The Making of an Atheist
Publisher
Moody Publishers
Designer(s)
Faceout
ISBN
978-0-8024-7611-1
Audience Quadrant
Pioneers
Intended Target Audience
The target audience is philosophically and theologically minded leaders (pastors, professors, parachurch leaders, lay leaders in churches, etc.). The age range would likely be 40s to 60s, and most readers probably have some formal Christian education and/or read magazines like Christianity Today, Books & Culture, or other similar publications.
Subject of Book
Atheism is not primarily a consequence of intellectual doubts, author James Spiegel argues. Instead, such doubts are mere symptoms of the root cause, moral rebellion. The missing ingredient is not evidence but obedience. The Making of an Atheist explores the moral and psychological dynamics involved in the abandonment of faith. Back Cover Copy for The Making of an Atheist "Perhaps we should consider the possibility that skeptical objections are the atheists' façade, a scholarly veneer masking the real causes of their unbelief. The new atheists insist that their unbelief is the result of impartial reasoning and an unbiased look at the evidence. But what if these arguments were a smokescreen—an exercise in self-deception? What if the atheists' will and moral compass were more responsible for their anti-theism? Drawing on Scripture, psychology, philosophy, and case studies of the lives of famous atheists, Spiegel shows that atheism is a suppression of mankind's inborn sense of God's existence. Such anti-faith springs from moral rebellion against God's ethical standards, and often the psychological trauma of a missing or defective father. "Most of the work done today in response to atheism focuses on intellectual issues. James Spiegel has crafted a clear, crisp, compelling case that there are non-rational moral and psychological dynamics that lead to unbelief. Rooted in Scripture and argued with the precision of a trained philosopher, this powerful book is a must read for theists and atheists alike!" —Chad Meister, Bethel College school of religion and philosophy, co-editor of God is Great, God is Good "The Making of an Atheist introduces the reader to a biblical analysis of the nature and roots of unbelief. James Spiegel shows that the central issues influencing disbelief are often more a matter of commitment to moral and spiritual independence than to an objective assessment of the evidence." —Greg Ganssle, Yale University department of philosophy and the Rivendell Institute JAMES S. SPIEGEL is a professor of philosophy and religion at Taylor University in Upland, Indiana. He is the author of the award-winning How to be Good in a World Gone Bad. Jim and his wife, Amy, blog together at www.wisdomandfollyblog.com.