Blog Tour: Don't Check Your Brains At The Door (Review)

What's the best defense for faith? For Josh McDowell and Bob Hostetler, the answer is simply, knowledge.

In a updated and revised edition of their book, "Don't Check Your Brains At The Door," the pair strive to provide faith-based answers to a variety of questions.

They also hope (per a press release by their publisher, Thomas Nelson) to "challenge young readers to test gospel truths found in the Bbile so they can learn to give an answer for their faith as they mature into thinking adults."

"We receive all kinds of messages, myths and misconceptions in the course of our lives," Hostetler said. "One of those messages is the idea that following Jesus requires us to check our brains at the door - that reason and faith are incompatible. And that mistaken idea leads to others.

"That's why this book exists to help a young man or woman weigh the evidence and lay a firm foundation for a strong faith in Christ."

So, What I Thought
This book is easy to read. Each "question" is literally tackled in less than four pages - which includes a section called "brain food" or Bible verses readers can look up for further study.

It's written in a conversational style that I think will appeal to teens and youth leaders, alike. The topics are relevant (focusing on everything questions about God, Jesus, the Bible, Life and Christianity). It's definitely hits questions students have asked me - or I asked myself in the past.

I loved the chapter about the "Father Christmas Myth" about God (a vending machine God), because it put into writing an answer I've struggled to form, even in the past year - as to how to encourage prayer (for both myself and others) focusing on God's will, rather than expecting God to deliver the goods like a vending machine.

What made me laugh though, in his revised edition - the first one came out in 1991 - is that some of the same illustrations remain. Ok, let's face it, how many teens in today's world know who Belinda Carlisle is, let alone that she had a hit song called "Heaven is a Place on Earth," in 1988. (Ok, with the resurgence of "all things new," they might just know about this song because it's "retro.")

In all, laughing aside at a few of the illustrations, this is a book that I would feel comfortable passing along to a young teen (or even an older elementary student), to encourage them to "see what the Bible says" about a specific issue. I guarantee, it will  at least prompt a further discussion about the topic, which I believe is Hostetler and McDowell's objective.

More About The Authors
Josh McDowell wrote the international best-selling apologetics references Evidence That Demands a Verdict and over 120 other books. He travels and speaks with Campus Crusade for Christ.

 You can read more about him, and his ministry at: http://www.josh.org

Bob Hostetler is an award-winning and best-selling writer, editor, pastor, and speaker.

His books include Don't Check Your Brains at the Door and The Bone Box.

You can read more about him on his website: www.bobhostetler.com/ or follow his prayer blog at http://bobhostetler.blogspot.com/

Online Resources
Buy "Don't Check Your Brains At The Door" at Amazon.
Follow the Blog Tour to See What Others Think!

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Win a KINDLE from @bobhoss @josh_mcdowell Don't Check Your Brains At the Door Giveaway. FB Party 8/18. http://ow.ly/5UEi8 #litfuse

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Enter to win a KINDLE in the Don't Check Your Brains At the Door KINDLE Giveaway! Find out who won during the Facebook Party on August 18th! All the details here: http://litfusegroup.com/blogtours/text/13418040

It's A Contest
To celebrate the release of their new book, Josh McDowell and Bob Hostetler have teamed up with their publisher,Thomas Nelson, to give away a brand new KINDLE!

Don't Check Your Brains At the Door answers many of the faith-related questions Christian youth face. It challenges young readers to test gospel truths found in the Bible so they can learn to give an answer for their faith as they mature into thinking adults. A great resource for teens and college-age. Read the reviews here .


One "brainy" winner will receive a Kindle prize package worth over $150.00:
A Brand New KINDLE with Wi-Fi and Pearl Ink Screen
Don't Check Your Brains At the Door by Josh McDowell & Bob Hostetler (for KINDLE)
A perfect back-to-school prize package! To enter just click one of the icons below. Hurry! The giveaway ends Thursday, Aug. 18. Winner will be announced on the evening of the 18 during the Don't Check Your Brains At the Door Facebook Party! The authors will be chatting with guests, answering questions on "knowing what you believe and why" (it's okay if you haven't read the book – who knows, you might WIN a copy!), testing your trivia skills, and giving away tons of great stuff! (Gift certificates, books, and more!)


Bring your friends and join the fun on Thursday, Aug. 18, at 5 PM PST (6 PM MDT, 7 PM CDT, & 8 PM EDT).