Why ‘New Atheism’ grew old

Ten years ago, when I worked at the West London Mission, I invited an atheist sociologist to speak at our Annual Conference. His name was Carwyn Gravell and in a beautifully lyrical Welsh accent, he introduced himself:

“I am an atheist, but I am not of the Richard Dawkins kind. I am not at the Taliban-end of atheism. I am more of a lapsing atheist.”

I invited him because he had just completed ground-breaking research for the agency Lemos & Crane into how homeless people viewed faith and spirituality. This was published in the 2013 report Lost and Found: faith and spirituality in the lives of homeless people.

‘Secular orthodoxy’

The report was based on interviews with 75 homeless people and various focus groups exploring the subject. Despite the Christian roots of many homeless charities, the report critiqued the widespread ‘secular orthodoxy’ in the homelessness sector and the way faith was often perceived with suspicion and outright hostility.

Alongside data from their research, Gravell also provided analysis of how the rise of “scientific materialism” and the “mechanical world-view” had led to an approach which overly focused on outward, physical needs and marginalised people’s inner, spiritual needs.

Spiritual slumbers

In my view Lost and Found remains the best ever report related to Christian social action because it gives independent evidence of the human need for a deeper form of hope. The fact it was written by an atheist adds to its credibility.

I wrote a review of the report in a 2013 article for The Church Times:

“Gravell is like the pagan sailors in the story of Jonah, who have to wake up God’s messenger and challenge him to respond to the crisis that is facing them all. Lost and Found should rouse Christian social-action projects from their spiritual slumbers. It challenges Christians to have more confidence to articulate and integrate their faith alongside the practical work that they are doing.”

The re-birth of belief in God

Justin Brierley is an author and broadcaster who has spent the last 15 years hosting conversations between atheists and Christians. He has a great ability to create respectful places where people can disagreed openly and debate well. 

His latest podcast, The Surprising Re-birth of Belief in God, examines how the ‘New Atheism’ of Richard Dawkins, Sam Harris, the late Christopher Hitchens and others, became old and how many people are re-considering faith in God.

Brierley argues that society has not become less religious but instead has become religious in a different way. He discusses how many of the contemporary movements, especially those related to identity and sexuality, operate very ‘religiously’, with their own dogma and orthodoxy, suppression of dissent and ways to ex-communicate (or cancel) those considered heretics.

Deconstruction

The New Atheism of the early 2000s flourished in its deconstruction of the legitimacy of faith but had little to offer beyond this:

“This was the problem: what could a movement that was built on tearing down God erect in His place? Many of those previously optimistic ‘New Atheists’ believed that science was the obvious alternative, an objective source of truth and inspiration we can all turn towards.

But just as Carwyn Gravell found in his research with homeless people, this form of ‘scientific rationalism’ does not meet the deepest needs of our soul or give answers to the existential questions humans persistently ask. Moreover, atheism palpably failed to offer resources for people to find forgiveness, meaning and hope.

As Brierley puts it:

“Science turned out to be a poor substitute for a Saviour. Science can tell you how the universe arose, but not why it is there. Science can tell you what you consist of, but not what you are worth. Science can generate solutions to poverty, but not the compassion to implement them. Science can make you money, but not purchase a meaningful existence.”

Signs of change

Carwyn Gravell’s research 10 years ago was a wake-up to Christian social activists to be more confident and creative about our faith.

And, as Brierley’s podcast shows, the last few years have seen the wider mood-music around faith in society start to change. Hugely influential thinkers such as psychologist Jordan Peterson, historian Tom Holland, writer and poet Paul Kingsnorth have all argued persuasively about the value of what Christianity brings – and what we lose when we abandon it.

Returning tide

The famous ‘sea of faith’ from Matthew Arnold’s poem Dover Beach may have been retreating for the last few decades, but tides do not simply go in one direction. As well as going out, they also come back in. And we are seeing more and more evidence of a ‘post-secular’ culture emerge.

History shows us that humans have an innate need to worship and to find a story to live by. I highly recommend Justin Brierley’s brilliant podcast because it can help bolster our confidence to help people find that story in the life and message of Jesus Christ.

The Surprising Re-birth of Belief in God