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From Desperation to Peace of Mind

by Calvin Fields, Xulon Press, © 2019,
186 pages, $30.99 (hard cover), ISBN-13: 978-1-5456-7503-8

Most of the books we review are single-issue books. What I mean is that the target audience for the book is a person interested in evolution, or dispensationalism, or comparative religion, or some other issue or specialty. Writing a book, that deals with all of those topics, is extraordinarily difficult. In general, those who have tried have not done it very well. I have often suggested that it is not just difficult; it is virtually impossible. In my opinion, Calvin Fields has come as close as humanly possible to writing a book that does not bog down in one area of concern.

Fields uses several methods that keep his target audience on board. The first method is to organize the book logically. There are four chapters, with each one broken down into sections. The first chapter is titled “Is There Life After Death?” It brings into focus the philosophical issue of why there is something instead of nothing. It has only one section because it is not an evidence-based discussion.

Chapter 2 is titled “Does God Exist?” It has four sections discussing design areas and the limitations of science. The treatment is not highly technical, nor does it go into great depth. Chapter 3 deals with the validity of believing that Christ was the Son of God. It focuses mostly on the support of prophetic and historical evidence that makes the Bible a valid source of information. The last chapter is titled “Christian Doctrine and Lifestyle.” There are 12 sections to this chapter, each discussing the validity of the church and the Christian way of living.

What makes this book unique and useful is that the author documents the statements rather than just throwing out his own opinion. The author quotes well-known scientists, secularists, historians, and scholars. When the author uses Scripture, it is identified and printed out. The book is worth its price just for the quotations that it contains.

Calvin Fields' knowledge is exceptional, and he has a unique ability to explain things in a way that everyone can understand. This book is the kind of book you could give to someone struggling with their faith in a general way. Regardless of educational level, they would gain great insight by reading this book.

Scripture links/references are from BibleGateway.com. Unhighlighted scriptures can be looked up at their website.