Book Rant! The Case for Faith

First, thanks again to Shannon & Brad for buying this book for me.

This reading is my last installment of "The Case for . . ." series. Case for Faith is my second favorite of the three with Case for Christ being #1 (it should be mandatory reading) and Case for Creator being #3 (a little knowledge and/or interest in physics will help).

If you're not familiar with Lee Strobel here he is in a nutshell: athiest investigative journalist trys to disprove God, Jesus and Christianity but, in the process, becomes a Christian himself - pretty cool!

Each book outlines his research on the topics of Christ, Creation and Faith.

In Case for Faith, Strobel sets out to answer 8 simple* objections:

1. Since evil and suffering exist, a loving God cannot.

2. Since miracles contradict science, they cannot be true.

3. Evolution explains life, so God isn't needed.

4. God isn't worthy of worship if He kills innocent children.

5. It's offensive to claim Jesus is the only way to God.

6. A loving God would never tourture people in Hell.

7. Church history is littered with oppression and violence.

8. I still have doubts, so I can't be a Christian.

Ever have one of these pop into your mind?

If so, it's OK. Strobel reminds us that we can only have faith if it is in the midst of doubt. If there is nothing to doubt then there's no need to have faith. Remember the guy in Mark 9:24 who told Jesus, "I believe but help my unbelief"?

Here are some quotes:

Pg. 101 - On the universe being created by random chance: "Sir Frederick Hoyle put it colorfully when he said that [The Big Bang Theory] is about as likely as a tornado whirling through a junkyard and accidentally assembling a fully functioning Boeing 747."

Pg. 119 - On God's Old Testament orders to kill men, women and children: "People assume that what's wrong for us is wrong for God. However, it's wrong for me to take your life because I didn't make it and I don't own it . . . God is sovereign over all life and he has the right to take it if he wishes."

Pg. 156 - "Jesus didn't come into this world to make bad people good - he came into this world to make dead people live."

Pg. 192 - The truth about hell: "Remember that hell will forever be a monument to human dignity and the value of human choice. It is a quarantine where God says two important things: 'I respect freedom of choice enough to where I won't coerce people, and I value my image-bearers so much that I will not annihilate them."

Pg. 236 - "When you scratch below the surface, there's either a will to believe or there's a will not to believe. Faith is a choice."

Get it. Read it. Live it.

*sarcasm