If I were to sum up my response to Hitchens’ work in a few words they would be “fascinating” and “a little disappointing.” Let me explain.

Fascinating. Hitchens explains how the cultural nationalism of post war England pulled him and his entire generation away from the church and toward atheism. It is a gripping analysis of history and culture that is frighteningly prophetic of the drift now taking place in America. I was captivated from the start.

In the same vein, Hitchens details how his experience with a godless society, specifically his time in Russia during the fall of Communism, pointed him back to the church. This was an equally intriguing account. There probably is no greater argument against a godless view of the world than its resulting consequences on the culture that embraces it! History is replete with examples. Atheists are armed with excuses. At the end of the day, however, the darkened void and empty soul of a culture with no higher authority argues vehemently against itself!

A Little Disappointing. Hitchens attributes the initial prodding back to faith to his viewing of Roger van der Weyden’s famous polyptych The Last Judgment. What struck him was that the look on the faces of those headed for Hell seemed strangely familiar to his own and that of his generation. He never has gotten over the chill he felt at the impact of thinking what if he were among the damned. When this experience was coupled with his personal observation of atheism’s cruelty, he was on his way back to faith. The large missing piece though is Christ. Hitchens is too silent on the most crucial subject and object of “the faith.” If he does indeed love Christ, and therefore, loves the Church, I really wished he would have expressed this loud and clear. I am not calling his conversion into question. There is no doubt the man’s desires, attitude, direction - life - has changed! I only hope that eventually he will center discussion of his conversion more upon the Judge (Christ) than the Judgment.

Having said that, let me be loud and clear concerning Peter Hitchens. I respect and admire him tremendously for the stand he is taking. He knows the Bible. He debates on behalf of the Bible’s claims. He is forthright, pleasantly honest, and extremely courageous. Furthermore, as his career attests, he is a brilliant writer.

In arguing against atheism, which entails opposing his brother Christopher, Hitchens has truly and winsomely set forth looming questions to which atheists have not been able to provide sufficient answers. Atheists cannot answer the history question, why are atheistic societies so evil and cruel? Atheists cannot answer the moral question, why do they borrow their morality from Christianity if Christianity is fundamentally wrong? Now, atheists do give answers to these questions, they are just not good ones!