God's Defenders: What They Believe and Why They Are Wrong

This monograph presents a comprehensive critique of contemporary theistic philosophy, systematically examining and refuting the major arguments advanced by prominent defenders of religious belief in the late twentieth and early twenty-first centuries. Joshi structures his analysis around detailed engagements with specific thinkers, including William Lane Craig, Alvin Plantinga, Richard Swinburne, and John Hick, among others, treating each as a representative of broader trends in modern apologetics.

The work adopts a polemical stance characteristic of the New Atheist movement, though it predates the publication of several landmark texts in that genre. Joshi employs philosophical analysis combined with historical criticism to dismantle what he considers the intellectual pretensions of sophisticated theology. His method involves close textual examination of his opponents' arguments, followed by systematic refutation that draws on both logical analysis and empirical considerations.

Central to Joshi's critique is his contention that modern theistic philosophy, despite its technical sophistication, ultimately fails to overcome fundamental logical and evidential problems that have plagued religious belief since the Enlightenment. He argues that contemporary defenders of theism engage in increasingly convoluted reasoning to preserve beliefs that lack empirical support. The author pays particular attention to the problem of evil, the coherence of divine attributes, and the epistemological status of religious experience.

The monograph situates itself within a broader secular humanist tradition, explicitly aligning with naturalistic philosophy while rejecting what Joshi perceives as the intellectual compromises of religious moderates and liberal theologians. His treatment extends beyond pure philosophy to encompass critiques of intelligent design theory, religious responses to evolutionary biology, and attempts to ground morality in divine command.

Joshi's contribution to the God debate lies in his comprehensive survey of contemporary theistic thought from an unapologetically atheistic perspective. While his aggressive tone and dismissive treatment of religious philosophy may limit the work's appeal to committed theists, it serves as a forceful statement of rationalist opposition to religious belief. The monograph functions both as an introduction to major figures in modern Christian philosophy for secular readers and as a manifesto for philosophical atheism. His work exemplifies the confrontational approach to religious criticism that would become more prominent in subsequent years, making it a significant document in early twenty-first century atheist literature.