Christopher Hitchens — one of the most outspoken atheists out there — was recently interviewed by Marilyn Sewell of The Portland Monthly. Hitchens is the author of the book “God Is Not Great”. In the interview, Hitchens has an amazingly concise and accurate understanding (at least, in theory) of the Christian faith.
SEWELL: The religion you cite in your book is generally the fundamentalist faith of various kinds. I’m a liberal Christian, and I don’t take the stories from the scripture literally. I don’t believe in the doctrine of atonement (that Jesus died for our sins, for example). Do you make and distinction between fundamentalist faith and liberal religion?
HITCHENS: I would say that if you don’t believe that Jesus of Nazareth was the Christ and Messiah, and that he rose again from the dead and by his sacrifice our sins are forgiven, you’re really not in any meaningful sense a Christian.
Well said, Chris.
BEN DUBOW 
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