Larry Taunton

Larry Taunton has personally engaged some of the most outspoken opponents of Christianity, including Richard Dawkins, Christopher Hitchens,{{cite news|url=http://billingsgazette.com/news/opinion/blogs/city-lights/article_764ac5b0-df21-11df-8ba4-001cc4c002e0.html?mode=story|title=City Lights: Billings blessed with spectacle of mix of beliefs|author=Ed Kemmick|newspaper=Billings Gazette|date=October 23, 2010|accessdate=August 26, 2011}} and Peter Singer.{{cite web|url=http://www.fixed-point.org/index.php/debates/497-isthereagod |title=Is There a God? |accessdate=August 26, 2011 |url-status=dead |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20110902162457/http://fixed-point.org/index.php/debates/497-isthereagod |archivedate=September 2, 2011 }} In 2007, he organized "The God Delusion Debate"{{cite web|url=http://blog.al.com/spotnews/2007/10/scholars_match_wits_over_gods.html |title=Scholars match wits over God's existence | AL.com |website=Blog.al.com |date=October 4, 2007 |accessdate=May 25, 2016}} between Dawkins and Christian apologist John Lennox concerning 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.{{cite web|url = https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_ZCqOHaRRXk|title = Christopher Hitchens vs Larry Taunton Pre-Debate Interview|date = May 30, 2013|accessdate = September 1, 2015|website = YouTube|publisher = Fixed Point Foundation|last = |first = }} In 2015, he debated atheist Daniel Dennett and imam Zaid Shakir on Al Jazeera America,{{cite web|url = http://america.aljazeera.com/watch/shows/third-rail/multimedia/2015/5/does-religion-do-more-harm-than-good1.html|title = Does Religion Do More Harm Than Good?|date = May 14, 2015|accessdate = September 1, 2015|website = Third Rail|publisher = Al Jazeera America|last = |first = }} as well as skeptic writer Michael Shermer.{{cite web|url = http://www.fixed-point.org/index.php/pastevents/52-general/901-shermer-taunton-conversation|title = Michael Shermer & Larry Taunton in Conversation|date = April 23, 2015|accessdate = September 1, 2015|website = |publisher = Fixed Point Foundation|last = |first = }} 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,{{cite magazine|url=http://www.vanityfair.com/culture/features/2010/10/hitchens-201010|title=Unanswerable Prayers|author=Christopher Hitchens|magazine=Vanity Fair|date=October 2010|accessdate=August 26, 2011}} among other newspapers and magazines.{{cite news|url=http://content.usatoday.com/communities/Religion/post/2011/02/super-bowl-ads-green-bay-god-bible/1|title=Super Bowl miracle? 'Rejected' Bible verse ad runs anyway|newspaper=USA Today|date=February 7, 2011|author=Cathy Lynn Grossman|accessdate=August 26, 2011}}{{cite web|url=http://www.theatlanticwire.com/entertainment/2011/02/john-3-16-super-bowl-ad-rejected/17850/|title=John 3:16 Super Bowl Ad Rejected|publisher=The Atlantic Wire|date=February 3, 2011|accessdate=August 26, 2011}}

When not writing, teaching, or producing, Taunton travels widely, speaking on issues of faith and culture.{{cite book|author=Larry Alex Taunton|title=The Grace Effect: How the Power of One Life Can Reverse the Corruption of Unbelief|url=https://archive.org/details/graceeffecthowpo0000taun|url-access=registration|accessdate=September 2, 2015|date=November 14, 2011|publisher=Thomas Nelson Inc|isbn=978-1-59555-441-3|page=[https://archive.org/details/graceeffecthowpo0000taun/page/237 237]}}

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 re-evaluating his religious options, "if only theoretically," after his cancer diagnosis.{{Cite book|title=The Faith of Christopher Hitchens: The Restless Soul of the World's Most Notorious Atheist|last=Taunton|first=Larry|publisher=Thomas Nelson|year=2016|isbn=978-0-7180-2217-4|location=Nashville|page=113}} 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."{{Cite book|title=The Faith of Christopher Hitchens: The Restless Soul of the World's Most Notorious Atheist|last=Taunton|first=Larry|publisher=Thomas Nelson|year=2016|isbn=978-0-7180-2217-4|location=Nashville|page=171}}

In 2020, Taunton published a book entitled Around the World in (More Than) 80 Days about his experiences in other countries, and contrasting those experiences with America. His writing frequently promotes Cultural Marxism conspiracy theory.{{cite web| url = https://www.christianpost.com/news/christian-scholar-says-twitter-refused-to-promote-his-article-linking-marxism-to-riots.html| title = Christian scholar says Twitter refused to promote his article linking Marxism to riots | last = Fussell | first = Blake | date = July 28, 2020 | website = christianpost.com | access-date = November 2, 2022 }}https://twitter.com/LarryTaunton/status/1559264419074514949{{cite web | url=https://rumble.com/vfv9jn-larry-taunton-applies-marxism-to-current-political-landscape-surrounding-vo.html | title=Larry Taunton Applies Marxism to Current Political Landscape Surrounding Voting Integrity }}

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

In October 2015, Taunton was nearly fatally injured when hit while cycling, suffering 39 broken bones including a skull fracture, his jaw, 19 breaks in his neck and back, all ribs on the right side of his body, and a punctured lung and massive internal hemorrhaging.{{cite web |last1=Taunton |first1=Larry |title=Ye of Brittle Faith |url=https://www.firstthings.com/article/2017/02/ye-of-brittle-faith |website=First Things |date=February 2017 |accessdate=September 19, 2019 |language=en}}{{cite web |last1=Garrison |first1=Greg |title=Christian debater nearly killed in bike wreck reflects on those who saved him |url=https://www.al.com/living/2016/01/christian_debater_nearly_kille.html |website=AL.com |language=en |date=January 8, 2016}}

In the fall of 2017, Taunton resigned as the executive director of Fixed Point Foundation citing a lack of recovery since his injury and manic pace of work. In 2018, Taunton admitted that he "had engaged in inappropriate (consensual) behavior outside the bonds of my marriage some time ago" for which he received "marriage and personal counseling," without publicly offering details of the timeline in which these event occurred.{{cite web|url=http://larryalextaunton.com/blog/statement-larry-taunton/|title=Statement of Larry Taunton|last=Taunton|first=Larry|date=February 7, 2018|website=larryalextaunton.com|publisher=Larry Alex Taunton|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180210003209/http://larryalextaunton.com/blog/statement-larry-taunton/|url-status=live|access-date=February 9, 2018|archive-date=February 10, 2018}} His resignation came "after he was confronted about allegations that he had inappropriate relationships with two young women on the ministry staff."{{cite web| url = http://www.al.com/living/index.ssf/2018/02/founder_of_christian_ministry.html| title = Founder of Christian ministry resigns, admits inappropriate behavior | last = Garrison | first = Greg | date = February 7, 2018 | website = al.com | publisher = Advance Publications | access-date = February 8, 2018 }}

In September 2019, the board of Fixed Point Foundation unanimously reinstated Taunton as executive director, stating, "Larry accomplished more than most of us thought possible, often at great personal risk and sacrifice. It is not wholly uncommon for people in high profile work to suffer their own setbacks, and Larry did. But he faced it with courage and dignity and he has done all that we have asked of him and more these last two years. Furthermore, it has become clear to us that God’s call upon his life is unchanged.".{{cite web |title=An Important Announcement from Fixed Point – LAT |date=September 11, 2019|url=https://larryalextaunton.com/2019/09/an-important-announcement-from-fixed-point}}{{cite web |last1=Garrison |first1=Greg |title=Birmingham ministry founder reinstated after scandal |url=https://www.al.com/news/2019/09/birmingham-ministry-founder-reinstated-after-scandal.html |website=AL.com |language=en |date=September 16, 2019}} The letter did not discuss additional details surrounding Taunton's prior resignation or Fixed Point Foundation's future work. Although several members of the board of Fixed Point Foundation had resigned between 2015 and 2018,{{Cite web|url=https://www.christianweek.org/christian-apologist-larry-taunton-resigns-inappropriate-extramarital-behavior/|title=Christian Apologist Larry Taunton Resigns After Inappropriate Extramarital Behavior|date=February 9, 2018}} the letter was signed by "a founding member of the Fixed Point Foundation Board in 2003."

• The Grace Effect: How the Power of One Life Can Reverse the Corruption of Unbelief, 2011 (Thomas Nelson) {{ISBN|1-59555440-8}}
• The Faith of Christopher Hitchens: The Restless Soul of the World's Most Notorious Atheist, 2016 (Thomas Nelson) {{ISBN|0-71802217-3}}
• Around the World in (More Than) 80 Days: Discovering What Makes America Great and Why We Must Fight to Save It, 2020 (Fidelis Books) {{ISBN|1-64293592-1}}

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• [http://www.fixed-point.org/ Official web site of Fixed Point Foundation]
• [http://www.larrytaunton.com/ Larry Taunton official author website]
• [http://www.graceeffect.com The Grace Effect book]
• [http://larrytaunton.com/latest-articles/ Articles published by Larry Taunton]
• [http://www.lookup316.com/ LookUp 316 super bowl commercial website]
• {{C-SPAN|9274431}}

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Category:Living people

Category:1967 births

Category:Writers from Alabama

Category:American Christians

Category:American critics of Islam

Category:American male writers

Category:American critics of atheism