Dr. Hector Avalos's Blurb For My Next Book

My next book, to be published by Pitchstone Publishing in the Fall, is provocatively titled: "How To Defend The Christian Faith: Advice From an Atheist." Dr. Avalos kindly read it for a blurb and graciously wrote one:
I don't know anyone who can match the High Definition clarity of John Loftus when it comes to navigating the labyrinthine world of Christian evangelical apologetics for the general public. This is a relentless and incisive critique of the pseudo-scholarship that passes for genuine intellectual inquiry under the name of Christian apologetics.

--Dr. Hector Avalos, Professor of Religious Studies at Iowa State University and author of The End of Biblical Studies(2007), Slavery, Abolitionism, and the Ethics of Biblical Scholarship(2011), and The Bad Jesus: The Ethics of New Testament Ethics(2015).
He joins others who have written one. Below you can see the book cover and Contents.





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"Once again, Loftus raises the bar in the enduring conversation between atheists and Christian apologists with "How to Defend the Christian Faith". This book will sharpen and hone the argument for either side, and woe to the unread debater going against someone who has absorbed this book's relentless reasoning. I highly recommend this book for anyone who debates religion - on either side."

--David Silverman, President, American Atheists, Inc., and author of the book Fighting God: An Atheist Manifesto for a Religious World.

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"The world has just become a richer place. Who can calculate the added value to our planet when bright, young aspiring apologists decide to redirect their talents and energies to evidence--based careers? Many of them--the ones who sincerely care about truth--will certainly do that after reading the wise counsel in John Loftus' caring and sobering book. How to Defend the Christian Faith is a welcome mutual aid for Apologists Anonymous.”

—-Dan Barker, Co-President of Freedom from Religion Foundation, and author of Life Driven Purpose: How an Atheist Finds Meaning. (2014),

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"For years I have despaired about the sorry state of Christian apologetics, and even sorrier state of Christian apologists. If there be Christian truth, it lies beyond the reach of rational inquiry, and perhaps that is OK. In How to Defend the Christian Faith,John Loftus lays waste to a colosseum full of bad arguments, including my own tentative efforts at the problem of evil. (Loftus says I am “ignorant” but less ignorant than Ken Ham, which was a relief.) Believers should read Loftus’s engaging assault on their intellectual champions. They will be dismayed at how often they agree. I know I was."

--Karl Giberson is Scholar-in-Residence in Science & Religion at Stonehill College, and author of Saving the Original Sinner: How Christians Have Used the Bible's First Man to Oppress, Inspire, and Make Sense of the World.
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"Loftus is one of the few atheists who actually understands religion. This book displays the knowledge of a Christian theologian as well as rationality of an atheist. Both sides can learn a lot from it."

—-Dr. David Eller, author of Natural Atheism (2004),Atheism Advanced: Further Thoughts of a Freethinker (2008),and Introducing Anthropology of Religion: Culture to the Ultimate (2014).

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"Loftus once again exposes the intellectual and moral bankruptcy of Christian apologetics. As the title promises, Loftus offers practical advice to the believer in his or her quest to defend the indefensible. The book’s greatest strength is its accurate exposition of the apologist’s challenges. Loftus documents the moral weaknesses of God’s biblical commandments, the absurdity of a God who cannot do a better job revealing Himself, and the intellectual dishonesty that religious adherence requires. With wit and insight, Loftus offers the believer the tricks necessary to remain in the faith and to persuade others to do likewise. Self-delusion and deception are necessary attributes and Loftus humorously explains how it is done from someone who has been there. This is a great book for the believer who is ready to take an honest look at the moral and intellectual cost of his or her faith."

--Carolyn Hyppolite, M.A., author of Still Small Voices: The Testimony of a Born Again Atheist.

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"I will watch any movie with Denzel Washington in it and I will buy any book written by John Loftus. The former--well, he's just one hell of an actor, and the latter, because he is one hell of a thinker and writer. His mastery of the material shows a depth that most writers simply could never accomplish. This book adds to the body of work being done so eloquently and convincingly by this 'second wave' generation of New Atheists. But even better, it raises the bar on how good scholarship should be done. Kudos to Loftus for another amazing text that will stand the test of time. My advice to readers? Buy it! Read it! Tell others about it, especially those who need it the most--evangelicals and believers who need a dose of objective, reality and science-based reasoning."

—-Sharon Nichols, retired Assoc. Professor of Geography, College of DuPage, Glen Ellyn IL., and former President of the Illinois Geographical Society.

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