Even though a recent conversation with a publisher informed me that this admission makes me something of Lit Geek, I love books of letters, conversations coming to life in print (this explains much of my impulse for my last book – please forgive the shameless plug). I’m not quite sure if email banter is quite the same, but I have discovered that I still enjoy the voyeuristic experience. Recently, I read Is Belief in God Good, Bad or Irrelevant, an email conversation between Greg Graffin, the front man for the punk band Bad Religion and Preston Jones, a history prof at John Brown University.
Graffin is not your normal punk rocker. He has a Ph.D. in zoology, and his dissertation topic explored the interplay between evolution, atheism and naturalism. Jones was a fan of Bad Religion’s music and one day sent a quick note to Graffin thanking him for his art. Months of emails followed, and the dialogue was fascinating. Graffin believes there is no evidence that points to a deity, and Jones is a committed theist. The conversation between the two pretty much covered the full terrain: evil, human knowledge, evolution, odd Christians, hating God, free will – and even fan mail.
A quick read, these conversations model good Christian friendship and dialogue. And, I must add, good atheistic friendship and dialogue too – Graffin was equally open and generous.
peace / Winn
