Larry Taunton

Larry Taunton
Born (1967-05-24) May 24, 1967[1]
Occupation Author, public speaker
Nationality American
Genre Christian spirituality history
Website
www.fixed-point.org

Larry Alex Taunton (born, May 24, 1967) is an American author, columnist, contributor to The Atlantic, and cultural commentator based out of Birmingham, Alabama who serves as the Executive Director of Fixed Point Foundation, a non-profit dedicated to the public defense of the Christian faith.[2] Larry Taunton's work has been covered by the BBC,[3] The New York Times,[4] and many others.[5][6][7]

Career

Larry Taunton has personally engaged some of the most outspoken opponents of Christianity, including Richard Dawkins, Christopher Hitchens,[8] and Peter Singer.[9] In 2007, he organized "The God Delusion Debate"[10] on the merits of Dawkins' arguments against Christianity as set forth in his bestselling book, The God Delusion. The discussion was heard by over a million people worldwide. In 2008, he chaired a follow-up debate at the University of Oxford. In 2010, Taunton publicly debated Christopher Hitchens.[11] In 2015, he debated atheist Daniel Dennett and imam Zaid Shakir on Al Jazeera America,[12] as well as skeptic writer Michael Shermer.[13] In addition to producing several Fixed Point films,[14] Larry, along with his team, launched LookUp316.com[15] in February 2011, a project that displayed the message of John 3:16 before a Super Bowl audience. He has also been a guest on a variety of television and radio shows, and has been quoted by the New York Times and Vanity Fair,[16] among other newspapers and magazines.[17][18][19]

When not writing, teaching, or producing, Taunton travels widely, speaking on issues of faith and culture.[20]

In 2016, Taunton published a book entitled The Faith of Christopher Hitchens about his friendship with the late atheist, in which he claimed that Hitchens seemed to be reevaluating his religious options, "if only theoretically," after his cancer diagnosis.[21] But the author is nonetheless clear that he does not believe Christopher Hitchens made a deathbed conversion: "I make no Lady Hope-like claims regarding Christopher Hitchens. As we have seen, there were no reports of a deathbed conversion."[22]

Personal life

Taunton was born at Fort Benning, Georgia. He and his wife, Lauri, have four children and live in Birmingham, Alabama.[2]

Published works

References

  1. ↑ "Larry Alex Taunton". Facebook. Retrieved 2016-05-25.
  2. 1 2 "Larry Taunton official author site". Retrieved September 1, 2015.
  3. ↑ "Has Science Buried God?". BBC. October 15, 2008. Retrieved September 23, 2013.
  4. ↑ Mark Oppenheimer (February 4, 2011). "Super Bowl Ads Will Leave a Religious Question Unanswered". The New York Times. Retrieved August 26, 2011.
  5. ↑ Sam Cohen (January 31, 2011). "FOX Sports Rejects Another Religious Super Bowl Ad". Retrieved August 26, 2011.
  6. ↑ Joanna Sudgen (October 4, 2007). "Richard Dawkins debates in the Bible Belt". The Times. Retrieved August 26, 2011.
  7. ↑ Melanie Phillips (October 23, 2008). "Richard Dawkins still evolving?". The Spectator. Retrieved August 26, 2011.
  8. ↑ Ed Kemmick (October 23, 2010). "City Lights: Billings blessed with spectacle of mix of beliefs". Billings Gazette. Retrieved August 26, 2011.
  9. ↑ "Archived copy". Archived from the original on September 2, 2011. Retrieved August 26, 2011.
  10. ↑ "Scholars match wits over God's existence | AL.com". Blog.al.com. 2007-10-04. Retrieved 2016-05-25.
  11. ↑ "Christopher Hitchens vs Larry Taunton Pre-Debate Interview". YouTube. Fixed Point Foundation. May 30, 2013. Retrieved September 1, 2015.
  12. ↑ "Does Religion Do More Harm Than Good?". Third Rail. Al Jazeera America. May 14, 2015. Retrieved September 1, 2015.
  13. ↑ "Michael Shermer & Larry Taunton in Conversation". Fixed Point Foundation. April 23, 2015. Retrieved September 1, 2015.
  14. ↑ "Archived copy". Archived from the original on August 23, 2011. Retrieved August 26, 2011.
  15. ↑ "John 3:16 Super Bowl Commercial". LookUp 316. Retrieved 2016-05-25.
  16. ↑ Christopher Hitchens (October 2010). "Unanswerable Prayers". Vanity Fair. Retrieved August 26, 2011.
  17. ↑ Cathy Lynn Grossman (February 7, 2011). "Super Bowl miracle? 'Rejected' Bible verse ad runs anyway". USA Today. Retrieved August 26, 2011.
  18. ↑ Lewis Bazley (February 4, 2011). "John 3:16 Super Bowl advert rejected for 'religious content'". Daily Mail. Retrieved August 26, 2011.
  19. ↑ "John 3:16 Super Bowl Ad Rejected". The Atlantic Wire. February 3, 2011. Retrieved August 26, 2011.
  20. ↑ Larry Alex Taunton (14 November 2011). The Grace Effect: How the Power of One Life Can Reverse the Corruption of Unbelief. Thomas Nelson Inc. p. 237. ISBN 978-1-59555-441-3. Retrieved 2 September 2015.
  21. ↑ Taunton, Larry (2016). The Faith of Christopher Hitchens: The Restless Soul of the World's Most Notorious Atheist. Nashville: Thomas Nelson. p. 113. ISBN 978-0-7180-2217-4.
  22. ↑ Taunton, Larry (2016). The Faith of Christopher Hitchens: The Restless Soul of the World's Most Notorious Atheist. Nashville: Thomas Nelson. p. 171. ISBN 978-0-7180-2217-4.

External links

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