Alister McGrath: The Passionate Intellect
Alister McGrath, The Passionate Intellect: Christian Faith and the Discipleship of the Mind (Downer’s Grove, IL: IVP, 2010), 210 pages, ISBN 9780830838431.
Alister McGrath, an Anglican priest, theologian, and Christian apologist, is currently Professor of Theology, Ministry, and Education at Kings College London and Head of the Centre for Theology, Religion and Culture. He was previously Professor of Historical Theology at the University of Oxford, and was principal of Wycliffe Hall, Oxford until 2005. McGrath is noted for his work in historical, systematic, and scientific theology, as well as his writings on apologetics and his opposition to anti-religionism. He holds both a DPhil (in molecular biophysics) and an earned Doctor of Divinity degree from the University of Oxford. His The Passionate Intellect is an interesting and readable offering for those wishing to understand or defend the intellectual viability of the historic Christian faith. Scholars and clergy alike as well as informed laity will benefit from reading it. This collection of diverse essays, lectures, and presentation or talks is divided into two parts, “The Purpose, Place, and Relevance of Christian Theology,” and “Engaging with Our Culture.” The Passionate Intellect is well written in a warm, personal style but has a “take no prisoners” approach to its opponents. It is scholarly without being pedantic and witty without being trite. Overall, it’s both an enjoyable and informative read.
In 2006 the movement now widely known as the new atheism exploded on the cultural scene in an aggressive manner. In this vein, Richard Dawkins’s The God Delusion (2006) and Christopher Hitchens’s God is Not Great (2007) created a quite stir. Debate often centered on the rationality of faith and the coherence of the Christian vision of reality. For the new atheists Christianity represents an antiquated way of explaining things that cannot be accepted in the modern scientific age. For example Hitchens has declared that since the invention of the telescope and the microscope religion “no longer offers an explanation of anything important.” In large part, The Passionate Intellect (McGrath has debated Dawkins publically several times) responds to such statements and presents a view of an exciting and stimulating version of intellectual Christianity. McGrath thinks Christians can and should be well prepared to respond to any and all intellectual challenges from today’s culture (cp. 1 Pet 3:15). Too many Christians seem to feel intimated by atheists; but, the fact is that Christian thought is more than strong enough to stand up to the task of refuting them. McGrath concurs with the statement of C.S. Lewis that, “I believe in Christianity as I believe the sun has risen—not only because I see it, but because by it, I see everything else.”
McGrath suggests the defense of the intellectual credibility of Christianity has become increasingly important in recent years, in part due to the rise of the new atheism. Christians must see themselves as standard-bearers for a vibrant faith. Accordingly, they must expand our vision of the Christian gospel. The need for a Christian presence and voice in our culture has never been greater. Apologetics, or rationally defending the faith, has become a critical task for all believers. In order to do so effectively, believers need to know the Bible, Christian history and tradition, and be able to reason calmly and clearly with doubters.
The new atheists tend to portray the Christian view of the natural world as naïve and unscientific. However, McGrath persuasively argues, that is not at all true. Some seem to want a war between religion and science. In fact, historically some of the greatest scientists have been devout Christians. A problem between the two only arises today when science and/or religion forget their place and try to do the other’s proper work. Science deals with observable phenomena of the natural world but has no authority in the realm of metaphysics or religion. Religion deals with ultimate values and purpose but is not authorized to make scientific pronouncements. McGrath adheres to the idea that true religion and true science are completely compatible. The personal testimony (included in this book) of Alister McGrath, once an atheist and himself a scientist coming to faith in Christ and becoming a leading theologian is a powerful example of that possibility.
McGrath explains that Dawkins and his followers among the new atheists tend to make several errors. First, they fail to understand the Christian notion of “God.” They challenge Christians to prove God exists, and then accuse them of failing. However, McGrath argues that Christians don’t believe God is “entity” within the world order that stands alongside other smaller beings. God is the source, ground, and explanation of all that exists. God is the creator of all things, not a member of this class of things that can be called out and lined up for inspection. The God that Dawkins and the atheists don’t believe in is not the God of the Bible and of the Christian faith anyway.
Second, the new atheists often smuggle metaphysics into science when they try to use science to disprove God’s existence. Real science is a neutral study of the phenomena of nature. When anyone tries to use science to go beyond that realm, that is, into metaphysics, they bring in their own preconceived ideas about the nature of reality. That’s an unscientific step! Of course, Christians say that one’s attitude toward the reality of God is a matter of faith. Nevertheless, Christians rightly argue that faith in God is an “empirical fit” with the verifiable discoveries of science. In other words, there’s nothing necessarily unscientific about faith in God.
Third, the new atheism is mistaken to take a dogmatic view of science. It argues that science is able to explain, or at least has the potential to explain, everything in the universe, and then sets it up as a rival to religion. Actually, science can only explain natural properties or phenomena. There are actually different levels of explanation for anything. Physics, chemistry, biology, and so on, can explain the composition of a cake but this wouldn’t tell whether it was baked to celebrate a birthday. Science can tell us about the composition of the natural world but not about its purpose. That’s the realm of religion.
Fourth, the new atheists often rely on shoddy science for their criticisms of Christians. A major example is Richard Dawkins. In his Selfish Gene he posited a human gene which he called a “meme” that he claims is responsible for why people believe in God. It’s all in the genes! The problem with memes is that they don’t exist. No one has ever been able to find them—not even Dawkins. However, he and other new atheists will often use the meme argument to explain why people insist on believing in God. Other scientists, even other honest atheist scientists, have called memes a delusion! This is also an example of why it is important for Christians to appreciate the value and verity of true science.
McGrath also takes on the relation of religion and violence. Hitchens’s God is Not Great: How Religion Poisons Everything claims that religion is to blame for the bad and evil in the world. Of course, Hitchens’s work has been roundly criticized for ignoring all the evidence that contradicts his claim while emphasizing that which appears to confirm it. However, this “religion is poison” position plays on the fears of today’s Western culture. The new atheists use the 9/11 attack by fanatic Muslim jihadists to press their point. However, studies on terrorism have actually indicated that terrorism is politically motivated rather than religiously motivated. If anything, religious devotees are often among the most victimized by terrorist violence. Communism in Eastern Europe is an example of politically motivated violence against religious groups. Here the evidence of history indicates that atheists who rose to political power used their position to violently attack people of faith. McGrath thus exposes the hypocrisy of Hitchens’s main thesis.
Christians, McGrath reminds, believe that sin is a problem in human nature. This explains how some people will use politics or religion or economics (or almost any other excuse) to commit atrocious acts against other human beings. This is true of individuals and governments as well as other groups and organizations. Sometimes it has been true of religions too, including Christianity. However, the vast majority of believers insist that this kind of behavior is a misuse of their religious faith. In any case, it is apparent that fanaticism generates violence by terrorist groups—not religion or politics per se.
The Passionate Intellect sees Christian theology as one of the most intellectually stimulating and exciting subjects of study. It is rich in resources for the life of faith and the ministry of the Church. As the title implies, it has the capacity to excite, inspire, and illuminate the human intellect, and to give it a new passion and focus. This book is an intellectual defense of the place of theology in the Christian life, and also a plea for Christians to take the life of the mind seriously. However, it is not a systematic treatise on theology or demonstration of apologetics. As with any collection of originally unrelated essays, lectures, presentations, and talks, there’s some noticeable disjointedness evident in The Passionate Intellect. However, the chapters are not unconnected and actually flow well enough. Endnotes and an Index are helpful aids.
McGrath skillfully translates his own deep learning into a delightfully accessible and enjoyable reading experience. The Passionate Intellect might be a great gift for a friend or relative struggling with his or her faith, especially if they are experiencing intellectual misgivings. Reading it as a former agnostic myself, I certainly experienced the soul-stirring thrill of a sharp, devout mind debunking the old familiar, dubious claims against Christianity’s intellectual coherence and credibility.
Reviewed by Tony Richie
Publisher’s page: www.ivpress.com/cgi-ivpress/book.pl/code=3843
