"A thoughtful and intellectually challenging work presenting
arguments that every honest theist and Christian should face." --Dr. Norman L. Geisler, Christian apologist, author of
The Baker Encyclopedia of Christian Apologetics"Loftus's book addresses almost every conceivable argument for Evangelical Christianity in extraordinary and sobering detail. I doubt any honest, rational, informed Evangelical can remain in the fold after reading this book. Even though any Christian could pick at bits, the overall force of his case is invincibly fatal." --Richard Carrier, author of Sense and Goodness without God
"I have never read a book that presents such a massive and systematic refutation of the claims of Christianity, and I have seldom read a book that marshals evidence (from such a wide variety of disciplines) and documents its claims in such painstaking detail." --Dr. John Beversluis, author of C. S. Lewis and the Search for Rational Religion
"Best atheist book of the decade [2000-2009]" --Luke Muehlhauser, author of the popular blog Common Sense Atheism
"Loftus presents a compendium of well-reasoned arguments (wrapped together nicely in a steadily developed 'cumulative case') against the central beliefs of Christianity.... Loftus's arguments are not the easily refuted caricatures so often offered in Bible college textbooks and Sunday school materials. They are the genuine article—clear, well-articulated statements of plausible arguments by one who finds them overwhelmingly convincing. I dare say very few preachers, teachers, and Bible students have its likes on their shelves. And it should be there." --Dr. James F. Sennett, Christian philosopher and author of Modality, Probability, and Rationality: A Critical Examination of Alvin Plantinga's Philosophy
"Loftus is one of the few new atheists to actually address Christian scholars. I don't think he succeeds, but at least he is doing so." --Dr. Matthew Flannagan, Christian philosopher
"This is the best refutation of Evangelical Christianity that I have read. Most of [Loftus's] arguments are a one-two punch of philosophy and biblical analysis. The first hit shows how (insert doctrine of choice) is meaningless/contradictory/impossible and the second hit undercuts the support for the idea actually being true. His philosophical analysis is consistently stellar&mdash:he dismantles all the little things in theology that you are supposed to learn but not think about. His biblical arguments switch between the rifle and shotgun approach—he spends the better part of a chapter on a few individual problems, and with others issues he gives long lists of problems with little elaboration." --Jeffery Amos, author of the blog Failing the Insider Test
"John Loftus is not only a former preacher, as the subtitle says, but also a trained theologian with advanced degrees. He spent enormous amounts of time learning and perfecting the philosophical arguments that he would later come to refute with this book. Loftus meticulously breaks the arguments down and shows why, when given careful consideration, they fall apart, ultimately leaving no God, no Jesus, and no Holy Spirit. The problem with many atheist vs. Christian debates is that the parties involved have drastically different training. But Loftus, on the other hand, is in a unique position, as he can see eye-to-eye with the Christian theologians. He knows and understands their arguments and can speak their language. This book will change minds. Already many people have let go of their beliefs as a result of this book, and surely many more will." --Jeffrey Mark, author of Christian No More
"This book is the book I wish I could write. It is probably the best comprehensive book of the issues I've read. If you're looking for an in-depth scholarly discussion of apologetic views, by all means, read [Loftus's] book." --Jason Long, author of Biblical Nonsense and The Religious Condition
"As a former evangelical missionary who lost my faith nearly a decade ago... I believe the process could have been cut significantly shorter if [Loftus's] book had been available to me years before my crisis finally came to a head. The value of this volume lies...in its bringing together in a single accessible package most of the important criticisms that have been advanced against the Christian faith (and theism in general) since the Enlightenment. [Loftus's] book is an unremitting battery of helpfully organized arguments against orthodox Christianity." --Ken W. Daniels, author of Why I Believed: Reflections of a Former Missionary
John W. Loftus (Angola, IN) earned MA and MDiv degrees in theology and philosophy from Lincoln Christian Seminary under the guidance of Dr. James D. Strauss. He then attended Trinity Evangelical Divinity School, where he studied under Dr. William Lane Craig and received a ThM degree in philosophy of religion. Before leaving the church, he had ministries in Michigan, Illinois, and Indiana, and he taught at several Christian colleges. He is also the editor of
The Christian Delusion: Why Faith Fails and
The End of Christianity. In addition, he has an online blog at debunkingchristianity.blogspot.com.
