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The Reason for God: Belief in an Age of Skepticism

Timothy J. Keller

4.18 · Rating details · 54,097 ratings · 2,217 reviews

Making Sense of God: An Invitation to the Skeptical, is a prequel to The Reason for God: Belief in an Age of Skepticism.

The End of Faith. The God Delusion. God Is Not Great. Letter to a Christian Nation. Bestseller lists are filled with doubters. But what happens when you actually doubt your doubts?

Although a vocal minority continues to attack the Christian faith, for mos ...more

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Hardcover, 293 pages

Published February 14th 2008 by Dutton (first published 2007)

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Mar 15, 2012 Paul Bryant rated it liked it

Shelves: godreads

This is book three in my quest to find a good explanation of the Christian faith. Once again, I don't think this book is it. But in mitigation, I can now see that Christianity is so very very difficult to explain without drifting off into shimmery two-shakes-of-Four-Quartets-and-a-dash-of-Revelations language that my heart goes out to these guys who take on this task. Okay, my heart almost goes out to these guys.

Part One of this book is where TK challenges and in his own eyes overcomes seven ma ...more

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Mar 21, 2008 Josh Crews rated it it was amazing

I was converted from "educated" secularism in 2003. Every objection I had is addressed by this book for my background AND it's done by showing God in Jesus, and Jesus crucified.

When I became a Christian, 3 other books: the New Testament, The Case for Christ, and Desiring God were primary in my conversion. The Case for Christ proves the Resurrection as a historical event. The New Testament self-authenticates itself as God's Word and shines Jesus Christ out to the reader. Desiring God presents tha ...more

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May 30, 2008 Jori rated it really liked it

Sitting across the table from a Christian friend, I find myself again and again shaking my head in wonder at our different paths, beliefs and motivations. There are differences between us that I suspect we both pray over in our own ways. Conversations sometimes reach a point where we can only look at each other from a distance as over a river raging with spring melt. We wish to bridge that gap and yet, often, cannot. Still, I want to be engaged in these differences. The antagonism between "sides Sitting across the table from a Christian friend, I find myself again and again shaking my head in wonder at our different paths, beliefs and motivations. There are differences between us that I suspect we both pray over in our own ways. Conversations sometimes reach a point where we can only look at each other from a distance as over a river raging with spring melt. We wish to bridge that gap and yet, often, cannot. Still, I want to be engaged in these differences. The antagonism between "sides" that dominates most public discussions related to faith yields too few attempts at mutual understanding and produces even fewer solutions. In my own life, I want to build relationships with "those people" on the other side of so many issues that matter most to me. It was within this context that I was loaned and read Tim Keller's apologia, _Reason for God_. The book is perfect for anyone yearning to listen to a Christian answer to seven fundamental doubts that people express about Christianity (the first part of the book) and to an intelligent and compassionate Christian's defense of his Bible-based faith. I imagine that Christians reading this book might find their own faith bolstered and deepened and so would recommend it to them, too.
Keller challenges non-Christians to doubt their doubts and recognize the unprove-able beliefs (faith) upon which their own relativist/humanist/etcist values rest. It is this challenge that I value most from the book, as well as a stronger understanding of how a Christian might respond to some of my own doubts. As far as whether Keller's reason swayed my own-- we come again to that river between us. If you only knew what I know, if you only read what I read, if you only had the conversations and the courageous, intelligent contemplation that I have had, you would believe what I believe. This is what divides all us believers. I found myself deeply sad at several points in the book where I saw the river grow too wide for any bridge. And I often felt sheer love for Keller's faith and kindness. This is obviously a subjective reading. I am not interested right now in an intellectual debate about faith (like all of us, I've had those conversations) because right now I am just seeking understanding and connection. Is this irresponsible? Intellectually weak? Perhaps. But listening w/ out reacting is where I am in my practice right now. ...more

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Feb 17, 2021 Renee Amberg rated it did not like it · review of another edition

Is there an option for a negative star???
I picked up this book because it "encouraged questioning" .. ya, no. He took a skeptics question and created a finger-pointed argument against it, which didn't do his side any justice. For example, someone who doesn't belive in something actually does ... thats a belief in itself. -_- .... okayyy???
You can tell he is a traditionalist which I also don't like. Focus on converting & winning arguments is not doing anything good. Add the malice tone & unnecess ...more

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Aug 16, 2008 Ty rated it did not like it

Keller's book came recommended by virtually every thinking Christian I know, billed as the theological answer to recent mass-market agnosticism. Indeed there are many out there who have artfully defended a belief in the Christian God, but Keller does not meet the mark. The first half of his book, written for skeptics, is very soft on logical/rational arguments. His response to evolution (a whopping two and a half pages), for example, is to say that if you pin him down, he believes in the process ...more

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Mar 31, 2009 Judith rated it did not like it

This is one of those, "Yes, Virginia, there is a Santa Claus" books. i didn't pick up this book to make fun of it. i read it because i would like to hear an intelligent plausible argument for the existence of God. I am sure there is one, but you won't find it in this book. To paraphrase the author: why did Jesus have to die for our sins? Well, if your neighbor accidentally ran into your wall and it wasn't covered by insurance, someone would have to pay for the damages. So even if you forgave you ...more

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Jan 06, 2020 Natalie Vellacott rated it liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: christian-theology

"A life not centred on God leads to emptiness. Building our lives on something besides God not only hurts us if we don't get the desires of our hearts, but also if we do. Few of us get all of our wildest dreams fulfilled in life, and therefore it is easy to live in the illusion that if you were as successful, wealthy, popular or beautiful as you wished, you'd finally be happy and at peace. That just isn't so."

"Most people believe that, if there is a God, we can relate to him and go to heaven ...more

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Sep 06, 2019 Caroline rated it really liked it

Shelves: 4-star-reads, spirituality

I liked this book a lot, because it gives a fundamentalist perspective (primarily based on the idea that the Bible is the literal world of God, or Bible inerrancy)....and it was great to see that so clearly defined. I thought that Keller argued this viewpoint incredibly well.

I couldn't begin to comment on all the points raised in the book, but some major issues concerned me.

Firstly, I was very disconcerted by Keller's insistence that only one of the major religions is right and other religions a ...more

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Mar 11, 2009 Lee rated it it was ok

I didn't get this book to try to refute it. I was actually as excited to get it as I am with any non fiction book. The introduction was great and I thought it was going to be a good read. It's about 10 pages or so and I thought it was really well written.

Then starts the doubts and questions he has received and his reasoning against them. The questions are great ones that are very typical, so it's not like he's throwing himself softball questions. Another good point. To me a lot of these made sen ...more

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Feb 10, 2010 Dan Brent rated it did not like it

There are much better texts on theology, ethics, belief in a god or gods. When compared to the well educated writings of Bonhoeffer, Kant, Satre, Anselm, Dawkins, Aquinas this book is woefully lacking. I might add, it read as you would expect a privileged and sheltered American new age preacher would write. Anything outside of his "expertise" is met with derision and ignorance. I would be shocked if this man ever saw a Mosque, Synagogue, Buddhist temple, let alone read the works of their major p ...more

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Jun 08, 2015 Jim rated it did not like it · review of another edition

I was really disappointed by this. I actually picked it for a group read with some friends, having read Keller before and been impressed by him. I wasn't impressed with this.

The full title of the book is The Reason for God: Belief in the Age of Skepticism. And the back suggests that Keller "addresses the frequent doubts that skeptics...have about religion." And goes on to say that "Keller explains how the belief in a Christian God is, in fact, a sound and rational one." And then, "to skeptics, ...more

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Mar 04, 2008 Paul rated it really liked it

Shelves: mere-christianity, apologetics

Tim Keller's The Reason for God: Belief in an Age of Skepticism (TRG, hereafter) is the result of the many questions about God and Christianity pastor Keller has received over the years during his time at Redeemer Presbyterian Church in Manhattan, New York. Keller writes in a smooth, conversational tone. He addresses in clear language, 'real' questions from those who have crossed his path over the years, using every day examples to illustrate his points, and he does so with a pastoral heart (whi ...more

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Oct 03, 2011 Jonathan Terrington rated it it was amazing

Shelves: non-fiction, want, faith, personal-favourites

This non-fiction work by Timothy Keller, a noted pastor, was required reading for my last year of schooling. At my school Christian Education was compulsory and even despite my beliefs I found it a drag since most of what was discussed I already knew a lot about and was repetition. This book and the surrounding discussion was a cut above everything else we were looking at. This is because rather than merely looking at the Bible itself we looked at other belief systems and at apologetics, somethi
This non-fiction work by Timothy Keller, a noted pastor, was required reading for my last year of schooling. At my school Christian Education was compulsory and even despite my beliefs I found it a drag since most of what was discussed I already knew a lot about and was repetition. This book and the surrounding discussion was a cut above everything else we were looking at. This is because rather than merely looking at the Bible itself we looked at other belief systems and at apologetics, something which has always interested me since I read some of the other works of C.S. Lewis. In order to ground ones beliefs I see that it is important to understand to a degree other beliefs. And in fact since reading this book I went on and read The Case for Faith: A Journalist Investigates the Toughest Objections to Christianity, a more philosophical look at apologetics and one I found interesting.

In this book itself Timothy Keller brings up the main points of contention and doubts of people he has met. He looks at the existence of pain, the challenge of science and belief, evil, hell and many others I can't quite remember. I may not agree with everything that Keller states but I do like his approach to writing and discussing belief. Rather than attacking and stating 'you're wrong' he takes time to work through the whys and hows of belief.

I admit that Keller does not look at these subjects as convincingly as some philosophers and theologians I have seen. However his writing style and arguments are relaxed, easy to read and draw in many cultural and literary figures, utilising the ideas of other authorities outside of Christian circles.

I love the title Keller chooses to use for his book. I do feel that we live in an increasingly sceptical age, an age where nothing is sacrosanct and everything is up for questioning. I accept that questions are necessary for growth and development, I believe that there are many elements of life which are 'set in stone'.

I also question the mentality in which we as humans today have 'evolved' and 'know better' than in centuries past. I don't see that. If anything we are just as failed a group of people as years ago. Our advances in technology give us greater ways in which to fail. Think about the numbers of people addicted to internet gambling or drugs or relationship hopping. I state that we are just as messed up as we were years ago, just in different ways. It seems to be the mentality these days though that 'God is dead' and instead we become the gods ourselves. I hear so many matter-of-fact statements about 'our bodies are our own' and 'we have the right to choose when to die or live' but in this age of questioning I hear few people questioning the validity of those statements. Either way I shall stop this rambling on and cut to the conclusion of my review.

This is a book written not just for those who don't believe or for Christians who want to challenge other people's beliefs like so many other books around. It is not a book that claims to have the answers to make people believe like some books ridiculously claim. It is a book that invites discussion about beliefs. It is a book for those who have doubts about what they believe in regards to the Church and God as well as those who are interested in knowing what Christianity true claims are. As an honest, thought provoking book that invites people to look at their doubts I enjoyed this book a lot and certainly want to get a copy. In an age where few people want to have honest discussions about belief, preferring to forcefully express what is a correct opinion, this is a book that I respect for its honesty. ...more

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Oct 28, 2011 Barnabas Piper rated it really liked it

While this was the book that made Keller famous (or famouser), it was distinctly different from his other books all of which I love. It is much more an apologetic and reasoned argument than it is sermonic. Keller is a great thinker and follows in the footsteps of Christian intellectuals like C.S. Lewis. I appreciated his calm, measured, and reasonable tone and arguments throughout the book. He makes it easy for readers to process his ideas without being attacked or bombarded. A very good book.

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Nov 21, 2019 Amora rated it liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: faith

This is good start for Christians who want to learn about apologetics. Keller, articulate as always, uses biology and physics to make the case for God. It’s not the strongest, but it’s something. If you’re looking for more advance apologetics I suggest reading Frank Turek’s “Stealing from God” or Dinesh D’Souza’s “What’s so Great About Christianity.” Another good one is “Bearing False Witness” by sociologist Rodney Stark. All are equally great.

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Jun 13, 2009 kelly rated it it was ok

Here’s my three-sentence summary of this book if you don’t care to read the following rant: Keller essentially says, “Yah, Christian beliefs about the nature of things are unprovable, but so are yours. However, our beliefs are still better because they give us reasons to do good, along with warm fuzzies; Yours don’t, see?”

At first, I was happy to read in the Introduction a desire for open-mindedness and respectful dialogue between the religious and the non-religious. Consider his humble plea:

“At

“At the end of the process, even if you remain the skeptic or believer you have been, you will hold your own position with both greater clarity and greater humility. Then there will be an understanding, sympathy, and respect for the other side that did not exist before. Believers and non-believers will rise to the level of disagreement rather than simply denouncing one another. This happens when each side has learned to represent the other’s argument in its strongest and most positive form. Only then is it safe and fair to disagree with it. That achieves civility in a pluralistic society, which is no small thing.” [p. xviii-xix:]

While Keller admirably “rose to the level of disagreement” rather than simply denouncing, he failed to represent the other’s argument “in its strongest and most positive form.” As I read on, his comments reveal a misunderstanding about the non-religious/non-theistic which is every bit as unjust and misinformed as the misunderstandings about Christianity he is seeking to correct!

This is the unjust representation that frustrates me most: He says that if you don't believe in God, you have no reason to do good. I understand this viewpoint; I once shared it many years ago. But if he really sought to understand the non-theistic, he would know perfectly well the reasons non-theists have to be good. And it's infuriating that he ignores them. For example, take this quote:

"...their own worldview undermines any motivation to make the world a better place. Why sacrifice for the needs of others if in the end nothing we do will make any difference?" [p. 212:]

Is he really implying that it's only worth helping someone if there's something to show for it eternally? Why does something have to be eternal for it to matter? To me, saying it's not worth trying to make the world a better place unless doing so had eternal consequences is like saying, "Why give birth to a human being if he or she is just going to die?" Because, Keller: even if life is not eternal, it can still be beautiful and worthwhile.

Most of his arguments for God struck me not as arguments for why they’re true, but for why and how that belief system produces a better human being or better world. In nearly every chapter, he justifies a religious belief based on the positive behavioral outcomes of that belief.

Of course, some atheists play the same game, but with a contrary goal: they try to discount Christian beliefs by showing how they lead to undesirable behavior (violence, dogmatism, etc.) And some of us watch wearily as the ball bounces yet again back to the other court as Christians try to discount non-religious beliefs by showing how they have led to undesirable behavior. (For example, I have noticed that both try to blame slavery on the other, or show how the first abolitionists shared their beliefs.)

In spite of these frustrations, I suppose I can say I now “hold [my] own position with both greater clarity and greater humility.” And I still maintain the same understanding, sympathy and respect for Christians that I did before reading this book. However, for me, this book is evidence that both “sides” have a lot of work to do to better represent the other’s argument in its strongest and most positive form. ...more

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Oct 08, 2013 Brent McCulley rated it it was amazing

Shelves: apologetics

This was the first book I read as a Christian - I mean - after I became born again in the summer of 2011, I picked up this book, which had been sitting on my shelf for the past four years collecting dust, and prayed over it: 'God, please teach me.' As a new believer - who at that point didn't even own a Bible! - I was embarking through a piece of theological work that was to help formulate my life thenceforth. I've never been so thankful for a book out of sheer gratitude for its existence than I ...more

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Mar 31, 2008 Karen L. rated it it was amazing

Recommends it for: Homeschool high schoolers

Recommended to Karen L. by: I think our friend Tim W.

Shelves: homeschool, christianity, apologetics

This is a wonderful book for skeptics. Finally one you can give a friend and not be embarrassed about any overly didactic preaching. His skillful speaking abilities and knowledge come from years of pastoral experience at a large Presbyterian Church in Manhattan. His method of persuasion is gentle, pastoral, and a very "Socratic" approach. What I liked about Keller's way of handling the questions of skeptics, is he is highly respectful in his treatment of people who do not have faith, but have q ...more

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Jan 15, 2019 David Sarkies rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

Shelves: christian

The Faith behind the Religion
21 January 2019

This is probably one of the very few Christian books that I have read of late, probably because these days I tend to find Christian books to be, well, rubbish. However, I have found something quite refreshing when it comes to Keller in that he seems to write is a way that is certainly not fundamentalist, and also is actually grounded in reality. I guess that is the problem when it comes to a lot of these books, and that is that if they aren’t fundamen The Faith behind the Religion
21 January 2019

This is probably one of the very few Christian books that I have read of late, probably because these days I tend to find Christian books to be, well, rubbish. However, I have found something quite refreshing when it comes to Keller in that he seems to write is a way that is certainly not fundamentalist, and also is actually grounded in reality. I guess that is the problem when it comes to a lot of these books, and that is that if they aren’t fundamentalist in nature, they tend to be so theoretical that I wonder what the purpose of the book is, and why I’m actually bothering to read it.

In a way I find that to be the problem with churches today, particularly a lot of the mainstream churches – they seem to be so caught up in academia that they tend to forget that there is a real world out there, a world where people are suffering and struggling to survive. The other thing is that some of the writers simply seem to be producing what is in effect a thinly veiled support for the conservative parties, parties that I was put off of ever since they went to war against Iraq.

I think the problem with Christianity isn’t so much the God that they claim to worship, but rather the churches that make up the faith. Many of the churches that I have visited are so conservative that it is not funny. In fact, many of them literally push a right wing economic philosophy, a philosophy that I simply cannot support. Take education for instance – while they support education, they don’t like the way that the government is doing it, and in fact treat the government as one of the big evils of the day. Yet, when they reject mainstream science, it makes me wonder how it is that these schools are actually able to produce students that can survive beyond and into university – especially where they have spent most of their formative years being told that evolution is wrong, and that to be a Christian they need to support a creationist view of the world.

This is what I like about Kellar because he doesn’t go down these roads. In fact, he stays well away from it because, well, he knows that it is unhelpful. Christianity isn’t based on what we do, but what has been done for us. There are some core tenants, but the thing is that outside of those core tenants, such as how the Earth came into being, it really doesn’t matter what you believe. Interestingly, he also shys away from the use of the term ‘fundamentalist’ when referring to these extreme right-wing churches because he doesn’t see them as such. In fact, he doesn’t seem to view them as having what he would consider a Biblical view of Christianity. In a sense, once you start adding to the tenants of the faith, then all of a sudden you are moving away from Christianity as it was originally supposed to be.

One interesting point that he comes up with when he is exploring the objections to Christianity, and that is that nobody can actually be outside of some form of religion. The athiests seem to always argue that they have no religion because they don’t believe in God, but the reality is that their firm stance in not believing in a God makes them religious anyway, just a different form of religion. Honestly, why is it that they go to great lengths to attempt to convince people that there is no God – isn’t that just the same as Christians attempting to persuade us that there is a God? In my mind it certainly sounds like it.

Look, I can appreciate where they are coming from, particularly when it comes to the huge historical baggage that Christianity drags with it, but in all honesty, Christianity isn’t the only religion that has baggage. Hindu nationalists rampage against apostates in India, extremist Muslims do the same in the Middle East, and just as we were thinking that maybe Buddhism was a religion of peace, the Burmese government goes to war against the Royhinga people. Oh, and then there is also the issue with Stalin and Pol Pot.

Yeah, every religion has its extremists, and every religion is guilty of some form of genocide, but does that mean that all the the adherents to that particular religion are guilty. Well, no, not really. Take communisim for instance, when I jokingly told some friends that I had voted for the communist party (namely as a way of saying ‘it is none of your business who I voted for’) they looked at me in horror because Stalin murdered his people. As it turns out, the Christians murdered the Jews during the crusades, and forcefully converted Muslims during the reconquista in Spain, yet these particular people absolutely refused to be tarred with that brush, though they were more than happy to tar me with the Stalin brush.

The thing that got me the most in this book was Kellar’s discussion of hell. Many of us want to reject God because, well, apparently he sends people to hell. The reality is that God doesn’t send people to hell, people go to Hell of their own accord. Hell is actually a question of selfishness, our desire to live our lives our way and everybody else can go jump. It is sort of like being invited to a party, and you decide that, well, you don’t actually want to go to the party and that you would rather spend your time doing something else. An interesting thing he points out is that people don’t actually want to leave hell either because, well, they are actually satisified with being there. Once again, using the party analogy, it is like refusing to go to the party, sitting home board, and while you know you can change your mind, you simply do not want to. However, the best discussion of Hell would have to be C.S. Lewis’s The Great Divorce.

Yeah, the biggest issue I have with Christianity is the church – that can actually be the make or break factor for many people. Honestly, there are a lot of churches out there that are simply not welcoming, and if they are, then they are manipulative and self absorbed. In fact it can be very, very hard to actually find a decent church, particularly one that is going to accept you for who you are as opposed to what they want you to become. I’ve actually discovered that when you are transformed, that is something that happens to you naturally as opposed to being bombarded and harrased by the church and the leadership. Sure, there does need to be some form of encouragement, but sometimes I feel that many church leaders, despite what they say, have this deep seated fear that they are going to be judged based upon how their congregations turn out, and as such go into such a frenzy whipping their congregations into shape that they end up doing more harm than good. ...more

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Apr 08, 2012 Josiah rated it did not like it

Sometimes I have this nagging feeling that, when one particularly able Atheist writer (now deceased) cleverly turns a humorous phrase in the midst of an important logical point, he has somehow made a deal with the devil. Perhaps his craft isn’t really honed by years of experience, but by witchcraft and satanic bargains.

No. I’m not entirely sane.

Though apparently I’m not the only one, because Timothy Keller seems to suffer from this same strange neurosis and goes to great lengths to prove himself ...more

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Nov 06, 2013 Kris rated it it was ok

Shelves: religion-christianity

Shallow, arbitrary, and unsound. Disappointing and unsatisfying. I was almost going to give it three stars, but it just kept getting worse and worse, and it still did not end on a good note for me.

He is preachy and simplistic, and I guess it's not surprising, as this was written by a pastor, who does not seem to be an academic. While Keller does make some good points, flaws abound within his arguments, and he doesn’t dive anywhere nearly deep enough into apologetics to give adequate answers to t Shallow, arbitrary, and unsound. Disappointing and unsatisfying. I was almost going to give it three stars, but it just kept getting worse and worse, and it still did not end on a good note for me.

He is preachy and simplistic, and I guess it's not surprising, as this was written by a pastor, who does not seem to be an academic. While Keller does make some good points, flaws abound within his arguments, and he doesn’t dive anywhere nearly deep enough into apologetics to give adequate answers to these hard questions. Keller has bitten off more than he can chew here, and it shows.

For instance, when Keller tackles the problem of evil and suffering, he writes that we simply can’t know the reasons for all the problems in the world and that God has a different perspective than us (God can see the good resulting from devastating disasters where we can’t). But that’s barely scratching the surface, and it isn’t nearly enough of an intellectually and emotionally satisfying answer for this issue. Keller doesn’t address the fact that the world was cursed after the fall, and therefore sometimes bad things happen in nature/by accident as a result of the fallen world we live in (purely the fault of no one but Adam and Eve).

Keller also takes a very “wish-washy” approach to the relationship between science and religion. In his discussion on science, he makes no distinction between microevolution and macroevolution. He gives nowhere near enough discussion on the presence of Intelligent Design in nature. And he doesn’t even cite specific verses from Genesis 1 and 2 and contrast them with evolutionary theories.
Basically Keller blatantly chooses to ignore the deep, foundational conflict between Creationism and Evolution, sweeping their very apparent irreconcilable differences under the rug. He seems to be of the belief that evolution/natural selection and the creation account in Genesis work together just fine (although he provides no specific proof/basis for this claim). He even cites several people who believe that God “used” evolution in His creation of the world, while carefully skirting around the issue himself, avoiding implications of Deism.
Therefore, he ends up proving neither belief, because he doesn’t let the natural consequences/implications of each worldview develop enough to actually impact weighty issues like the origins of the universe, the nature of humanity, or the relationship between man and nature. In doing all this he whitewashes both points of view and accomplishes very little.

C. S. Lewis and Alister McGrath come up fairly often, but I feel that he’s taken their words out of context, using their famous quotes to prop up his own shallow ideas, providing nowhere near the same type of deep-seated, deliberative, apologetic framework they do.

Keller also cites Rick Warren, and similar “feel good” preachers, which I always take to be a little dubious. He ends on the stereotypical "pray this prayer and you're saved" junk, never acknowledging the importance of baptism and communion for a Christian's life. In other places it feels like Keller is just giving a selling pitch for his Presbyterian church in Manhattan, distracted from the topic at hand with how well he’s drawn “modern” and “young” people into his large congregation (church-growth movement).

I would not recommend this to any non-Christian, or to a Christian looking to deepen his faith. ...more

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Jan 27, 2011 Marina rated it did not like it · review of another edition

Shelves: non-fiction

Had every good intention of liking this book as it was recommended (gifted, in fact) by a friend whose intellect I respect. Sadly and disappointingly, it lost me from the Introduction. It started admirably by recognising the polarisation between the camps of theists and sceptics but before long it started making pronouncements about sceptics which don't reflect the views of at least this particular member of that group (along with many others I know).

Keller insists that non belief in God is a b Had every good intention of liking this book as it was recommended (gifted, in fact) by a friend whose intellect I respect. Sadly and disappointingly, it lost me from the Introduction. It started admirably by recognising the polarisation between the camps of theists and sceptics but before long it started making pronouncements about sceptics which don't reflect the views of at least this particular member of that group (along with many others I know).

Keller insists that non belief in God is a belief unto itself. "All doubts, however sceptical and cynical they may seem, are really a set of alternate beliefs." No, doubts can be based on sheer lack of evidence! In fact, the author does not make the distinction between thinking and believing. Most of his arguments are of the order of "since this and this doesn't explain a certain situation, God must be the explanation." Some of us are comfortable or at least accepting of the fact that we don't know everything about life and the universe and such, and still don't feel that that gap in our knowledge needs to be filled by any old story.

"So, if we embrace the Christian teaching that Jesus is God and that he went to the cross, then we have deep consolation and strength to face the brutal realities of life on earth." I think that the power of religion to provide hope and consolation to those who look for it there, is not in doubt. What's in doubt is the *truth* behind the story that is told to console ourselves or draw strength from.

Dogma is often employed by the author as an argument when all else is exhausted: the weak or naive arguments, as well as attempts at refuting Marx's views as if Marx is the best representative of the non-theist camp.

I felt I owed it to my friend to read through the entire book but once I got to Chp 9, The Knowledge of God, where Keller, after his long discussion on morality and human rights, condescendingly proclaims: "If you insist on a secular view of the world and yet you continue to pronounce some things right and some things wrong, then I hope you see the deep disharmony between the world your intellect has devised and the real wold (and God) that your heart knows exist" I knew it was time to throw in the towel. The presumptuousness and arrogance of that statement destroyed any willingness on my part to give the author the benefit of the doubt till the end of the book.

Skimming through Chp 10, The Problem Of Sin, and reading some more bits of dogma ("Sin is the despairing refusal to find your deepest identity in your relationship and service to God.") convinced me that as a (now confirmed) sinner, it was time to cut my losses and spend my time on other books. ...more

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Jul 21, 2009 Lostinanovel rated it liked it

Powerful. Several thoughts.

Keller's logical progression reminds me of a philosophy class. I can't figure a way out of his logic. In fact, he makes such a strong case for the existence of God that a nonbeliever is left to throw up their hands and simply deny reason and (ironically) have clinging faith in their disbelief. His argument that Christianity is the one true religion also is compelling, certainly it seems to be the one of broadest logical appeal.

Everyone should read the first section, a ...more

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Jan 08, 2014 Debbie Droege rated it it was amazing

Shelves: non-fiction, religion

I started reading this book because I started attending one of the Redeemer churches in NYC which Keller refers to founding in this book. I find the attitude of the church to be similar to the tone of The Reason for God.

As someone raised in the church (Lutheran) who went through several years of struggle with religion, I found this book to helpful and enlightening. It also made me feel better about my continued struggle with Christianity as a religion and my personal relationship with God.

Kell ...more

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Mar 14, 2017 Jerry rated it it was amazing

A fabulous work of apologetics.

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Apr 12, 2008 Jason rated it it was amazing

Fewer adjectives probably describe the present age better than polarized. Nowhere is this more evident than the struggle between secular modernism and traditional Christian faith. There are probably fewer people who have more understanding of the depth of that struggle and the difficulties in communicating across that polarized gap than Timothy Keller. Reason for God takes the approach that you communicate not between believers and unbelievers, but between believers and skeptics, for he argues e Fewer adjectives probably describe the present age better than polarized. Nowhere is this more evident than the struggle between secular modernism and traditional Christian faith. There are probably fewer people who have more understanding of the depth of that struggle and the difficulties in communicating across that polarized gap than Timothy Keller. Reason for God takes the approach that you communicate not between believers and unbelievers, but between believers and skeptics, for he argues everyone believes in something. In short, he wants believers and skeptics to look at doubt in two different ways. He urges believers to struggle and come to grips with their doubts, so that an accepted faith is not just passively agreed upon, but plausible and understandable. And he urges skeptics to doubt their skepticism and compare their belief system with what they oppose, and to see just how solid their skepticism is.

So Keller writes like a pastor as much as he does an apologist for the Christian faith. The church the helped to found 20 years ago, and where he serves as senior minister, Redeemer Presbyterian (PCA) in New York City has sought to address doubts and skepticism seriously and winsomely, within the context of traditional, Reformed Protestant Christianity. Much of this book is obviously based on discussions held during counsel or during his well-known after worship service question and answer periods, so the book represents fresh attempts to communicate with a modern, urban culture.

Keller writes that two large influences in his life are the 18th century pastor Jonathan Edwards and the British professor CS Lewis, and that show up well. He presents afresh, much of the doctrines about God and man, as taught by Jonathan Edwards, and he holds a fresh grip on the reasoning style of CS Lewis. Yet he also makes good use of presuppositional apologetics, where he doesn't try to argue people into the Kingdom of God, but rather challenges people to see where what the suppose comes from and where it is going.

This is a literate, smart, witty, well-written, and winsome book, accessible and challenging to Christian and non Christian alike. The author makes good use sources ranging from Flannery O'Connor to U2's front man Bono to make his case. Again, going back to the premise of the work, of trying to communicate calmly between portions of a polarized world, you find an author that actually likes and enjoys the skeptics he encounters and learns a lot from them. But what he presents, and challenges his readers with is a full embrace of traditional Christian faith. Other writers might just stop with a basic, "Apostles Creed" faith, but it can best be said that Keller argues for an "Apostles Creed" plus faith, or fleshing out a more fuller faith; for example, he presents a great argument for what is known as the doctrine of penal substitution and the necessity of growing in an individual faith within a community of other believers (something sorely needed to be taught to believer and skeptic alike).

The book is divided into two sections, the Leap of Doubt and the Reasons for Faith, with an intermediary chapter between. The first section is an examination of what quite a few skeptics in this age presuppose, the second is a fresh appeal to traditional Christian faith. His section on the knowledge of God is exceptionally strong. He argues that no one is really relativistic, as many in the culture world might argue for, but instead, again drawing on Edwards (with help from play write Arthur Miller), that men know God, they just suppress what they know. He cannot prove that God exists, for everyone already acknowledges that he is there.

Not everyone will agree with all that Keller has to say. Some will say that he is too strong on some points, and too weak on others, or would prefer a more fleshed out thought on some issues; but this work should at least get conversation started; which appears to be his goal as much as anything.

This book cannot be more highly recommend to believers and skeptics alike, especially those active in the early 21st century, globalized world, with all its strains. Time will tell how it will age, for it does dialogue with many of the issues of our time with traditional truth in a fresh way.
...more

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May 27, 2009 Lesli rated it did not like it

Shelves: non-fiction, religion

I'm happy to read both sides of the faith question, and so bought this book with the hopes that Keller would come up with something new. In fact, his logic is often poor and easily refuted. I'm about half way through it, and though I intend to continue and finish, I've "lost faith" in the author's ability to reason logically.

For example, he claims that skeptics have a "faith" of their own when they claim that doubt is, itself, a "leap of faith." It is not a leap of faith to posit that no invisib I'm happy to read both sides of the faith question, and so bought this book with the hopes that Keller would come up with something new. In fact, his logic is often poor and easily refuted. I'm about half way through it, and though I intend to continue and finish, I've "lost faith" in the author's ability to reason logically.

For example, he claims that skeptics have a "faith" of their own when they claim that doubt is, itself, a "leap of faith." It is not a leap of faith to posit that no invisible pink unicorn is staring over my shoulder, just as it is not a leap of faith to posit that no supreme deity exists, since no proof of one has been produced. If you make an extraordinary claim, you must have extraordinary proof. He has none.

I'm also fond of his Pascal's Wager reasoning: "The speaker is betting his or her life that no God exists who would hold you accountable for your beliefs and behavior is you didn't feel the need for him." This is a childish scare tactic. The bogeyman will get you if you don't believe! In fact, he misses the point. It isn't that I don't believe in (his version of) God because I don't want to; it's because believing in (his version) of God is no more reasonable or logical to me than believing in Thor or Isis.

As to "the big questions," such as why God allows suffering, his answers are mundane: evil and suffering serve a greater good. We might not know what that greater good is, but that doesn't mean there isn't one. Apparently, I am more merciful than the god he worships, because his god allows suffering that I could never allow. He then takes a little side trip to explain to us how being a Christian allows you to deal with suffering more easily, even if there's no conceivable silver lining to your agony. In fact, we then get pages and pages of Jesus' death and resurrection, to prove to us... what? I'm not sure. That dying was hard for Jesus, too (though if Jesus is also God, his three days of agony are pretty paltry against an eternity as a supreme deity!). His final argument concerning suffering is that it makes us appreciate the good times. He illustrates his point: "A few years ago, I had a horrible nightmare in which I dreamed that everyone in my family had died. When I awoke my relief was enormous--but there was much more than just relief. My delight in each member of my family was tremendously enriched....Everything sad is going to come untrue and it will somehow be greater for having once been broken and lost."

It reminds me of an old joke:

A man complains to his rabbi, "My life is miserable! I have no money, my wife is a nag, my kids won't behave, and all 5 of us live in a tiny, filthy apartment. What should I do?"
The rabbi says, "Buy a goat, and come back in a moth."
"What???"
"Just do it."
So the man buys a goat. The goat, of course, starts eating everything in sight, wrecking the apartment, stomping all over the place, and makes a horrible mess since, of course, it isn't housebroken. The whole family is miserable. The man returns tot he rabbi.
"The goat idea is horrible! I have even less money because the goat is breaking things, my tiny apartment is a wreck, the kids are behaving even worse because the goat keeps them up all night, my wife is nagging me about everything the goat eats and breaks... What do I do?"
"Get rid of the goat," says the rabbi.
The man sells the goat and comes back to the rabbi. "Oh, rabbi, things are so much better! The apartment no longer stinks, we have more money, we can sleep at night, and there's nothing for my wife to nag me about. We've never been happier!"

In other words, Keller's answer to suffering has been "done," in a borscht belt joke, no less.

This man can't take off his God-colored glasses long enough to actually understand and refute skeptics' arguments. I will finish the book, but I'm singularly unimpressed with it so far.

Update: I finished the book. The second half was almost entirely proselytizing. a poor effort to convince the reader that not only is there a God, but there is a particular one, Jesus is his son, and so on. Since he wasn't able to convince me of the initial proposition, the second half was a waste. ...more

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May 02, 2018 Jack Hansen rated it it was amazing

Shelves: based-on-real-events, bible, christianity, non-fiction, philosophy, judao-christian, christian, religion, cultural-world

My faith is deeper and apologetics stronger after listening to The Reason for God: Belief in an Age of Skepticism. Timothy Keller narrates his book that talks to our innate soul. He produces evidence and corroboration of what the Bible says today as legitimate to what is presupposed to be the Word of God. More than this, Keller appeals to that center in all of us that we call a conscience. It is in this realm that we sense wrong from right and question ethics and morality. The greater theme is o ...more

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May 06, 2009 Neal rated it it was ok

There are a ton of reviews for this, so I will keep this short, in the hopes that someone might actually notice its brevity and glean a bit from it. Here goes.

THE GOOD
Keller writes fairly conversationally, implements a fantastic range of quotations from a handful of authors, and, in a few chapters, actually makes a point or two worth noting.

THE BAD
Keller produces enough straw men to populate all the world's fields, his logic is poor at best and disingenuous at worst, and his rehash of old ar ...more

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Oct 11, 2018 ♥ Ibrahim ♥ rated it did not like it

Shelves: religious-studies, spirituality

Timothy Keller says:
The belief in a God of pure love – who accepts everyone and judges no one – is a powerful act of faith. Not only is there no evidence for it in the natural order, but there is almost no historical, religious textual support for it outside of Christianity. The more one looks at it, the less justified it appears.

Questions:
1. Why is that attitude of a know-it-all person in matters of faith which cannot be touched or proven? Is that how you would win over your atheist son? We hav ...more

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About Timothy J. Keller

Timothy J. Keller

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Librarian Note: There is more than one author in the Goodreads database with this name.

Timothy Keller is the founding pastor of Redeemer Presbyterian Church in Manhattan, which he started in 1989 with his wife, Kathy, and three young sons. For over twenty years he has led a diverse congregation of young professionals that has grown to a weekly attendance of over 5,000.

He is also Chairman of Redeem ...more

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“If Jesus rose from the dead, then you have to accept all that he said; if he didn't rise from the dead, then why worry about any of what he said? The issue on which everything hangs is not whether or not you like his teaching but whether or not he rose from the dead.” — 210 likes

“We modern people think of miracles as the suspension of the natural order, but Jesus meant them to be the restoration of the natural order. The Bible tells us that God did not originally make the world to have disease, hunger, and death in it. Jesus has come to redeem where it is wrong and heal the world where it is broken. His miracles are not just proofs that he has power but also wonderful foretastes of what he is going to do with that power. Jesus' miracles are not just a challenge to our minds, but a promise to our hearts, that the world we all want is coming.” — 92 likes

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