Concerning Christian Books

What's So Great About Christianity

Author: Dinesh D'Souza 

Publication Date: 2007

Dinesh D'Souza, who is an outspoken voice in American conservatism, turns his formidable intellect towards Christianity and the recent onslaught of modern atheism. Systematically dismantling the arguments against God through a wide range of fields like science, philosophy, history and theology, D'Souza delivers a very eloquent, impassioned and convincing defence not just of Christianity but theism in general.

Now I say "convincing" coming from a position of strong, unbreakable faith. When I read this book and find it strengthens and enriches my faith and understanding that our universe is created by God, that we are all His special creation and that His great love for us warrants nothing less than the deepest reciprocal devotion, I cannot comprehend how atheists - those that are at least open-minded enough to read this book properly - can still possibly hold to their unbelief in the face of the slightest doubt. But the fact is they do, so like all the better attempts of Christians to justify God through the constraints of science and logic, this work will not provide atheists with a challenge that is likely to convert them. But heck, even as Christopher Hitchens himself states, D'Souza is a strong advocate and what he says should not be dismissed and unworthy of consideration.

My place here is not to delve into the arguments D'Souza makes. His argumentative powers are much stronger than mine and if I did want to try and do justice to them, it would not be in this review but in a more serious attempt at writing. Suffice to say one should at least take this from the book, whether they are believers or not: the atheistic proposition that God has been killed by enlightened reason, through the likes of Richard Dawkins and Christopher Hitchens, is a lie. Yes, they are very intelligent enemies of the faith, but their arguments are not as water-tight or unbeatable as many seem to think. This book generally would not make atheists - so committed are they to their convictions - believe in God any more than they are already inclined to, but it should at least make them believe a little less confidently that there couldn't possibly be a God after all. The thing is, they lack the essential ingredient of faith, along with the loving desire for there to be a God who loves us. Rather, they would prefer there to be no God, and for our whole existence random, meaningless and ultimately doomed to nothing. To these people, faith will always seem ridiculous; to those who believe, faith is what sustains them, gives them hope, and the ultimate negativity that wishes to strip people of this hope, under the illusion that religion is the one and only element in society that induces violence and hatred, will never prevail over them. Instead, by their own rejection of Christ's love, they will sow the fruits of rejection for eternity in the next life. And if you think that's a statement beyond stupidity, well, you better hope that you're right.

This book was largely framed as a scientific one in which D'Souza addresses atheist criticisms, rather than a spiritual book in which Biblical passages are pointlessly thrown around as if non-theists would even consider such a source as authoritative. For that reason, the book really ought to be called What's So Silly About Atheism. But there is still a lot of good Christian insights, and I would wholly recommend any to read this book - Christians because you will love it; atheists because you will hate it.