple, the one Jesus loved, and said, "They have taken the Lord out of the tomb, and we don't know where they have put him!" So Peter and the other disciple started for the tomb. Both were running, but the other disciple outran Peter and reached the tomb first. He bent over and looked in at the strips of linen lying there but did not go in. Then Simon Peter, who was behind him, arrived and went into the tomb. He saw the strips of linen lying there, as well as the burial cloth that had been around Jesus' head. The cloth was folded up by itself, separate from the linen. Finally the other disciple, who had reached the tomb first, also went inside. He saw and believed. (They still did not understand from Scripture that Jesus had to rise from the dead.) (NIV)

There are some clues in this passage:

(1) the other disciple ("the one Jesus loved") is believed to be John, the author of this gospel.   John himself reports in 20:31, "but these" (John's gospel) "have been written so that you may believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God; and that believing you may have life in His name." (NASB)  He is most likely reporting from his own perspective the lack of understanding by the disciples, himself and Mary that Jesus had to rise from the dead;

(2) the head cloth used in the burial was folded and separate from the other burial cloths.  In the same way as a napkin is folded and placed on a table at the end of a meal, this folded headcloth signified that Jesus's work was finished.  See also Jn. 19:30

So we have Mary standing at the empty tomb, face to face with the risen Jesus (but she doesn't recognise Him) and He has asked her the question, "Woman, whom are you seeking?"

There's another clue in Hebrews 2:1:

We must pay the most careful attention, therefore, to what we have heard, so that we do not drift away. (NIV)

So firstly, John had reported all these things so that we may (a) believe and (b) have life and secondly, John is reinforcing the lessons that Jesus taught His disciples that He had to rise from the dead.  These truths are drawn out when we consider whom it was Mary was seeking.  The final clue is the one from Hebrews 2:1 warning us to pay heed to what we know.

Remember the 4 types of people:
1. Those who know what they know (secure and confident);
2. Those who know what they don't know (learners);
3. Those who don't know what they don't know (unreached);
4. Those who don't know what they know (ignorant).

I trust that you are in the first group, knowing the truth and living it because you know it and recognise it.  Considering Jesus's question to Mary, we should also ask the same question so that we remember Who we are seeking (and serving) and not fall away (fall into the 4th group).

It's Harvest Time!

In our region, it is harvest time.   A few weeks ago, I saw one farmer harvesting the first of his silage, yet other farmers in the region are yet to start.   Wherever you live, there is a harvest.   After the silage, as the weather continues to improve into early summer, the hay will come.   We don't have to travel too far to see the grape harvest in the latter part of our summer.

We read a story about a vinegrower in Mark chapter 12:

"A man planted a vineyard. He put a fence around it, dug a pit for its winepress, and built a watchtower. Then he leased it to tenant farmers and went on a journey.  At harvest time he sent a slave to the tenants to collect from them his portion of the crop.  But those tenants seized his slave, beat him, and sent him away empty-handed.  So he sent another slave to them again. This one they struck on the head and treated outrageously.  He sent another, and that one they killed. This happened to many others, some of whom were beaten, others killed.  He had one left, his one dear son. Finally he sent him to them, saying, 'They will respect my son.'  But those tenants said to one another, 'This is the heir. Come, let's kill him and the inheritance will be ours!'  So they seized him, killed him, and threw his body out of the vineyard." (Mark 12:1-8 NET)

God prepared a beatiful land for His people and entrusted it to them.  This land (Israel) is described in Exodus 3:8 (and others) as "land flowing with milk and honey" and Ezekiel 20:15 further describes it as "the glory of all lands" (NASB) and "the most beautiful of all lands" (NET).

He sent prophets to prepare the people to return to the Lord their God, but those prophets were rejected, mistreated and even killed in His name (see Mark 6:21-28 as an example).

God sent His one and only Son, Jesus to redeem the debt, but He too was rejected and murdered.   Ironically however, His death was the absolute redemption for all sin and as v.11 says, this is marvellous!

  "This is from the Lord, and it is marvelous in our eyes'?" (Mark 12:11 NET)

Praise God that He ushered in the Age of Grace during which all men can turn to Him:

"What then will the owner of the vineyard do? He will come and destroy those tenants and give the vineyard to others."

and Jesus has become the Cornerstone of the church

"Have you not read this scripture: 'The stone the builders rejected has become the cornerstone."

Jesus put a spiritual emphasis on harvesting as an eternal endeavour when he said,

Don't you say, 'There are four more months and then comes the harvest?' I tell you, look up and see that the fields are already white for harvest! The one who reaps receives pay and gathers fruit for eternal life, so that the one who sows and the one who reaps can rejoice together.   (Jn.4:35-36)

The farmer has to have wisdom about the right time to harvest; in a spiritual context we might be called to sow, or we might be called to reap, so we need to sensitively discern!

For in this instance the saying is true, 'One sows and another reaps.' I sent you to reap what you did not work for; others have labored and you have entered into their labor." (John 4:37-38 NET)

If the crops are not harvested at the right time, they will spoil.   Don't miss the opportunity!  I love Isaiah's enthusiasm when God calls for someone to go:

Then I heard the voice of the Lord, saying, "Whom shall I send, and who will go for Us?" Then I said, "Here am I. Send me!" (Isa 6:8 NASB)

We should be this enthusiastic to go when called!

A time is coming when another harvest will take place; that is the harvest of the wrath of God. 

Then I looked, and behold, a white cloud, and sitting on the cloud was one like a son of man, having a golden crown on His head and a sharp sickle in His hand. And another angel came out of the temple, crying out with a loud voice to Him who sat on the cloud, "Put in your sickle and reap, for the hour to reap has come, because the harvest of the earth is ripe." Then He who sat on the cloud swung His sickle over the earth, and the earth was reaped. And another angel came out of the temple which is in heaven, and he also had a sharp sickle. Then another angel, the one who has power over fire, came out from the altar; and he called with a loud voice to him who had the sharp sickle, saying, "Put in your sharp sickle and gather the clusters from the vine of the earth, because her grapes are ripe." So the angel swung his sickle to the earth and gathered the clusters from the vine of the earth, and threw them into the great wine press of the wrath of God. And the wine press was trodden outside the city, and blood came out from the wine press, up to the horses' bridles, for a distance of two hundred miles. (Rev 14:14 NASB)

We are the redeemed who have accepted the debt paid on our behalf by Jesus, so we have the responsibility to proclaim His message in this age to save others from the harvest of God's wrath in the age to come.



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