Jim and Mark worked together for five years, eating lunch together nearly every day. They both were avid fans of the local sports teams, though they couldn’t see eye to eye when it came to college ball. Jim had been married fifteen years, Mark eleven. Both had two kids. Jim and Mark were co-workers and they were friends. However, Jim believed in Jesus while Mark was agnostic.
Over lunch one day, Mark decided to broach the topic of God and religion. After a few spoonfuls of his soup, he asked Jim a series of questions about the existence of God, the problem of evil, and others. Jim, though, didn’t know what to say. How can he answer these questions? He didn’t want to alienate his long-time friend, nor be seen as some religious nut. Jim was no philosopher by any stretch of the imagination, never attended college, and he didn’t know the Bible as well as he should. Mark, though, read the Bible regularly, hoping to find answers, and held a Bachelor’s degree in English.
Every day believers face this situation, finding themselves devoid of answers and often speechless. Reading books by Christian apologists and philosophers is, simply, dull and can be overwhelming. The concepts are difficult, the terminology new, and the thought processes too abstract.
As I was looking around the bookstore the other day, I ran across a book that makes defending the faith (apologetics) easier to understand. Peter Kreeft’s book Yes or No?: Straight Answers to Tough Questions about Christianity
helps readers understand the philosophical arguments for the Christian faith without being overwhelmed. Rather than offering a long treatise composed in complicated abstract language, Kreeft takes cues from the ancient Greek philosophers and employs a dialogical approach. Readers encounter “Sal the Seeker” and “Chris the Christian” as they discuss issues such as the existence of God, the problem of evil, Jesus, hell, world religions, and others.
Kreeft not only lets readers see two people talk about complicated issues in understandable terms, he also includes margin notes highlighting key questions and answers to those questions. Yes or No? makes apologetics more accessible and understandable without rendering it simplistic and meaningless. If you’re wanting a book to help you know how to discuss these issues without needing a PhD in theology or philosophy, Kreeft’s work is an affordable, highly informative, and engaging read.
