Customer Reviews

Letters from a Skeptic: A Son Wrestles with His Father's Questions about Christianity

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Gregory Boyd is a professor of theology at Bethel College in St Paul, Minnesota. During the fourteen years since he became a Christian he had made several attempts to share his faith with his father, Edward, but was always met with skepticism. But in 1989, when he finally tried to initiate a written dialogue with his father, he was surprised to find him open to the subject.

With a barrage of the hardest questions about this world and God a Christian could ever face, Boyd senior lets loose. With no stone unturned he challenges his son to the furthest reaches of his faith.
But with great patience and love Gregory answers all his fathers' questions in a rational and concise manner that almost anyone could understand. His arguments do occasionally get philosophical, but remain approachable by even the less literate.
Over time we see a man who was once "intensely skeptical" soften to his son's arguments..."this obviously is no `blind leap of faith' you've been making...I must admit you stand on some pretty solid ground."
More than three years and thirty letters later Edward Boyd admits to his son; "...I've still got a number of questions, and I'm sure we'll continue to hash these out. But my disposition has completely changed. I'm asking them no longer as a skeptic, but as a believer. You don't need to end your letters `with hope' any longer."

By publishing the correspondence of their journey together, this father and son duo give the reader not just a glimpse of their hearts, but lay bare all their doubts, fears and convictions.
The raw honesty of a doubtful aging father combined with the exhaustive and persistent arguments of a loving son can and will appeal to any one.
An internet blogger named John writes: "I highly recommend this book to people as myself that are agnostic. You will get logical answers to your questions." *

The strength of this book not only lies in the diverse audience that it targets, but also in its testimony. We discover in the epilogue how much Edward Boyd was impacted and changed by his personal relationship with a personal God that his son had been advocating for so long.

This book is unique in the Christian world in the sense that it is not presenting a doctrinal argument or a great theological thesis or even a forty step guide to spiritual success, but that it is a collection of letters between two men on opposite sides of the fence who openly and honestly wrestle with the important issues of the Christian Faith.

A great read!

Pieter S Siebert

I've always had Christian beliefs, but I sure had a lot of questions and "why does God..." issues. I was never really interested in talking to religious people about this, because I'd most likely have received answers based more on "blind faith" than what I was truly seeking. This book answered all those questions for me without being preachy or rammed down my throat. Dr. Boyd has produced a very inspirational and thought provoking book, and if you really think about what he is saying (and he says it so simply and clearly), you develop a new perspective.

For the reviewers who claim Dr. Boyd is a heretic- I suspect these people are the types of "good Christians" who only make "potential Christians" tuck tail between their legs and run a mile away, away from a Christian belief system. This is a real shame. Dr. Boyd however, presents God and issues pertaining to God and Christ in such a way where one wouldn't want to run, instead one would want to delve in to deeper discussion.

I highly recommend this book. I am not by any means devout in my beliefs, but this book has certainly cleared up issues for me and has opened my heart even further. And a heretic could not do that.

This is an excellent book on Christian apologetics for the lay person. "Apologetics" being the way of explaining one's faith to someone who doesn't share it. The book documents the correspondence between son (professor of theology and a Christian) and father (sceptic and non-Christian). Dad manages to raise almost every objection about the Christian faith that has ever been raised whilst son answers these questions with good theology and mature faith.

If you are a thinking person and have questions about the Christian faith, this is the book for you. Whilst remaining accessible and easy-to-read, the quality of theology is high along with the quality of inspiration. Much better than most of the unsatisfying pap that gets published as tracts to help people "get saved." This book answers genuine questions that rightly concern people thinking about the Christian faith.

One comment on the theology itself. Boyd is not a fundamentalist, but he is an evangelical. I personally disagree with his presentation of substitutionary atonement (Why did Jesus die?) and his views on hell. However, as Boyd himself points out to his father, these are but details in the scheme of salvation.

I grew up in a Christian family and a wonderful spiritfilled Church but I always had very tough questions about God, the Bible, and Christianity. It came to the point where it was clear that if reasonable answers to these questions couln't be found then beliving in the Christian God would be blind foolishness. Unfortuatly when i tried to take my questions (some of them were very angry and dificult) to my parents and church leaders i was met by two things. First was a sort of attitude that questioning things was bad, it ment i didn't have enough faith. I think that this response exists because they had a terible fear inside of them that Christianity REALY isn't true and that if any one realy examins it criticly the jig will be up. second i found that the people i was going to, although they were spirit filled saved wonderful people, wern't qualified to answer them. Dr. Boyd belives that questions are the way to truth. I now have the wonderful privilage of being blessed by him each sunday as i attend the church were he serves as one of many passionate pastors. I have since learned how he has been in the same contipalative wonderment about his faith as I have been. While everyone might not need to use there mind to discover the truth of christianity, it is one of the truth finding tools God has giving us. Dr. Boyd and his father have helped me to use mine and now i experince something so wonderful-confedence that Christianity is true, something i didn't have before. I thank God every time i think of this book and it's ministry!

There are few writers who can present appologetics in such a way as to cover many many topics in 150 pages and still leave me feeling that each has been covered well. Greg Boyd is a defender of the faith who didn't lose me in rhetoric.

I really enjoyed this book. Although it does contain some complex theological discussion,I found it be much more accessible than some apologetics books. The format is refreshing as it,by nature,divides the book into small sections-making it easier to read than a denser alternative. It doesn't present any mind-blowing theories but that certainly wasn't what I was looking for!Instead it provides sensible answers to heart-felt questions from a man really struggling to come to terms with many of the fundamental Christian concepts. The answers that Greg Boyd provides,although sensible and logical,are not patronising or simplistic-they really take seriously his Father's struggle,and they are also filled with honestly;if Greg isn't wholly sure about something,he will say it. I would recommend this book for Christians who are grappling with their faith, or otherwise;for non-Christians who want to explore more by reading a book that is realistic but theological enough to give it real weight.

Considering the breadth of apologetic topics covered I was amazed at how easy this was to read. It had me laughing out loud regularly as well as holding back tears at other moments. This book has been a much needed refresh and a reminder of some wonderful truths.
I will be recommending it to a number of people.

A very good book for those querying the Christian faith. I can thoroughly recommend it. I have yet to finish it.

This book covers the main objections in why people don't put their faith in Christ. Why is their evil in the world? Can I trust the bible? Why are their so many Christian denominations? The fact they questions are answers by a son to a father in genuine correspondence makes it a great and fascinating read. Highly recommended.

If you are looking for a book which address the hard questions/objections to God them this is the best place to start, in my opinion.
This book use a very accessible and personal format to work through why things are as they are and what God has to do with it. I can say from personal experience and that of others who are searching that is book is a grea.t help