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Evidence for Faith 101 - Great Resource for Christians and Non-Christians alike
Freelance writer/Speaker
Evidence for Faith 101, is one of the books available in the Christianity 101 Series by Bruce Bickel and Stan Jantz.
The sub-heading, “Understanding Apologetics in Plain Language”, is an accurate description of this book.
They open with giving a simple explanation of the word Apologetics as it relates to Christianity – stating, “Apologetics is more about explaining the truth about God than it is about defending God”, and they are quick to explain the difference between a defense of the Christian faith, and being defensive about the Christian faith.
In their own words –
“The purpose of this book is to help you think through many of the important questions that many people are asking about God, Jesus, the Bible, the origin of the universe, the Trinity, Christianity, suffering and evil, heaven and hell, and other hot-button topics. We don’t take offense when someone inquires about these, and neither should you. When you take questions and objections about God personally, you have a tendency to get defensive, and that rarely leads to a productive dialogue. The Bible never asks you to get defensive about your faith. What it does say is this:
‘And if someone asks about your Christian hope, always be ready to explain it. But do this in a gentle and respectful way” (1 Peter 3:15-16)’” – Bruce and Stan
This is exactly how the information is presented in this book. It not only speaks to Christians, but non-Christians as well.
Some Christians feel it is their job to determine if the one questioning Christianity is asking for the sake of argument with no intentions of receiving the information or if they are asking in earnest, before they engage in a discussion. I disagree with this thought and believe it is not my place to speculate on the intentions of another. In the time I have come to know Stan Jantz, first through reading his work, and later as a friend, I learned that he and Bruce Bickel feel the same way.
It shows in their relaxed and honest style. They are not afraid to tackle the tough questions of faith and they are the first to admit Christians fall short of being a true model of Christ. With wit and knowledge they present theological and practical evidence with every subject addressed.
Some of the topics discussed are:
A Case for Faith
A Place for Evidence
Evidence for God
Evidence for the Bible
Evidence for Jesus
Evil and Suffering
Heaven and Hell
And more.
Each chapter ends with discussion questions and resources on where to go for deeper investigation. This book makes a wonderful group study or a great personal study.
They also invite their readers to visit their website so that the reader can interact with them by way of question/answer article/comment boards.
I often refer back to this book as a quick reference when teaching or discussing questions of faith with those who are still on their search for the living God.
I highly recommend it for all levels of study as it is presented in such a way that will meet seekers and new believers where they are and has enough “meat” to satisfy the seasoned student of the Bible.
To learn more about the writing team of Bruce Bickel and Stan Jantz and for additional resource materials, visit Conversantlife.com.
© Teresa Ortiz
Article submitted Friday, July 31, 2009 & read 269 times.
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