Lewis whom, along with his wife and Jonathan Edwards, he counts as his primary theological influences. The world is polarizing over religionâor at the very least our culture is polarizing over religion. Richard Dawkins’ The God Delusion and Christopher Hitchens’ God is Not Great (among others) are flying off the shelves, telling readers that “religion poisons everything.”. Publishers Weekly has said well that this is a book for âskeptics and the believers who love them.â Believers will rejoice in a book that carefully and patiently answers the objections of their skeptical friends and does so with grace and in a way consistent with the Bible. If you have read our dayâs leading skeptics you owe it to yourself to read this as well. If you would like to write a letter to the editor, you can do so here. And in the New York Times bestselling The Reason for God, he addresses each doubt and explains each reason. Keller writes in a smooth, conversational tone. Find book reviews, essays, best-seller lists and news from The New York Times Book Review. Why Does It Matter that Jesus Was Born of a Virgin. But the arguments Keller makes are compelling and reasonable and targeted pointedly at todayâs skeptics. Using literature, philosophy, and Scripture, Keller and the group explore the truth of Christianity. Others will not appreciate the way he wears his Protestantism on his sleeve, especially in the chapter on the cross. I am a follower of Jesus Christ, a husband to Aileen and a father to three children. In lieu of a comments section, I accept and encourage letters to the editor. ... and his confident assertion that âGod is how we got hereâ reflect an obvious divide in our culture. Doubt is not neutral as it relates to sin; it certainly is not commendable. This is the first in a series of interviews about religion that I will conduct for The Stone. Thatâs not to say that I think everything is within the scope of human knowledge.Surely there are things not dreamt of in our philosophy, not to mention in our science â but that fact is not a reason to believe in supernatural beings. Key idea 1 of 10 Contrary to popular belief, the Christian church is not particularly exclusive â but it does have core beliefs. So it was with great interest that I read. The Reason for God Belief in an Age of Skepticism by Timothy Keller The New York Times bestseller that makes âa tight, accessible case for reasoned religious beliefâ (Washington Post). It seems likely to me that nobody but Tim Keller will agree with everything he says. âBut, at the same time, robust, orthodox belief in the traditional faiths is growing as well.â As each grows, those who hold to each become increasingly convinced that they are in imminent danger. New York: Simon & Schuster. Manholaâs Dargisâ Picks. In fact, part of the reason God-bashers like Richard Dawkins and Sam Harris are so influential (apart from the fact they write so well) is their insistence that the doctrine of Godâs perfections makes no sense, and that the idealized âbeingâ it tells us about doesnât resemble the biblical God at all. Better yet, buy several copies and start giving them away. In his New York Times bestselling book The Reason for God, Timothy Keller established himself as a modern-day C. S. Lewis who brings together faith and intellect, theology and popular culture, modern-day objections and historic Christian beliefs. The Reason for God will most likely be judged a “classic,” a book that resembles Mere Christianity and other apologetic works that have impacted the Christian church. While the skeptic has several volumes he can hand to a believing friend (many of them written by the aforementioned authors), the believer has fewer to choose from. As the pastor of an inner-city church in New York City, Timothy Keller has compiled a list of the most frequently voiced 'doubts' sceptics bring to his church, as well as the most important reasons for faith. In the second half of the book (“The Reasons for Faith”), Keller makes his case for Christianity. Copyright © 2021 The Gospel Coalition, INC. All Rights Reserved. The Reason for God exudes warmth in its simple and understated style, a manner of writing that stands in stark contrast to the exaggerated antics of Kellerâs atheistic foes. $24.95. But there is still an illusion of faith flickering around the edges of the drama. It is as though Mr. Beckett sees very little reason for clutching at ⦠The Reason for God is divided into two halves. For example, in the chapter on religious exclusivity, Keller takes the criticism that “there can’t be just one true religion” and shows how the hidden assumption behind this criticism is actually exclusive and arrogant. In the first seven chapters Keller looks at seven of the most common objections and doubts about Christianity and discerns the alternate beliefs underlying each of them. The reader will soon see that Keller follows closely behind C.S. For example, many believers will be uncomfortable with his defense of evolutionânot the naturalistic evolution of so many skeptics, but a theistic evolution that attempts to reconcile rather than ignore the creation accounts of the Bible. Even skeptics have a kind of faith hidden within their reasoning. May this book convince us all that we can believe and can believe reasonably, even in this age of skepticism. I worship and serve as a pastor at Grace Fellowship Church in Toronto, Ontario, and am a co-founder of Cruciform Press. Attempting to find a way forward, Keller suggests that both believers and skeptics look at doubt in a whole new way. God couldn't be reached for comment, so the New York Times ⦠written by Trevin Wax © 2008 Kingdom People blog. 445 pp. I read constantly and find that books allow me to understand the people who write them, especially when the author has written several books. Receive every article in your inbox by subscribing below. The Gospel Coalition supports the church by providing resources that are trusted and timely, winsome and wise, and centered on the gospel of Jesus Christ. Yet he sets Lewis and Edwards in a new context. EVERY Presidential election in the United States is ⦠The Reason for God is written for skeptics and believers alike. âSkepticism, fear, and anger toward traditional religion are growing in power and influence,â says Keller. Others will take issue with his description of hell and the thread of ecumenism that runs throughout the volume. The Reason for God is, at least to my knowledge, unique. Timothy Keller, the founding pastor of Redeemer Presbyterian Church in New York City, addresses the frequent doubts that skeptics, and even ardent believers, have about religion. And really, much of the book only makes sense within our contemporary cultural context. Pick up this book and read it. A New York Times bestseller people can believe inâby "a pioneer of the new urban Christians" (Christianity Today) and the "C.S. In his New York Times bestselling book The Reason for God, Timothy Keller established himself as a modern-day C. S. Lewis who brings together faith and intellect, theology and popular culture, modern-day objections and historic Christian beliefs. I think many arguments for the existence of a God depend on the insufficiencies of human cognition. The Reason for God arrives at a unique time, for we are at a point when both belief and skepticism are on the rise. I have now blogged for 6,271 consecutive days. âWe have come to a cultural moment in which both skeptics and believers feel their existence is threatened because both secular skepticism and religious faith are on the rise in significant, powerful ways. Site by Mere. They assume too much and deliver too little. It contains reviews of new releases, author interviews and coverage of the book world. It will help you learn to structure your life to do the most good to the glory of God. His thesis depends on this distinction between unbeliever and skeptic because, he says, we all believe something. Go to the nearest Barnes and Noble and take a stroll through the section of Bestsellers. Kellerâs volume seeks to fill that void, and it does so well. It also has best-seller lists for fiction, nonfiction and paperbacks, among other categories. Tim Keller's The Reason for God: Belief in an Age of Skepticism (TRG, hereafter) is the result of the many questions about God and Christianity pastor Keller has received over the years during his time at Redeemer Presbyterian Church in Manhattan, New York. If you miss âThe Good Place,â if you have a favorite New Yorker cartoon, or if you wonder what it would be like if Todd from âBoJack Horsemanâ were God, watch this. Thankfully, today you might find Timothy Keller’s new book on the shelf as well: The Reason for God: Belief in an Age of Skepticism. The Reason for God is bound to upset many people. ... an all-good God can allow evil and pain to exist if he has a good reason for doing so, and the burden of proof is upon the atheist to show that no such reason or reasons exist. Understanding what we believe about belief is crucial. Doctrine of sin ) the Work of Apologetics, Conservatives, Progressives, following... 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