Saturday, March 26, 2016

Recommend-a-blog (18)

Larry Taunton is the author of 2011’s well-reviewed The Grace Effect: How the Power of One Life Can Reverse the Corruption of Unbelief and the author of the forthcoming The Faith of Christopher Hitchens, which I will probably have to purchase on the basis of the title alone.

Taunton is a Christian columnist and cultural commentator primarily known for organizing “The God Delusion Debate” with Richard Dawkins in 2007, a discussion to which at least a million people tuned in. He was friendly with the late Christopher Hitchens (hence the book, presumably).

He has also recently taken up blogging.

I’d give a (qualified) thumbs up to what Larry and his crew are doing so far, though there are really no more than a handful of blog posts from Taunton himself about which to form any kind of judgment. The site itself is attractive, clean and legible — all bonuses. The posts to date are generally short, and some a little Facebook-y. (“Had breakfast with journalist Peter Hitchens. It is a cold, yet beautiful day here in London” makes an interesting start, but doesn’t really go anywhere.)

Other posts are amusing, clever and light, like this one comparing world religions to the annual NCAA basketball tournament.

At least half the content is primarily of value for the material it links to. The breakfast in London post links to a decent (Peter) Hitchens article and an interview with Taunton about his faith; the Oxford University post links (rather indirectly, through an older promotional post) to a series of debates between prominent atheists and Christians like John Lennox. All are well worth the time, and it’s good to see them preserved somewhere other than the sometimes-grimy YouTube.

These links make for a decent one-stop atheism resource, but currently the blog’s purpose seems largely (and perhaps disappointingly) promotional. I’m inclined to check in from time to time to see how it evolves and whether it develops into anything more substantial and edifying in its own right.

And I’ll probably have something to say about the Hitchens book in April.

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