Consumer Critique: How to Talk to a Skeptic

Disclosure: I received complimentary products to facilitate this post. All opinions are my own.

One of my favorite people to listen to in the mornings is Ravi Zacharias, a man who seemingly has answers to every objection people throw at Christianity. His goal is to help believers think intellectually about their faith, and to help non-believing intellectuals realize that religion is not incompatible with reason.

How to Talk to a Skeptic is a book in the same vein, only in this case, the author's aim is to empower anyone to do the same. What I liked about this book is that instead of teaching people how to memorize responses to common criticisms that are nitpicky (the age of the earth, supposed Biblical inconsistencies, etc), he encourages people to start from the broader worldview of God's love and concern for humanity.

Later in the book, he does respond to some specific criticisms, and point out that others really aren't that important in the face of whether or not a person can believe Christianity - for example, the age of the earth, since even Christians are divided on that concept. He also presents an interesting view of hell and how the existence of hell doesn't mean God is unjust or unloving - that hell is more like the time-out corner for a misbehaving child who has received the natural consequence of rejecting his or her parents.

The book is designed for Christians with friends who are skeptics, but would also be appropriate for Christians who are struggling with their faith, or even skeptical non-believers who are curious about Christianity. It doesn't get into heavy doctrinal points, and isn't preachy, but does cover the major bases of Christianity and evidence for it.