ALPHA speaker Nicky Gumbel’s new book Is God a Delusion? was published in July and has been praised by Nobel prize-winning scientist Sir John Houghton.

Sir John, who won the Nobel Peace Prize for his work with the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, said, ‘Nicky Gumbel on the one hand skilfully exposes the weakness of the arguments of atheists like Dawkins; on the other he presents the towering figure of Jesus, a powerful force in the lives of some of the greatest scientists of all time and who today is one above all others whose influence in the world is so desperately required.’

The new book, which is based on a series of three talks given by Nicky Gumbel at Sunday services at Holy Trinity Brompton, has also been endorsed by the Roman Catholic Archbishop of Vienna, Cardinal Christoph Schonborn, who wrote, ‘Dawkins’ attack against religion has the advantage of being blunt and direct.

‘Nicky Gumbel has no other weapon in reply than the thousand-fold experience he has witnessed through the Alpha course. Can a delusion really have such an effect?’