The Theology Basement
Christianity is tired and well-worn, or so the caricature goes. It’s a politically incorrect uncle, a flat-earth museum piece, a flying spaghetti monster, a celestial teapot, a vehicle for expressing every twisted and underdeveloped impulse. “The Theology Basement” contends that Christianity is no such morally regressive, scientifically illiterate ball and chain. Using Richard Dawkins’ “The God Delusion” as a case study, “The Theology Basement” sets out an alternative framework for viewing the modern discussion on god, contending that the existence of the Christian God is a topic that really is existential for us.
The Theology Basement - summary
The new atheists caused quite the furore with books such as Richard Dawkins’ “The God Delusion.” Christians were among those accused of promoting magical thinking and harmful ideology. Fifteen years later this claim still has emotional power. “The Theology Basement” de-legitimises this claim by critiquing, at a deeper level, some of the concepts that empower it.
This concise read avoids easy, unhelpful alliances with the main stakeholders in this discussion, instead applying careful, biblical theology to multiverses, evolutionary psychology, and many other topics. Weeks spent in the basement’s tungsten glow led to the formation of one central idea - the existence of the Christian God really is existential for us.
Author - Jacob Thomas
Jacob Thomas writes notes to remember a chaotic array of ideas but never reads them. Attempting to catch this flurry, he wrote a book and is in the middle of writing another one. It’s rumoured that winning a box of books as a child originally sparked his unreasonable ambition of writing them, and that finishing a masters thesis confirmed it. Jacob has a Bachelor of Science and Master of Teaching from Melbourne University. He is a teacher, son, brother, friend, and by incredible grace and mercy a child of God.