The Reason for God: Belief in an Age of Skepticism | Timothy Keller

The Reason for God: Belief in an Age of Skepticism | Timothy Keller | Excellent

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The Reason for God...

	The Reason for God: Belief in an Age of Skepticism Timothy Keller Dutton Adult, 2008 - 293 pages average customer review:based on 130 reviews view larger image
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highly recommended

An Excellent, Comprehensive Overview of the Christian Faith

Let's consider issues generally not developed by previous reviewers. Also, it's incorrect to fault Keller for providing answers instead of raising more profound questions, as Jesus sometimes did. Note that, when the Pharisees asked Him which of seven successive husbands would be married to the woman after death, Christ didn't ask any deeper question. He plainly told them that they were wrong, and why they were wrong, in their conception of the afterlife.

"Ironically, the insistence that doctrines do not matter is really a doctrine itself. It holds a specific view of God, which is touted as superior and more enlightened than the beliefs of most major religions." (p. 8)

A common theme throughout Keller's book is how cultural expectations shape out attitudes. For instance, we find God's unilateral forgiveness attractive and hell offensive. In other cultures, it's the exact opposite. (p. 72) The anti-abolitionists who cited Ephesians 6:5 as justification for 19th-century chattel slavery didn't realize that it was incomparably more severe than the indentured servanthood which Paul had in mind. (pp. 109-111, 266-267) We learn that magic was uncommon in the middle ages; it didn't peak until the 16th-17th centuries--at the same time that modern science got started (p. 70)

The early-church-made-everything-up assertion is contrary to reality. The New Testament mentions unflattering things such as Peter's denials, the disciples' jealousies, etc.--the exact opposite of writings designed to promote and popularize a new religion. (pp. 104-105) Furthermore, we now realize that the ancients were very careful to separate fictional and factual writings (p. 204). Also, Jewish thinking anticipated a final resurrection of many people, not just One (p. 207). 1 Corinthians 15:3-6 was written soon after Christ's Resurrection, and it would've been self-defeating and self-refuting to mention 500 witnesses to the Resurrected Christ if such witnesses didn't exist. (pp. 203-204) Pointedly, "'Jewish revolutionaries whose leader had been executed by the authorities, and who managed to escape arrest themselves, had two options; give up the revolution, or find another leader. Claiming that the original leader was alive again was simply not an option. Unless, of course, he was.'" (p. 208) Finally, Gnosticism couldn't possibly be an "alternative Christianity" because the earliest Gnostic gospel wasn't written until at least a century after the four canonical ones. (pp. 102-103)

Keller cites many examples of Christian-led social reform. For instance: "In the late twentieth century the Catholic church in eastern Europe refused to die under Communism. Through `patience, candles, and crosses' it began the chain of events that brought down all those totalitarian regimes. The Polish priest Jerzy Popieluszko...When he was murdered by the secret police, 250,000 people came to his funeral...Many of those who went to his funeral marched past the secret police headquarters with a banner that read `We forgive'. The Christian underpinnings of the resistance movement were unmistakable." (p. 65).

The essence of the Christian faith is: "God did not, then, inflict pain on someone else, but rather on the Cross absorbed the pain, violence, and evil of the world unto Himself." (p. 192)

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Excellent

Dr. Keller distills logic, common sense and historical proofs into a book that will be viewed as a masterpiece of early 21st Century writing.

Similar to CS Lewis, he provides clear arguments for both sides and, in keeping with a basic tenet of Christianity, leads the reader to a clear choice--that they either freely accept or reject the scriptures.

If you are an atheist, agnostic, Christian, deist, or practice another religion, it will make you think about the radical claims of Christ. He addresses the difficult "claims" of Christianity" and provides answers to those questions many struggle with. If you dont want to address difficult questions in your life, dont read this book. If you want a challenge, read the book.

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Stands to reason...

If somebody had to write this book, I'm glad it was Tim Keller. So many evangelicals who tackle this debate do so very condescendingly and without actually answering many of the questions posed by atheists, but rather by throwing out maxims and propositions. Now, I'm not opposed to maxims and propositions, but they have to be given within reason.

I think this book should really serve as a primer for the discussion rather than a closing argument. In just over three hundred pages, Keller is only able to touch the tip of the iceberg concerning each argument both for and against faith in God. I would love to see many others pick up these subjects where Keller left off and continue the conversation.

The best part of the book, in my opinion, was the first half, where Keller tackles various objections to the Christian faith. I have noticed throughout my life that the most volatile and ungracious debaters are often not on the Christian side. While atheists would claim to be more gracious and reasonable, there seems to be a blind arrogance to many atheist arguments. I'm glad Keller addressed that the way that he did. I also personally find it interesting that many atheists go out of their way to disprove something they don't believe in. They spend their time fighting what is, in their mind, nonexistent. I find the fact that so many atheists are haunted by even the notion of God to be fascinating.

All in all, a very good read, but I wouldn't treat it as the final word.

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