Why I Became An Atheist by John W Loftus

Why I Became An Atheist by John W Loftus

For about two decades, John W Loftus was a devout evangelical Christian, an ordained minister of the Church of Christ, and an ardent apologist for Christianity. With three degrees - in philosophy, theology, and philosophy of religion - he was adept at using rational argumentation to defend the faith. But over the years, as he ministered to various congregations and taught at Christian colleges, doubts about the credibility of key Christian tenets began to creep into his thinking. By the late 1990s, he experienced a full-blown crisis of faith, brought on by emotional upheavals in his personal life as well as the gathering weight of the doubts he had long entertained.In this honest appraisal of his journey from believer to atheist, Loftus carefully explains the experiences and the reasoning process that led him to reject religious belief. The bulk of the book is his 'cumulative case' against Christianity. Here, he lays out the philosophical, scientific, and historical reasons that can be raised against Christian belief. From the implications of religious diversity, the authority of faith vs reason, and the problem of evil, to the contradictions between the Bible and the scientific worldview, the conflicts between traditional dogma and historical evidence, and much more, Loftus covers a great deal of intellectual terrain. For every issue, he succinctly summarises the various points of view and provides references for further reading.In conclusion, he describes the implications of life without belief in God, some liberating, some sobering. This frank critique of Christian belief from a former insider will interest freethinkers as well as anyone with doubts about the claims of religion.

Loftus's book is by far the most scholarly, thoughtful, and intellectually challenging, presenting arguments that every religious and nonreligious person will find vastly provocative, whether or not he or she agreesWith skill, bit without rancor, he lays out his persuading philosophical, scientific and historical case against belief, covering a broad intellectual plain. -- CVE (Century Village East) Reporter, Deerfield Beach, FL, June 2009

John W. Loftus is a former Christian minister and apologist with degrees in philosophy, theology, and the philosophy of religion from Lincoln Christian University and Trinity Evangelical Divinity School. He also did PhD studies at Marquette University in theology and ethics. John is the founder of an influential blog called Debunking Christianity (http: //debunkingchristianity.blogspot.com/). He is the author of Why I Became an Atheist: A Former Preacher Rejects Christianity and the editor of The Christian Delusion: Why Faith Fails, and The End of Christianity. He lives in Indiana.
Randal Rauser (MCS, Regent College; PhD, King's College London) is associate professor of historical theology at Taylor Seminary, Edmonton, Canada. He is the author of several books, including Finding God in the Shack, You're Not as Crazy as I Think, and The Swedish Atheist, the Scuba Diver, and Other Apologetic Rabbit Trails. He is a popular speaker and gifted communicator who seeks to bring the truth of Scripture to bear on the real-life issues of today and who blogs regularly at www.randalrauser.com. He lives in Alberta.

SKU	Unavailable
ISBN 13	9781591025924
ISBN 10	1591025923
Title	Why I Became An Atheist
Author	John W Loftus
Condition	Unavailable
Binding Type	Paperback
Publisher	Prometheus Books
Year published	2008-08-01
Number of pages	428
Cover note	Book picture is for illustrative purposes only, actual binding, cover or edition may vary.