Nearly 500 parishioners and guests packed St. Mary Church in Barnegat July 10 to hear Dr. Scott Hahn, author and professor of theology and scripture at the Franciscan University of Steubenville, Ohio, speak on the signs of God’s existence and on the sacrament of Reconciliation.

Hahn captivated his audience with a discussion drawing from his expertise in theology, personal experience and observations from living and teaching in a highly secular world.

“I have given talks on reasons to believe for the last 20 years,” said Hahn, “but in the last five, I have had to include a treatment of the existence and the attributes of God … because of an aggressive form of unbelief known as ‘The New Atheism,’” which targets youth and those lacking a strong knowledge of their faith.

He reported how state universities and even high schools now sponsor clubs for atheists—and funding goes to purchase books such as “The God Delusion” by Richard Dawkins.

Two of Hahn’s former students read Dawkins’ book and then renounced their faith. Hahn engaged the young men in an ongoing discussion about the book and their newly-found atheism. Those e-mails and conversations resulted in Hahn’s book, “Answering the New Atheism,” in which he dismantled Dawkins’ case against the existence of God.

Hahn sent each of them a copy of his book, even though he doubted they would read it. “They did,” Hahn said, “and they came back not only to belief in God but practicing their Catholic faith with gratitude.”

Hahn recommended that Catholics read The Catechism of the Catholic Church, which “sets forth that all created things point to the existence of God. Human reason is capable of attaining true knowledge of the Creator, but there are obstacles: the impact of the senses, sin and disordered appetites, so that men persuade themselves what they would not like to be true is false or deceitful.”

Born a Presbyterian, Hahn declared himself an atheist at age 13. He admitted that his rejection of God was not rooted in persuasive arguments so much as in the freedoms it allowed him — until his choices almost landed him in jail.

Eventually he found his way back to God and to the seminary. When he was ordained a minister in 1982, he dedicated himself to disproving the validity of the Catholic Church.

Ironically, his studies demonstrated that Catholicism was firmly rooted in Scripture; proved to him it was the one, true faith, and led him to become Catholic in 1986. In 1995, he received a doctorate in theology from Marquette University.

Today his mission is to bring disaffected Catholics back to the faith and to foster the laypersons’ understanding of their Church.

Speaking on “the medicine of God’s mercy,” Hahn gave a compelling affirmation of the sacrament of Penance. When he counseled fellow Presbyterian ministers who had been unfaithful to their spouses, he had a foreshadowing of the need for confession. Their theology that repentance is unnecessary because Jesus saved them hindered the restoration of their marriages.

“Forgiveness and confession are necessary for wholeness. Sin is more than broken laws,” he said. “It is broken lives, hearts, and homes.”

He urged the audience to seek God’s mercy “as penitents, not as convicts in this underrated sacrament.”

At the day’s end, the audience— many of whom took notes — expressed praise for the lessons learned. Pamela Fiugalski commented, “Hahn gives everyone the ability to defend the faith with confidence. He encourages people to take ownership of their own salvation.”

Fred Kutner reflected, “Hahn’s view of confession taught us what living in community means.”