From a friend in the UK:

A lot of my reading recently, to state it as succinctly as I can, has related to the role of faith in our society. With the problems of Islamic terrorism in our country there is an upsurge in secularism and atheism (as well as fear and intolerance).

Two books are dominating the press: The God Delusion by Richard Dawkins. There is something to be learned from the fact that when Dawkins spoke at the Hay Literature Festival earlier this year he received rapturous applause. God Is Not Great: How Religion Poisons Everything by Christopher Hitchens – this is the more significant – simply because of the writer’s hard-earned credibility in the field of journalism.

A writer in the Guardian who contends earnestly for faith and is Madeleine Bunting. Here’s one of her articles: The New Atheists loathe religion far too much to plausibly challenge it: http://www.guardian.co.uk/commentisfree/story/0,,2074076,00.html

The Michael Novak article, she refers to, is very helpful – its long but its worthwhile.

Christianity Today has a very edifying review of Dawkins’ book: The Dawkins Confusion http://www.christianitytoday.com/bc/2007/002/1.21.html

One of the pillars the secularists and atheists build upon is the “Enlightenment”. Here is an interesting article by Madeleine Bunting that questions the reasonableness of them doing that: The convenient myth that changed a set of ideas into western values http://www.guardian.co.uk/commentisfree/story/0,,1750579,00.html

There is a lecture by the Archbishop of Canterbury that is foundational on the subject of the role of the state and its relationship with faith/religion. At the end he discusses issues that relate to Muslims in this country. It was given to an academic audience and when I read it there were times when I had to break down some of his paragraphs into shorter sentences to be able to understand what he is saying. It is Secularism, Faith and Freedom http://www.archbishopofcanterbury.org/sermons_speeches/061123a.htm

The way we went to war in Iraq has prompted a discussion on both sides of the Atlantic about the reality of democracy itself e.g. Al Gore’s book Assault on Reason. I think this merits a lot of attention by those who minister in the context of today’s media.

Unrelated to the foregoing: here, in three parts, is a non-controversial discussion about religion with Atwood Margaret on the US PBS channel. I loved it.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VMrz_ivl8jo http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QmVD7XcRb6Y http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TPDt73n7HD0

I hope you find these helpful. I pray that all is well with your soul. The JM website has something to do with the difference between my spiritual misery and happiness. Thanks.