Letter to the Editor

To the Editor
New York Times Book Review

Re: “In God, Distrust” (May 13, 2007)

Oh my goodness. Did you even try to find someone theologically literate to review the Hitchens book? ["God is Not Great: How Religions Poison Everything"] Michael Kinsley, a columnist for “Time,” accepts too readily Hitchens’ atheist fundamentalism, e.g., God = religion = biblican literalism. That premise displays intellectual sloppiness. Hey! We have science now! Hey! There's evil in the world! Wow, what news.

Another example: "How could Christ have died for our sins when supposedly he also did not die at all?" The Christian kerygma states: "Christ has died. Christ is risen. Christ will come again." Don't know what kerygma means? Kinsley admits he's out of his depth: "Whether sallies like these give pause to the believer is a question I can't answer."

Where Kinsley knows his stuff-- background on Hitchens’ personality and work-- his review is highly entertaining. However, to critique Hitchens' ideas you should have found a theological writer, someone like Martin Marty or Madeleine L’Engle. Or at least an atheist with accurate information about what he is rejecting, like the Jew who wrote, "Why I don't believe in G_d."

That you did not reflects badly on your editorial judgment.

Sincerely yours,