The Reason for God - Timothy Keller

The Reason for God: Believe in an Age of Skepticism, by Timothy Keller was PWOC Page Turner's January selection.   A few of us commented we may not have made it through this book without the deadline of the book club looming.

This is not a HARD read - but it's not an easy read either. In other words, I had to read some pages a couple of times - but when I slowed down and engaged it was engaging and enlightening. LOL

There were many things I LOVED about this book. I loved his switch from classifying people as believers and unbelievers. He points out all believe in something and so instead he calls us believers and skeptics. I loved a current voice answering the skeptics of today in the context of today's culture. I loved his call to focus on the foundational before getting mired in the minors. I liked the ecumenical voice in this book. I loved his description of the difference between religion and the gospel of grace. I loved how he showed the context of other cultures and illustrated the adaptability of the gospel. We don't have to convert, and shouldn't attempt to convert, a person to WESTERN CULTURE. Christianity should look different in each culture - and he contrasts this with other religions.  I was intrigued and impressed at his practice of having a friendly question/answer session after his sermons on Sunday - a chance to be able to answer honest questions and get honest answers.  His thoughts on "community" and the importance of the local church feed my thoughts on community as I see it in so many books I'm reading. There is a lot of good stuff to ponder in this book.

I liked the physical layout of the book. Introduction, Part 1 - Leap of Doubt - where he addresses the seven doubts he most often has heard from skeptics, followed by an Intermission, Part 2 - the Reasons for Faith - and an Epilogue.  Due to the layout, this book could easily be used as a source book - even if one did not read it from start to finish.

Seven doubts Keller deals with:

1. There can't be just one true religion
2. How could a good God allow suffering?
3. Christianity is a straitjacket
4. The church is responsible for so much injustice
5. How can a loving God send people to hell?
6. Science has disproved Christianity
7. You can't take the Bible literally

The 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

This is my first Timothy Keller book. I'd like to read more. It looks like he has taken several of his chapters and expanded them to whole books. I'd love to hear which you'd recommend next? Justice, works, marriage....which ones have you read?

Choosing Joy!
©2015 D.R.G.
~Coram Deo~
Living all of life before the face of God...