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The Reason for God: Belief in an Age of Skepticism

The Reason for God: Belief in an Age of Skepticism

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  • Create Date：2021-04-24 11:54:45
  • Update Date：2025-09-13
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  • Author：Timothy J. Keller
  • ISBN：0525950494
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Summary

Making Sense of God: An Invitation to the Skeptical， is a prequel to The Reason for God: Belief in an Age of Skepticism。

The End of Faith。 The God Delusion。 God Is Not Great。 Letter to a Christian Nation。 Bestseller lists are filled with doubters。 But what happens when you actually doubt your doubts？

Although a vocal minority continues to attack the Christian faith， for most Americans， faith is a large part of their lives: 86 percent of Americans refer to themselves as religious， and 75 percent of all Americans consider themselves Christians。 So how should they respond to these passionate， learned， and persuasive books that promote science and secularism over religion and faith？ For years， Tim Keller has compiled a list of the most frequently voiced “doubts” skeptics bring to his Manhattan church。 And in The Reason for God， he single-handedly dismantles each of them。 Written with atheists， agnostics， and skeptics in mind， Keller also provides an intelligent platform on which true believers can stand their ground when bombarded by the backlash。 The Reason for God challenges such ideology at its core and points to the true path and purpose of Christianity。

Why is there suffering in the world？ How could a loving God send people to Hell？ Why isn’t Christianity more inclusive？ Shouldn’t the Christian God be a god of love？ How can one religion be “right” and the rest “wrong”？ Why have so many wars been fought in the name of God？ These are just a few of the questions even ardent believers wrestle with today。 In this book， Tim Keller uses literature， philosophy， real-life conversations and reasoning， and even pop culture to explain how faith in a Christian God is a soundly rational belief， held by thoughtful people of intellectual integrity with a deep compassion for those who truly want to know the truth。

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Reviews

ZhyDen ，

The story is compelling。 Good job writer！ If you have some great stories like this one， you can publish it on Novel Star， just submit your story to hardy@novelstar。top or joye@novelstar。top

Cassie ，

I really love his explanations and applications。

Sarahwhitsett1gmail。Com ，

Classic

Evan Hadfield ，

Very meh。 Reads like a well-intentioned reply to a 2000s-era "Richard Dawkins slams Christian pastor" youtube video。Doesn't deliver on title's premise， unless "Age of Skepticism" means the 1700s and "Reasons" means watered-down modern-language summaries of arguments Deists made ages ago。There ARE compelling 21st-Century arguments for believing in God（s）， finding meaning in traditional religion， and profound rebuttals to "capital S Science-Skepticism" and New Atheism in a time when increasingly y Very meh。 Reads like a well-intentioned reply to a 2000s-era "Richard Dawkins slams Christian pastor" youtube video。Doesn't deliver on title's premise， unless "Age of Skepticism" means the 1700s and "Reasons" means watered-down modern-language summaries of arguments Deists made ages ago。There ARE compelling 21st-Century arguments for believing in God（s）， finding meaning in traditional religion， and profound rebuttals to "capital S Science-Skepticism" and New Atheism in a time when increasingly young people are finding spiritual practice + meaning outside of organized religion and also are increasingly *less* traditionally atheist -- but they apparently elude Tim Keller。Optimistically read for a much-hyped religion discussion group a couple years ago。 Still feel the bitter disappointment that settled in while reading the first chapter。 sigh 。。。more

Nikki ，

Did not disappoint。 All of this book is great， but the first half is particularly good。

Ferry ，

Not religion， but JesusInvitation to the people who find it hard to believe in Jesus。 The book patiently guides and challenges our preconceived assumptions about the truth of Christ。 Come and see that the Lord is good。

James Maxim ，

Best book I have read to engage with those skeptical of Christianity。 The arguments are compelling， intelligent and thoughtful。 I highly recommend this work。

Matt Wilkins ，

I read this book at the right time in my life。 I was overcome with both joy and sadness when I finished the last page。 The last chapter， especially， was extremely edifying。 "Come and find me， God。 After all， you are the Good Shepherd who goes looking for lost sheep。。。。He did。" I read this book at the right time in my life。 I was overcome with both joy and sadness when I finished the last page。 The last chapter， especially， was extremely edifying。 "Come and find me， God。 After all， you are the Good Shepherd who goes looking for lost sheep。。。。He did。" 。。。more

Sara Zeller ，

All his books are so good1

Magdy Edwar ，

هذا الكتاب مع كتاب المسيحية المجردة من أروع الكتب بالنسبة لى ، كل منهم يحتوى على قطع نصية فنية أدبية فى غاية الدقة والوصف والمنطق 。。。。أنصح جدااا واأرشح بعمق قراءة هذا الكتاب

Tyler Lamirato ，

This book addresses a lot of the fundamentals of Christianity extremely well along with many common reasons why people choose not to believe in Christianity。 Keller does well to balance his intellectual arguments with more human faith based arguments and paints a good picture of what it means to be Christian。 I think the most important thing he does in the book is how he sets Christianity apart from all other religions because of the teaching of Jesus dying on the cross。 I highly recommend this This book addresses a lot of the fundamentals of Christianity extremely well along with many common reasons why people choose not to believe in Christianity。 Keller does well to balance his intellectual arguments with more human faith based arguments and paints a good picture of what it means to be Christian。 I think the most important thing he does in the book is how he sets Christianity apart from all other religions because of the teaching of Jesus dying on the cross。 I highly recommend this book to everyone from devout Christians to devout atheists and anywhere in between。 。。。more

Bryce Beale ，

Apart from the writings of C。S。 Lewis， I have yet to find a more compelling apologetic for the modern Western skeptic than The Reason for God。 The book， and its author， stand in a long line of Christian thinkers who have labored for the calloused urbanite with the zeal of Paul toward his kinsmen according to the flesh， from Origen to Lewis。Some of Keller's reasoning is true to a point， but cannot be pushed too far。 He notes that since there are both Christians who deny evolutionary theory and th Apart from the writings of C。S。 Lewis， I have yet to find a more compelling apologetic for the modern Western skeptic than The Reason for God。 The book， and its author， stand in a long line of Christian thinkers who have labored for the calloused urbanite with the zeal of Paul toward his kinsmen according to the flesh， from Origen to Lewis。Some of Keller's reasoning is true to a point， but cannot be pushed too far。 He notes that since there are both Christians who deny evolutionary theory and those who harmonize it with their belief in creation， skeptics should shelf this question until they are in-house。 I similarly would encourage those investigating Christianity to begin with the claims of Christ， rather than with evolutionary theory and its connection to the doctrine of creation; on the other hand， we should not push this shelving of the question too far and， in the end， relegate the doctrine of creation to a category of relative unimportance。 Keller also follows Lewis in arguing that hell is "locked from the inside。" Again， there is an element of truth to this line of reasoning: those who reject God do not want to be in heaven with him， so they are given over to their desire to be separate from God。 But again we cannot stretch this point。 Hell may be locked from the inside， but God created the lock， just as he created hell。These points aside， the book is remarkable。 It is the mature product of real-world interactions with skeptics over many years。 I would happily put it in the hands of any inquiring unbeliever with a modern slant， and would encourage believers whose hearts burn for the salvation of their skeptical neighbors to read it too。 。。。more

Caique Garcia ，

Brings many subjects related to the bases of the Christian faith。It's an awesome book for new Christians and also for the old ones who want to know how to explain their faith to others。 Brings many subjects related to the bases of the Christian faith。It's an awesome book for new Christians and also for the old ones who want to know how to explain their faith to others。 。。。more

Arcmom ，

I was hoping for a more progressive look at belief in this age of skepicism。 It's solid traditional theology。 I was hoping for a more progressive look at belief in this age of skepicism。 It's solid traditional theology。 。。。more

Kylee Robin ，

This book is an absolute MUST READ for believers and unbelievers alike。 It is the perfect book for skeptics。 God used this book to build my faith and to give me exponentially more confidence in the truth of the gospel！

Amy ，

"A Reason for God" is not a long book but it took me a long time to get through it。 I respect Tim Keller's perspectives and his heart for truth。 He takes on subjects I've never heard from the pulpit。"A faith without some doubts is like a human body without any antibodies in it。 People who blithely go through life too busy or indifferent to ask hard questions about why they believe as they do will find themselves defenseless against either the experience of tragedy or the probing questions of a s "A Reason for God" is not a long book but it took me a long time to get through it。 I respect Tim Keller's perspectives and his heart for truth。 He takes on subjects I've never heard from the pulpit。"A faith without some doubts is like a human body without any antibodies in it。 People who blithely go through life too busy or indifferent to ask hard questions about why they believe as they do will find themselves defenseless against either the experience of tragedy or the probing questions of a smart skeptic。 A person's faith can collapse almost overnight if she has failed over the years to listen patiently to her own doubts， which should only be discarded after long reflection"The first half of this book is really to address the concerns of the skeptic， the second half to the believer。 Even though most of the topics outlined here were thoughtfully presented， there were a couple of times when Keller sort of scratched here when it itched over there。 I find it frustrating when the answer to "show me evidence of xyz。。。。" is answered by "show me evidence that xyz is not。。。"If you are curious about the Christian faith in modern times or have been a long-time follower of Christ， I think Keller's book is a solid choice to read。 These are certainly skeptical times and I think it's well worth asking questions。 。。。more

Samuel ，

Great book， love Keller。 If you've read other apologetic books， the first half of this book will feel familiar。 However， the second half is very powerful， especially chapters 10 - 12， but it's all good。 Great book， love Keller。 If you've read other apologetic books， the first half of this book will feel familiar。 However， the second half is very powerful， especially chapters 10 - 12， but it's all good。 。。。more

Katherine Henry ，

A commission to all lukewarm Christians to go all in with Jesus！ Though this book was written for the religiously skeptical， agnostics and atheists， I believe every Christian could benefit from reading The Reason for God。 "A Christian is （。。。） someone who has switched his or her most fundamental allegiance to Jesus。 Christians understand the all-or-nothing choice that is forced upon us by the magnitude of Jesus' claims。" （pg。239） Keller also addressed many questions I still have regarding my own A commission to all lukewarm Christians to go all in with Jesus！ Though this book was written for the religiously skeptical， agnostics and atheists， I believe every Christian could benefit from reading The Reason for God。 "A Christian is （。。。） someone who has switched his or her most fundamental allegiance to Jesus。 Christians understand the all-or-nothing choice that is forced upon us by the magnitude of Jesus' claims。" （pg。239） Keller also addressed many questions I still have regarding my own beliefs- some of my favorite sections include How Can a Loving God Send People to Hell， The Problem of Sin and Religion and the Gospel。 A faith-strengthening book for sure！ 。。。more

Gavin Andrews ，

Masterful。 He takes a different tack than CS Lewis in Mere Christianity， but it is effective nonetheless。 A book for believers and skeptics alike。

Cindy Pennington ，

I read the first 1/2 and found it fascinating and great information Moving into the 2nd half， frankly，felt I was in over my head。 Too much struggle to keep going。

Anna-Marije ，

Heldere uiteenzetting van rationele argumenten om in God te geloven。

Rebecca Tee ，

I'm not sure I have much a review for this one， given that my skepticism of Christianity has always skewed towards the people who profess it rather than God Themself。The reminders for a personal and not just an intellectual faith as well as the need for Christian community are important， at this moment in my life。 I am thankful to have found both in the last few months。 I'm not sure I have much a review for this one， given that my skepticism of Christianity has always skewed towards the people who profess it rather than God Themself。The reminders for a personal and not just an intellectual faith as well as the need for Christian community are important， at this moment in my life。 I am thankful to have found both in the last few months。 。。。more

Olesya ，

That is the book that gives you a different perspective。Even though it seems like a reading for Christian beginners， it’s not。 The book changed many points of my faith。 Very useful。

Rick ，

Rating to be expected since I don't believe and was given to me by a friend who does believe， there wasn't anything convinced me otherwise。 I did pick up a couple of gems finding the spot between humility and confidence。 "I no better than anyone and I have nothing to prove to anyone"， also there were some questions quoted from Leo Tolstoy that I found fascinating。 Other than that nothing that I could recommend to someone。 Rating to be expected since I don't believe and was given to me by a friend who does believe， there wasn't anything convinced me otherwise。 I did pick up a couple of gems finding the spot between humility and confidence。 "I no better than anyone and I have nothing to prove to anyone"， also there were some questions quoted from Leo Tolstoy that I found fascinating。 Other than that nothing that I could recommend to someone。 。。。more

Jerry Kinard ，

This was an excellent book。 We do live in an age of skepticism and Tim Keller addressed many of the arguments we all struggle with both believer and unbeliever alike。 My only criticism is that the book was short （less than 300 pages）。 There were a lot of take-aways for me personally。 The book is undoubtedly a theological work and as one might guess falls in the sub-category of Christian apologetics。

Danny Theurer ，

At some point， within some group of people， the legend of some great guru on some mountaintop somewhere - the wise man with all the answers - picked up steam and found itself everywhere。 Someone has to stand up and refute this legend， and （for the next few paragraphs） I nominate myself。 The greatest wisdom and the best of answers cannot be found within individuals that have chosen to isolate themselves to some remote locale。 Rather， we should （and must） seek out answers and perspective from indi At some point， within some group of people， the legend of some great guru on some mountaintop somewhere - the wise man with all the answers - picked up steam and found itself everywhere。 Someone has to stand up and refute this legend， and （for the next few paragraphs） I nominate myself。 The greatest wisdom and the best of answers cannot be found within individuals that have chosen to isolate themselves to some remote locale。 Rather， we should （and must） seek out answers and perspective from individuals who have stationed themselves in the midst of humanity's mess， who are battle-born， battle-tested， and whose character stands behind their words， lending real credibility to each line they offer others。 This is why I read Tim Keller。 And folks， this book may be his greatest work。 A read of the pages will make something evident: It was born from hard conversations with real people， rather than from musings in some academic's dusty attic。 And a read of this book will change the reader's life。The first half offers thoughts and perspectives that cause the most applauded arguments against God and His Church to fall apart like toilet paper under a faucet。 The second half， an invitation to give the space and dedication once given over to skepticism to One worth serving instead。 Read this book。 。。。more

Michael Milad ，

As usual， another exquisite rendition by Tim - the book addresses many secular arguments against religion in a way that appeals to the average person。 Tim builds an initial foundation， explaining why theism is rational and deserves greater exploration。 After that， he addresses Eastern vs Western Ideology， providing a discussion of common statements such as "There Can't Be Just One True Religion" and "How Could a Good God Allow Suffering。" He later addresses Christianity's claims， concluding that As usual， another exquisite rendition by Tim - the book addresses many secular arguments against religion in a way that appeals to the average person。 Tim builds an initial foundation， explaining why theism is rational and deserves greater exploration。 After that， he addresses Eastern vs Western Ideology， providing a discussion of common statements such as "There Can't Be Just One True Religion" and "How Could a Good God Allow Suffering。" He later addresses Christianity's claims， concluding that there is sufficient historical， philosophical and scientific evidence to differentiate Jesus from other previous leader， claims and ideologies。This is a brilliant book for anyone interested in theology and philosophy， regardless of beliefs。 I still believe it is important that all major claims， whether they be Nihilism， Stoicism or Platonism， be explored and constantly compared and contrasted。 Some of my favourite highlights: "What gives us the right to do that， if all moral beliefs are relative？ Nothing gives us the right。 Yet we can’t stop it。 People who laugh at the claim that there is a transcendent moral order do not think that racial genocide is just impractical or self-defeating， but that it is wrong。 The Nazis who exterminated Jews may have claimed that they didn’t feel it was immoral at all。 We don’t care。 We don’t care if they sincerely felt they were doing a service to humanity。 They ought not to have done it。""There is no way to avoid this insecurity outside of God。 Even if you say， ‘I will not build my happiness or significance on anyone or thing，’ you will actually be building your identity on your personal freedom and independence。 If anything threatens that， you will again be without a self。""Assayas: Christ has his rank among the world’s great thinkers。 But Son of God， isn’t that far-fetched？ Bono: No， it’s not far-fetched to me。 Look， the secular response to the Christ story always goes like this: He was a great prophet， obviously a very interesting guy， had a lot to say along the lines of other great prophets， be they Elijah， Muhammad， Buddha， or Confucius。 But actually Christ doesn’t allow you that。 He doesn’t let you off that hook。 Christ says， No。 I’m not saying I’m a teacher， don’t call me teacher。 I’m not saying I’m a prophet。 I’m saying: ‘I’m the Messiah。’ I’m saying: ‘I am God incarnate。’ And people say: No， no， please， just be a prophet。 A prophet we can take。 You’re a bit eccentric。 We’ve had John the Baptist eating locusts and wild honey， we can handle that。 But don’t mention the ‘M’ word！ Because， you know， we’re gonna have to crucify you。 And he goes: No， no， I know you’re expecting me to come back with an army and set you free from these creeps， but actually I am the Messiah。 At this point， everyone starts staring at their shoes， and says: Oh， my God， he’s gonna keep saying this。 So what you’re left with is either Christ was who He said He was – the Messiah – or a complete nutcase。 I mean， we’re talking nutcase on the level of Charles Manson。 。 。 。 I’m not joking here。 The idea that the entire course of civilisation for over half of the globe could have its fate changed and turned upside-down by a nutcase， for me that’s far-fetched 。 。 。" 。。。more

Dylan ，

This book is incredibly beneficial to non-Christians and Christians alike。 Thought provoking and insightful， Keller walks through the fundamentals of the Christian faith from all angles of reason， ethics， and worldly application。 The author respects all schools of thought while offering a thorough and gracious critique of them in light of the gospel of Jesus。 Would recommend to anyone curious about the Christian faith， anyone seeking assurance in their faith from a rationality standpoint， or a d This book is incredibly beneficial to non-Christians and Christians alike。 Thought provoking and insightful， Keller walks through the fundamentals of the Christian faith from all angles of reason， ethics， and worldly application。 The author respects all schools of thought while offering a thorough and gracious critique of them in light of the gospel of Jesus。 Would recommend to anyone curious about the Christian faith， anyone seeking assurance in their faith from a rationality standpoint， or a dedicated believer seeking help articulating their faith。 。。。more

Stephen Suglio ，

Definitely worth having to reference some common points of contention。 Very logical approach to many of these topics。 The book is divided into 2 parts。 The first part debunks common complaints about Christianity while the second half is why you should become a Christian。 Having his church located in NYC gives Keller the opportunity to contend with many cultural views of Christianity。 Worth the read if you are a Christian to further strengthen your defense against common misconceptions reaffirm y Definitely worth having to reference some common points of contention。 Very logical approach to many of these topics。 The book is divided into 2 parts。 The first part debunks common complaints about Christianity while the second half is why you should become a Christian。 Having his church located in NYC gives Keller the opportunity to contend with many cultural views of Christianity。 Worth the read if you are a Christian to further strengthen your defense against common misconceptions reaffirm your own beliefs。 Also， good if you are not a Christian and want some of your questions answered。 。。。more

Renee Amberg ，

Is there an option for a negative star？？？I picked up this book because it "encouraged questioning" 。。 ya， no。 He took a skeptics question and created a finger-pointed argument against it， which didn't do his side any justice。 For example， someone who doesn't belive in something actually does 。。。 thats a belief in itself。 -_- 。。。。 okayyy？？？You can tell he is a traditionalist which I also don't like。 Focus on converting & winning arguments is not doing anything good。 Add the malice tone & unnecess Is there an option for a negative star？？？I picked up this book because it "encouraged questioning" 。。 ya， no。 He took a skeptics question and created a finger-pointed argument against it， which didn't do his side any justice。 For example， someone who doesn't belive in something actually does 。。。 thats a belief in itself。 -_- 。。。。 okayyy？？？You can tell he is a traditionalist which I also don't like。 Focus on converting & winning arguments is not doing anything good。 Add the malice tone & unnecessary jargon 。。 I stray from books like these。 I encourage individuality & personal experience。 Ultimately， I just didn't align with it 。。。 like at all。DNF （more like couldn't！） 。。。more

Reference

google book https://www.google.com/search?tbm=bks&q=The Reason for God: Belief in an Age of Skepticism

hathitrust digital library https://babel.hathitrust.org/cgi/ls?q1=The Reason for God: Belief in an Age of Skepticism&field1=ocr&a=srchls&ft=ft&lmt=ft

The British Library https://bll01.primo.exlibrisgroup.com/discovery/search?query=any,contains,The Reason for God: Belief in an Age of Skepticism&tab=LibraryCatalog&search_scope=Not_BL_Suppress&vid=44BL_INST:BLL01&lang=en&offset=0