In an interview with Stuart Jeffries in the Guardian, Rowan Williams has a nice little dig at Dawkins – he’s calmly patronising, seemingly by accident.
“As he escorts me from his study, he tells me he admires Dawkins. “There’s something about his swashbuckling side which is endearing.” He invited atheism’s high priest and his wife to a Lambeth Palace party last year. “They were absolutely delightful.”
Again, classic Williams: the better man being nice about his foe…But the real reason the Dawkins were invited is unexpected. “My son wanted to meet Mrs Dawkins.” Why? “She was in Doctor Who.” Really? “Oh yes. She played an assistant when Tom Baker was the Doctor.” “
More seriously, Williams’ rationale for writing a book about Dostoyevsky is interesting. “I hope it encourages [Christians] to be aware that there are writers and thinkers who’ve plumbed the depths, who’ve looked at humanity in its shadows as well as its triumphs, but who still think it’s worth sticking with the Christian gospel.”
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