This week Al Mohler spoke in a lecture series in DTS chapel on the “New Atheism.” In it, he addressed such influential writers as Dawkins and Hitchens. After the first lecture, I was told that a professor said that it was the best lecture he had ever heard. I was only able to attend his fourth and final lecture today and I was impressed, even though the subject isn’t one of foremost interest to me. Mohler knows how to communicate well and to put the cookies on (almost) the bottom shelf. For much of the message I was trying to figure out where the teleprompters were – he simply was speaking too eloquently and without looking at notes (and moving his head back and forth sort of rhythmically like a president giving the State of the Union address). Afterwards though, I checked the area personally and found no teleprompters. Maybe he has given this talk too many times before, or maybe his intellect and memory are truly amazing. From a conversation I had with a professor today who was part of a faculty meeting yesterday where they had time to question him, the reality is apparently the latter. In any case, you can watch those lectures at the DTS chapel website. They’re each about 35 minutes long.
A quick Google search came up with this article by Mohler on “The New Atheism?” which probably has some of the same ideas in briefer form and without reference to Hitchens’ more recent work.
Everyone I know who has personally met Dr. Mohler says he is a very intelligent man, so your impression of him is shared.
Todd…
Al is brilliant. That’s one reason I would love to go to his seminary later, once I take some time off.
Sorry I never emailed you yet. Been cruising any deathly mountainsides in Landrovers lately (in Dallas, of course)?
Adam – there’s no mountains, there’s not even hills. Landrover here are funny; they’re for driving on freeways. Nope, it’s just me, my computer, and lots of books.