McGrath's defence: the Dawkins Delusion

• alister mcgrath was an atheist, but he became a christian while studying chemistry at Oxford university
• he has expertise in both science and theology
• the Dawkins delusion is not an attempt to prove that christianity is true but seeks to show that dawkins' arguments are fundamentally flawed
• McGrath claims that Dawkins is wrong in his assumption that good science is bound to result in atheism. McGrath cites examples such as Francis collins (the director of the human genome project and a christian) to prove his point
• McGrath challenged dawkins' view that science disproves religion by discussing the relationship between the two. he claims that religion and science are 'partially overlapping magisteria'; they come at the world from two different but equally valid perspectives, which sometimes intertwine and can be mutually enriching
• magisteria= sources of authority
• McGrath criticises Dawkins for his assumption that all christians adopt views of god and the bible which are in fact held only by a minority who are fundamentalist. this shows a very limited understanding of Christianity
• McGrath accuses Dawkins of fundamentalism in his unquestioning acceptance of some atheist views. Dawkins is biased in supporting evidence that agrees with his position. this is a very unscientific approach