The New Atheism is not that new anymore but if you haven’t heard or read about it, you will. Albert Mohler says, “The New Atheism demands Christian attention and a Christian response.” New Atheism is an in-your-face movement that is characterized by an evangelistic-like zeal to educate and convert people away from believing any kind of religion, including Christianity. Richard Dawkins, “The World’s Most Famous Atheist” has helped launch advertising campaigns on buses in major metropolitan areas that say, “There probably is no god, now stop worrying and enjoy your life.” He also has a billboard campaign aimed at children saying, “Please don’t label me. Let me grow up and choose for myself.” In addition, Dawkins has also started a movement called, “The Out Campaign”, which is designed to give courage to doubters, skeptics and/or atheists by offering support though like-minded community. As you can see from just a few examples, Dawkins and the New Atheists are zealous to proselytize. Side note: Is it me or does this all sound and look eerily like the way church is done in a lot of instances?
If you have not heard about the New Atheism then a good place to start is by watching a video called, Collision It is a documentary that follows atheist, Christopher Hitchens, and pastor, Douglas Wilson, as they go on a public tour debating the question, “Is Christianity Good For the World?” The DVD was released in October of 2009 so the content is fairly recent and at 80 minutes in length, it doesn’t get too stale.
I am not suggesting that anyone should go out and buy the books of Hitchens or Dawkins or any other atheist, but I do think it is important to be aware of one of the movements that is shaping the way people in our communities are thinking. Collision will give you a fairly objective understanding of some of the arguments that are currently being debated and help you understand why they call this atheism, the New Atheism.
