To Pray or Not to Pray

"Christopher’s Hitchens’s cancer has provoked a debate on the Internet: should people pray for an atheist when that person does not believe in God and does not believe in prayer? The reaction has been mixed, but both Jews and Christians believe that it is appropriate to pray for an atheist while most atheists say that people should not pray for Hitchens.


The prospect of death and the implications of what comes after death frightens even atheists. When confronted with the reality of death, atheists seek a loophole in their argument for the nonexistence of God..."

Interesting essay by a brother, Dr. Claude Mariottini, here.

In Defense Of Miracles: A Comprehensive Case for God's Action in History -- A Book Review

In Defense Of Miracles is a skillfully designed and edited book featuring evangelical scholars arguing for the possibility and actuality of miracles. It is like a college course in miracles. Edited by Douglas Geivett and Gary Habermas it is an excellent starting point for research in miracles for the following reasons:

* multiple authors, each with their own POV, writing style, and bibliographic sources

* it addresses the skepticism and hyper-skepticism of the academy

* it is skillfully laid-out

Sometimes multiple-author works are a hodge-podge, eclectic, and uneven. Not this one!

Here's how it is organized:

Part One -- the Case AGAINST Miracles - Hume/Flew

Part Two -- the Possibility of Miracles - defining, modern mind, history and miracles, recognizing a miracle

Part Three -- a Theistic Context for Miracles -- conceptual systems, science, miracles, agency theory, and the "God of the Gaps" ("Our God, who art in the gaps...")

Part Four -- Christian Miracles--Case Studies -- miracles in the world religions, fulfilled prophecy as a miracle, the incarnation, the empty tomb, the resurrection

Conclusion: Has God Acted in History "In our view, the case for miracles is strong and needs to become better known outside the academy...".

To which I might add, and inside the academy!

(One area it does not attempt to cover is miracles throughout the history of the Church, or in the modern day. Dr. Craig Keener has a book coming out in the next 24 months that addresses modern miracle claims.)

For multiple authorship, logical organization, and content, I give this book five stars -- highest commendation.