I just clicked on the article and found that it is written by Christopher Hitchens (the other popularizer of atheism these days, who is also British). Anyway, thanks for posting it. I live in one of the most secular cities in the country, and am hearing both Dawkins and Hitchens quoted all around me.

Sarah,
Thank you. We have changed the reference...
Peter Carey+

I think The Episcopal Church is particularly well positioned to take on the skeptics. We are a church committed to putting out faith into action in a hurt and broken world. We are a creedal church with ancient traditions but we have a variety of expression of those traditions. I commend to you the you tube video posted by Lisa Fox to her blog which gives the Presiding Bishop's answer to "Why should I become an Episcopalian?"

http://my-manner-of-life.blogspot.com/2009/10/why-be-episcopalian.html

All that being said, the way we present the Gospel is as wide and varied as the different points of view on social issues and theology in our church, and those views inform our presentation. I am not saying that we should change the presentation(s) themselves, for our diversity of thought is one of our greatest strengths, but we may want to give some thought to the how.

I would also dare to say that one of our issues is that there is huge reluctance to reach out beyond our parish doors and bring people in, rather we tend to wait for them to show up. We are a church full of passionate people who are passionate for the Gospel, but we tend to only show our passions with those already on the inside.

IMHO.

(Editor's note: Thanks. We need your name next time.)

Considering how much of the proverbial Kool Aid Hitchens has swallowed courtesy the Neo-Cons the past decade, to hear him favor Fundies over "mealy-moutheded liberal Christians" is hardly surprising.

JC Fisher

Makes some sense to me that Hitchens poo-poos metaphor and "mealy-mouthed liberal Christians" and prefers a conservative, more literalizing Christianity.

It is so much easier to refute this way.

But Christian faith does not live solely in the doubtless plane of two-dimensional pseudo-scientific biblical literalism. It lives, too, in a three-dimensional world of metaphors, questions, poetry, music, sacrament, moral inspiration, and spiritual encounter with the living Christ. (Isn't this what we offer in The Episcopal Church when we are at our best?)

Until Hitchens is willing to view these realities more than as mere measurable chemical reactions in our central nervous system, it strikes me that no argument on these terms will convert him.

But I have to say it is intriguing that he remains willing to engage the discussion. Is he seeking something?

To address the question posed at the end, I think the Episcopal Church, at its best, is well situated to speak to skeptics. I think Hitchens underestimates the role of skepticism in faith. Very often it is the questions we wrestle with that lead us deeper into faith, not out of it. The Episcopal Church (again, at its best) is one of the safest places I know to wrestle with questions of faith and doubt because it does not insist on a "my way or the highway" approach to faith and allows for faith as a personal journey. That's one of the main reasons I am an Episcopalian.

Lois Wye

I was raised in a peculiar Christian faith that placed a huge emphasis on proselytizing; it was important in that Christians alone possessed "The Truth" and they alone were the "true" Christians. Only "true" Christians would then be spared the imminent threat of everlasting destruction. And "true" Christians did NOT include abominations like oh, I don't know, me? I don't miss those Saturday morning door-knockings/magazine giveaways one bit!

Besides, it's been my belief that people don't convert people--the Holy Spirit does. Our job is to be there for them when it happens. (Unless, of course, the converters in question are invading armies with a sword in one hand and a holy book in the other. That works, too.)

Doug Curlin