"There Is A God"
"How the world's most notorious Atheist changed his mind"
By Antony Flew
Some books have cryptic titles – this is not one of those books. A glance at the title and subtitle quickly reveals what this work is all about; Antony Flew’s journey from skeptic to belief in the Divine.
Many of you will quickly recognize the name Antony Flew. He was one part of the famous Warren-Flew debate. In fact, in the book Flew says that that debate was the most attended he ever had with 5000-7000 showing up in interest. (If you have never seen that debate you need to and you can watch it in its entirety at http://www.thebible.net/.)
I enjoyed this book. At just over 200 pages it’s light in the hand, but what it lacks in length it makes up for with depth. I was impressed at how much Flew squeezed into this short work. It is arranged like this:
Part One is called “My Denial of the Divine.”
It is three chapters that focus on Flew’s development as and adolescent through the early years of his career. I found this section of the book deeply satisfying. Getting a glimpse into the development of this powerful mind and his passionate rejection of God was enlightening. Some of the things you read will validate suspicions you may have of those virulent atheists all over the news, but some things will surprise you. I was also enamored with how Flew’s story overlapped with some of the great philosophers of the 20th century. In fact, Flew reveals that he first presented his paper “Theology and Falsification” to Oxfords Socratic club, while CS Lewis was still the Chair. (Theology and Falsification is an important work that shaped his philosophical paradigm and continues to be influential among today’s “New Atheists.” In fact, I just heard Dan Barker use Flew’s reasoning from this work in a recent debate.). And speaking of Socrates, we are well aware of the famous virtue of “following the evidence wherever it may lead.” This becomes the mantra of the book, and really the calling card of Flew’s career. He says that “following the evidence is what has led him to believe in God. In his own words Flew says; “I now believe that the universe was brought into existence by an infinite intelligence. I believe that this universe’s intricate laws manifest what scientists have called the Mind of God. I believe that life and reproduction originate in Divine Source (p.88).” He goes on to add; “this is the world picture, as I see it, that has emerged from modern science.”
Part Two is called; “My Discovery of the Divine.”
This section of the book is more technical than the first, as well it should be, for it contains the evidence that prompted Flew to make a change. Castigated publicly and privately for what Richard Dawkins called Flews’ “tergiversation” (apostasy) the professor makes a sound defense of the critical arguments that point toward intelligence. But this is not the work of science. This book is unique in that it focuses in on where science and philosophy overlap. This is an interesting approach, particularly for those interested in all of the arguments for Deity.
This is a good book, and the appendices are just as good. Roy Varghese wrote the first appendix on; “The New Atheism: A critical Appraisal of Dawkins, Dennett, Wolpert, Harris, and Stenger.” This is an excellent and concise summary of the key issues that are continually skirted by Richard Dawkins and his cronies.
But Appendix B is worth the price of the book. It is a dialogue between noted New Testament scholar and historian N.T. Wright and Antony Flew regarding Jesus with emphasis on the Incarnation and resurrection. This little section was worth the price of the entire book.
Many of you will quickly recognize the name Antony Flew. He was one part of the famous Warren-Flew debate. In fact, in the book Flew says that that debate was the most attended he ever had with 5000-7000 showing up in interest. (If you have never seen that debate you need to and you can watch it in its entirety at http://www.thebible.net/.)
I enjoyed this book. At just over 200 pages it’s light in the hand, but what it lacks in length it makes up for with depth. I was impressed at how much Flew squeezed into this short work. It is arranged like this:
Part One is called “My Denial of the Divine.”
It is three chapters that focus on Flew’s development as and adolescent through the early years of his career. I found this section of the book deeply satisfying. Getting a glimpse into the development of this powerful mind and his passionate rejection of God was enlightening. Some of the things you read will validate suspicions you may have of those virulent atheists all over the news, but some things will surprise you. I was also enamored with how Flew’s story overlapped with some of the great philosophers of the 20th century. In fact, Flew reveals that he first presented his paper “Theology and Falsification” to Oxfords Socratic club, while CS Lewis was still the Chair. (Theology and Falsification is an important work that shaped his philosophical paradigm and continues to be influential among today’s “New Atheists.” In fact, I just heard Dan Barker use Flew’s reasoning from this work in a recent debate.). And speaking of Socrates, we are well aware of the famous virtue of “following the evidence wherever it may lead.” This becomes the mantra of the book, and really the calling card of Flew’s career. He says that “following the evidence is what has led him to believe in God. In his own words Flew says; “I now believe that the universe was brought into existence by an infinite intelligence. I believe that this universe’s intricate laws manifest what scientists have called the Mind of God. I believe that life and reproduction originate in Divine Source (p.88).” He goes on to add; “this is the world picture, as I see it, that has emerged from modern science.”
Part Two is called; “My Discovery of the Divine.”
This section of the book is more technical than the first, as well it should be, for it contains the evidence that prompted Flew to make a change. Castigated publicly and privately for what Richard Dawkins called Flews’ “tergiversation” (apostasy) the professor makes a sound defense of the critical arguments that point toward intelligence. But this is not the work of science. This book is unique in that it focuses in on where science and philosophy overlap. This is an interesting approach, particularly for those interested in all of the arguments for Deity.
This is a good book, and the appendices are just as good. Roy Varghese wrote the first appendix on; “The New Atheism: A critical Appraisal of Dawkins, Dennett, Wolpert, Harris, and Stenger.” This is an excellent and concise summary of the key issues that are continually skirted by Richard Dawkins and his cronies.
But Appendix B is worth the price of the book. It is a dialogue between noted New Testament scholar and historian N.T. Wright and Antony Flew regarding Jesus with emphasis on the Incarnation and resurrection. This little section was worth the price of the entire book.
This work is part biography, part science, part philosophy, part polemic, but all good, and worth your time.
You can pick it up at http://www.cbd.com/ or at http://www.amazon.com/ ISBN (9780061335297)
You can pick it up at http://www.cbd.com/ or at http://www.amazon.com/ ISBN (9780061335297)
- JC3
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