Okay, can I admit that I have an utter fascination with Christopher Hitchens? While I grieve for the state of his soul, I admire his intellect and his ability to cut to the heart of an issue. Perhaps it’s because he’s an intellectual ninja who is, unlike of most public intellectuals, honest and straightforward.
I mention this because I ran across a recent interview with him by a Unitarian minister in Oregon (h-tip to Matt Friedeman). When the interviewer says, “I don’t believe in the doctrine of atonement (that Jesus died for our sins, for example),” Hitchens produces, completely off the cuff, an incredible defense of the necessity for Christians to believe in the resurrection. The best line, perhaps, is when he taunts her: “If all Christians were like you, I wouldn’t have to write the book.” Ouch!
Clearly Hitchens knows his Sun Tzu: “If you know the enemy and know yourself you need not fear the results of a hundred battles” (from The Art of War). I wish all of my fellow believers understood the scale of the stakes the way that Hitchens does.
The interview is here.
