Events

On Wednesday 12th November Covenant Christian School hosted a Centre for Public Christianity meeting with Dr John Dickson and Dr Greg Clarke. Over 240 people attended from the local community. Some churches brought along their Bible study groups. Dr Greg and Dr John explained who some of the leaders in the New Atheist movement are and gave us greater understanding of them as individuals. These include Richard Dawkins, author of The God Delusion, and Christopher Hitchens.

I had the privilege along with many others of attending last week's "The New Atheism" seminar lead by Greg Clarke and John Dickson from the "Centre for Public Christianity" Organisation held at Covenant Christian School. It was an excellent seminar allowing us to gain an understanding of some of the current thinking and who are the leading authors of Atheism today. I found it helpful to understand some of the flaws in the Atheism argument and some historical inaccuracies in four of the current leading books. As a parent at CCS, it was very beneficial to be encouraged to read more widely on both Atheism and our response to Atheism so that we can be ready to hold an informed and helpful conversation with others when necessary.

I would like to thank Covenant Christian School for sponsoring and hosting this enlightening event and caring for the community.

Pastor Steve Parker
Belrose Uniting Church

I would like to thank Covie for an enlightening evening on Wednesday, 12 November. Mr Rusin and his staff did a great job of hosting a public discussion on "the New Atheist". Greg and John, from the "Centre for Public Christianity", presented us with a Christian persective on atheists and their philosophies.

John Dickson reviewed five authors who have had some publishing successs in recent years, including Richard Dawkins who wrote "The God Delusion". He also gave us a general overview of how an atheist compares to an agnostic (who hasn't worked it out yet) and an apatheist (who doesn't care).

He went on to explain four varieties of atheism; philosophical (it's logical!), sociological (it's mature!), Darwinian (it's natural!) and ethical (it's moral!).

John showed us how the new atheists' treatment of Jesus required a robust and thoughtful response from anyone wishing to dispel the atheist theory. He walked us through some major errors in their historical treatment of the life of Jesus. And he posed the question that if we can't trust their representation of historical fact then what other factors are in doubt?

After the presentation the audience, of about 200 interested parties, asked questions regarding the wisdom of reviewing such literature. The guys urged us to make our own decision to read, but advised caution against total emersion of ANY topic.

The Centre has a web site www.publicchristianity.org which is great for those looking to begin a journey to Christ.

I have a much better understanding of atheism although the only thing "new" about it seems to be the popularity of the books. Although lots of people are interested in the topic, it doesn't mean the number of atheists is growing. From a personal point of view, it certainly got my brain working. And my faith in God remains simple and strong.

Deboarah Sims
Covie Mum

There are some links to Dr John Dickson and Dr Greg Clarke's Podcasts on this subject at:

http://www.covenant.nsw.edu.au/_bpost_1162/The_New_Atheists_Public_Seminar

The Manly Daily recently contacted Mr Bill Rusin for comment on the teaching of Intelligent Design in schools. You can read this article at:

http://manly-daily.whereilive.com.au/news/story/aussie-schools-defiant-in-evolving-life-debate/