"Does Christianity Still Make Sense?" (Bobby Conway)

TITLE: Does Christianity Still Make Sense?: A Former Skeptic Responds to Today’s Toughest Objections to Christianity
AUTHOR: Bobby Conway
PUBLISHER: Carol Stream, IL: Tyndale House Publishers, 2024, (224 pages).
 

Why should anyone believe in God? Why are there so many scandals in the Church? Aren't Christians a bunch of hypocrites? How can Jesus be the only way to God when so many people have not heard of him? Did Jesus really rise from the dead? These and many more are covered in this insightful book of answers to 20 of the most difficult questions about Christianity. Calling himself a "chronic doubter," author Bobby Conway takes us on an honest journey through these difficult questions to show us that Christianity not only makes sense, it gives us hope. He gives us answers that are down to earth and explains his reasons in an open conversational way. He writes this book for the following reasons. First, the present cultural climate is increasingly secular and anti-Christian. Second, the Church has a credibility problem. Third, Christians are perceived to be intolerant. Fourth, many Christians do not know how to deal with many basic objections. Apart from these, people regularly ask about the age-old problem of evil, pain, and suffering. 

"Personality and Worldview" (Johan H. Bavinck)

TITLE: Personality and Worldview
AUTHOR: Johan Herman Bavinck (translated by James Eglinton)
PUBLISHER: Wheaton, IL: Crossway, 2023, (208 pages).
 

When doing studies about comparative religion, one of the most common ways is to use the term worldview. Sometimes, we tend to think that worldview is something objectively understood. That is only half the story. What equally matters is the person holding that worldview, for the subjective and the objective are related in more ways than one.  In other words, personality affects worldviews. The condition of the soul affects one's outlook on life. More importantly, any understanding of the world is only as good as one's personality. This is the crux of the book about the relationship between the subjective and the objective. Some people think that worldviews are objective while personalities are subjective. The problem is that such dichotomies are false. Both are linked in some or more ways. The gospel breaks down these false dichotomies to give us a concrete understanding of both the self as well as the worldview. Every philosophy, religion, or spiritual quest is a form of searching for God, so says Bavinck. One might want to argue the Person of God, but it is no denying that one searches for some form of transcendence in the name of Truth. Bavinck goes into the quest in two ways.

"After Disbelief" (Anthony T. Kronman)

TITLE: After Disbelief: On Disenchantment, Disappointment, Eternity, and Joy
AUTHOR: Anthony T. Kronman
PUBLISHER: New Haven, CT: Yale University Press, 2022, (184 pages).
 

There are two popular positions with regard to religious belief. One believes in God and the human need for Divine help. The other position relies on self and human autonomy. These are the two common stands between theists and atheists. Is there a middle ground? Calling himself a "born-again pagan," author-professor Anthony Kronman claims to have discovered this middle way. In this thought-provoking book that begins from a position of a disillusioned world, he guides readers through some of his presuppositions of neither religion nor atheism, to land into an area of existentialism and the ongoing pursuit of happiness. Pondering about death and eternity, he asks a probing question: "How is it possible to come closer to a goal that is always at the same impossible distance?" Finding that both religion and humanism fail to answer this question adequately, he describes his own version of god that sits somewhere between partial acceptance and partial rejection of both types of beliefs. He shows hand by declaring his method of inquiry: "by reason alone." This is via the individual's reasoning to find out the right idea of God. Immediately in the following chapter, he admits to his own flawed plans to respond to his own alarms and various unmet goals. There is a disclaimer of course, that while he tries to size up the God that he wants to find, he admits his own limitations to see a world that is larger than his own. He reflects on the wavering predictions of weather; the painfully slow advancement of justice; and a lament that Dr Martin Luther King Jr's dream of a world of justice as something "unattainable." The author essentially questions everything in life. After a massive deconstruction of conventional thinking about life, he helps us arrive at a future position in which we can "neither reach nor abandon." This gets worse as he relates present fulfillment as illusions. For instance, once we are satisfied with all scientific inquiries, when our longing to know and accomplish stuff ceases, what would happen to us? What kind of a God does Kroman eventually arrive at? A hybrid: of the best one reasons that out to be. 

"Kingdom of the Cults" (Walter Martin)

TITLE: The Kingdom of the Cults: The Definitive Work on the Subject
AUTHOR: Walter Martin
PUBLISHER: Minneapolis, MN: Bethany House Publishers, 2019, (800 pages).

We are living in an increasingly pluralistic, multi-cultural, multi-religious, and dizzying array of beliefs, sub-beliefs, and many alternative philosophies. Author Martin calls this the "kingdom of the cults." Since 1965, while the original version is somewhat outdated, the challenge remains the same: Learning how to answer the many cults on the outside or the fringes of mainstream Christianity. It is important to note that the author uses the word "cult" not as a derogatory way but to spell out their differences from traditional Christianity. This is particularly so when many of them insist that they are the one true religion. In the Early Church, there were already heresies that attempt to call themselves Christian. The Church fought many theological battles, leading to the gathering of the bishops' council to meet at places in Chalcedon, Nicaea, Constantinople, Ephesus, and others. Backed by able theologians such as Athanasius, Augustine, Gregory of Nyssa, Gregory of Nazianzus, the Church Fathers, the Cappadocian Fathers, and many more, the Church held fast. This book may not be in the same position as the creeds of old but it showcases the differences of the various cults from Christianity. Martin gives us many historical analyses for us to understand the background; theological evaluation and comparison; and the way we could respond through "apologetic contrast." The concern is that the Church at large is increasingly less able to discern the cults. Not only that, there are some who are openly embracing them, at the risk of compromising our beliefs. This is a concern.

"Christian Ethics" (Wayne Grudem)

TITLE: Christian Ethics: An Introduction to Biblical Moral Reasoning
AUTHOR: Wayne Grudem
PUBLISHER: Wheaton, IL: Crossway Publishers, 2018, (1296 pages).

What are the basis for moral reasoning? What are the differences between morality, immorality, and amorality? Are the Ten Commandments still relevant today? Absolutely! Indeed, as society becomes more secular and moral reasoning replaced by amoral philosophies, we become more confused and less convicted about what is the right thing to do. Things may be legally right but ethically wrong. How then do we do our part to retain basic human decency in the things we do or say? Without any guide, we are left to our own devices and we are prone to make serious misjudgments about what we ought to do in the light of societal pressures and what basic norms should be. This is especially so for Christians who are increasingly been challenged by the world to give a defense of the gospel and the basis for moral reasoning. We need help in order to structure our thoughts and to understand the Bible's principles for moral reasoning. Here we see the brilliance of Bible teacher and theologian, Wayne Grudem, who guides us through the basics of understanding what ethics was; what the Bible teaches; the purpose of ethics; the need for God's laws in society; and many fundamental elements on how we should anchor our ethical framework based on biblical principles. In a clear and concise manner, he leads us through each of the ten commandments and shows us the relevance of the ancient laws for modern times. Most crucially, he tells us why we follow ethical principles. That is because of the glory of God. He explains the different kinds of ethics that we have today: Deontological; teleological; relativism; virtue ethics; among the various normative ethics, and compares them with biblical ethics. He cautions us as we study Christian Ethics not to presume we could "improve upon" biblical ethics. The reason why we study is because we want to better know God's will for us. This is perhaps the key point to take home as we read this book. For reference, the ten commandments are: