The Faith of Christopher Hitchens
The Restless Soul of the World's Most Notorious Atheist
- History & Biography
- Publisher: Nelson Books (Thomas Nelson)
- Published: 2017
FritzSearch.com earns a commission on purchases made through Bookshop.org links.
Publisher's Description
2016 Winner of the Gospel Coalition Book Awards A friend of the late Christopher Hitchens offers insight about the promise of faith and the dangers of pride in this one-of-a-kind look into the last days of the world's most famous atheist--now in paper back. “If everyone in the United States had the same qualities of loyalty and care and concern for others that Larry Taunton had, we'd be living in a much better society than we do.” ~ Christopher Hitchens At the time of his death, Christopher Hitchens was the most notorious atheist in the world. And yet, all was not as it seemed. “Nobody is not a divided self, of course,” he once told an interviewer, “but I think it’s rather strong in my case.” Hitchens was a man of many contradictions: a Marxist in youth who longed for acceptance among the social elites; a peacenik who revered the military; a champion of the Left who was nonetheless pro-life, pro-war-on-terror, and after 9/11 something of a neocon; and while he railed against God on stage, he maintained meaningful—though largely hidden from public view—friendships with evangelical Christians like Francis Collins, Douglas Wilson, and the author Larry Alex Taunton. In The Faith of Christopher Hitchens, Taunton offers a very personal perspective of one of our most interesting and most misunderstood public figures. Writing with genuine compassion and without compromise, Taunton traces Hitchens’s spiritual and intellectual development from his decision as a teenager to reject belief in God to his rise to prominence as one of the so-called “Four Horsemen” of the New Atheism. While Hitchens was, in the minds of many Christians, Public Enemy Number One, away from the lights and the cameras a warm friendship flourished between Hitchens and the author; a friendship that culminated in not one, but two lengthy road trips where, after Hitchens’s diagnosis of esophageal cancer, they studied the Bible together. The Faith of Christopher Hitchens gives us a candid glimpse into the inner life of this intriguing, sometimes maddening, and unexpectedly vulnerable man. “This book should be read by every atheist and theist passionate about the truth.” --Michael Shermer, publisher, Skeptic magazine
Endorsements (6)
“The Faith of Christopher Hitchens is so good that words fail me. It is that triple rarity: an astonishing tour de force of both heart and mind, and a bona fide page-turner. If it doesn’t keep you up late, you are already sleeping. Who dreamt anyone would ever get to see this side of the cartoon enfante terrible? Taunton’s unprecedented access to the “real” Hitchens is a gift from the heavens—literally and literarily—to anyone wanting to know who he really was, that man behind the withering, glowering mien and fulminating blunderbuss voice. This indefatigably clear-eyed window into the soul of the great Hitch may break your heart with love for its subject, as it did mine, or it may make you wish to rent yourself in twain with rage, Rumpelstilskin-style. Either way, it’s quite a book. A triumph.”
“If you really want to get to know someone intimately, go on a multi-day cross-country road trip, share fine food and expensive spirits, and have open and honest conversations about the most important issues in life. And then engage them in public debate before thousands of people on those very topics. In this engrossing narrative about his friendship with the atheist activist Christopher Hitchens, the evangelical Christian Larry Taunton shows us a side of the man very few of us knew. Apparent contradictions dissolve before before Taunton’s penetrating insight into the psychology of a man fiercely loyal to his friends and passionately devoted to leading a life of integrity. This book should be read by every atheist and theist passionate about the truth, and by anyone who really wants to understand Hitch, one of the greatest minds and literary geniuses of our time.”
“A riveting read that’s sure to spark the sort of controversy that was common to its central figure ‘the Contrarian.’ Likely to expose many modern Freethinkers as anything but as it demonstrates that their patron saint of secularism was more open-minded than they care to admit.”
“Every fan of Christopher Hitchens must read this elegant, honest, and beautiful tale of an improbable friendship between an American Christian and an English atheist. If you thought you knew ‘Hitch,’ you did not. Now, you will.”
“People are fascinating. We want to read biographies because we want a look behind the scenes. We want to see if the public and private persona match up. Larry’s unique relationship with Christopher Hitchens and his skill in writing, combine for a narrative that does not disappoint. There are surprises on many levels but what shines through is how people of diametrically opposed views can interact, debate, and dialogue about their deepest differences. I highly recommend recommend this book, it is informative and moving; a great read.”
“Christopher Hitchens was a force to be reckoned with, whether one was a theist or an atheist. While I never met him, I know firsthand through friendships with those of other worldviews that ultimate issues can be discussed without compromise, yet without animosity, with gentleness and with respect. Larry Taunton traveled this road with Hitchens and reveals a man few knew: brash and confident in public, but in quieter moments wrestling with deep questions about ultimate truth that would not go away. In the end, Larry demonstrates that while arguments and debate have their place in winning the mind and heart, it is love that is the most powerful apologetic for the truth and beauty of the gospel. This book will surprise and challenge you—and I hope, open fruitful conversation among atheists and theists alike.”
See something wrong on this page? Report a problem