Neil is one of the smartest and most articulate people of our time. The way he approaches critics is impressive. This book is a great apologetics work. Would be a wonderful addition to any library and very helpful in the world today.

“Christianity . . . , if false, is of no importance, and, if true, of infinite importance. The one thing it cannot be is moderately important.” — C.S. Lewis

Why should you believe Christianity?

Maybe you think it’s foolish. Maybe you’ve encountered questions you don’t have answers for and it’s caused you to doubt everything you’ve been told. Maybe you’ve been hurt by someone who was or claimed to be a Christian. Maybe you’re deterred by all religions. Maybe you just really don’t care. Maybe you do believe but you don’t really know why.

I don’t know where you’re at right now, but asking ‘Why Believe?’ is a good place to be. Because there are many reasons to believe and if you’re willing to ask the question, I firmly believe God will show up for you.

Like the quote above states, if Christianity is false, you have nothing to lose, but if Christianity is true, then this is a matter of life and death, as dramatic as it sounds, that is what is ultimately at stake. And either way, you have a choice to make.


This is a really good book for those who question the truthfulness or goodness of Christianity or outright object to it. It’s also for people who are Christians but are finding themselves wondering if it makes sense anymore.

Neil Shenvi (PhD, University of California, Berkeley) has worked as a research scientist at Yale University and Duke University and has published over thirty peer-reviewed papers. I’ve seen him quoted in a lot of books I’ve read and have since wanted to read something he has written. (You can check out his website HERE.)

He came to faith during his years of higher education. He says of that time:

“I had always assumed that Christianity could not possibly be accepted by thoughtful, intelligent people, at least not by people as thoughtful and intelligent as me. Surely, Christianity was for well-meaning and sometimes not-so-well-meaning people with substandard educations and a streak of intellectual fear bordering on dishonesty.”

He had his own journey through asking hard questions, researching, and figuring out how Christianity can stand up to rigorous scrutiny. This book comes from that process as a way to show that to be a Christian is not to be irrational.

He addresses all the most common topics, questions, and objections, framing both sides of the arguments in a fair and balanced way. He is quick to acknowledge where arguments are taken too far or when we come to a place of mystery.

His writing style and use of logic, tables, and analogies make this a very understandable apologetics book and will be one of my top recommendations now for that topic. It can be read straight through or used as a reference, just reading the chapters that talk about particular questions you may have.

[It’s similar to Tim Keller’s The Reason for God or Rebecca McLaughlin’s < ahref="http://www.shelfreflection.com/confro... Christianity.]


Some of the questions he addresses are:

- Isn’t it better for humanity to avoid conflict about religious truth claims in order to keep the peace?

- Are all religions true?

- What’s the deal with Jesus?
- He presents C.S. Lewis’s famous trilemma— Lunatic, Liar, or Lord— and consequently talks about if the Bible is historically reliable. (The book Taking God at His Word or Surviving Religion 101 talks specifically about why we can believe the Bible is true, reliable, and inerrant.)
- He provides corroborating evidence from non-Christian authors, geography, and archaeology, and addresses several objections to this trilemma.
- There is a large section that discusses the resurrection.

- Does God exist?
- Here is discussion on mathematics, language, and the origins of life/the universe.
- What is the god-of-the gaps approach?
- I recently read Why God Makes Sense in a World that Doesn’t that’s a bit more academic but has a large portion dedicated to the origins of the universe, and how things like math, art, and music point us to a Creator.

- Is there objective moral truth?
- He challenges that even those who claim to be moral relativists don’t actually live like they are when it comes down to it.

- Is truth good? Why should we seek it?

- Why would a good God allow evil?

- What’s the deal with evolution?
- I recently read A Biblical Case Against Theistic Evolution that would be a great addition to this section.

- Why wouldn’t God just forgive everybody?

- Are all people morally corrupt?

- How does Christianity compare to other religions?

- Isn’t Christianity just a religion for hateful bigots?



It is a very comprehensive book that covers a lot of material, but what I found most important was his presentation of the gospel.

It’s said, ‘If you can think your way into Christianity, you can think yourself out of it.’

Although it’s important and helpful to show evidence for the reasonableness and truthfulness of Christianity, salvation is not a matter of intellectual change but of heart change.

What Shenvi reminds us of is that the biggest obstacle we have to overcome to put our faith in Christ is not whether we believe God exists, whether Jesus rose from the dead, or why evil pervades the world. The biggest hurdle for us is our sin.

He details the depravity of humanity over all of time and we can’t ignore that humanity’s capacity for evil is staggering. He argues (and I can attest to it from personal experience) that we know it’s innate in us when we see how children behave. We don’t have to teach them to hit, bite, steal, and be selfish. It comes naturally. We don’t want to admit it, but the only thing keeping us from being the worst of the worst, is God’s grace. That’s a humbling thought.

“Each of us needs to come to terms with his or her own corruption and moral failure.”

And we don’t want to do that. We’re perfectly fine with comparing ourselves to ‘actual’ bad people and claiming moral high ground. We’re pretty decent people… after all, we’ve never killed anyone.

But that’s not true self-reflection. Shenvi provides a pretty convicting exercise. Would you be willing to have your thoughts broadcast to the public for a day, all your urges, desires, emotions, and judgments? No? Hm… our thoughts exhibit a good deal of our sinfulness don’t they?

“Communist regimes meant to bring equality and dignity to the poor collapsed into totalitarianism, poverty, and corruption. The attainment of money and fame has led celebrity after celebrity into isolation, despair, and even suicide. The material prosperity of the American dream has done nothing to fill our inner emptiness, so we numb ourselves with alcohol, drugs, sex, and entertainment to hide from reality. When we take an honest look at our own hearts, the misery we have inflicted on ourselves and others, and the state of our world, the Christian explanation becomes not only plausible but unavoidable: something is deeply, radically wrong with us.”



What was monumental for Shenvi coming to faith was the realization that Christianity uniquely explained the condition he found himself in when no other religion did.

“the gospel presents us with two truths all of us must face as human beings: that we are all moral failures and that we all need a Savior. Of all the major world religions, only Christianity insists that we are radically morally corrupt people who are consequently alienated from a perfectly good God. And only Christianity insists that what we primarily need is not moral improvement but rescue. If these claims about the human condition turn out to be true, then they are compelling evidence for the truth of Christianity, which is unique in its assessment of the human condition.”

It is telling that only Christianity tells us we can’t fix ourselves. And we don’t really like that. We like to have control of our lives. We want to see the what it will take to get what we want and be able to check off all the boxes. We strive for self-sufficiency.

But what we view as ‘freedom’ and ‘achievement’ in self-sufficiency is actually bondage to a path of destruction. We will never be enough on our own. We need a Rescuer.

“We are all sin addicts… Moral debits and credits are irrelevant to our condition because all the credit in the world can’t cleanse our hearts… In the same way, we certainly need forgiveness, but we need more than just forgiveness. We also need transformation. We need someone to rescue us out of bondage, to break our chains, and to lead us into freedom…

When we realize that our sin is poisoning us, poisoning our relationship to others, and poisoning our relationship to God, we don’t merely want it forgiven; we want it healed… Jesus offers us a redemption that not only saves us from wrath but also restores us.”



That is the gospel message. We are sinful. We need a Savior. Jesus came and lived the perfect life we never could, died the death our sins deserved, and defeated death, the consequence for our sins. We now have the opportunity to be saved and redeemed. A free gift to anyone who comes to Christ. Not because we do enough or are good enough, but because he loves us and wants us to worship him.

“On the one hand, Christianity has what is perhaps the most radically pessimistic view of humanity of any religion or worldview… On the other hand, Christianity has a radically optimistic view of God’s grace. Although we are all equally fallen, we are all equally redeemable.”

And that is why people become Christians. The apologetics matter, but the gospel is what speaks to the depths of our hearts. It speaks to our inner struggles and longings in a way that nothing else does.

[I would like to take a quick moment to commend Shenvi for using the ‘on the one hand… on the other hand’ literary device appropriately. Eighth grade English in real life!]


I recommend this book to everyone.

It speaks to really important questions and does a great job of defending the faith.

But know that just reading this book will not magically transform your life unless you are truly willing to recognize your sin and your need of a Savior.

God is not out to change minds, he is out to change hearts.

Shenvi answers the question ‘Why Believe?’ but only you can make the decision whether or not you will.

This is a good book to open your mind to things you may have held staunch opinions (or no opinions) on before, but the book that will radically change your life is the actual Bible. It is God’s words and if you seek him, you will find him.


**Received an ARC via NetGalley**

In the last few years, I’ve read my share of apologetics books, and I have to say, this one is one of the best I’ve read! Neil Shenvi, an apologist and theoretical chemist, clearly and methodically lays out evidence for many of the most popular objections to Christianity. Conversational in style, this book is neither intimidating or too daunting for non-believers or people who are new to the Christian faith. The amount of research and care taken by the author to lay out his arguments and back them up with both scripture and historical documents shows throughout this meticulous and well-reasoned book. This book is a real treasure of comprehensive and compelling information for those non-believers who are looking for reasoned answers, new believers who are looking for evidence, and seasoned Christians who can use this guide to help to evangelize others. A book for every Christian to read again and again!

Many thanks to Crossway and Net Galley for this digital ARC in exchange for my honest review.

As society gets more secular in outlook and atheistic in practice, why should anyone consider religious beliefs? With the ongoing religious controversies and wars, why should we give religions a chance? Amid the religious scandals reported on mainstream media, religious outlook in general has taken a dive. With churches in the West registering sharp declines annually, why bother about Christianity at all? These are some of the questions that fly straight at anyone considering any religious beliefs, and in particular, Christianity. Even among religious believers, it is a tough sell to even get them to consider believing in Jesus. In this frank book about the merits of Christianity, author Neil Shenvi takes us through his personal journey of faith and how he is eventually convinced about the message of Jesus Christ. Like many earnest seekers, he sought to deal with the key questions such as:

- Are all religions true?
- Are they all subjectively true?
- Will there be true peace if all religions are eliminated?
- How do we make sense of the Resurrection?
- How do we deal with the arguments against Theism?
- What evidence is there for the existence of God?
- Can one be good without God?
- What is the uniqueness of the gospel of Christ?
- How do we understand sin and salvation from the Christian perspective?

All of these questions center around this: "Why should we think that Christianity is true?"

My Thoughts
===============
First, this book covers several key basics of Christian apologetics but updates the content for a modern audience. Beginning with the famous trilemma posed by CS Lewis, Shenvi helps address a large group missed out by Lewis: Bible skeptics. There were more people who trusted in the Bible then. Today, the tables have been turned. Even believers themselves are increasingly uncertain about the reliability of the Bible. Shenvi argues with support from science, archaeological findings, and rational thought. He shows us that theology is not mere history (as presumed by the Jesus Seminar form of scholarship) but teaches us a lot about theology. He takes the key resurrection event and builds a strong case for its truth.

Second, Shenvi shows us that science, math, and faith matters can co-exist. Thanks to his scientific background, he manages to engage skeptics at their level of interest: Rational thought. Even today, there are some who feel that Christianity is a cop-out religion or a type of faith where we can kiss our brains goodbye. Far from that. Shenvi uses modern science, philosophical thought, logical arguments, and reasonable arguments to help us engage intellectually. Along the way, he points out the limitations of modern science in trying to explain divine matters. Yet, he is still able to demonstrate the credibility of Christianity to a skeptical audience who is comfortable with all things science and logic.

Finally, I believe apologetic books like this are not meant to convert people. It is more likely to persuade people to be open to Christianity. Whether it is moving one from atheism to agnosticism, or skepticism to openness, the primary purpose is to invite people toward conversation rather than conversion. A wise professor once said to me that if people can reason themselves into belief, they could also reason themselves out of belief. It is God who moves in the hearts of people. It is the Holy Spirit who convicts. It is the love of Jesus that touches hearts. Apologetics cannot be the only tool in evangelism. The sharing of the gospel needs to be accompanied by good works and honest testimonies. Together, they will make a powerful combination to lead people toward the Truth of Jesus.

Neil Shenvi (PhD, University of California, Berkeley) has worked as a research scientist at Yale University and Duke University and has published over thirty peer-reviewed papers. He is married to Christina and currently homeschools their four children.

Rating: 4.5 stars of 5.

conrade
This book has been provided courtesy of Crossway Publishers and NetGalley without requiring a positive review. All opinions offered above are mine unless otherwise stated or implied.

Why Believe?
A Reasoned Approach to Christianity
by Neil Shenvi
Pub Date 21 Jun 2022 |
Crossway
Christian



I am reviewing a copy of Why Believe? through Crossway and Netgalley:



Skeptics have disputed the claims of Christianity such as belief in an eternal God and the resurrection of Jesus Christ arguing that they simply cannot be accepted by reasonable individuals. Furthermore, efforts to demonstrate the evidence and rational basis for Christianity through apologetics are often deemed too simplistic to be taken seriously in intellectual circles.





Neil Shenvi, an apologist and theoretical chemist, engages some of the best contemporary arguments against Christianity, presenting compelling evidence for the identity of Jesus as portrayed in the Gospels, his death and resurrection, the existence of God, and the unique message of the gospel.



I give Why, Believe five out of five stars!


Happy Reading!

I was blessed to have been sent an advanced reader copy of this book in exchange for my honest review! Why Believe? gives us a very 'reasoned approach to Christianity". Everyday we are tasked with the question "How can your God do that?" from nonbelievers and I felt like this book really gave us some incredible information!