The best Christian apology I have readJanuary 1, 2009 0 out of 1 found this review helpful
Timothy Keller can make difficult matters clear and don't let one's interest die. I made numerous notes about his arguments which for me were satisfying. I looked some harsh critiques of these book which make one sad. How can we understand this world in so totally different way? Nothing that atheists argue does not persuade believers and similarly the believers' arguments are futile when one is an atheist.
I do not have anything important to add to those positive reviews. I just wanted to recommend this book, because it is the best Christian apology I have read - and I have read a lot of them.
I believeDecember 29, 2008 A true defender of the faith Timothy Keller and his book "The Reason for God" contributes great evidence for the existence of God. Believing in a God is rational and the skeptics should take a second look it. I hope in some way Keller will convert non-believers with this book. I see from reading the reviews on this site some people have recommend my book, "The Enlightenment, What God Told Me After One Million Prayers: A Message for Everyone," and again I just want them to know how much I appreciate their recommendation, especially at such a excellent site. I wrote this book out of love and for the glory of God and Jesus, not for my own fame or fortune. I welcome people to read my book, I'm sure you'll find this non-fiction account of a loving God just as positive and inspiring
Excellent Christianity 101 primerDecember 28, 2008 Like many individuals who did not become Christians until they were adults (being raised in an atheist family), I was greatly influenced by C.S. Lewis' Mere Christianity when I first read it. Later I found Lee Strobel's The Case for Faith to be a second excellent "basic introductory textbook" to the Christian faith. The Reason for God can now be added as a third book that serves as a kind of Christianity 101 primer. In it the author answers basic question about Christianity that believers and non-believers alike struggle with. The subtitle of the book - Belief in an Age of Skepticism - indicates where the author will take you. The first portion of the book is entitled The Leap of Doubt and the second entitled The Reasons for Faith. The author tackles such basic questions as: 1) How is Christianity compatible with what we know of the world scientifically, 2) How can we make sense of and believe what is written in the Bible, 3) Does belief in the Christian God even make sense, 4) How can we understand the concept of Hell, 5) What does the cross mean for me, and so on. In essence, the author, in 14 chapters, answers most of the basic questions about how Christianity can make sense and why would someone become a Christian in an age of so much skepticism. In so doing he clears up many of the misconceptions about Christianity that so many non-believers often have. The writing is clear and straightforward. I recommend the book to anyone who has little knowledge of Christianity, to those who are seeking, and for those who struggle in their faith (and don't we all?). I did not give it 5 stars simply because I thought that inclusion of additional topics would have made the book more complete.
There are many reasons to read this outstanding book.December 23, 2008 Timothy Keller deals effectively with the reasons many reject Christianity, provides strong reasons why belief in God is rational, offers excellent reasons why the resurrection of Jesus was historical, and reminds us of the profound reason for Jesus' ministry on earth.
A Good Read for the Intellectually HonestDecember 17, 2008 0 out of 1 found this review helpful
Keller's Reason for God is the perfect book for thinking believers and non-believers. Keller's heart as a Pastor shines through, as he inserts true accounts of his interactions with skeptical churchgoers in his Manhattan church with cogent arguments for God's existence and for the life and ministry of Jesus Christ in particular.
The first half of the book deals with the existence of God. Keller does a masterful job of pointing out the presuppositions of the most popular objections to God's existence. He reviews the classic arguments for God's existence, but never with a smug "this solves everything" approach. Keller is humble, gracious and winsome, a welcome antidote to the bluster of Dawkins, Harris and Hitchens.
The second half of the book takes up the particular issue of Christian faith. If one is convinced that God exists, why the God of the Bible? Again in this section, Keller's intent is not to provide irrefutable proofs, but through gentle questioning to point the reader toward the evidence for the uniqueness of the Christian message.
Keller shows that Christian faith is far from a blind leap but is instead founded on tracing the evidence of the Biblical account to see if it accords with life as it is.
There are no new arguments in the book, but I would also say that there haven't really been any new arguments from Dawkins, Harris, etc. either. There is nothing there that can't be found in works from half a century ago. Science and biblical scholarship may both provide us with nuance but neither at this point is really providing us with new paradigms. Fundamentally, one must believe in a pre-existent God or in pre-existent matter. Keller helps us see that to believe in God and the Bible's account of God is not a far-fetched belief in fairies or a "flying spaghetti monster" but is a reasonable position to hold in light of the world as it is, beautiful, fallen, and redeemable.
