THE FAITH OF CHRISTOPHER HITCHENS – The Book Nook
THE FAITH OF CHRISTOPHER HITCHENS: THE RESTLESS SOUL OF THE WORLD’S MOST NOTORIOUS ATHEIST
by Larry Alex Taunton
Thomas Nelson Publishers
Hardbound, 217 pages, 2016
He was known as one of the “Four Horsemen of the New Atheism.” The hero of many secularists, Christopher Hitchens spent his life rebelling against the idea God existed and publicly debating anyone who disagreed. But then how to explain Hitchens’s highly private but close friendships with certain evangelical Christians? Christian author and apologist Larry Alex Taunton, who became good friends with Hitchens in his later life, describes their relationship and shows how the world’s most notorious atheist began searching for truth.
This isn’t a simple book to read. Taunton analyzes a man whom many people described as “contradictory,” and the writing style sometimes reads more like an essay than an analytical narrative. In the end, though, neither of these things seriously hurt the book’s quality. Taunton shifts effortlessly between fascinating stories about his friendship with Hitchens and in-depth analysis of Hitchens’s earlier life and motivations. The insights into atheism are excellent and the story of Hitchens’s spiritual journey is intriguing. Together, these elements create a book that will keep readers thinking long after they’re finished reading it.
This book references Scripture multiple times, including a chapter in which the author and Christopher Hitchens study the Gospel of John during a road trip. There are also various apologetic and philosophical arguments against atheism throughout the book. More sensitive readers may be put off by discussions of Hitchens’ extremely secular lifestyle, including sparse references to homosexual activity.
REVIEWER: G. Connor Salter is a student at Taylor University, majoring in professional writing. He is a freelance writer for The Echo, Church Libraries, and The Waynedale News.
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