An interesting article

A great web site for reading some interesting Christian perspective is at the Third Way Cafe (link here). I was sifting through some of the material today I ran across and article titled "Christ and the New Atheism." (read the whole thing here).

Overall, it was a very thought provoking article, and it comes from a perspective that seems to be open to dialogue. There are a bunch of authors gaining recognition as the New Atheists and in a series of books are throwing out some ideas that if I really honest are more fair then they ought to be.

Here's a snippet:

The basic arguments of the two I read (Harris and Dawkins) are very similar. First, they note that religion and the irrational belief it inspires stand behind much of the conflict in the world and many of the atrocities of past centuries (the Crusades, the Inquisition, the Holocaust, the September 11 terrorist attacks).

Faith, they claim, ignores evidence and common sense, making a believer capable of great evil. Second, they argue that the world can be more satisfactorily explained by science instead of a supernatural designer and that an appreciation of the difference between good and evil does not require scriptural basis. Third, they propose an alternative approach to spirituality; Dawkins admits to a “pantheistic reverence” and Harris advertises the mind-opening possibilities of meditation. Ultimately, though, they serve less to outline a worldview than to attempt to destroy another.

Not having read their books I cannot vouge for the accuracy or fairness of the synopsis. But pretend the author of the article is right. Would you be able to finish by saying:

Disciples of Christ stand opposed to most of what the New Atheists assert. We proclaim not only the existence of God but also the imminence of the kingdom of God. We accept the mystery of parts of our faith, including the Trinity and the afterlife. But we miss hearing a prophetic word if we ignore them entirely, no matter how stridently secular the mouthpiece. The rise of New Atheism presents us with an opportunity to assess our failings and refocus on our priorities. The best counter is not another slightly more shrill argument but a searching look at ourselves.

They're lots in between these two statements in the entire article, but I think that overall, I can see how people can make the jumps that these "New Atheists" do. We'd more likely be able to enter into dialogue with folks if we tried to see the truth in critique rather than counter-attack with a volley of 'shrill argument.'

I'd love some feedback, I thought the article was great...