Book by Tim Keller

Review by Tim Sohn

I first heard Tim Keller speak three years ago expounding on the Gospel to an audience of both believers and non-believers. Never had I heard someone masterfully preach about Jesus in a way that drew the non-believer in to see the beauty of God’s redemptive story, while at the same time challenging the believer to relinquish idols that are at the root of every sin. He repeatedly pointed his audience to the Gospel, drawing them out of themselves to sit in worship of Jesus’ work on the cross. Yet, he did this in an amazingly respectful way that was applicable to both skeptics and believers alike.

Keller’s recent book The Reason for God carries many of the same characteristics as his sermons; eloquent, respectful, thoughtful, and humble. This book comes at an appropriate time in response to some of the recent writings of new atheist authors such as Richard Dawkins, Christopher Hitchens, and Sam Harris. Keller starts by addressing seven of the most common objections to Christianity:

• There Can’t Be Just One True Religion
• How Could a Good God Allow Suffering?
• Christianity Is a Straitjacket
• The Church Is Responsible for So Much Injustice
• How Can a Loving God Send People to Hell?
• Science Has Disproved Christianity
• You Can’t Take the Bible Literally

In the second half of the book, Keller takes an in depth look at seven reasons for Christianity. The uniqueness of The Reason for God is that many of the arguments made are applicable to our culture today. They are the same questions and objections that we hear at work over lunch, or in the classroom by our professors. The believer will be encouraged by this book as they will find that their faith is not blind, but is on that begs cerebral discourse.