In Letters to an Atheist, esteemed philosopher and author Peter Kreeft corresponds with a young atheist who is wrestling with the question of God. Together they work through some of the primary reasons people don't believe in God, including violence committed in the name of religion, the problem of evil, and more. They also discuss many of the reasons for belief, including love, miracles, and the relationship between religion and science. The debate between atheists and theists today is often strident and angry, and understandably so-the debate encompasses fundamental questions about how we live our lives. As Kreeft writes, "if God does not exist, then religion is the biggest hoax, the biggest myth, the biggest lie in the history of the world." However, Letters to an Atheist showcases a respectful exploration of some of life's biggest questions, trying to understand the opposing point of view. With characteristic warmth and clarity, Kreeft's letters offer believers and non-believers alike much to consider.
Peter Kreeft is professor of philosophy at Boston College. He has been featured on the PBS series The Question of God and is the author of more than seventy books, including Before I Go, Catholic Christianity, Making Sense out of Suffering, and You Can Understand the Bible. He lives in Newton, MA.
The book makes amazing and convincing points on possibly the most important topic of all time: Does God exist? . . . . I really did like this book and learned a tremendous amount from Kreeft on how to dialogue with an atheist. Formatting the book in written letters was brilliant; the book is short to begin with and the conversational tone made it not only a quick read, but it really got me invested in the relationship between Kreeft and Michael and Michael's progress from atheism. * Our Sunday Visitor * When a young woman expressed concern about her atheist brother, Kreeft (philosophy, Boston Coll.; Catholic Christianity; Making Sense out of Suffering) offered to enter into correspondence with him. In this thoughtful defense of theism, the author spells out the grounds for his belief in God and imagines how the woman's brother might reply. Assuming his interlocutor's (and reader's) intelligence and understanding of basic logic and philosophical terminology, Kreeft distinguishes different types of atheism; addresses the problems he sees in materialism, naturalism, and scientism; and responds to traditional antitheistic arguments. Only in the last 20 pages does he go offtrack, with sound-bite defenses of traditional Catholic doctrines on sexuality and unconvincing dismissals of the Church's roles in historical violence and recent child-abuse scandals. Kreeft gives most credence to first-cause and moral arguments for God's existence, stressing that both truth and goodness must be grounded in the nature of reality. Verdict Given that the atheist's side of the correspondence is fictional, it comes as no surprise that this warm, philosophical defense of faith in God will speak more to believers' inner doubts than to actual skeptical questioners. * Library Journal * Kreeft's letters demonstrate how to hold charitable, fruitful dialogue with unbelievers. Kreeft covers all the famous arguments for God's existence, including Aquinas' Five Ways and the arguments from desire, morality, fine tuning, and Big Bang cosmology. But he does so with a refreshing friendliness. The letters lack the polemical and turgid prose seen in many books on atheism. Instead, his book is sharp, witty, and warm, and one of the first I'd recommend to anyone wrestling with faith. * Fox News * Kreeft's latest book is profound yet chatty, brilliant yet warm and humorous. It is studded with new perspectives. A great gift for atheists but also for sceptics and doubters. -- Ronda Chervin, Holy Apostles College and Seminary Letters of Christian thinkers to young atheists have become almost a literary genre. Usually, they are occasioned by some atheist's claim or a student's suspicion that no case can be made either for philosophy or faith. Probably no one has dealt with young (or old) atheists more clearly or more persuasively, yet carefully and modestly, than Peter Kreeft. He knows what the evidence is and its limits. He understands what arguing consistently means. The fact is, very few have really come across a presentation of reason and faith in the manner that Kreeft argues it in these charming and considerate letters. I found them most delightful and persuasive, even for an old cleric who thinks faith makes sense. For anyone honestly looking to see what arguments for atheism are and how they might be resolved, no better book can be found. -- James V. Schall, S. J., professor emeritus, Georgetown University Kreeft's compassionate and passionate arguments for the existence of God are peppered with pointed insights, flashes of light that turn the tables with a turn of phrase. Sharp. Witty. Wise. Clear. Eye-opening. Compelling. A joy to read. I often found a smile on my face from the simple delight of truth-seeking. -- Christopher West, author of Fill These Hearts: God, Sex, and the Universal Longing Kreeft's compassionate and passionate arguments for the existence of God are peppered with pointed insights, flashes of light that turn the tables with a turn of phrase. Sharp. Witty. Wise. Clear. Eye-opening. Compelling. A joy to read. I often found a smile on my face from the simple delight of truth-seeking. -- Christopher West, author of Fill These Hearts: God, Sex, and the Universal Longing Letters to an Atheist speaks the vernacular of the too-smart-for-the-room atheist who's never been invited to encounter the hard diamond of Truth himself. As ever, Peter Kreeft models the very best of Christian apologetics: he wants to win the atheist not the argument. Believers will learn a ton from this book; atheists, even more. -- Patrick Coffin, author and host of Catholic Answers Live More than a decade ago, as I was working on another work of Catholic apologetics, a friend remarked that while my efforts in regard to Fundamentalist Christians was useful, a new apologetics was needed, not dealing with classical "in-house" Christian theological differences but to advance a conversation with atheists and agnostics, whose influence (if not numbers) was on the rise. That an erudite philosopher like Peter Kreeft should respond to that challenge with gusto and competence is most encouraging. Indeed, philosophy (the use of unaided human reason with no recourse to theological categories) is the ideal ground on which to engage a dialogue with non-theists. Professor Kreeft here brings all his usual talents of precision, readability, and affability to the fore, as we have come to expect. We are all in his debt for this most needed and most welcome contribution. -- Rev. Peter M. J. Stravinskas, editor of The Catholic Response More than a decade ago, as I was working on another work of Catholic apologetics, a friend remarked that while my efforts in regard to Fundamentalist Christians was useful, a new apologetics was needed, not dealing with classical "in-house" Christian theological differences but to advance a conversation with atheists and agnostics, whose influence (if not numbers) was on the rise. That an erudite philosopher like Peter Kreeft should respond to that challenge with gusto and competence is most encouraging. Indeed, philosophy (the use of unaided human reason with no recourse to theological categories) is the ideal ground on which to engage a dialogue with non-theists. Professor Kreeft here brings all his usual talents of precision, readability, and affability to the fore, as we have come to expect. We are all in his debt for this most needed and most welcome contribution. -- Rev. Peter M. J. Stravinskas, editor of The Catholic Response Peter Kreeft reminds me of C. S. Lewis. He has an astonishing ability to communicate complex and complicated philosophical concepts simply and succinctly. These letters to a young atheist will convince all but the most proud and prejudiced that faith is rational and that reason leads to faith. -- Joseph Pearce, Thomas More College; author of Beauteous Truth: Faith, Reason, Literature and Culture Peter Kreeft's Letters to an Atheist may well convince the open minded non-believer of the reasonableness of belief in God. Kreeft's style is both engaging and accessible. Letters to an Atheist is engaging because the literary form of letter draws in the reader. Who doesn't like to receive thoughtful letters? Letters to an Atheist is accessible because Kreeft makes philosophy not merely an abstract head game but a matter of real engagement with living issues. Kreeft draws on insights from a wide range of important figures in the history of philosophy, on both sides of the theistic question, including Thomas Aquinas and Bertrand Russell, Pascal and Nietzsche. Kreeft covers all the major reasons for rejecting as well as for accepting God's existence. If you or someone who love has doubts, questions, and difficulties with God's existence, this is the book to get. -- Christopher Kaczor, Loyola Marymount University Peter Kreeft's Letters to an Atheist is a perfect example of John Paul II's insistence that the Church proposes rather than imposes. This gem of a book is brim full of divine signposts and suggestions which we find all around us and within. The many distinctions and proofs are clear and powerful, presented always in a most delicate and sensitive appreciation for the inviolability of conscience. The book ends where every good book on the Faith must-with an invitation, an invitation to Michael the young atheist (and to the reader) to follow his 'own pointing fingers.' There can be no faith without a further question, for creation and salvation are deep mysteries. And a question, of course, means a quest. A most delightful read! -- Montague Brown, Saint Anselm College There are lots of books about atheism. This one is different. Kreeft knows that logical arguments do not exist in a vacuum, because reasoning takes place among living minds. His book invites a real human dialogue between writer and reader, as friends and partners in seeking the truth. Just one caveat: You must really want to find it. -- J. Budziszewski, University of Texas at Austin, author of On the Meaning of Sex There are lots of books about atheism. This one is different. Kreeft knows that logical arguments do not exist in a vacuum, because reasoning takes place among living minds. His book invites a real human dialogue between writer and reader, as friends and partners in seeking the truth. Just one caveat: You must really want to find it. -- J. Budziszewski, University of Texas at Austin, author of On the Meaning of Sex My friend Peter Kreeft has done it again. Especially for those who have enjoyed his dialogues, these fictional but quite realistic letters were written to discuss briefly a wide range of issues, chiefly those involved at the crossroads of atheism, theism, and Christianity. Vintage Kreeft from the outset, the reader is invited to follow from Aristotle to Buddha to Chesterton to Da Vinci and on to Freud, Flew, Hinduism, Lewis, and Jimmy Stewart. What a trip, all moving quickly but thoughtfully. You don't enjoy philosophy? It's helpful but not strictly required here. You sometimes disagree with the conclusions in these sorts of discussions? That's fine-you may join the conversation, too, for we are all free to think for ourselves. But this is a delightful trip, one that may well serve as its own conversation-starter. -- Gary R. Habermas, Distinguished Research Professor and Chair of Philosophy, Liberty University and Theological Seminary My friend Peter Kreeft has done it again. Especially for those who have enjoyed his dialogues, these fictional but quite realistic letters were written to discuss briefly a wide range of issues, chiefly those involved at the crossroads of atheism, theism, and Christianity. Vintage Kreeft from the outset, the reader is invited to follow from Aristotle to Buddha to Chesterton to Da Vinci and on to Freud, Flew, Hinduism, Lewis, and Jimmy Stewart. What a trip, all moving quickly but thoughtfully. You don't enjoy philosophy? It's helpful but not strictly required here. You sometimes disagree with the conclusions in these sorts of discussions? That's fine-you may join the conversation, too, for we are all free to think for ourselves. But this is a delightful trip, one that may well serve as its own conversation-starter. -- Gary R. Habermas, Distinguished Research Professor and Chair of Philosophy, Liberty University and Theological Seminary I've known Peter Kreeft for almost fifty years. And apart from a deepening of wisdom, he is now as he was when I first met him: supremely clever at dialectical argument, single-minded in the pursuit of truth, disarming in the sincerity of his simple and joyful love of Christ. All of these virtues are on full display in Letters to a Young Atheist, making it a uniquely powerful tool for evangelization. Of the many books out there taking aim against the so-called New Atheism, this is surely one of the very best. -- Ronald K. Tacelli, S.J., Boston College Many young people today find it very difficult to believe in God, and evangelists for the atheist position are thick on the ground in our culture. This is why this book is so needed and so useful. In the course of these "letters" to a smart young atheist, Dr. Kreeft addresses most of the principal philosophical objections to God's existence. His communiques are witty, friendly, deeply intelligent, and appropriately challenging. I would warmly recommend this book to anyone struggling to believe in God. -- Fr. Robert Barron, author, speaker, and theologian; founder of the global media ministry Word on Fire (www.WordOnFire.org) Many young people today find it very difficult to believe in God, and evangelists for the atheist position are thick on the ground in our culture. This is why this book is so needed and so useful. In the course of these "letters" to a smart young atheist, Dr. Kreeft addresses most of the principal philosophical objections to God's existence. His communiques are witty, friendly, deeply intelligent, and appropriately challenging. I would warmly recommend this book to anyone struggling to believe in God. -- Fr. Robert Barron, author, speaker, and theologian; founder of the global media ministry Word on Fire (www.WordOnFire.org)
