Victory Fellowship Bible Study
273 23rd St. S.W., Barberton, OH 44203
Wednesdays at 7pm - Roderick D. Grabski (330) 858-0223
WEBPAGE: victoryfellowshipministries.com
More Than a Carpenter
Lesson Four: The Challenge of the New Atheism
ANNOUNCEMENTS and OPENING PRAYER
Why do you think a person claims to be an atheist? (Mark Lowry: An Atheist’s faith)
Read the following passages: Psalms 14:1-4; 19:1; John 3:18, 36; Romans 1:16-32
Do these verses speak to the opinion/idea that there is no God?
The Differences between Old Atheism and New Atheism*:
*As put forth in books like, Letter to a Christian Nation (Sam Harris. 2006); The God Delusion (Richard Dawkins. 2006); Breaking the Spell (Daniel Dennett. 2006); God Is Not Great (Christopher Hitchens. 2007)
New Atheism is less costly.
New Atheism has no tolerance for Religious Faith.
New Atheism aims it’s most venomous attacks toward Christianity.
Where New Atheist’s get it Wrong:
They cast the most negative light on historic acts in the name of Christianity. They refuse to acknowledge that many Christians will do “in the name of God” exactly opposite of what Jesus teaches.
They exaggerate the negative and give no credit for the good that Christianity has done in the world.
They minimize the importance of scientific theists like Frances Bacon, Johannes Kepler, Blaise Pascal, Robert Boyle, Isaac Newton, and Louis Pasteur.
They have no answer for the mystery of the origin of life. Likewise, with the discovery of DNA structure that clearly demonstrates Intelligent Design and strongly suggests God crafted the universe specifically for humanity, they only conclude that it happened by luck.
They fail to acknowledge the decline of morality in the absence of God.
FINAL COMMENTS
Close in prayer by someone led by the Holy Spirit.
NEXT WEEK: Are the Bible Records Reliable?
Read Chapter Six in More Than a Carpenter to Prepare.
