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Has Christianity Failed You?

3.92 of 5 stars 3.92 · rating details · 173 ratings · 29 reviews

In 2006, Ravi Zacharias International Ministries (RZIM) held an open forum at the Fox Theater in Atlanta to address the subject: 'Has Christianity Failed You?' Tickets were sold for the event and---to the complete surprise of everyone---the event was sold out with a capacity crowd of over 5,000. People lined up offering to buy tickets from folks in line for higher prices.B...more In 2006, Ravi Zacharias International Ministries (RZIM) held an open forum at the Fox Theater in Atlanta to address the subject: 'Has Christianity Failed You?' Tickets were sold for the event and---to the complete surprise of everyone---the event was sold out with a capacity crowd of over 5,000. People lined up offering to buy tickets from folks in line for higher prices.Before the event, an RZIM cameraman walked the streets and asked people if they had rejected the faith they held at one time. One answered that, because of a Christian's rejection of his gay lifestyle he had done just that. Another answered that she had left her faith because she had fallen into adultery and could never live it down in the church. Others had their own reasons. Some said it was just intellectually untenable in an age of reason. They chose to come to the event to judge if there were adequate answers.It is estimated that for every one person who writes a letter or attends an event, there are one thousand who agree. If the Atlanta crowd was any indication, the question is real and troubling.Why is it that many live with silent doubt, many leaving the 'evangelical fold' for something else? Is there something wrong with the message, the communicator, the hearer...or is it all three?It's time to ask the hard questions of what it means to be a follower of Jesus Christ and why it seems as though God has made it so hard to continue believing. In fact, the son of a prominent U.S. Senator phoned me with that very question. 'Why has God made it so hard to believe in Him?' Such skepticism is not just representative of the hostile; it also represents many honest questioners.This book attempts to lay out the response to those within as well as those outside the Christian faith so as to understand what it is we believe and why it is so hard to do so. More to the point: Why it is actually so hard to deny God and still make sense out of life? In the end the answers should be both felt and real, with the added truth that God is nearer than you think. He desires that we sense Him very near to us and not distant. But closeness comes at a cost just as any relationship of love and commitment does.(less)

Published (first published June 22nd 2010)

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Jan 03, 2013 Becca rated it 2 of 5 stars

Shelves: religion-spirituality

I found myself wondering who the intended audience for this book would be. As someone raised in the church with (at least) one foot out the door, I would have assumed that I was. However in reading, I found his claims about what "lapsed Christians" are saying to be overly simplified and sometimes flat-out misrepresented. An example is page 61, "Naturalists use this same determinism that they believe has sovereignty over them to throw mud at belief in God by attributing belief to genetic make up...more I found myself wondering who the intended audience for this book would be. As someone raised in the church with (at least) one foot out the door, I would have assumed that I was. However in reading, I found his claims about what "lapsed Christians" are saying to be overly simplified and sometimes flat-out misrepresented. An example is page 61, "Naturalists use this same determinism that they believe has sovereignty over them to throw mud at belief in God by attributing belief to genetic make up or by declaring, as American molecular geneticist Dean Hamer does, that 'a person's capacity to believe in God is linked to his brain chemicals.' Interestingly, the same claim is made about homosexuality." The comment about homosexuals never gets addressed again btw. That's just left hanging without any context or footnotes to expand on it. No context is given for the Dean Hamer quote either. Was this based on a study? Was the study published in a peer reviewed journal? If so have there been follow-up studies? What was actually measured? A quick google search will answer these questions but Zacharias never will in this book. He then claims that science "ends up being executed by its own artillary" (p. 63). There are two possibilities here. Either Zacharias does not understand that the scientific method is designed to do exactly that in order to expand human knowledge. (I kept a private journal as I read and during this part, I talked a lot about Sir Frances Bacon, Galileo and paradigms crashing.) The other possibility is that he does understand scientific method and lacks faith that reader could so he simplifies to the point of misrepresentation.

Much of the book is spent attacking reasons for leaving the church. And by this I am not talking about deep and legitimate critiques or questions within the church itself about how to best honor and follow God. Topics such as ordination of women, beliefs on origins, & gay rights go either unrecognized by Zacharias or dismissed as non-issues. Or in the case of homosexuality gets randomly mentioned in the context of something else that has limited context already and then never brought up again. Instead of the intellectual stimulation and spiritual awakening I was promised, I got to watch as Zacharias creates straw men and then uses round-about arguments to smash them. The general feeling I got was of a toddler putting lettered blocks on top of each other in no particular order and then laughing with delight when he knocks it down.

On the positives, there were a few brief moments where he stops arguing with his imaginary opponents and points to Jesus (which is a nice break). His analysis of scripture (especially the Lord's prayer and Job) were quite good. But for the most part, I felt it was inflammatory just for the sake of being inflammatory. Just in the way that books like "A Brief History of Time" by Steven Hawkings or "Godel, Esher, Bach: An Eternal Golden Braid" by Douglas Hofstadter actually get into the meat of some of the beauty and meaning connected with science there are christian apologetics that dig a little deeper into the beauty and meaning of christianity. Some favorites of mine are "Till We Have Faces" by C. S. Lewis, Phillip Yancey's "What's So Amazing About Grace", and Saint Augustine's "Confessions."

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May 22, 2013 Ayame Sohma rated it 1 of 5 stars

During his introduction, Ravi regales us with a story about his family's Border Collie, GK, named after one of their favourite authors, GK Chesterton. Immediately I was struck by their callous attitude in forcing a member of their family to suffer the ravages of a natural death from cancer rather than put it quietly and peacefully to sleep. Sadly, Ravi takes a similar stance when he addresses the readers in the greater part of this book.

The author attempts to delineate "true" Christianity from t...more During his introduction, Ravi regales us with a story about his family's Border Collie, GK, named after one of their favourite authors, GK Chesterton. Immediately I was struck by their callous attitude in forcing a member of their family to suffer the ravages of a natural death from cancer rather than put it quietly and peacefully to sleep. Sadly, Ravi takes a similar stance when he addresses the readers in the greater part of this book.

The author attempts to delineate "true" Christianity from the Christianity practiced in some churches today, and blames this for the reason people are leaving it in droves. He won't even entertain the idea that Christianity is false. The superficial saving grace in his book is his call to churches to be more supportive and understanding of those who have fallen away and "sinned" (a vacuous religious concept to begin with). He criticises the liberal media for condemning the Pope's stance unequivocally condemning contraception, asking if they would show compassion to someone who had used a condom and contracted HIV. In doing so, Ravi is denying the human impulse towards pleasure, one that he believes his god bestowed upon us, and is giving tacit support to a Puritanical worldview that has made the AIDS crisis worse. Condoms reduce the rate of HIV transmission, this is an undeniable fact. Why he would lend succour to a malicious prick who covered up and perpetuated child rape and indirect murder speaks volumes about the author. Perhaps he should write a new book on his own shortcomings and failures as an apologist and evangelical preacher.

Ravi claims that although his god is sovereign, he has also blessed us with free will. Anyone who has read Exodus should know that this is nonsense. A god who would violate Pharoah's free will to shunt himself up onto a pedestal and cause further gratuitous suffering is not only a deity brimming with malfeasance, but has no respect for free will. On a related note, Ravi complains that if one amputee was cured, this would be unfair to all other amputees, and we would demand more evidence and miracles. What, you mean like what allegedly occurred in the Old Testament? This flimsy excuse holds no water, especially since his god is supposedly all-powerful and could never get weary.

Ravi holds his personal experience (a supposed visit from Jesus while he was hospitalized after a suicide attempt). A cursory examination of NDEs, OBEs and similar experiences reveals that the only religious experiences humans experience is based on the religions that they were raised in. Why don't we see Muslims visited by Buddha or Krishna? I do not doubt Ravi's sincerity when he recounts this, but as he concedes, that doesn't prove the existence of his god. I would bet my life that Ravi would not place the same credence that he places in his own experience that he would place on the personal experiences of Muslims, Buddhists and Hindus. And besides, if his god is willing to reveal himself, it would be a simple matter to replicate such revelatory experiences for everyone on the planet. But we don't see this. It is very rare for adults who have been raised in religion to break free of the religion they were brought up in. Capital punishment for apostasy doesn't account for all of this, and the benefits of Christian missions and "charities" often do more harm than good. Myths and edicts about how to deal with "witches" have caused African villages to murder their children. The baggage that burdens Christianity and its teachings often end up doing more harm than good. And as for the bible, I found it quite telling that Zacharias does not mention whether or not he is a biblical literalist or whether some verses were not divinely inspired, in his view. And he doesn't even come close to explaining why we can trust the bible, since it was written by fallible humans, rehashed and manipulated depending on the era and translators. Perhaps simply thinks that the sheer quantity of obfuscation he spews forth will be enough to convince the reader.

He initially attempts to tackle arguments for the validity of theism over naturalism. He immediately falls flat at the starting gate by appealing to the sheer unlikeliness of life arising from random chance, and mentions monkeys randomly mashing keys until they produce the works of Shakespeare. According to him, the chances are too high for it to occur naturally during the alleged age of the universe. What he doesn't realise is that incredibly unlikely things occur every day - every person, every sperm and egg combination, is one in several hundred million. Add the chances of our parents meeting, and the thousands of human generations throughout our 200,000-year history, and the odds are far more unlikely than the "astronomical" odds Ravi mentions.

He also rails against secularism and "relativism", although situational ethics would be a better descriptor for what he is decrying here. Moral differences generally stem from the plurality of upbringings and the lack of complete information available or willing to be considered by parties in a given situation. When information is more detailed and situations and players considered more deeply, concurrence towards a single moral outcome is more likely, no matter who is considering the issue. That is why, for example, support for the right to die has risen considerably in Western countries over the past few decades, even in countries that have a majority of Christians, such as Australia.

In attempting to bolster his case for the truth of Christianity, he mentions William Lane Craig. This is a feeble attempt. Anyone who has seen Craig debate should know that intellectual rigour is not his strong suit. The opposite, in fact. Craig has mentioned several times that if the evidence should go against Christianity and the "internal witness of the holy spirit", the latter should take precedence against the former. Such an apologist, who decries the scientific method as being based on "the shifting sands of evidence and argument" himself uses arguments, and has therefore undermined at least half of his own case. There is no such thing as "reasonable faith", and few demonstrate this better than Craig himself. Baseless claims such as "absence of evidence is not evidence of absence" don't help him either. There's no evidence for Zeus, Thor or the Greek pantheon, and yet we don't see shills like Craig writing long-winded apologetics for them.

Ravi's chapter on prayer is the longest, and perhaps the worst. In this rambling, incoherent pile of flopped justifications, excuses and blame-shifting, Ravi redefines prayer, and what Jesus "really meant" when he said "knock, and the door shall be opened." Prayer isn't supposed to work "instantaneously or magically." Well, then why pray?! It would seem that Ravi doesn't seem to realise that he is making his god out to be a highly skilled huckster, by redefining his promises and covenants to suit himself.

In the final chapter, Ravi arrogantly assumes that anyone who has reached that point has understood that Christianity has not failed them, but people and/or institutions such as the church have. Well, all I have to say about this is that the actions of those who purport to act in god's name reflect either well or poorly on that deity, and any deity who would not clearly make his will and endorsements known to all is responsible for the impressions made by such believers (assuming, of course, that such a deity exists in the first place). Ravi attempts to gloss over the shortcomings of the CEO, using the employees as scapegoats. He rails against Islam and their mighty birth rate (implying that Christians must outbreed and out-brainwash them), and in a further act of incoherence and mental gymnastics, Ravi mentions the declining fish stocks worldwide. We cannot fix a perceived problem by making it worse. Woman's suffrage in the Muslim world is the only way to both stop the tide of Muslim takeover that he fears, and the scythe of overpopulation that will destroy us from within. (less)

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Jan 24, 2011 Jonathan B rated it 2 of 5 stars

Shelves: apologetics

I don't like the style of Ravi Zacharias. I prefer clean arguments that are laid out as clearly and as economically as possible. But Ravi loves to make his points in an indirect manner by telling stories... lots and lots of stories. Illustrations are good, but in my opinion Ravi overdoes it, especially in this book. I frequently found myself getting lost as he would spend several paragraphs laying out a detailed story to make a very simple and sometimes peripheral point. Unless you like to hear...more

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Apr 12, 2013 Michael Locklear rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: library

In the opening pages, the author defines his book:
Many of our young people in particular are finding themselves trying to survive the terrifying high seas of their faith journey without chart or compass.
When Noah was building his ark, God gave him detailed instructions for everything: how high, no higher; how long, no longer; what species to include and in what numbers – details ad nauseum. But when all had been done according to God’s instructions and the door was finally shut, it must have...more

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May 31, 2011 Reva rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: 2011, topic-spirituality, format-kindle, quickies, paid-for

I’ve spent years thinking I should read some apologetics, and this book has sufficiently cured me of that longing; I’ve fulfilled my craving for at least the next several years. Zacharias writes with passion, oh so much passion, and with an excessive number of references to his upbringing in the all-important East. Now, to be fair, I’m writing this review over a month after having read this book, and I remember very little of the content, other than not being especially convincing. He emphasizes...more

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Aug 12, 2011 Joon Park rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: christian

Dr. Ravi Zacharias, as others have opined, has a unique voice that merges both the intellectual and aesthetic. Those who prefer completely analytical works will not be pleased; those preferring lighter works in the vein of Max Lucado will be confused. The work here is a fusion of the heart and mind: a look into how we have become dissatisfied with the Christian faith. His own style is itself a critique: we've lost faith because we have treated it as either intellect or beauty instead of both/and...more

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Aug 09, 2011 Chauncey Lattimer added it · review of another edition

Excellent examination of the issues that make us question our faith. I have always enjoyed the way that Ravi blends personal experience, autobiographical information, stories from literature and the arts, and God's Word to bring Truth to life. This is a book that I would highly recommend to all Christians who are concerned about sharing their faith with non-believers as well as having a solid "reason for the hope" that substantiates their faith.

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Nov 25, 2010 Jordan rated it 5 of 5 stars

Zacharias exemplifies God's Sovereignty in the life of skeptics and believers alike; beautiful cases and resources presented for the facts and miracles of the Lord Jesus Christ! If anyone--I mean anyone--has either been hurt by the church or has given up faith yet is wondering who Jesus TRULY is, what the Bible says about Him and what history says as well, this is a staple for anyone's library! God bless.

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Jan 20, 2011 Rod rated it 4 of 5 stars

A very enjoyable read. Many great short stories thrown in that get you thinking.

Although i think Ravi is preaching to the choir. Its also kind of disturbing that the choir is quickly losing its faith. So I guess this book IS for the choir. Maybe if they read their Bible more?!

So has Christianity failed me? NO. And thanks to Ravi it never will.

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Aug 07, 2010 Wendy C rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

AWESOME BOOK...Ravi has a real relational way of explaining deep philosophical truth to the everyday mind like mine....he is also very transparent and empathizes with those who have felt christianity or the church has failed them-and who of us has not truly felt that at some level, but makes a case that God has not. He also challenges us as individual and corporate members of the church to truly look at how we "do church" and what that is saying to nonbelievers and de-churched believers....I lef...more

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May 17, 2011 Kristy marked it as to-read

Shelves: non-fiction

Okay, I generally tend to enjoy Zacharias' writing, but I could not get into this book at all. Perhaps I'm still suffering from post-partum "baby brain" because I was constantly getting lost and needing to re-read whole paragraphs. I got as far as the second chapter "What does it mean to be a Christian?" which appeared to be a confusing return to the Philosophy 1100 course I took in first year university. That said, Ravi Zacharias is a brilliant academic and apologist and I am not. I'll give thi...more

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Jan 29, 2013 David rated it 4 of 5 stars

Zacharias is undoubtedly a skilled orator, and is careful with his words. I enjoyed this book greatly, ended up taking a lot of notes. It features quite a lot of philosophical discussions of morality and the nature of man, and I frequently found myself jotting down authors and philosophers for further study. All in all, a great book.

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Jul 10, 2011 Robert rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: apologetics

Pretty solid book discussing some of the main reasons people turn away from or become disillusioned with Christianity and Ravi's answers to them. The first chapter is discusses who Jesus is, b/c without this basic understanding one can't actually look at Christianity. Another chapter discusses prayer which was particularly good, especially if you've ever struggled with prayer or thought, "what's the point"?

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Aug 06, 2011 Luke Brown added it · review of another edition

Has several good points, but takes awhile to get to them and sneaks up on them to take them by surprise. Not a writing style that especially appeals to me - probably won't search for more of his books, but glad I have been exposed to his writing.

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Nov 19, 2012 Jacob Meiser rated it 4 of 5 stars

I started this book really excited to hear what Ravi had to say on this topic, but I was slightly disappointed. Not at all because of the content itself, but because I felt like a lot of it was a little too abstract for the average reader. He certainly hits all of the main things that need to be addressed in the issue, but some of it was in a round-about way. I'm still looking for a great resource on this topic that I can give people who are struggling with their faith; this book could be really...more

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Jun 06, 2012 Ryan rated it 1 of 5 stars

In the past I have quite enjoyed and respected Ravi Zacharias. In the midst of my struggles with doubt, this book was a severe disappointment. It read as utterly dismissive and circular.

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Nov 15, 2011 Meredith rated it 1 of 5 stars

The answer is yes it has, and this book has done nothing to change my mind. The author is extremely hypocritical. I would give this 0 stars if I could

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Dec 26, 2011 Paul rated it 4 of 5 stars

I picked up this book as soon as I saw it. The title intrigued me, and I love Ravi Zacharias, the Indian Oxford graduate who travels as an itinerate speaker, apologist, and evangelist for Christ. Also, at several low points I’ve gotten the feeling that Christianity has failed me; and certainly many other people have left Christianity totally with some story of how inadequate this religion was in one way or another. Ravi’s aim is to discuss this question with just such people.

I liked the tone of...more

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Nov 26, 2011 Sue rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: audio, nonfiction, read-2011

This book is written in answer to the "new atheists". It is far from my favorite of books written by Dr. Zacharias.

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Jul 30, 2012 Sara rated it 3 of 5 stars

Not my favorite book by Ravi Zacharias. It meanders around without getting to the point way too often.

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Jul 20, 2012 Tony denBok rated it 5 of 5 stars

http://marshilltop.blogspot.ca/2011/0...

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Mar 30, 2012 Gerald rated it 4 of 5 stars

Very helpful in understanding many who have become disenchanted with Christianity.

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May 01, 2011 Chee Keong rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: christian_living, christian_theology

Genre: Christian Theology / Apologetics

Page 157, this paragraph touch me:
I think the reason we sometimes have the false sense that God is so far away is because that is where we have put him. We have kept him at a distance, and then when we are in need and call on him in prayer, we wonder where he is. He is exactly where we left him.

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Oct 06, 2011 Vaughn rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

This was an okay read from Ravi. The most helpful chapter for me was the one on prayer.

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Dec 03, 2012 John rated it 4 of 5 stars

Good book - first and last two chapters are the best.

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Dec 31, 2010 Greg rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Ravi has some great insights here, starting with an overview of how Jesus bucked culture and the like. He then works his way into debunking empiricism and rationalism (and specifically Robert Price). He also adds a very nice chapter regarding prayer. As always, a difficult but enlightening read from Ravi.

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May 11, 2013 Caroline rated it 2 of 5 stars

I agree with all the points that Ravi makes, but his style is much too wordy for me. Ideally, the main points of this book could be condensed down to 100 pages and it would still be a good read. I love Ravi as a speaker but I guess that his books aren't for me. Glad I gave them a chance, though.

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Jan 28, 2012 Justin Wiggins rated it 5 of 5 stars

I think this is Ravi Zacharias's finest work. He tackles in it the "arrogance" of exclusivity in Christianity, unanswered prayer, and people's genuine disappointments with Christianity. I found it to be of immense help when dealing with these really weighty issues.

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Jan 20, 2011 Justin rated it 5 of 5 stars

Took some of the harder questions on the church and our faith and tried to answer to the best that he can. Trust me you will learn something or gain insight on a issue that needs changed and why it is happening. It can deal with prayer, the church, or God himself and even you.

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Jun 13, 2013 Allan Gates rated it 4 of 5 stars

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About Ravi Zacharias

For over thirty-five years Ravi Zacharias has spoken all over the world in great halls and universities, notably Harvard, Princeton, and Oxford. He is listed as a distinguished lecturer with the Staley Foundation and has appeared on CNN and other international broadcasts. The author of several books for adults and children, he powerfully mixes biblical teaching and Christian apologetics. His most...more

More about Ravi Zacharias...

Books by Ravi Zacharias

Jesus Among Other Gods: The Absolute Claims of the Christian Message

The Grand Weaver: How God Shapes Us Through the Events of Our Lives

Walking from East to West: God in the Shadows

The End of Reason: A Response to the New Atheists

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“I think the reason we sometimes have the false sense that God is so far away is because that is where we have put him. We have kept him at a distance, and then when we are in need and call on him in prayer, we wonder where he is. He is exactly where we left him.” — 89 people liked it

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