LA MIRADA, CALIF. --- On April 4, 2009, more than 4,000 people will watch as Christopher Hitchens and William Lane Craig debate “Does God Exist?” at Biola University in La Mirada Calif. At this epic event, Hitchens, a devoted atheist and author of the bestselling God is Not Great, will square off with one of the most formidable debaters in the Christian world, William Lane Craig.

The event will commence at 7:30 p.m. with host Craig Hazen, director of the M.A. program in Christian apologetics and professor of comparative religion and apologetics at Biola University. Hugh Hewitt will be moderating the debate. Hewitt is a law professor, broadcast journalist and author. However, he is most well known for his nationally syndicated radio show heard in more than 120 cities across the United States with approximately two million listeners. He is also a frequent guest on CNN, Fox News Network and MSNBC.

The main event will occur in Biola University’s Chase Gymnasium, however, there will be overflow sites all around campus totaling to 3,800 registered attendees. There will be satellite sites in the surrounding community as well as churches and other facilities out of state that will be broadcasting the debate.

Bios

Craig is one of the leading contemporary philosophers and Christian apologists in the world. A graduate of Wheaton College, he holds doctorates in Philosophy and Theology from the Universities of Birmingham, England and Munich, Germany. Currently Research Professor of Philosophy at Talbot School of Theology, Biola University, he is the author and editor of numerous cutting-edge books on philosophy, theology, and apologetics. Notable among these is his book, Reasonable Faith. An eminent scholar and debater and he advocates for the Christian side on a wide range of topics.

Hitchens is among the best known critics and controversial writers in today’s media. A UK native educated at Oxford, he has been a columnist for Vanity Fair, The Nation and Slate magazines. He is also a frequent contributor to the New York Review of Books, the London Review of Books, the New York Times Book Review and Atlantic Monthly. Among a group of writers dubbed “the new atheists,” Hitchens has achieved notoriety on TV talk shows and lecture circuits for his latest book, God is Not Great: How Religion Spoils Everything. Debating frequently, he represents those hostile to religion in general, and Christianity in particular.