The Reason for God

The Reason for God: Belief in an Age of Skepticism 

by Timothy Keller

(See previous comment about my "not quite reviews")

Point: Although many claim that there is no God, or that there is no reason to believe in a God, it does not change the bedrock truth that He is and we must reckon with that fact.

Path: The first half of Keller's book works through seven of common objections to Christianity and titles this "The Leap of Doubt": 

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 

The second half of the book is titled "The Reasons for Faith," and develops seven reasons for 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

There is also an Intermission and "So What" section in the book.

Sources: The root of this book is found in Jonathan Edwards. The trunk of this book looks and feels of C.S. Lewis. The branches of this book are of Alvin Plantinga and N.T. Wright. The fruit of this book is Redeemer Church.

Agreement: God is the foundational bedrock of the entire universe, whether we agree with that or not.

Disagreement: Keller, following the path of Mere Christianity, attempts to point the skeptic to the path of least resistance to the foundations of Christianity. In doing so he claims a broad range of views can be found on Creation/Evolution, gender roles, etc. without jeopardizing Christianity. I agree to a certain extent.

Stars: 4.5 out of 5

This is a good book to give to someone who thinks they are philosophical but don't have a degree in it. I appreciated it and would consult it while dealing with truly thoughtful people. This is obviously not an exhaustive work, but a good start.

It would be worth another read and I would recommend it.