Richard Dawkins and the Johari Window

Richard Dawkins and the Johari Window

I've got a bunch of books on my shelf waiting to be read. Two of them are Richard Dawkins' "The God Delusion" and Alister McGrath's reply "Dawkins' God". The first one was given to me by a friend who is an atheist -although he doesn't agree with Dawkins' approach or all of his ideas. The second one I picked up from a Christian bookstore last time I was in Perth.

I've got to admit that I'm tempted to read the second (shorter!) book as a way of killing 2 birds with one stone. It would tell me what Dawkins is on about and why he's on the wrong track, all in one go. I think that's a dangerous path to go down though.

I think we've got to be able to hear ideas from outside our own perspective and listen to them with a sense of careful openness, even if those ideas might be uncomfortable for us to hear. Much of what we hear might be rubbish, but there might be some really important truths that we need to hear if we are going to connect with where people are at and how they are thinking. We also might need to admit that there are some valid criticisms of how we (the Church) have thought, spoken and conducted ourselves that need to be addressed.

One tool that I find very helpful is the Johari Window - do a web search to find out more about it, but here's one way of drawing it:


Most of the time, we look for people to tell us what we already know, or to tell us new reasons why what we already know and do is right! We buy books and listen to people who we already know we like and agree with. As a result we get stuck in patterns of thinking and behaving which stifle growth and maturity.

So I'm going to do my best to make time to read "The God Delusion". There'll be times when I agree with what Dawkins' is saying and there'll be times when I think I know better (He's wrong and he doesn't know it!). However there will be some things that I learn from him which may also be of great use to me in my personal and intellectual growth. I'll also acknowledge that there will be some times when both he and I don't know as much as we think, and by listening to guys like Alister McGrath I will gain valuable perspective outside that of Richard Dawkins and myself. In the process of this whole discussion I will be trusting God to guide me in right paths, and even though it doesn't attempt to be a scientific textbook, the divinely inspired truths of the bible will have final authority because they have been tried and tested and more than anything else in this life, I know them to be true.