Outgrowing Dawkins

'A masterclass.' - Church Times'A penetrating, concise and informed critique of Richard Dawkins. This is now the best starting point for anyone wanting to assess his views on science and faith.' - Alister E. McGrath'A great read. Rupert Shortt demolishes Richard Dawkins’s arguments with consummate elegance.’ - Julia Neuberger‘A bracing demonstration that a Christian can myth-bust an atheist quite as effectively as vice versa.’ - Tom HollandIn his latest book Outgrowing God, Richard Dawkins tries to show that all religious belief is intellectually nonsensical and thus highly damaging in practice. But does he even understand what he rejects? In this incisive rebuttal, Rupert Shortt exposes the main flaws in Dawkins’s arguments – his weakness for crude caricatures, selective way with evidence, ignorance of philosophy and history as well as theology, and even his questionable interpretations of science. At the same time Outgrowing Dawkins demonstrates the coherence of a mature, self-critical faith and its contribution to human progress.

‘In this richly documented and highly readable essay Rupert Shortt deftly demonstrates just how often Richard Dawkins’s most recent broadside against religion simply misses the target.’, ‘Thank God for Rupert Shortt. His clarity penetrates depths. His concision cuts through cant. His fairness exposes arrogance and narrow-mindedness.’, ‘A clearly written and fair-minded demolition of Dawkins’s shallow thinking on religious belief.’, ‘A refreshing, cultured, and at times gently humorous companion, but most of all cogent and pertinent to our day.’, ‘An elegant and timely reminder that religious belief is rational and sane, and that it is not refuted by science.’

Rupert Shortt is Religion Editor of the Times Literary Supplement and a former Visiting Fellow at Oxford University. His recent books include Benedict XVI (2005), Christianophobia: A Faith under Attack (2012), God is No Thing: Coherent Christianity (2015) and Does Religion Do More Harm than Good? (2019).