God?: A Debate between a Christian and an Atheist (Point/Counterpoint (Oxford Paperback)) [Paperback]

William Lane Craig (Author), Walter Sinnott-Armstrong (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: February 12, 2004 | ISBN-10: 0195166000 | ISBN-13: 978-0195166002

The question of whether or not God exists is profoundly fascinating and important. Now two articulate spokesmen--one a Christian, the other an atheist--duel over God's existence in an illuminating battle of ideas.
In God? A Debate between a Christian and an Atheist, William Lane Craig and Walter Sinnott-Armstrong bring to the printed page two debates they held before live audiences, preserving all the wit, clarity, and immediacy of their public exchanges. Avoiding overly esoteric arguments, they directly address issues such as religious experience, the Bible, evil, eternity, the origin of the universe, design, and the supposed connection between morality and the existence of God. Employing sharp and humorous arguments, each philosopher strikes quickly to the heart of his opponent's case. For example, Craig claims that we must believe in God in order to explain objective moral values, such as why rape is wrong. Sinnott-Armstrong responds that what makes rape wrong is the harm to victims of rape, so rape is immoral even if there is no God. By assuming a traditional concept of God in their discussion, the authors ensure that they are truly addressing each other's viewpoints and engaging in a disagreement over a unified issue. The book is composed of six chapters that alternate between Craig and Sinnott-Armstrong, so that each separate point can be discussed as it arises. Ideal for courses in the philosophy of religion and introduction to philosophy, this lively and direct dialogue will stimulate students and anyone interested in the existence of God, regardless of whether or not they believe in God.

Editorial Reviews

Review

"Bryan and Darrow redux! A lively and engaging debate on a topic both timely and ageless. Craig and Sinnott-Armstrong provide an eminently accessible introduction to arguments for and against the existence of God. While their method is philosophical, the authors' passion for their subject is always in evidence. God? may not settle the main question; it does demonstrate that the same questions ignite the curiosity of theists and atheists alike: where did we come from? why be moral? what does it all mean?"--Louise M. Antony, Professor of Philosophy, Ohio State University

"This is a wonderful exchange about the existence of God--fast, fair, informative, intelligent, sincere, and above all terrific fun. It covers such topics as the original cause of the universe, the possibility of genuine morality, the nature of miracles, and the problem of evil. As an introduction to these really basic issues, it is simply the best that I have ever read. I will be recommending it to my relatives, to my friends, to my colleagues, and to all of my students."--Michael Ruse, Lucyle T. Werkmeister Professor of Philosophy, Florida State University

"In this book, the deepest controversies and issues related to the existence of God are debated, in an accessible but sophisticated way, by two first-rate philosophers. The exchanges are lively, incisive, and informed. The book is must reading for all who are interested in the simple question: Does God Exist?"--Stephen T. Davis, Russell K. Pitzer Professor of Philosophy, Claremont McKenna College

"Two megawatt minds reduce humanity's oldest issue to understandable essentials."--Associated Press

--This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

About the Author

William Lane Craig is at Talbot School of Theology. Walter Sinnott-Armstrong is at Dartmouth College.

Product Details

• Paperback: 176 pages
• Publisher: Oxford University Press, USA (February 12, 2004)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0195166000
• ISBN-13: 978-0195166002
• Product Dimensions: 5.5 x 0.5 x 8.3 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.6 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.4 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (29 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #316,821 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

I am the Research Professor of Philosophy at Talbot School of Theology in La Mirada, California. With my wife Jan, we have two grown children.

At the age of sixteen as a junior in high school, I first heard the message of the Christian gospel and yielded my life to Christ. I pursued undergraduate studies at Wheaton College (B.A. 1971) and graduate studies at Trinity Evangelical Divinity School (M.A. 1974; M.A. 1975), the University of Birmingham (England) (Ph.D. 1977), and the University of Munich (Germany) (D.Theol. 1984). From 1980-86 I taught Philosophy of Religion at Trinity, during which time we started our family. In 1987 we moved to Brussels, Belgium, where I pursued research at the University of Louvain until assuming my position at Talbot in 1994.

I have authored or edited over thirty books, including The Kalam Cosmological Argument; Assessing the New Testament Evidence for the Historicity of the Resurrection of Jesus; Divine Foreknowledge and Human Freedom; Theism, Atheism and Big Bang Cosmology; and God, Time and Eternity, as well as over a hundred articles in professional journals of philosophy and theology, including Philosophia Christi, The Journal of Philosophy, New Testament Studies, Journal for the Study of the New Testament, American Philosophical Quarterly, Philosophical Studies, Philosophy, and British Journal for Philosophy of Science.

My CV can be read here: http://www.reasonablefaith.org/site/PageServer?pagename=curriculum_vitae

Publication list: http://www.reasonablefaith.org/site/PageServer?pagename=publications_main

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

103 of 110 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars A Fast-Paced and Incisive Debate. November 4, 2003

By Kyle Demming

Format:Hardcover

In this new book, cleverly titled simply "God?", William Lane Craig and Walter Sinnott-Armstrong debate the most important question with surprising clarity and wit.

William Lane Craig is an experienced debator with excellent credentials. Over the years he has debated many famous atheists, and is well known for beating almost every opponent hands down. Craig's style is quick and confident, and, in my opinion, his arguments are generally very forceful and convincing. His great effort in this book, while expected, is very much appreciated. He is not afraid to get right down to the issue and into the trenches- which helps the debate to move along at lightning pace.

The real surprise here, in my mind, is the showing by Sinnott-Armstrong. Despite a lack of debating experience, he seems to me to be the best opponent Craig has faced (in any debate I have read). He is quick, witty, and intelligent- advancing objections to almost all of Craig's arguments (in other debates, atheists often just pick a few points of contention, but Sinnott-Armstrong challenges the whole case.)

Both participants in the debate give strong efforts, and it leads to a fantastic and engaging book on the existence of God. If you are looking for a debate on the existence of God, then look no further. This book is highly recommended.

77 of 86 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars Great primer of both sides of the issue May 22, 2004

By Stephen J Bach

Format:Hardcover

Like others reviewers have said, the main purpose of this book isn't to definitively "settle" the issue either way (as if that's possible), but merely to highlight some of the more pertinent issues surrounding the claims of Christianity as well as its various criticisms. The end result, as one reviewer already pointed out, reveals that, far from being solely the realm of crackpots and the "weak-minded", Christianity is as a viable intellectual option (which is not to say, of course, without reproach.)

As for the substance of the debate itself, both writers were highly competent and I found each writer at his best in presenting the case for his respective viewpoint (Chapter 1, 4)

Craig makes a strong case for a finite universe, using widely accepted scientific evidence. He also explains many of the flaws inherent in the various infinite views (oscillating universe, many-worlds hypothesis, etc.), which he, I think rightly, dismisses as ad hoc avoidances of the serious implications which a finite universe seems to imply.

By way of example, Craig shows how the oscillating theory of the universe (i.e. a never-ending series of Big Bangs and Big Crunches) is really dead on arrival because scientists can't get over the theoretic hump of how exactly the universe would "restart" after collapsing in on itself, which seems to be an irreversible process. (I should also probably point out that even the very concept of "collapse" itself is controversial; everyone knows the universe is expanding, but nobody knows whether or not it will continue to do so in the future.)

Of course, the cosmological argument only gets you so far as deism, so Craig continues his presentation with arguments from morality, the resurrection of Jesus, and personal experience, each bringing one closer to the traditional description of the Christian God (i.e. omnipotent, omnipresent, benevolent, caring, etc.) All of these points are also laid out well, although I wouldn't put as much emphasis on personal experience, myself, since it seems to be so subjective (although Craig apparently recognizes this.)

Sinnott-Armstrong's case for atheism is no less forceful. Indeed, I, like many other reviewers, was taken aback by his directness. For being a first-time debater, he was very incisive in his criticisms. Sinnott-Armstrong's main line of argument revolved around the ever-popular "problem of evil" (i.e. how could a loving God allow so much suffering?) His thesis is that evil is not justified unless it is absolutely necessary for some compensating good. He then proceeds to field many possible rebuttals (some of which I think are straw men; he concedes as much when he says that a few might be "outdated", but still includes them.) He concludes the argument by stating that none of these arguments fulfills this condition, especially in regards to natural evils (disease, earthquakes, etc.)

He also makes arguments from unbelief, and a rather obscure argument surrounding the (im)possible interaction between a timeless God and a temporal world, which he dubs "the problem of action," but these are fairly unimportant in relation to the problem of evil and only comprise the last few pages of his presentation.

I won't mention the rebuttals too much, suffice to say that both sides are more adept at laying their own foundations of belief and defending them than in attacking their opponent's. Sinnott-Armstrong, for example, while putting up a fairly good fight against the cosmological argument and personal experience, makes a poor showing in respect to the argument from morality and the resurrection of Jesus. He believes in objective moral values, but when pressed as to why these should be so, only offers "It simply is. Objectively. Don't you agree?" With respect to Jesus, he is content to throw out the "Christ-myth" theory tying the Easter story to those of ancient fertility gods in other cultures, such as Mithras. This theory was popular in the 20's, but died a quick death because the connections were superficial at best, in addition to the fact that nobody could postulate a plausible link between the pagan cultures and the Judaism from which Christianity arose.

Craig's rebuttal of the problem of evil, on the other hand, seems to me to suffer from too much emphasis on the nature of faith. He argues that if all the other arguments which he presented for the existence of God are true (as he obviously believes they are), then we can rest in good faith, knowing that our apparently unnecessary sufferings in life serve an ultimate purpose. This is all true as far it goes, I suppose, but it doesn't hold much water in a debate. He is arguing against the unconvinced, and only those already convinced will accept that argument (as Sinnott-Armstrong is quick to point out).

Wow--this review is a lot longer than I originally anticipated it to be. I guess I should probably wrap it up here. So what's my final verdict? Who won? Well, it's close, but I think I'm going to have to give Craig the nod in this case. Sinnott-Armstrong's argument from evil is very convincing as far as it goes, but it's resting on a shaky foundation. He didn't do a good enough job in my mind of justifying his belief in objective values without God. He explicitly rejects utilitarianism (citing its many objectionable conclusions) but this in mind seems the only viable moral theory for a coherent atheist to hold. He also cites the various non-religious moral theories that philosophers have devised as examples of atheistic virtue, but without offering further reasons for why I should support them, I have to conclude that they all fall short. Craig didn't really push this point too much, instead taking Sinnott-Armstrong's argument pretty much at face value, which I think was a mistake, but maybe it would've taken him too far afield, or he thought that he had shown the error in the previous section.

Overall, though, a very good book and a solid introduction to a very relevant issue.

29 of 31 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars Excellent Debate April 24, 2004

By A Customer

Format:Paperback

God? Is based on two public debates that occurred in 1999 and 2000 between William Craig and William Sinnott-Armstrong regarding the existence of God. In my opinion this is an excellent resource for thoughtful atheists and theists alike. Of the debates I have read on this subject God? is the best.

In the first part of the book Craig opens in defense of God (Christian God), Sinnott-Armstrong rebuts then Craig closes. The second part is structured the other way round with Sinnott-Armstrong opening in defense of atheism; Craig rebuts then Sinnott-Armstrong closes. Throughout the discussion the debaters cover all the pertinent arguments (cosmological, design, existence of evil, revelation etc) and are rigorous and respectful in defending their views.

Those familiar to the area of religious philosophy and apologetics undoubtedly know the work of Bill Craig a brilliant and prolific philosopher. In addition to his formidable intellectual abilities Craig is also an outstanding and experienced debater. As a result, in live debates he often overwhelms even the most capable opponent. This format which allowed the participants more time to formulate their arguments was beneficial. Sinnott-Armstrong is not an experienced debater and this approach helped him to clearly articulate his arguments. As a result, Sinnott-Armstrong puts forward one of the strongest argument for atheism that I have heard.

After reading this debate, I would hope that several things would be apparent to a thoughtful and opened-minded person. First, and most importantly, this is an important question that warrants our consideration. Second, a rational proof of God's existence beyond a reasonable doubt is probably not possible (if it was where would free will be?). Finally, the existence of God is a live intellectual option. From my personal standpoint, as someone who was raised an educated with an atheist/agnostic worldview the last point is the most striking. With respect to who won the debate, It has been my experience that initial assessments are normally emotive and determined by the viewer's assumptions.

There are lots of other debate books out there (and a lot free material on Bill Craig's web-site and the Internet Infidels site), however God? is well worth the purchases.