Christianity in the Light of Science: Critically Examining the World's Largest Religion

by John W. Loftus (Editor)

Overview

This anthology of new critical essays written by experts in their fields, in honor of the late Victor Stenger, examines Christianity using established scientific criteria. Where science specifically touches upon the claims of Christianity the authors seek to show those claims lack the required evidence. The result is that Christianity is not a sufficiently evidenced religion. In his New York Times bestseller, God: The Failed Hypothesis, physicist Victor Stenger argued that claims of religion should be subject to the same standards of scientific rigor as any other truth claim. Taking this approach, the contributors argue that Christianity fails every known scientific test for truth. Stenger himself wrote a chapter for this volume before he died.In it he presents a brief history of ideas about cosmology, showing that Christianity's premodern understanding of the cosmos is incompatible with current scientific evidence regarding the origin and structure of the cosmos. Other contributors examine a wide variety of topics, including biblical archaeology, Intelligent Design, the Shroud of Turin, free will, the existence of the soul, the efficacy of petitionary prayer, and more.This challenging work is indispensable reading for both skeptical readers and open-minded people of faith.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781633881730
Publisher:	Rowman & Littlefield Publishers, Inc.
Publication date:	07/26/2016
Pages:	380
Product dimensions:	6.00(w) x 8.90(h) x 1.00(d)

About the Author

John W. Loftus earned M.A. and M.Div. degrees in theology and philosophy from Lincoln Christian Seminary. He then attended Trinity Evangelical Divinity School and received a Th.M. degree in philosophy of religion. Before leaving the church, he had ministries in Michigan, Illinois, and Indiana, and taught at several Christian and secular colleges. The author of Why I Became an Atheist: A Former Preacher Rejects Christianity and The Outsider Test for Faith: How to Know Which Religion Is True, Loftus is also the editor of The Christian Delusion: Why Faith Fails; The End of Christianity; and Christianity Is Not Great: How Faith Fails.

Table of Contents

Foreword 9

Introduction 13

Part 1 Science and Religion

1 How to Think Like a Scientist: Why Every Christian Can and Should Embrace Good Thinking Guy P. Harrison 27

2 A Mind Is a Terrible Thing: How Evolved Cognitive Biases Lead to Religion (and Other Mental Errors) David Eller 47

3 What Science Tells Us about Religion: Or, Challenging Humanity to "Let It Go" Sharon Nichols 69

Part 2 Science and Creationism

4 Christianity and Cosmology Victor J. Stenger 97

5 Before the Big Bang Phil Halper Ali Nayeri 119

6 Intelligent Design Isn't Science, and It Doesn't Even Try to Be Science Abby Hafer 141

Part 3 Science and Salvation

7 Saying Sayonara to Sin Robert M. Price Edwin A. Suominen 169

8 The Soul Fallacy Julien Musolino 187

9 Free Will Jonathan Pearce 207

Part 4 Science and the Bible

10 Biblical Archaeology: Its Rise, Fall, and Rebirth as a Legitimate Science Robert R. Cargill 239

11 The Credibility of the Exodus Rebecca Bradley 253

12 Pious Fraud at Nazareth René Salm 275

Part 5 Science and the Christ

13 The Bethlehem Star Aaron Adair 295

14 If Prayer Fails, Why Do People Keep At It? Valerie Tarico 313

15 The Turin Shroud: A Postmortem Joe Nickell 335

About the Contributors 357

Notes 363

Editorial Reviews

"In this fascinating collection of essays by noted scholars from a wide range of fields, Loftus promises to expose the dog and pony show that is Christianity in a scientifically advanced world—and this series of cohesive and compelling treatises delivers on that promise. This absorbing book is a must-read for minds open to critical thought about who we are, what we know, and where we came from as human beings.”—Dr. Elicka Peterson Sparks, author of The Devil You Know: The Surprising Link Between Conservative Christianity and Crime“In this indispensable volume, John Loftus and his colleagues demonstrate all the different ways in which science undermines and threatens religious belief. The only way you can rescue God from this book is if you force him to retreat so far that you might as well stop believing in him. I defy you to read this volume and still believe that religion and science shall ever meet. John Loftus will never receive the Templeton Prize, but he should. This collection alone will further our understanding of science and religion more than all the previous winners combined.”—Dr. Maarten Boudry, philosopher, Ghent University“This is the best compilation John Loftus has done to date, and I have enjoyed reading his others. I truly couldn't put it down. He has assembled leading authors to write essays in an easy–to-read, well-annotated manner. If you find a particular subject of interest in a couple of authors or more, check out their larger body of work. I highly recommend this book for those who want to delve deeper into why religion persists in our world and why it shouldn't.” —Karen L. Garst, PhD, editor of Women Beyond Belief and blogger at www.faithlessfeminist.com“In this anthology, Loftus gathers a broad scholarly team that tests the claims of Christianity against the evidence. Within these pages is a rigorous challenge for everyone still in the faith.”—Brandon G. Withrow, PhD, author of Consider No EvilPRAISE FOR PREVIOUS WORKS BY JOHN W. LOFTUS:“John Loftus knows from the inside what's wrong with Christianity. Few people are better qualified to explain to those still in its clutches why they'd do well to leave, and he has assembled a fine team of colleagues to assist him in doing so. This book should convert a high proportion of those with the courage to read it.”—RICHARD DAWKINS (reviewing Christianity Is Not Great) “Loftus's book is admirable for its bluntness and single-minded drive toward the belief that science—itself a human construct and thus as subject to flaws as religion—is mankind's saving grace...Provocative.”- Kirkus Reviews (on The End of Christianity)“Without doubt one of the best books I've ever read on faith. A masterpiece." - PETER BOGHOSSIAN, author of A Manual for Creating Atheists (on The Outsider Test for Faith)“A must-read for believers and any atheists who want to debate them. Superbly argued, air­tight, and endlessly useful, this should be everyone's first stop in the god debate." - RICHARD CARRIER, author of Proving History (on The Outsider Test for Faith)“[T]he reader seeking a comprehensive disproof of Christianity as contemporary evangelicals defend it can do little better than to consult this volume." - Free Inquiry (on Why I Became an Atheist)

From the Publisher