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David Bentley Hart, a historian of ideas, Atheist Delusions: The Christian Revolution and Its Fashionable Enemies , examines "faith and reason" to provide historical context for what has happened with New Atheists. The New Atheists, he contends, propagate a myth in telling the story of (Western) civilization. Namely, that the Age of Faith was an age of superstition and the Age of Reason one of enlightenment, and the former is to be applauded for putting the former into the past. In fact, if all were so reasonable, our society would be improved. Hart thinks this is nonsense in a number of ways.

How often do we hear the story that the medieval age was the "dark" ages? That the "dark" ages ended when classical civilization was rediscovered in the Italian renaissance? That the church was to blame for that age being "dark"? Can we not see that when the Faith was growing, it was committed more to the Faith than to Plato and Aristotle? But that during that same time folks like Boethius in the West was doing what he could to keep the classics alive? That during this time the East was absorbing and reading the greats of Western civilization? And who is to say that the classics were always humane?

In chp 6 he takes on Jonathan Kirsch one more time, and Kirsch is a much-published critic of the Bible and history and religion. Kirsch is not match for Hart when it comes to comprehending the history of the Church. Kirsch describes the "Dark Ages" as do other myth-makers: "an era of obscurantism, stagnation, and terror in the service of true belief" (49). 

Here is a fascinating new Barna study.

How true is this to your experience? (Any suggestions about how to measure "orthodox biblical response"?)

"On all 9 of the belief statements tested, attenders of large churches were more likely than those engaged in a small or mid-sized congregation to give an orthodox biblical response - e.g., the Bible is totally accurate in all the principles it teaches, Satan is not merely symbolic but exists, Jesus led a sinless life, God is the all-knowing, all-powerful creator of the world who still rules the universe, etc."

Religious Beliefs of Protestants, by Congregational Size
(N=1,334)

Belief description*	1-100**	101-200	201-499	500-999	1000+
Bible is totally accurate in all the principles it teaches	60%	63%	70%	67%	75%
Have personal responsibility to tell others your beliefs	41	44	47	53	61
Your religious faith is very important in your life	82	83	90	88	90
Satan/devil is a living being not just a symbol of evil	30	29	36	38	51
A good person cannot earn a place in Heaven	33	39	47	48	55
On earth Jesus Christ did not commit sins, like other people	49	50	59	65	74
God is the omnipotent, omniscient creator who rules all	81	81	86	86	90
Born again Christian (see definition below)	63	64	69	81	75
Evangelical Christian (see definition below)	9	11	21	24	25
Number of respondents in this subgroup	547	306	247	120	114

* these are descriptions of the actual survey questions, not the wording of the questions actually used in the research.
** Adult attendance on an average weekend

I got this letter last Friday, July 3d, as a comment on a post and I want to post it today to generate a conversation. What is your advice?

Dear Scot,

I'm not a Christian and don't intend becoming one. However, my children are and I get the distinct impression that they think they are somehow above me, better than me. They push me away because I refuse to convert.
 
This is one of many reasons that I have an absolute aversion to Christianity. In my experience (all 55 years of it) they have no respect whatsoever for any other faith except their own.

Advise please!!! 

Mark Noll, in his new and paradigm-challenging book, The New Shape of World Christianity: How American Experience Reflects Global Faith, argues that American Christianity's influence in world Christianity cannot be explained adequately by the colonialism theory. Instead, he argues that it is the peculiar character of American, esp Protestant evangelical, Christianity that ties in with social trends in other countries that makes American Christianity so influential.

I cannot emphasize enough the significance of this thesis -- and every pastor, professor and anyone who speaks to the media about Christianity's presence in the world needs to read this book. Especially chp. 7.

So what are the peculiarities of American (Protestant, evangelical) Christianity? (Let us remind ourselves that some need to hear that American Christianity is a version of Christianity.) Noll sums up the scholarship that leads to these characteristics and leanings:

I don't know if you have heard this, but many have charged missionaries with colonialism and with connecting the gospel to consumerism, mass communication, materiaism, individualism, and capitalism that damages native cultures.  In Mark Noll's new book, The New Shape of World Christianity: How American Experience Reflects Global Faith this set of accusations is given a hearing.

He first sketches the evidence about Russia and does not find sufficient evidence to say much of substance. There are accusations about American evangelical missionaries being insensitive to Russian history, culture, and the Orthodox Church.

The issue, because of the intense study and wide-ranging accusations, concerns indigenous peoples. The indictments are serious -- and I've given most of them above. What has been the response?

Does counting missionaries help? In Mark Noll's new book, The New Shape of World Christianity: How American Experience Reflects Global Faith, the implication is that counting tells us some important things: the prominence of Protestant missionaries and the especially...

It is common to make two claims today: 1. That the Church in Europe is in a steady decline and heading toward distinction extinction. The dearth of births to Christians -- Italy's birth rate is at 1.28 while 2.1...

Mark Noll, professor at Notre Dame and America's foremost church historian (or at least close), has a new book called The New Shape of World Christianity: How American Experience Reflects Global Faith, and the book explores how American Christianity...