Rise of Atheism

I find the rise of atheism in our culture troubling, both as a pastor and as one who tries to live a rational life. The common refrain I read in articles about the rise of atheism is that those who consider themselves atheists do so because they want to live a life based on reason and science. What they are suggesting is that the religious life and faith, are irrational and opposed to science. As one who enjoys the study of philosophy and (obviously) theology, I find that supposition to be absurd. In my study I find the religious life - particularly the Christian life and worldview - to be very rational, and to in no way conflict with reason or science. That some would suggest there is an inherent conflict between faith and reason makes me wonder what exposure these folk had to Christianity (was it the "Joel Osteen" version of religion), and what, if anything, they read. (We live in a new "dark ages" of course, where most people - even college students - no longer read, and where "universities" that do not even have libraries, such as the University of Phoenix, are accredited.)

The great Anglican theologian, Francis H. Hall, in his Dogmatic Theology, put it best when he stated that faith is a form of reason. If it is a form of reason, it cannot be opposed to reason as such. He writes, "Faith is not an independent faculty separate or separable from reason, but is reason itself insofar as reason is exercised on divine things and is assisted by supernatural grace. The act of faith is an act of reason, conforming strictly to the laws of human reason in general." The whole chapter on the relation between faith and reason in Vol.1 of his magnum opus is worth reading and rereading, and although written in 1912 still very much relevant to many of these arguments we face today.

It is essential that the Church not let these people speak for us, and suggest to the world that if one lives a life of faith - i.e. if one is a Christian - he is therefore by definition "opposed" to science and reason. Further, Christians would do well to learn to critically evaluate the arguments and ideas presented by atheists and others, so they can correct them when they say these inaccurate and false things.