The Reason for God: Belief in an Age of Skepticism Reviews

• A Must-Read for Both Believers and Skeptics

  
  By AEYEAH3C78BBZ on 2008-02-14
  There are many people I "know" primarily through their books. I read constantly and find that books allow me to understand the people who write them, especially when the author has written several books. As I read through the corpus of his writings I learn to understand how he thinks and learn to understand what he believes. Even if I have never met an author face-to-face, I often feel like I have met him in his books. Because Tim Keller has written so little, I do not know him in the way I feel I know many of his peers--pastors and theologians who have written extensively. So it was with great interest that I read The Reason for God, only his second book (besides edited volumes to which he has contributed a chapter) and certainly his most significant. Published by Penguin and with a positive review by Publishers Weekly, it has all the makings of a bestseller.
  
  The Reason for God is written for skeptics and believers alike. It is a response to or perhaps an antidote to the the writings of popular authors like Christopher Hitchens, Richard Dawkins and Sam Harris. And it is a fine one, at that. While the skeptic has several volumes he can hand to a believing friend (many of them written by the aforementioned authors), the believer has fewer to choose from. So many introductions to Christian beliefs were written many years ago and simply do not resonate with today's skeptics. They assume too much and deliver too little. Keller's volume seeks to fill that void, and it does so well.
  
  The Reason for God arrives at a unique time, for we are at a point when both belief and skepticism are on the rise. "Skepticism, fear, and anger toward traditional religion are growing in power and influence," says Keller. "But, at the same time, robust, orthodox belief in the traditional faiths is growing as well." As each grows, those who hold to each become increasingly convinced that they are in imminent danger. The world is polarizing over religion--or at the very least our culture is polarizing over religion. "We have come to a cultural moment in which both skeptics and believers feel their existence is threatened because both secular skepticism and religious faith are on the rise in significant, powerful ways. We have neither the western Christendom of the past nor the secular, religionless society that was predicted for the future. We have something else entirely."
  
  Attempting to find a way forward, Keller suggests that both believers and skeptics look at doubt in a whole new way. Within the book he does not make the classical distinction between believers and unbelievers, but rather between believers and skeptics. His thesis depends on this distinction between unbeliever and skeptic because, he says, we all believe something. Even skeptics have a kind of faith hidden within their reasoning. Understanding what we believe about belief is crucial. His thesis is this: "If you come to recognize the beliefs on which your doubts about Christianity are based, and if you seek as much proof for those beliefs as you seek from Christians for theirs--you will discover that your doubts are not so solid as they first appeared." He seeks to prove that thesis in the book's first part.
  
  In the first seven chapters Keller looks at seven of the most common objections and doubts about Christianity and discerns the alternate beliefs underlying each of them. This section is titled "The Leap of Doubt" and answers these seven common critiques:
  
  1. There can't be just one true religion
  2. A good God could not allow suffering
  3. Christianity is a straitjacket
  4. The church is responsible for so much injustice
  5. A loving God would not send people to hell
  6. Science has disproved Christianity
  7. You can't take the Bible literally
  
  In the second half of the book, titled "The Reasons for Faith," he turns to an examination of seven reasons to believe in the claims of the Christian faith.
  
  1. The clues of God
  2. The knowledge of God
  3. The problem of sin
  4. Religion and the gospel
  5. The (true) story of the cross
  6. The reality of the resurrection
  7. The Dance of God
  
  The book begins with an Introduction, between the two parts is an Intermission, and following it all is an Epilogue.
  
  The Reason for God is, at least to my knowledge, unique. The reader will soon see that Keller follows closely behind C.S. Lewis whom, along with his wife and Jonathan Edwards, he counts as his primary theological influences. Yet he sets Lewis and Edwards in a new context. And really, much of the book only makes sense within our contemporary cultural context. The arguments that matter here and now are different from those of days past and, I'm sure, different than ones in days to come. But the arguments Keller makes are compelling and reasonable and targeted pointedly at today's skeptics. If you have read our day's leading skeptics you owe it to yourself to read this as well.
  
  Nobody but Tim Keller could have written this book. It seems likely to me that nobody but Tim Keller will agree with everything he says. For example, many believers will be uncomfortable with his defense of evolution--not the naturalistic evolution of so many skeptics, but a theistic evolution that attempts to reconcile rather than ignore the creation accounts of the Bible. Others will take issue with his description of hell and the thread of ecumenism that runs throughout the volume. But if we heed his exhortation to major on the majors, to look to what's most foundational to the faith before focusing on matters of secondary importance, both believers and skeptics have a great deal to learn from this book.
  
  Publishers Weekly has said well that this is a book for "skeptics and the believers who love them." Believers will rejoice in a book that carefully and patiently answers the objections of their skeptical friends and does so with grace and in a way consistent with the Bible. Skeptics will see that even their skepticism is founded on some kind of faith and will be challenged to discern those underlying beliefs. May this book convince us all that we can believe and can believe reasonably, even in this age of skepticism.
  
  

• Now is the time for REASON

  
  By A1Z67I4KAH1V4N on 2008-02-15
  Just as C.S. Lewis answered the skeptics of his day, Tim Keller has written what feels very much like an updated version of "Mere Christianity". It has all the hallmarks of a classic. Like Lewis, he goes through the major objections modern people have to Christianity and shows how, by nearly logic alone, these objections are easily answered. They simply don't stand up to scrutiny and reason.
  
  For Christians who get anxious when someone challenges their faith with conversation stoppers like, "I can't believe in a religion that believes all other religions are wrong - after all it's that kind of bigotry that has led to more wars than anything else" or, "how could a good God allow suffering" or "I can't believe in a religion that rejects science?", this book is for you. These objections are easily deflated and defeated with a little knowledge and a little logic. And Keller is a master at showing believers how they can answer these objections in a loving, patient and even charming way! When you really understand these issues, there is no reason to ever be anxious or defensive when a friend confronts you with these difficult questions.
  
  And for non-believers, you will find Keller's logic insightful and illuminating. As he does with his Sunday sermons, which are directed to a very secular New York audience, he will challenge you to think. You may not walk away with your mind changed, but your beliefs will be challenged and your thoughts will be clarified. When we allow our beliefs to be challenged they are either changed or strengthened. So, don't be afraid to take the challenge!
  
  The first half of the book discusses each objection in a single chapter. These objections could each have books and books written about them, but that was not the intent of this book. Don't expect a detailed treatise on each question. Rather this book gives a concise overview laying out the factual, logical, cultural and historical frameworks through which these objections should be examined.
  
  It's full of subtle brilliance. Brilliance that doesn't hit you right away - but sneaks up on you later! I think one of the most brilliant, yet subtle thoughts Dr. Keller conveyed here was that we will never have hard, final, conclusive PROOF of God's existence or of his non-existence. But we do have clues. And each of us has to take the sum total of those clues and decide what we believe about God. This is a great book to read as a counter balance to books by Hitchens, Dawkins and Harris, etc. You owe it to yourself to consider both views.
  
  

• Swimming in the Shallow End

  
  By on 2008-05-05
  The Rev. Tim Keller deserves credit for tackling the most common complaints about Christianity in his new book, "The Reason for God." Unfortunately, I found the book to be very unsatisfying on both a spiritual and intellectual level. Other readers may disagree, of course, but here's why I give it only two stars:
  
  -- The answers to huge questions seem very shallow to me. Yes Keller is clearly a passionate believer, but his "Readers Digest" approach to vast issues of good vs. evil, life vs. death, belief vs. doubt, just don't rise to the challenge. They work well as superficial "talking points" but not as a strong foundation for faith.
  
  For example, can anyone really explain the Christian position on "exclusivity" in 500 words? Can we really get a meaningful answer to "hell vs. salvation" in an essay that's shorter (in page-length) than "Pat the Bunny"? Can we even have faith based on reason?
  
  As a believer myself, I don't think so. Someone who's serious about answering these questions should be willing to spend a whole lot more time digging into the issues -- and debating both sides for greater clarity. I wouldn't object so much to Keller's book if the title had been more honest -- such as "Quick Answers to Common Questions About Christianity." By calling it "The Reason for God," he sets expectations pretty high...yet doesn't really deliver.
  
  -- Another trap Keller falls into is the tendency to sugar-coat the negatives. It's undeniably true that Christianity and most world religions have MUCH to atone for in their respective histories (massive violence, intolerance, torture, greed, fanaticism, etc.). At the same time, they have much to be proud about, from St. Francis to the local soup kitchen, from the sacrifices of Job to the wisdom of Solomon, from the beauty of Arabic architecture to the invention of algorithms in Muslim universities. It's not helpful to minimize these huge examples of light and darkness. We must live with the history of our tradition -- like it or not. (See James Carroll's new movie, "Constantine's Sword," for a moving take on this important topic.)
  
  -- Most importantly, Keller forgets the example of Jesus' own teaching style, particularly in the first half of his book.
  
  Christ was careful to avoid "reducing" spirituality and God to a superficial argument that the clever Pharisees could pick apart. He knew that much of what passes for "logic" is simply mean-spirited sophistry aimed at humiliation. That's why Christ often answered questions with more profound questions. His use of parables transcended the inherent limitations of language ("that's just semantics / that's just how YOU define it") to reach a higher plateau of understanding that still inspires a billion people today.
  
  I went out to Keller's church website to download about 10 of his recent sermons -- just to see if I was missing something in the book. He's an excellent preacher and seems like an excellent pastor. But his sermons seem to fall into the same mistake: raise an enormous question, then rush through a quick answer that doesn't really satisfy. For example, on the question of whether scripture should be "authoritative," Keller concludes that is "just has to be." He doesn't explain (in the book or podcast) what "authoritative" means or what role interpretation plays in Biblical study for the average person.
  
  BOTTOM LINE: If Christ were on a stage tonight debating Richard Dawkins or Christopher Hitchens, I think he'd steer clear of these traps and leave us much more satisfied than Keller's new book. Ultimately, we don't need superficial answers to debating points. We need love, faith and humility -- even love for those who disagree with us.
  
  

• The Best Defense for Christianity

  
  By A2T3KLY0CCKTG4 on 2008-03-22
  Tim Keller's new book, The Reason for God: Belief in an Age of Skepticism, is currently #7 on the New York Times Hardcover Nonfiction Bestseller's List - and for good reason. This is an articulate, reasonable, compassionate, and informed defense of Christianity.
  
  Keller's book is written for both believers and skeptics and addresses the seven most common objections people have to Christiantiy.
  
  Part One: The Leap of Doubt:
  
  1. There can't be just one true religion
  2. How could a good God allow suffering?
  3. Christianity is a straitjacket
  4. The church is responsible for so much injustice
  5. How can a loving God send people to hell?
  6. Science has disproved Christianity
  7. You can't take the Bible literally.
  
  Then Keller builds a case for the plausibility of Christiantiy in seven chapters.
  
  Part Two: The Reasons for Faith:
  
  8. The Clues of God
  9. The Knowledge of God
  10. The Problem of Sin
  11. Religion and the Gospel
  12. The (True) Story of the Cross
  13. The Reality of the Resurrection
  14. The Dance of God
  
  This book is so good, it could become the Mere Christianity (C. S. Lewis's famous defense of Christianity written in the first half of the twentieth century) of the twenty-first century. Here's what I like about Keller. He speaks the language and understands the mind-set of postmoderns, because he has worked with them, witnessed to them, and pastored them for nearly twenty years in Manhattan. But he is orthodox in his theology, not shying away from the more difficult aspects of historical Christian doctrine. Instead, he faces these "hard doctrines," acknowledges the difficulty these pose to many people, and then offers nuanced and intelligent answers to the questions.
  
  Keller is also a gifted communicator, drawing from an amazing breadth of philosophy, literature and popular culture. This one's a keeper. I'll read it again and hope lots of others will read it too.
  
  

• illogical book, could not finish it

  
  By ACT93W8N4WVW4 on 2008-04-02
  I really wanted this book to be good. I'm tired of all the books written by atheists the last couple of years and I read a decent review of this book in a magazine and, of course, Amazon had a very high rating on it. However, after 50 pages, I gave up. I don't remember reading something that had so much bad logic in it page after page. I think Keller ends up doing more harm than good with this book, but that's just my opinion and why I'm contributing to these reviews.
  
  Some examples of bad logic: on refuting the charge that Christianity is a straitjacket because it restricts freedom, he says that a pianist gives up his freedom to study and play the piano. No, the pianist uses his freedom to choose to play and practice and practice. He did not give up his freedom, he used it. Keller tries to say that we need to be confined to be free and uses the pianist as an example. Wrong. He should have used the pianist in the opposite way to show that we use our freedom to choose to follow our religious beliefs.
  
  Earlier in the book, he cites a couple of people who are not Christian and are unhappy and then cites some people who are Christian and are happy. From this extraordinarily small sample, he extrapolates from there to say that you have to be Christian to be happy. His example and conclusion are insulting and I think he hurts his cause more than helping it.
  
  I have a very strong belief in God, I had hoped this book would provide some basis for "reasons" and found none in the first 50 pages. I was so upset with his logic, I could not go past 50 pages.
  
  
• Rationality, as well as beauty and respect
  By A3NGNFNXXFSCIC on 2008-02-27
  I'm a certified member of the Tim Keller fan club. I listen to his sermons. I read everything he writes. I even belong to the Facebook fan club. Few thinkers or practitioners have influenced me more than he has. I am not the biggest fan out there, but I'm certainly a member of the club. This is dangerous, because nobody can live up to all that.
  
  But Keller isn't the first to face the challenges of a growing profile and unrealistic expectations, and thankfully, he continues to use his influence wisely. The Reason for God: Belief in an Age of Skepticism, now on the New York Times bestseller list, is likely to multiply his influence even more, not only within the church but also within a culture with serious doubts about Christianity.
  
  In a sense, there's nothing new in this book. It's all out there in other places, just like all the ingredients of a meal prepared by a chef are there in the grocery store. In The Reason for God, you have presuppositional apologetics in the tradition of Van Til, as well as generous doses of C.S. Lewis, the subtle but strong influence of Jonathan Edwards, as well as engagement with contemporary thinkers and writers.
  
  What is unique is how Keller brings all together; in other words, the way these ingredients are mixed. Keller aptly deals with common doubts and objections to Christianity, such as "There can't be just one true religion" and "How can a loving God send people to hell?" Behind every doubt is an alternate set of beliefs. "The only way to doubt Christianity rightly and fairly," Keller writes, "is to discern the alternate belief under each of your doubts and then to ask yourself what reasons you have for believing it." Keller does this with each of the objections to Christianity, showing that none of the objections make Christianity impossible or even implausible.
  
  Doubting our doubts about Christianity is only part of the journey. In the second half of the book, Keller offers reasons for faith, demonstrating that the Christian faith makes the most sense of the world. "I ask you to put on Christianity like a pair of spectacles and look at the world with it. See what power it has to explain what we know and see."
  
  What really stands out about this book, besides its content, is the way that Keller engages with these issues. He is civil, respectful, winsome, and ironic, but never hostile. He does not belittle those with alternate beliefs, even as he directly examines and challenges those beliefs. Keller models a way of relating to those who disagree, and provides a model for all of us. He shows how one can possess an robust and orthodox Christian faith, and yet winsomely engage with those with completely different and hostile beliefs.
  
  Keller's wife, Kathy, has said that the mark of a good sermon is that people stop taking notes part way through. It starts rationally, like a lesson, but ends with an encounter with Jesus. The Reason for God is full of rational arguments, but it doesn't end there. By the end of the book we encounter beauty, and some of the most profound expressions of the Christian faith I've read.
  
  Last Sunday, somebody thanked me for making this book available to them. They've been looking for a book like this for some time, and they're loving it. I don't think he will be the last one. The Reason for God is a book that deserves to be read not only by Christians, but by those who have doubts - even by those who are hostile. It covers important issues, and shows not only the rationality but the beauty of the Christian faith. Just as importantly, it does so in a way that is genuinely respectful to the reader no matter what their beliefs. I hope it will be read widely.
  
  
• Spectacular and long overdue
  By A2WQXWCTYFGRT6 on 2008-02-15
  Those who have had the privilege of listening to Keller's sermons over the years will not be at all surprised that this book is brilliant, charming, entertaining, profound, edifying, humble, generous, cheerful, and powerfully compelling. But those unfamiliar with Keller might be shocked. Note to Mssrs. Hitchens, Dawkins, and Harris: Be afraid. Be very very afraid.
  
  
• No Real Reason but Eloquent
  By A228S49RCLG5L2 on 2008-03-14
  This book seems to be one of those books for Christians who wants to strengthen their faith, but not for non-believers who have spent considerable time thinking through the subject with an out-of-the-box perspective. I will be honest; I pecked through certain chapters to see if it was worth reading, since I find the subject of why people believe certain beliefs fascinating. I probably read only a quarter of the book one afternoon in the bookstore. I was looking for just one or two "WOW, here is a reason for God". I am not searching for absolute proof in God, but just enough circumstantial evidence to make it a somewhat probably and viable life choice again.
  
  I am actually a very "happy and free to believe what I think makes sense" ex-evangelical, whose mother wanted me to read a "Case for Christ" because she thought it made a strong case for Christianity. The author Mr. Strobel was an atheist who supposedly made an honest investigation and the evidence added up to conversion and a strong "Case for Christ". I read the book from cover to cover and I found that he and his theological experts really only answered simple softball questions that he could find positive answers for. This book was basically doing the same thing as far as I can tell and didn't have the time to drag my self through this book shaking my head.
  
  This book is well written and very detailed from what I read. The quotes from the literary giants are educational and a nice touch. My problem as a skeptic is that Mr. Keller spends a lot of words debunking popular, but irrelevant arguments from non-believers and believers alike. Whether or not God allows suffering; has nothing to do with his existence. The Church being responsible for so much injustice; has nothing to do with God's existence. A loving God would never send anybody to hell has nothing to do with the actual existence of God. I didn't read anything that I disagreed with as far as his arguments, only that he thought that debunking these arguments were in someway a reason for God. The argument he makes about people only wanting to believe in a God that has a structure of justice and behaviors, and somehow their subconscious belief in some unseen structure is some sort of proof of God existence, is again irrelevant to reality. Reality/Truth is what many people are looking for; and pretty, even eloquent words that do not really attach themselves to the real world are at their heart empty as far as genuine belief goes.
  
  I realize I could of missed the explanation, and if I did hopefully someone will fill me in a subsequent entry, but I wanted Mr. Keller to give a strong and enlightening answer to questions like: Where do ALL of the pre-Spanish Incas, Ancient Chinese or the 100s of millions of people knew nothing of a very localized God, end up in eternity? They never heard of Christ their whole life. How do they get to a Christian heaven based on scripture? I have asked the question a number of times to people who read the Bible regularly and I get anything from a "We don't know" to the typical modern re-engineering of the salvation process. I don't think you could classify all of those ancient people as evil or bad. I realize a strong answer to this question does not in itself prove God either, but at least in my opinion it is a tough one to answer for many Christians who believe in a somewhat loving God and a really strict path to heaven. This is just one of many, many, many questions I have that are never answered in any book on this subject.
  
  I am no expert on everything in the Bible as you can tell; just a guy actually enjoying the life long search for truth.
  
  
  
• Imaginary Friends Are For Kids
  By A2CCEJMBSXDDLG on 2008-03-17
  I'm really disappointed in this author. For someone who talks so much about his own "intellectual gifts," he's not very bright.
  
  Let me explain this in simple terms.
  
  The Jewish religion had a LOT of competition. About 100 BC, there was a movement inside Judaism to add some supernatural elements. Specifically, there were
  
  (a) a general resurrection of all the dead at a Day of Judgment,
  (b) demonic spirits which could be cast out through exorcism, and
  (c) dreams were actually messages from God, and
  (d) angels that appeared in dreams to deliver these messages were real.
  
  Until 70 AD, the leaders of Judaism fought against these ideas. Then Titus destroyed the Temple of Jerusalem, and the Resurrection Cults were given new attention. The Gospel of Mark was rewritten to make Jesus APPEAR to agree with the Pharisees on major points, such as the End of the World taking place "while some of those standing here are still alive." Which placed the Christian deadline for the End of the World in 120 AD or earlier.
  
  Nothing in Christianity is credible in any sense. There was no General Resurrection of the dead. Jesus did not restore the political independence of Israel, or rule Israel from the throne of King David.
  
  A book that pretends to defend Christianity against critics... must address the issues. Otherwise, the author is dishonest.
  
  
• Everyone has faith in something.
  By A3P10N5JQZNB0F on 2008-03-02
  The Reason For God by Timothy Keller is a superb book. It presents powerful arguments for the Christian faith, but without the complexity and underlying judgmentalism that has characterized many books on the subject. It makes an obvious but powerful point, that even the loudest critics of faith are themselves "people of faith." Not to believe in a creator, for example, requires a leap of faith. On close examination, each of us inevitably believes in something, even if that something is the belief that there is nothing worth believing in.
  
  What do you believe about your life, why you are here, where you are going? Is life just a mindless fumbling through a maze or does it have purpose and meaning? What does the future hold, a depressing existence and then annihilation or the promise of hope and a future? These questions and many more are answered in plain language with intelligence and respect. It is a powerful book.
  
  Keller is the founder and senior pastor of Redeemer Presbyterian Church in Manhattan. Redeemer is amazing, attended by more than 5000 each week, mostly in their 20s and 30s. Many are highly successful people with advanced degrees and lots of questions. The church does not rely on music or drama to bring people in, rather Keller has found a way to speak into the interests and concerns of so many people by addressing their serious questions directly: "There can't be just one true religion." "How could a good God allow suffering?" "Science has disproved Christianity." "You can't take the Bible literally." And many others.
  
  You will find them all here and will not be disappointed.
  
  
• Sceptical about this book
  By A39N2O6A3HVYLL on 2008-04-19
  I came to this book after reading one of the recently published atheist books (Onfray), followed by Bishop Spong's latest. It seemed that this book might give me a mainstream Christian response to those, rounding out the range of views. The publisher's blurb says that it shows "how faith in a Christian God is a soundly rational belief". I'm sorry to say that it does no such thing. Each time I've picked it up I have found myself reading it until I put it down in frustration. I've found lots of non sequiturs, confusion, and unconvincing arguments based on unstated premises. It's taking a long time to read. Two stars rather than one, because it quotes C.S. Lewis so often that I've decided to read his books instead.
  
  
• A Reader's Digest level discussion on a topic that requires much more depth
  By A2CNCDCBPQSGX2 on 2008-04-03
  Initially I thought this book would be very helpful on the topic of the problem(s) of evil. So, I read that section first. Almost immediately I was faced with the realization that Keller had not done his homework. Anyone who has read other Christian books on this topic, such as John S. Feinberg's "The Many Faces of Evil" or even C.S. Lewis' "The Problem of Pain", will immediately recognize that Keller is out of his element here. His discussion is weak, misleading and sometimes just plain wrong. He does not even bother to identify Augustinian free will as such which is typically offered by most scholars as the key response to this issue...
  
  There are FAR BETTER books out there on all of the topics Keller is addressing in this book. Why read Keller when you can read C.S. Lewis or Alvin Plantinga directly? Everything Keller presents here is really just plagiarism of a sort from other authors such as Lewis or Plantinga or others. And just what are Keller's academic credentials anyway? What qualifies him to tackle these topics? Apparently he has spent several years behind a pulpit..... really!.... is that it??? How does that in and of itself qualify him to address these topics? There already are far too many "armchair scholars" out there muddying the waters - we don't need another one.
  
  Despite his undoubtedly "good" intentions, Keller's book is actually a step backwards for the Christian position - it does more harm than good by making the Christian position appear to be weaker than it really is because of Keller's poor presentation.
  
  This is not to say that Keller does not have good points at times, but none of those good points are his - it's just someone else's work that he quotes from. So, why not just read C.S. Lewis directly instead of filtered through Keller? I just don't understand why Keller's book was necessary. It adds nothing new to the discussion.
  
  I suspect that Keller's book will only appeal to the vast majority of "faith without reason" Christians that want an EASY TO READ "Christian approved" response to the recent swarm of "Atheist" books on the bestseller lists. It will not matter to most of them that many of "answers" offered by Keller are not particularly well thought out and often appear to be just recycled, and in some cases, unsupported rhetoric from other authors. Keller's book is, I suppose, fine for what it is - a Reader's Digest approach for the kind of Christians who like to liberally quote C.S. Lewis but have never actually read one of his books cover to cover!!! Keller's book will certainly appeal to those who want somebody else to do their critical thinking for them. The funny thing is that reading Keller's book really does not accomplish that task. After all, Keller's book is, in it's own way, just as "shallow" as any of the other popular books he is trying to debunk. Don't get me wrong, I am a Calvinistic Christian, but I require a far more intellectual approach than is found in Keller's lightweight approach. Any well-read Christian is likely to be very disappointed with most of what he offers here - Keller is just not up to the task.
  
  
  
• A disturbing look into the evangelical Christian mindset
  By AJVC1LU3N6EQP on 2008-03-25
  THE REASON FOR GOD belongs to a genre of books that present themselves as persuading the reader of the truth of Christian doctrines, ostensibly to those who are skeptical of them. But the sad reality is that books like this tend to be read by people who are already committed Christians and are looking for reassurance that the belief system to which they subscribe is rationally defensible. Tim Keller does a much better job than Lee Strobel, for example, in being serious in grappling with real objections to Christianity, but ultimately, partly because of this seriousness and because of the accolades bestowed upon this book and its author from many Christian quarters, it seems to me that Keller's defenses of the most important objections are so weak that a thoughtful, intelligent reader -- even a Christian one -- would come away with LESS confidence in the plausibility of the claims of Christianity.
  
  In the Introduction, one can see which of his readers' buttons he's trying to push: "People who blithely go through life too busy or indifferent to ask hard questions about why they believe as they do will find themselves defenseless against either the experience of tragedy or the probing questions of a smart skeptic." (p. xvi) This suggests that he assumes readers want to hold on to their beliefs just for their own sake. But why? Another word for abandoning beliefs is "learning". None of us believes everything we believed when we were five years old; we found ourselves "defenseless" against smart parents, teachers, peers, etc., and we all think we're better off because of it. And the experience of tragedy is also a valuable teacher that can change one's beliefs. But now, remember, the stated purpose of this book is to persuade non-Christian readers to abandon beliefs that contradict Christian doctrines. Keller doesn't bother warning those readers that they might be "defenseless" against his approach.
  
  You can get a good sense of Keller's one-track Christian mindset by reading just the Introduction (15 pages), which assumes that the most important choice one must make is between either atheistic materialism or his version of Christianity. This dichotomy is a common theme throughout the book. Keller recommends that both "believers" and "skeptics" should "look at doubt in a radically new way": "All doubts, however skeptical and cynical they may seem, are really a set of alternate beliefs. You cannot doubt Belief A except from a position of faith in Belief B. ... The reason you doubt Christianity's Belief A is because you hold unprovable Belief B. Every doubt, therefore, is based on a leap of faith." (p.xvii) What a trivialization of the concept of "leap of faith"; by this reasoning, our doubt of Russell's Teapot is based on a "leap of faith". Keller writes: "I urge skeptics to wrestle with the unexamined 'blind faith' on which skepticism is based"; and then in the next sentence: "I also urge believers to wrestle with their personal and culture's objections to the faith." (p.xviii) Note the asymmetry between "BLIND faith" of "skeptics", and "THE faith" of "believers". The Introduction ends with the story (Mark 9:24) of a man who says to Jesus, "Help thou my unbelief!" Keller writes: "In response to this honest admission, Jesus blesses him and heals his son. ... I invite you to seek the same kind of honesty and to grow in an understanding of the nature of your own doubts." But only as long as we try to OVERCOME any "unbelief", as Mark 9:24 suggests? Keller continues: "The result will exceed anything you can imagine." This is not how one addresses mature grown-ups.
  
  After the Introduction, the book does get better. Chapters 1-7 cover the most common objections to Christianity that the author has heard from people. Still, while reading this book, it would be good to have beside you the "Baloney Detection Kit" from Carl Sagan's DEMON-HAUNTED WORLD. This is a list of tools for testing arguments and can be found on several websites. (Yes, I know Sagan was a prominent atheist, but I'm unaware of any Christian writer finding fault with his Baloney Detection Kit, and I know of at least one, creationist Phillip E. Johnson, who recommends it.)
  
  The first five chapters of THE REASON FOR GOD cover philosophical and social objections: how can a loving God allow suffering and send people to Hell, and why is the church exclusionary and responsible for injustices? Some of these objections are answered better than others. But the objections that I consider most important are the ones about factual claims, and these are covered in chapter 6, on science, and chapter 7, on the Bible. Here the author falls embarrassingly short.
  
  In an Intermission in the middle of the book, Keller explains what he means by both Christianity and rationality, before going into the second half where he makes a positive case for Christianity. He gives some arguments for God's existence, with an additional chapter on the moral sense constituting "knowledge of God", then has three more theological chapters about sin, the gospel, and the meaning of Jesus's death, before returning to the reliability of the Bible (in particular, the resurrection accounts) in chapter 13. A chapter on the Trinity and an epilogue about what to do next end the book.
  
  This review continues: click on Comments.
  
  
• Nonsensical Title
  By A2BULYR34W0ZCN on 2008-03-14
  Is this book about the rational 18th century? If so, the subtitle is meaningful.
  
  But if the book is about the 21st century U.S.--where 96% of adults claim to believe in God, 75% believe in angels, and more than 50% believe in ghosts--then the subtitle is utterly ridiculous. Or does the author believe even a single skeptic blemishes his world?
  
  
  
• Based upon a faith that is unsound
  By A11WBEK5XODYVM on 2008-03-15
  This is a book I read because a minister recommended it as being truly outstanding. Unfortunately the book has added no "light" for me since all the basic premises are the same: that Jesus is God and therefore Christianity is supreme. No, the author didn't say that. In fact he attempted to give due diligence to the others. But there is an unlining voice of they-who-are-the-chosen. If it was intended--as the authors says it is--to disspell all the books out there that show how much violence Christianity has covertly or overtly created, this is one person who hasn't been convinced that the Christian God is the best. If only these people would extol Jesus without dressing him in God garments, then many would be convinced.
  
  
• Deeply flawed reasoning...
  By A43FE4BWEXQDR on 2008-04-12
  with very little new to add. He not only misrepresents Dawkin's position, he fails to address many key arguements. I am afraid that any thinking person who reads both will rate Dawkins more convincing that Keller.
  
  
• Brilliant arguments for the belief in God and specifically the Christian Gospel
  By A215MZ8IDEEV0H on 2008-02-18
  I cant do justice to this book in a short review. I will say that the book deals very well with many of the doubts and questions that both Christians and agnostics struggle with. My favorite chapter in the book is the Clues for God. Specifically how art and beauty "gives you the sense that life is not a "tale told by an idiot, full of sound and fury, signifying nothing." Instead, it fills you with hope and gives you the strength to carry on,though you cannot define what it is that moves You."
  
  
• The 'Go-To' Book for Thinking Christians AND Questioning Non-Believers
  By A3R17JHERYTZI8 on 2008-02-29
  In the late '70s and early '80s, Christians coming of age who wanted a better grasp of theology turned in significant numbers to one book: J.I. Packer's 'Knowing God.' The book was a watershed in how many of us understood the nature of God and His interaction with the world.
  
  There were, of course, other excellent texts for thoughtful laypeople. Francis Schaeffer's work excited the imaginations of that generation of believers. Of course, C.S. Lewis was (and still is) at the pinnacle of modern-day Christian thinkers and apologists.
  
  But it was Packer's book we all read and discussed studied in order to make up for what we should have known about our faith, but didn't.
  
  Thirty years on, Tim Keller's 'The Reason for God' is the new 'Knowing God,' but with a critical difference: This is a go-to book for everyone thinking about Christianity.
  
  Indeed, as Tim says on thereasonforgod.com, the book is primarily for non-believers with doubts about Christianity. My point here is that it is likewise indispensable reading for Christians who regularly interact with others who have serious questions about faith in a secular age.
  
  For that reason, the first half of the book will be new and somewhat challenging, even if you've heard Tim speak many times. Tim's response to the different arguments against God's existence require careful attention, particularly if you refer to and study his footnotes (well worth the price of the book on their own).
  
  The second half will be familiar territory to regular Keller devotees. But here again, the great benefit of this work is that all those themes that have shaped our thinking about the Gospel are now collected in one place.
  
  Finally, the last chapter (`The Dance of God') is pure poetry. Great writing from a great thinker.
  
  
• Same old silly arguments
  By AB89428LK8XOP on 2008-04-03
  Basically preaches to the choir, the arguments are thin and arbitrary. The crux of the book basically states that if you believe in Jesus your good deeds will somehow have more weight than if an athiest commiting the same good deeds. I grew up cathlic and believed in god untill I was in my early 20s only when I started questioning my faith (this was not allowed under my parent's roof- blind obedience only) that is when I became an athiest, in the light of day god/jesus is opium for the masses, ironically the author himselfs alludes to as much.
  
  
• Surprised by Reason
  By A1SD4QV2IQ8KJB on 2008-02-23
  Keller's book debunks key secular arguments against Christianity, and it helps the reader see the underlying, heretofore-unexamined assumptions behind her objections to Christianity. The book is for the person who questions and who reasons.
  
  The tone is not overbearing or arrogant, but neither is it apologetic or compromising - it simply challenges the doubter to doubt her own doubts, and it presents the core of the Gospel with a rich and eye-opening perspective that surprises not just the nonbeliever but sometimes the long-time believer as well.
  
  Perhaps believing in Christiantiy IS the most rational, intellectually honest choice one can make?
  
  
• A Nice Effort, but...
  By A1F4U37MON790H on 2008-03-28
  ...ultimately not what I hoped for. I was wanting a fresh, validating, positive response to Dawkins/Harris et al (the angry atheists) while also not swinging too far in the literalist direction. I was hoping for the sweet spot, and instead got a bit of the slightly stale warmed-over C. S. Lewis. I like Lewis, but I wanted something fresh...and non-circular, logically. If you are looking for that middle path between militant atheism and the intellectual straight-jacket of Christian literalism, I would recommend Marcus Borg's The Heart of Christianity, rather than Timothy Keller's pretty good effort. He ultimately veers toward a literalistic view of Christianity which is intellectually unfulfilling for many.
  
  
• shallow and unconvincing, but not quite terrible...
  By A250BWLPHK1T5 on 2008-05-01
  The arguments in this book are Aquinas twice-removed, filtered through C.S.Lewis and perhaps Delbanco (fine scholar of the Puritans), who are quoted significantly. Keller rather sloppily argues the regularity of natural 'law' as proof of the Christian God's existence, presumably by evidence of design. Perhaps he should read Dawkins on anthropic principles before claiming human-knowable universality for such law! Things are probably very different in a black hole. He appeals to his readership with such dubious ad hominems as "Everyone wants to think that they are in the mainstream." He emphasizes the numerical increase of Presbyterians in Ghana as evidence of Christianity's growth, without giving anything like equal emphasis to its decline in those wealthier (and thus more literate and philosophically sophisticated) societies where it was strongest a century or two ago. He tries to convince us that the rejection of religious doctrine implies a "specific view" of God, as specific as that of a Christian sect. Sorry, Tim Keller, but you're only rehashing the old hash, preaching to the choir. None the less, the chapter on sin makes such a good case for the opposition of pride versus hope, and in the course of that takes a devastating swipe at the silly pop-psych notion of 'self-respect', that think the book is worth a couple of stars.
  
  
  
• Airbrushed Reason for Unsophisticated Faith
  By A22S9S5MVBMZQR on 2008-07-08
  I suppose if you already have "The Truth" in your back pocket, it wouldn't hurt to read this book. I have seventeen pages of gripes against this book, but I'll try to keep this short. The very premise of the book is flawed, because reason and faith have nothing to do with each other. Faith - no matter what idiosyncratic ideas we use to define it - is, fundamentally, to believe something to be true without having or needing a verifiable reason. Religious faith is not based simply on whether something has been or can be proven by empirical means; having faith means that proof or the lack thereof has no bearing on the validity of the belief itself. Yes, you can find reason for a belief in a Christian god, but your belief is not contingent on reason, but rather on faith - what is doctrinally considered a higher virtue. Faith trumps all. Reason doesn't support faith any more than wheels make a plane fly(The Wright brothers made bicycles and indeed used wheels to get their planes off the ground, but they didn't make history with landing gear, as that was apparently beside the point). The biggest error Keller makes is assuming that beliefs based on faith are on a level playing field with beliefs based on reason. There is a very important distinction between the two, but Keller glazes over it under the assumption that a majority of his readers won't notice. Unfortunately, it's probably a safe assumption.
  Secondly, Keller poses counterarguments against several atheist authors (Richard Dawkins, Daniel Dennett, and Sam Harris) that are dubious in that, having actually read books by these authors, it leaves me wondering if Keller bothered reading any of their material. He offers simplistic, uninformed rebuttals to the scrupulous arguments posed by these authors, which leads me to think he probably just cherry-picked a few quotes for his own purposes. If you really want to learn something about skepticism and reason, read books by the authors Keller attempts to rebuff; as long as you're willing to read "The Reason for Faith" to satisfy your intellect, why not read something that's actually is intellectually satisfying. If Keller doesn't completely fail at this objective, one can easily see that he's not the best at it, so why waste your time.
  It's also a bit annoying how Keller seems to refer to C.S Lewis a little too often, apparently valuing the clever wit of a popular Christian writer over real, substantive arguments. The problem, of course, is not with C.S Lewis, but with Timothy Keller's habit of cherry-picking quotes here and there, turning brilliance into mere novelty.
  
  
  
• A well-crafted and thoughtful read
  By A11I0ZIQ4S4509 on 2008-03-06
  There's enough real meat in this book to give any interested party -- believer, non-believer, skeptic or seeker -- something to chew on for a long time. Keller's amazing mind is evident by his well-crafted writing. He breezily presents advanced philosophical views so most anyone can understand them. What is refreshing is that Keller does not try to "convince" by barraging you with arguments. Instead, he simply addresses common questions by revealing and "unpacking" some of the assumptions and alternate beliefs behind people's objections, giving you a new perspective on your own beliefs, and on Christianity as well.
  
  Once you've finished the book, I highly recommend audio recordings of Keller's countless sermons to supplement your diet. They're available in MP3 and CD format at Redeemer.com's sermon store. You'll be amazed to hear Tim preach; he is one of the most erudite but accessible speakers I've ever heard.
  
  If you need help selecting sermons to address certain topics or questions, use the Contact page at the sermon store, and someone can help you.
  
  (In the interest of full disclosure, I regularly attend, but am not a member of, Keller's church. Best thing that ever happened to me was joining this community.)
  
  
• A superaltive effort
  By A27EK1P0L7A1LA on 2008-03-26
  Subtitled "Belief in an Age of Skepticism," this very important book is a welcome antidote to the many atheist titles which have appeared lately. It very admirably fulfils the twin tasks of apologetics: dealing with objections to, and misunderstandings of, the Christian faith, and presenting the attractiveness of it.
  
  The first seven chapters deal with the most common objections and criticisms of Christianity that Keller, a New York City pastor, has encountered, while the last seven chapters very nicely lay out the case for the Christian worldview.
  
  Ministering to secular, sceptical New Yorkers has meant Keller has had to answer thousands of questions about the faith. He is very well read, quite intelligent, and has a heart to reach out to the seeker and the sceptic. Thus this book is a great blend of dealing with matters of both head and heart.
  
  Consider how he deals with some of the objections. The problem of suffering and evil is always near the top of such a list, and Keller does a good job in providing biblical responses to this issue. And he reminds us that unbelievers also have to deal with the problem.
  
  Modern "objections to God are based on a sense of fair play and justice," says Keller. People strongly believe we ought not to suffer, die of oppression and hunger, and so on. Yet in the evolutionary worldview, death, destruction and suffering are fully natural - they are part of the mechanism of natural selection and survival of the fittest. Crap just happens, in other words, in a secular scheme of things.
  
  Indeed, where does the sense of justice and fair play even come from, in such a dog-eat-dog world, where only matter matters? The believer, on the other hand, can account for both evil (we live in a fallen world) and goodness (we are made in the image of a good God).
  
  Moreover, our God is not aloof from suffering, but has entered into the very heart of the human condition, experiencing to the full our pain and suffering. God does not abandon us in our suffering, but is in a very real sense present with us.
  
  Related to this is the objection of how a loving God could send people to hell. But hell is ultimately a destination that people choose for themselves. Says Keller, "hell is simply one's freely chosen identity apart from God on a trajectory into infinity". People who seek to be free of God, - who is the only source of love, goodness, beauty and kindness - can follow that path. And that path does lead to hell, which is the place where God is not. As C.S. Lewis said, hell is the "greatest monument to human freedom".
  
  And love and judgement are not opposites, but two sides of the same coin. If you really love someone, you get angry at whatever hurts and destroys him or her. One can rightly hate cancer for what it does to people. And sin is a spiritual cancer that destroys people. God's love for us must entail hating our sin which separates us from his love.
  
  Keller also offers some positives of the Christian faith. Probably the most basic and fundamental good is the cross of Christ. It is here that justice and mercy fully meet. The demands of justice are fully met at Calvary, but in a way in which the grace of God can be freely extended to us, undeserving as we are.
  
  Sin demands a payment. Letting criminals go scot-free is not justice. God did not let sin go unpunished, but allowed his own son to take our punishment, so that he might offer us forgiveness and hope. God himself absorbed the debt, so that we might be freely forgiven. But a huge cost was still paid.
  
  God becomes human in order to "honor moral justice and merciful love," says Keller, "so that someday he can destroy all evil without destroying us". That last phrase is a tremendously profound Christian truth. As Solzhenitsyn reminded us, good and evil runs through every human heart. So how can a just and holy God eradicate evil without eradicating us?
  
  The glorious exchange that took place at Calvary is the answer. "All real life-changing love involves some form of this kind of exchange". There can be no God of love, Keller reminds us, if we take away the cross. This is indeed the good news of the Christian worldview.
  
  Keller also deals with the issue of human relationships, and the alienation and selfishness that destroys such relationships because of sin. God is above all a relational God. The three persons of the Godhead are involved in a free, loving relationship.
  
  We were created to be part of that love relationship. The joy and love found in the Godhead has been extended to us. But that can only be received as we have relationship with God. But sin and selfishness destroy that joy and love, and trap us in alienation and despair.
  
  God wants that love relationship restored, not just in the sweet by and by, but here and now. In this, Christianity is unique among all the world religions in offering hope and wholeness in this material world. Biblical salvation lies not in escape from the world, but in its transformation.
  
  The Christian story is bigger than just having our individual sins forgiven. It is about putting "the whole world right, to renew and restore the creation, not to escape it".
  
  A short review like this cannot do justice to the riches found in this volume. In 250 pages a very articulate, rational and compassionate case is made for Christian truth claims. This is a book to both strengthen the faith of believers, and help answer many of the nagging questions of sceptics and seekers. I heartily recommend it.
  
  
  
• Disappointing
  By A1BC8S6R5UQLT7 on 2008-03-16
  I bought this book based upon the strength of the reviews shown here but was very disappointed to find nothing new within its pages. The arguments made for the existence of God and for the superiority of the Christian faith are the standard fare that you read everywhere. And the book's handling of the problem of evil is, in fact, embarrassing. To claim that God may have a higher purpose that we cannot understand for the tsunami that killed 250,000 people or the death of a young innocent child are ridiculous positions to take while at the same time claiming that man has the ability to distinguish between good and evil. The book is loaded with "Christian speak" such as "God wants us to be happy as he is" and other similarly nonsensical and unsupportable perspectives that most thinking people find as ridiculous as they sound. If you are an unquestioning believer, you will enjoy this book very much which probably explains the strength of the reviews. But if you are a skeptic, I don't see much here that you will find worthwhile.
  
  
• Good, Balanced and Respective Approach...
  By A3S1SU6DSEZ9FR on 2008-03-17
  This is the first book that I have read by Tim Keller. I have wanted to read him ever since I heard him speak at the 2006 Desiring God Conference. He is the older and more tame version of Mark Driscoll, as far as vision for the city goes. He is the pastor of Redeemer Presbyterian Church in New York City (Manhattan) and the church that he started in 1989, that everyone said would be a bust, is now serving over 5000 congregants per week.
  
  The book, The Reason for God, is very well done. It is what we in the Christian community would call a presuppositional apologetics book. Or to define more precisely, it is a way to give rational reasons for the Christian faith and oppose other worldviews by exposing the flaws in their thinking. Tim Keller does this very well, yet very respectively as well. The book is set up in two parts. The first part of the book is The Leap of Doubt. This first part is answering the accusations/questions that skeptics put forth, by showing not only the holes in their argument(s) but then reversing it and showing why faith in God and Jesus Christ is the better answer for the question posed. The accusations/questions are:
  
  1. There Can't Be Just One True Religion
  
  2. How Could a Good God Allow Suffering?
  
  3. Christianity is a Straightjacket
  
  4. The Church is Responsible for So Much Injustice
  
  5. How Can a Loving God Send People to Hell?
  
  6. Science Has Disproved Christianity
  
  7. You Can't Take the Bible Literally
  
  The Second half, and I like how Keller puts it, is to show the clues for God. Keller does this very masterfully.
  
  The Second half is called, The Reasons for Faith, and they are:
  
  1. The Clues of God
  
  2. The Knowledge of God
  
  3. The Problem of Sin
  
  4. Religion and the Gospel
  
  5. The (True) Story of the Cross
  
  6. The Reality of the Resurrection
  
  7. The Dance of God
  
  epilogue: Where do we go from here?
  
  Although I don't agree fully on some of Keller's theology, I found that to be okay with what was trying to be disclosed in this book. Keller tries to take the focus off of denominational lines completely, to show forth the most important question, "Is there a God?" and the second part of this was to put forth why Christ is God and truly did die on the cross. I like how Dr. Keller puts it to one person. A lady came and told Dr. Keller that she couldn't believe the Bible because it was so oppressive to women (which I believe is an incorrect assumption/view). He told her that before she was concerned with the doctrine of men and women she needed to first ask the question, "Was Christ really resurrected from the dead?" Because the answer to that question is an eternal one, and the one about women and the Bible should be searched out only when she has answered the first.
  
  Throughout this book, Dr. Keller, lays out simple clues to who God is, why Christ died, and why He rose again. Dr. Keller puts his heart on the line as he gives insight to his personal stories from his own congregation. He lays out what the cross means to us personally, and not just a historical valid argument. Because of this, the reader feels as though Dr. Keller is speaking directly towards them, because he cares for them. It is odd, but I couldn't put the book down and I felt Dr. Keller's passion for the King called Jesus.
  
  I would highly recommend to any who call themselves Christians, and any who call themselves skeptics. It is definitely a book that will make you think upon the eternal aspects of life and direct you towards the clues that God has left for us to know Him. I found this to be one of the best apologetics books I have ever read.
  
  Also, check out the website for this book, [...]
  
  
  
• An Erudite Defense of the Faith
  By A2IS16K96YSFDV on 2008-04-04
  Tim Keller, pastor of Redeemer Presbyterian Church in New York City, (by all means, if you're ever in the Big Apple for business or vacation on a weekend, consider visiting Redeemer--the services are great) has encountered innumerable sophisticated skeptics of the Christian faith during his pastorate in our nation's largest city.
  
  He has written this book in response to many of the roadblocks that educated people have regarding Christianity. While Vox Day's "The Irrational Atheist" attempts a point-by-point refutation of the specific arguments advanced by the New Atheists in recent years, Dr. Keller takes a wider view in the first half of "The Reason for God", addressing many of the more familiar objections that people have to Christianity.
  
  Some of the more common objections covered are that there cannot be just one true religion, the problem of God allowing suffering, how there can be such a thing as moral absolutes in a modern society, how people could take the Bible literally today, and how a loving God could send anyone to Hell.
  
  The main place where I disagreed with the book was with its suggestion that, within Christianity, it is possible to hold to the position that the concepts of theistic evolution and Christianity are reconcilable. Genesis 2:7 states as explicitly as a thing can be stated that man was created and then became a living being--a living being did not evolve into a man. Genesis 2:21 states equally explicitly that Eve did not descend from hominids but was created from Adam, and this idea is codified in I Corinthians 11:8-9. The Bible teaches that Jesus was both fully God and fully man; He was not both fully God and fully a moving, evolving target. Romans 5 and I Corinthians 15 teach, as one of the chief claims of Christianity, that Christ was the last Adam--if the first Adam was merely an allegory, at what point in the genealogies of Genesis 5, Genesis 11, and Matthew 1 do the characters cease being allegories and begin being real people? Theistic evolution is compatible with deism; it is not compatible with Christianity.
  
  The second half of the book deals with positive reasons for Christian faith, such as evidence of design in the universe, the fact that all humans have knowledge of moral obligation, and evidence for the resurrection of Christ. There is a spectacular chapter discussing differences between "religion" and the true Christian gospel and the difference the latter makes on our moral choices.
  
  Reading both Vox Day's book and this book is a great way to acquaint yourself with the arguments that the New Atheists and other skeptics are making and the Christian response to them.
  
  
• Get This Book
  By AS1JV1YJSDSIV on 2008-03-10
  The theme of the book is to give logical and true answers to the typical objections to Christianity raised in a post-modern world. The answers are written in a language that is understandable to the non-theologian.
  The Introduction alone is worth the price of admission. In it Keller lays out an objective view of why Christians claim the world is becoming more secular and Secularists claim the world is becoming more dominated by religion...and why both views are correct! As a Christian, this opened my eyes to why atheists believe the Christians are becoming too dominant, a view I would have never believed possible. It also explains my gut feeling that the world is becoming more and more polarized in issues of faith just as it is in issues of politics and many social issues.
  In the rest of the book, Keller addresses each argument against Christianity that he regularly hears from his Manhattan church's visitors. He shows why each makes sense to non-believers but why it cannot be true in light of true Christian faith.
  I am buying a second copy to give to my Unitarian Brother-in-Law. This is the second book about Christianity I have felt would not put him on the defensive. The first was Mere Christianity by C.S. Lewis. This is, in many ways, a modern version of that great book.
  I am also buying a copy for my children that are in college and about to enter college since I think this is the best book I have read that meets the objections of the seculr world head on.
  
  
• What a let down...
  By A2HANRU6UH1ROU on 2008-05-25
  There are so many intelligent people for whom religion offers a real benefit. This author's reputation and the promise of the title never materialized in the text. Just more of the usual circular reasoning, wishful fantasizing, and poor logic to bolster the institutional reverence for popular religious concepts. What a waste.
  
  

• Surprised by Hope: Rethinking Heaven, the Resurrection, and the Mission of the Church
• Vintage Jesus: Timeless Answers to Timely Questions (Relit Theology)
• Christ and Culture Revisited
• Do Hard Things: A Teenage Rebellion Against Low Expectations
• Respectable Sins: Confronting the Sins We Tolerate