Carl Evans Jr. has spent a lifetime talking about religion and pondering the role of faith.
On Sunday, the retired USC religion professor will talk about faith in American life and why he believes four prominent atheists are wrong when they blame religion for the world's ills and denounce it as an unscientific anachronism.
His address before the Community Church of the Midlands will focus on the writings of four "new atheists." Sam Harris, Richard Dawkins, Daniel Dennett, and Christopher Hitchens have written best-selling books denouncing belief in God as either mysticism gone awry or a threat to modern political life.
"We are living in a time when not only religious extremism is a concern, but we are also dealing with secularism and modernism," Evans, the former chairman of the USC Department of Religious Studies, said this week.
"All of them are pointing to some realities that concern everyone: The religious extremism in the world and the way that religious extremism often turn violent."
But he suggests that the authors are cherry-picking religion, reading the Bible with the same literal eye that they find so ironic among the religious. Their arguments dismiss the love, community and good works that define those who see spirituality and religion as a vital part of life, he said.
"There is no room in the new atheists' view of God for the Christian notion of a God of infinite love," he said. "Such a view of God cannot be proved by empirical evidence, but Christians know the value of trusting infinite love to give life coherence, meaning, and hope."
Evans believes the authors view religion as "mindless belief in ancient and outdated ideas" without regard for the evolving scholarship of theologians over centuries, he said.
The Rev. John Whatley III said the discussion fits in with the spirit of the Community Church of the Midlands. Aligned with the progressive Alliance of Baptists, the congregation considers itself a place for those who ask deep questions about life and the meaning of faith in it.
"We try to engage in creative dialogue while maintaining Christian identity," Whatley, the senior minister, said. He said the church also offers "a safe and welcoming environment" to those who are exploring faith or who have "been burned by inauthentic expressions of faith."
The Evans presentation is part of the church's once a month "enlightenment series."
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