Ian Boyne, Contributor
AMONG the primary reasons for many intellectuals' disbelief in the existence of God has been the problem of evil-reconciling how a God of love could allow such gut-wrenching evil, natural and moral, to exist in the world.
The average person probably believes that the primary reason for atheism is the scientific and logical evidence against theism. Not so. Now a highly sophisticated philosopher and atheist, Theodore Drange, has put forward the view that the fact that so many persons are unbelievers and that the Christians have failed so miserably to penetrate the entire world with the gospel message, is the most compelling evidence against the existence of God. He calls it the Argument from Nonbelief (ANB). And he argues his case brilliantly and rigorously in his I998 Prometheus Books - published Nonbelief and Evil: Two Arguments for the Non-existence of God.
Drange has mastered the art of expressing profound, challenging thoughts in the most lucid ways, demonstrating that profundity and depth need not be shrouded in abstruse language. Drange, Professor of Philosophy at West Virginia University, argues that since love is of the greatest value and God is love, then He must desire to communicate with all his creatures and do everything to remove all the barriers to disbelief. Because there are billions, not millions, who remain unbelievers, then it is likely that no such God exists, Drange opines.
He aims most of his artillery at Evangelical Christianity, but devotes chapters to critiquing the God of Judaism and of Liberal Christianity. Drange is acquainted with the best minds in Evangelical and liberal Christian apologetics as well as in atheistic philosophy. This is not a book for the weak-minded. They are likely to renounce the Christian faith! What is particularly gripping about the book is that Drange anticipates any number of objections to the points he puts forward and sets about systematically answering them.
The book is an intellectual delight and would be appreciated by the open-minded Christian intellectual who adores analytical precision. It is not that Drange's points are unassailable: No, but they are immensely challenging.
The other fascinating thing about Nonbelief and Evil is the remarkable grasp of Scriptures which Drange manifests. You would believe Drange is a theologian. The book is laden with scriptural quotations, and not the usually absurd out-of-context quotations given by theologically illiterate though philosophically first-rate atheists. He quotes scripture well and shows why Evangelical Christians have a problem if the Bible is really true!
But he also anticipates people like the Armstrongites who say that there is a chance for salvation beyond the grave--the so-called second chance--when those who did not hear the Gospel in this life will then get their first chance to hear. Asks Drange: "Why should it be important to God to send out missionaries to go forth and spread the gospel to all nations if people will receive another chance at such education in the after-life? Presumably people would learn the truth of the Gospel message much more readily than under past or present conditions for they would presumably be aware that they are in an afterlife, which in itself would make an enormous difference. Why should missionaries struggle to convince them of the gospel message in this life when the same job could be accomplished effortlessly (say, by angels) in the next life? Why should God command missionaries to do something that in the end serves no important purpose?"
Yet Drange's penetrating and piercing intellect takes aim largely at the Evangelical Christians and many of their common defences for God's Divine Hiddeness crumble under that weight. People engaged in apologetics should get a copy of this 403-page book. There are 15 chapters and seven appendices.
Drange considers the point that perhaps God hides Himself to allow people to have faith. Some cite Jesus' statement to Thomas: "Blessed are those who have not seen and yet believe." Incidentally Drange gives an excellent exegesis of that text that makes it quite compatible with evidentialism, but says: "It would be irrational for people to believe anything without good evidence. Why would a rational deity create people in his own image and then hope that they become irrational? Furthermore, it is not clear how people are supposed to arrive at the gospel message in the absence of good evidence. People normally stick with the religion of the culture that they are born into. Is picking the right religion just a matter of lucky guesswork?"
It is Drange's attempt to show that the existence of so many unbelievers when God "desires all men to be saved and come to a knowledge of the truth", according to the book of Timothy, is a direct challenge to the existence of that God.
Ian Boyne is a pastor in the Church of God International and a journalist for over 20 years.
