Letters from a Skeptic
Many of you have heard the story of my conversion from atheism to Christianity, and some of you have heard about my involvement with my parents as they became ill and passed from this life. Having struggled with disbelieving parents both of whom came to belief on their death beds, I was very curious when I was told about this book. This is a collection of letters between an agnostic father and his son who is a professor of theology at Bethel College in St. Paul, Minn. The entire discussion is positive, constructive, loving, and respectful. Many of the questions and objections of the father however, are the same ones that my father and many atheists in today's world raise with faith in God.
Gregory Boyd's father was educated in Catholicism and rejected the traditions of the Catholic Church at a young age. He not only had numerous misconceptions from that background, but had also been indoctrinated with many atheist themes about what the Bible teaches that are simply not in the Bible. As the letters go back and forth these areas are discussed and explained, with the father raising the questions and the son answering them.
This is not an organized apologetic work, and in fact it focuses on very little scientific evidence, but on questions related to the reasonableness of Christianity. The book is organized into four sections: questions about God, Jesus Christ, the Bible, and about Christian doctrine. The questions are familiar--Why is there pain? Does God know who will be saved already? Do all non-Christians go to hell? How do you know we have the right Bible? What about all the contradictions? Why did God create Satan, etc.? The questions are very much like those in our Frequently Asked Questions book, but Boyd gives a different approach to many of them. He is accurate, writes well, and radiates a wonderful spirit. Not all of his answers will please you, but you will find this to be a good book with a lot of useful information. We recommend it to you.
Back to Contents Does God Exist?, MayJun08.