When Your Neighbor Accepts Christianity as Good (but Not True)
By Andy Bannister, TGC.
A growing number of public intellectuals have recently taken to making statements to the effect that Christianity, although in their mind untrue, is nevertheless good for society. Perhaps the most startling was world-famous atheist and one of the so-called Four Horsemen of the New Atheism, Richard Dawkins. In an interview for the U.K. radio station LBC, Dawkins described himself as “a cultural Christian” and expressed how grateful he is to live in a Christian country, with the values that come with that.
Similarly, Douglas Murray, a well-known journalist and author, has also acknowledged Christianity’s crucial role in shaping Western civilization, especially foundational values such as human rights and freedom of expression. Murray has even gone so far as to call himself a “Christian atheist”—in that he deeply appreciates Christianity’s values but doesn’t believe it’s true. When asked what it’d take for him to believe, Murray replied, “I’d need to hear a voice.”
Another surprising traveler on this road is Ayaan Hirsi Ali. She grew up in Africa and became a deeply committed Muslim in her teens, but after the 9/11 attacks forced her to ask tough questions about Islam, she became an atheist. Her book Infidel gained her a huge public profile (as well as death threats), and she regularly hung out with people like Richard Dawkins and Christopher Hitchens. But then in November 2023, she stunned the world by announcing she’d become a Christian—a change made in part because she feared that all she loves about the West has its roots in Christianity. Hirsi Ali was influenced by the historian Tom Holland, who has also gained a name for himself in recent years by publicly advocating for Christianity while doubting it’s true.
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