Farewell to God: My Reasons for Rejecting the Christian Faith

by Charles Templeton

For more than twenty years, Charles Templeton was a major figure in the church in Canada and the United States. During the 1950s, he and Billy Graham were the two most successful exponents of mass evangelism in North America. Templeton spoke nightly to stadium crowds of up to thirty thousand people.
 
However, increasing doubts about the validity of the Old Testament and the teachings of the Christian church finally brought about a crisis in his faith and in 1957 he resigned from the ministry.
 
In Farewell to God, Templeton speaks out about his reasons for the abandonment of his faith. In straightforward language, Templeton deals with such subjects as the Creation fable, racial prejudice in the Bible, the identity of Jesus of Nazareth, Jesus’ alienation from his family, the second-class status of women in the church, the mystery of evil, the illusion that prayer works, why there is suffering and death, and the loss of faith in God.
 
He concludes with a positive personal statement: “I Believe.”


From the eBook edition.

Genres: Religion, Atheism, Nonfiction, Christianity, Philosophy, Biography, Autobiography

248 pages, Hardcover

First published October 12, 1996

Reviews

[Paul Buller · Rating 2 out of 5]

The first time I read this book it shook my faith. It seemed to raise so many devastating critiques and questions about Christianity that it was hard to imagine the mere possibility that there could be answers. So I read it again. As I read it a second time I carefully analyzed exactly what he was (and was not) saying, his precise lines of argument, what exact evidence he was drawing on, etc.

After reading it a second time my faith was far less shaken. Like so many anti-Theists these days he majors on emotional manipulation, selective appeals to evidence (ignoring evidence that does not support his conclusions), half-baked reasoning and so on. This book is only a very tiny step up from the kind of Atheist nonsense you are likely to find in the comments under YouTube videos. It barely registers as pop-philosophy; hardly worthy of serious consideration. It is frankly embarrassing that I ever let it shake my faith; a sign of the frailty of my faith at the time, not a sign of the quality of his arguments.

For the record, there are some very intelligent and very thoughtful Atheists out there. Christians need to step away from "blind faith" and take what they say seriously. Templeton was never one of them. I rate it a "2" instead of a "1" simply because he is a rather articulate writer who can really move the reader along. Where he moves them along to, however...

[C. · Rating 5 out of 5]

Before Billy Graham there was Charles Templeton!
Amazing gently told account of the former associate and lifelong friend of evangelist Billy Graham.His honesty is touching,and that his story is told without being in 'attack mode'.

As someone who was an evangelical Christian for decades and now a nonbeliever,I rank this book right up there with my new non-religious favorites which have taken the place of all my Christian/religious nonfiction books.


What I find especially amazing is how books such as this and....Why I Believed: Reflections of a Former Missionary by Kenneth W Daniels
The Book Your Church Doesn't Want You to Read by Tim C. Leedom
Breaking the Spell: Religion as a Natural Phenomenon by Daniel C. Dennett
Godless: How an Evangelical Preacher Became One of America's Leading Atheists by Dan Barker
all make so much more sense than my bible and preachers ever did!

I know why real life and years of bible study my eyes finally opened to the fallacy of religion,but these books have helped me to understand why I allowed such self-delusion for so many years!

Only those with an open mind who are lovers and seekers of Truth,and wonder why religion so strongly admonishes[like every cult]followers to never allow themselves to think about contradictions they read/see for themselves, or to never question what their own common sense is screaming for them to question, are able to appreciate such works,but those who do will treasure them for helping them to reach their full human potential instead of going through life as an automaton.

I highly recommend Farewell To God by Charles Templeton

[Darrel · Rating 5 out of 5]

I read this many years ago and can say that it was a key part of my own journey. It is a courageous work and one that touches both the emotional and intellectual components of faith and doubt. I put it in one of the top five books on the subject.

[Denise · Rating 5 out of 5]

One of the best books I've ever read. Everything he said made sense, and it only solidified my stance in agnosticism.

[Chris · Rating 5 out of 5]

All I can say is I don't see how a believer could read this and have their faith intact afterwards. A man who studied the Bible inside and out takes it to task in ways that even Dawkins can't do.

[Paula Dembeck · Rating 3 out of 5]

From the time of his late teens, Charles Templeton dedicated himself to the ministry. He was a popular public figure, often joining Billy Graham on large stages in auditoriums and preaching to crowds of thousands. But in 1957, he rejected his faith and resigned from the ministry. This is his thoughtful and at times sad account of the personal journey that led him to reject the foundations on which he had built his beliefs. It was with deep regret that he found they could no longer sustain him.

Templeton traces his life as a convert, teacher and scholar. He follows his life journey as a thinking, reasoning and questioning man, a process which ultimately led him to reject evangelical Christianity. During this process of stepping back from something he had dedicated his life to, he was forced to confront his own sense of shame and failure. He shares his regret about the friends and loved ones he hurt when he had to tell them about his decision.

As he follows the truth as he sees it, he focuses on the bible and its inherent implausibility. In the late fifties this was sacred ground, as this revered text had an aura of sacred immunity that surrounded it. But Templeton simply could no longer accept some of its most outrageous concepts. Grappling with the difficult questions that came to him and trying to gain better insight into the bible, he consulted his lifelong friend Billy Graham. Graham’s advice was that he should stop questioning the bible and just accept it as God’s word. That answer did not help him and indeed just solidified Templeton’s point: why does religion never allow you to think about or question church doctrine? Why can a believer not question the contradictions and inconsistencies in the bible? Why can anyone not question what common sense leads him to question?

Templeton shares some of the issues he struggled with during this process and encourages others to do the same. He also poses other questions readers might think about if they are confused about the religion they were raised in, or are looking for answers about why things don’t make sense. Finding answers is part of growing up and part of how society and the world has evolved. So why is that approach so off limits with religion?

As Templeton concludes his journey of stepping away from blind faith, he shares what he now believes in, which is a sense of spirituality. This satisfies his intellectual curiosity and brings him comfort. Everyone needs to believe in something and he is now more comfortable with his present beliefs.

This is a forceful critique for those who have an open mind and seek the truth. It is neither an attack on evangelicals, nor an academic treatise. It is simply Templeton’s account of his personal and often painful journey.

Unlike books written by other authors (e.g. Christopher Hitchens and David Adams Richards), it is written by someone from within religion rather than by someone who is looking into religious thinking from outside of it. That makes the story of Templeton’s journey even more powerful.

[Bruce Stopher · Rating 3 out of 5]

While this book is well-written from a literary standpoint, I expected more of a rational argument than Templeton provided. Several, dare I say many, of his points were invalid and it seemed that he was merely grinding his axe. For example, on page 33 he states, "Having chosen his twelve apostles (all Jews) and having given them what has been called the 'Great Commission,' he added specific instructions: Go nowhere among the Gentiles..." Anyone who has read the Bible, specifically the Gospel of Matthew, would know that the Great Commission is given in Matthew 28, at the end of Jesus' ministry, but the instructions to avoid the Gentiles is found in Matthew 10, toward the beginning of his ministry and initial training of his disciples.

Templeton obviously doesn't like the Roman Catholic Church, particularly the Inquisition, and he doesn't like the preaching style of modern day preachers, but these aren't real reasons to deny the existence of God. Much of this seemed to be more smokescreen for his real reasons, that "contemporary" people should be "rational" enough to ignore ancient fables.

Templeton would have us believe that almost all of the narrative of the New Testament gospels are fictional, and even a significant portion of the sayings of Jesus, yet he clearly decides that some of Jesus' sayings are inspirational, just not the written claims about an illegitimate child who hates his parents.

One thing I did notice was the number of times Templeton mentioned not having someone to talk to about his questions. It seems that he got what he sought out at Princeton; a faith devoid of depth that led him nowhere.

[Jason · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book repeats a lot of the standard arguments against Christianity. The book is much better than Dawkin's book The God Delusion (which was nothing but a nonsensical rant). I especially found the discussion about Billy Graham and the early days of his crusades interesting. The one part of the book I found a little hard to believe was Templeton revealing how after years of being a pastor and an evangelist, he suddenly stumbled upon distrubing questions like "why does God allow suffering" and "what about the blood shed in the old testament." Are we supposed to believe that he had not ever thought about these things before deciding to become a Christian and that he had never read the Bible until after had been a Pastor for years. I dunno. I find that odd, but I'm prepared to give him the benefit of the doubt on this one. Overrall it was a good book, and the tone was very respectful. Such a refreshing change from other dogmatic atheists such as Christopther Hitchens and Sam Harris.

[Steven · Rating 3 out of 5]

Charles Templeton was the friend of Billy Graham, who at some point was destined to end up a world famous preacher like him but ended up losing his faith. This book is a decent summary of the reasons of why someone can lose their faith. His overall tone is stoic and dry, typical of the God-free world he described. Large parts of it feels like the kind of thing any village atheist can write, but you can still sense his deep Christian heritage manifest in the Christian way of life that he still largely upholds. The most touching part of this book remains the introduction where he told his life story, his friendship with Billy Graham, and his gradual loss of faith. I think this book is a good reading for any Christian who is curious for the reasons why someone would leave Christianity. It might encourage Christians to understand atheists/agnostics better.

[Steve · Rating 4 out of 5]

A good first book to recommend to those beginning to question their
religious beliefs. From the perspective of one time evangelist Charles Templeton who doesn't stive to hit the reader over the head with his or her superstitions. Rather he uses biblical inconsistencies and the contradictions seen in everyday life to force the reader to challenge their beliefs.

[Dennis Wilkinson · Rating 2 out of 5]

Ten years ago, I read “Just as I Am,” The autobiography of Billy Graham. Finally, a famous, rich, and powerful Christian manages to avoid all the standard pitfalls of fame, riches, and power. It’s the refreshing story of a simple country boy who finds hope in Jesus and feels compelled to tell others about it. Billy’s simple style, humble life, and powerful delivery made him the most influential Christian evangelist in history (in terms of the number of people that heard him speak)


Early on, Billy becomes acquainted with an up-and-coming Canadian evangelist named Charles Templeton. They partner on many campaigns and become close friends. Both Charles and Billy wrestle with doubts. Can this simple story of divine love be true? One night Billy decides that his doubts will not be what drives him. Instead, he will trust in God’s love come what may. Charles simply cannot take that same step of faith. There are too many questions, too many doubts. He begs Billy to stop preaching and join him at Princeton for some serious study. Billy politely declines the offer. Charles throws himself into his studies. Gradually, Charles becomes convinced that Christianity and all religions are no more than well-meaning fibs. His final word on the matter is his autobiography: Farewell to God.

Since I took the time to hear Billy’s side of the story, I thought I’d give Charles some time to tell his.



Come On Charles, Try a Little Harder: The book isn’t a masterpiece. It’s an amateur version of Dawkins or Hitchens without all the spice and sarcasm. There is so much to say in the conversation about God’s existence, and it seems to me that Charles didn’t try too terribly hard in his wrestling match with the big questions. It’s standard fare and poorly written, which is a bit of a bummer. Charles has the same kind of “simplicity” that he criticizes Billy for having, which is quite ironic. For example, he lumps all Christians into the category of young earth seven-day literal creationists, then says “Surprise! Evolution,” cutting Christianity down in one stroke. He doesn’t even consider that millions of Christians believe the Genesis’ creation narratives are poetry or that an entire robust wing of Christianity exists that embraces theistic Evolution. He ignores some of the profound challenges facing the theory of Evolution itself (Read my review of Darwins Doubt). If Templeton was in debate class, he just failed. Another bone that I have to pick is his constant droning on about how he is “unbiased,” “rational.” and “open-minded,” or how his perspective is built entirely on “facts” rather than faith. This is such a tiresome line. Everyone is faith-based. We all have reasons for our beliefs. No one is unbiased. Can we please stop this now?

The Points the Really Sting:

Suffering: Charles tells a depressing tale of a street girl in Calcutta born to a teenage prostitute. Devoid of love, forced to beg for a cruel handler from age two to ten, then transitioned into prostitution, finally dying of syphilis, malnutrition, and God knows what else at the age of fourteen. Somehow after hearing her story, talk of God’s love for humanity rings a bit more hollow. Singing “Jesus loves the little children of the world” doesn’t seem very true anymore. No one loved that girl, and there are millions more just like her. Then throw in the possibility of hell on top of all this misery, just because this girl didn’t hear the good news regarding a Jewish carpenter’s son from 2000 years ago. Well, it just becomes too much for anyone to believe. I know all the responses and counterarguments, but this one stings.
Stinky Christians – Jesus’s message is good, with all its love, forgiveness, grace, and equality. And I get that we all fail to live up to the ideal, but at least there is an ideal, right? Kind of. Unfortunately, when it comes right down to it, Christianity doesn’t make much of a difference in a person’s behaviour and even makes things worse in some cases. I know, I know; it’s not Christianity that makes things worse it’s those who twist it to their own rotten ends. Like Charles’ mentor, who used his charismatic personality to get laid after crusades and load up cash that didn’t belong to him. Well, he wasn’t a very good Christian, you might say, or maybe he was a phony Christian, sure that’s fine. But when entire countries who embrace the teachings of Jesus as their shaping influence, commit genocide, fight tooth and nail to keep slavery, or justify wars of expansion. One begins to doubt. Put terrible circumstances, a temptation, a nasty enemy, or the corrupting influences of power into a Christian’s life, and it seems that nine times out of ten, he will behave as badly as anyone else. That stings.
A System Built on Suffering and Death To make it in life, someone or something has to suffer or die. We naturally recoil at such a thought, but its truth seems unimpeachable. We see it in the virus and variants that dominate the news, wildlife documentaries on the BBC, and history book after history book that I read. The God is love mantra gets chewed up and spit out. It’s a nice thought, but it gets crushed by the brutality of life. For life to happen, there must be death, and it matters not whether there is a God in heaven or a Christian next door.

Que the depression!

In a dark and uncertain world find the better story. Frankly, these stinging observations above I don’t like at all. Who does? I don’t want them to be true. I want another story on which to cling. One that sneaks up on me out of the bleakness of life.


Interestingly, so does Charles. He talks of how the Christian story is the better one. “It’s more comfortable,” he says. He admits that Christianity contains “the most profound ethical concepts in history” and that “he continues to live by most of them.” But he must tear it all down because the idea of God is “demonstrably untrue,” and to follow the God story would then be “living a lie,” and who wants to do that?

I don’t quite have as much certainty as Charles. I do see life as a “carnival of blood,” as he calls it. I’m a historian; how can I not? But I can also glimpse light in the darkness. I feel something more profound than his simple materialistic conclusions. Charles does too. He speaks of a mysterious “life force” It’s impersonal to him, but he is reaching for more than meaningless existence. I get it. We all do. I just go a tiny step further and personalize the life force. I call it God. Charles is ticked off at the Bible, but he is also confused; on the one hand, he calls it unhelpful, dangerous, bilge, and then on the other, he says he lives by its principles. I share that frustration. I’m just a little more content to sit in tension, to be on a never-ending search. I’m convinced that redemptive love is the better story, so I tilt in that direction. Truth coming from ancient history always requires plenty of faith. We should all know this by now. For a litany of reasons and bucket fulls of faith, Charles chooses a story without a loving God, and I, with the same amount of reasoning and faith, choose one that does. –Which choice is better?

Both Billy and Charles are hard-wired evangelists. They can’t help themselves when they draw hard conclusions about life and then attempt to drive those points home with confidence and certainty. Doubt, mystery, or any uncertainty just doesn’t sit well in the stomachs of people like this. They have their place in society, but mystics and doubters like me belong too!

[Craig Evans · Rating 4 out of 5]

Unlike some of the "New Atheists", Mr.Templeton is displays in his memoir his reasons for leaving religion, and is able to authentically meet believers on their own playing field then shred that field and dig holes in the solid footing of that belief. 3 stars for content. 5 for points made.

[John Hanson · Rating 4 out of 5]

Dated and cursory, yet if you want a broad coverage of belief-in-gods issues, this is a great start. It's more Templeton's reasons for walking away from faith rather than an earnest argument for others to; though he repeats over again rhetorical questions such as, "How could a loving god do that?"

I found his discussion if Jesus' birth, death, and resurrection interesting, as well as the creation stories. He shows that the multiple versions conflict and therefore cannot be true: there are two creation stories, the seven day story and the Adam & Eve story, and they can't both be true; therefore, neither one can be true.

His arguments are compelling but not that deep. For example, he argues Noah's story is a fable, yet he does not define what a fable is or try to peg the story as such according to any criteria. He is right, but his argument could be stronger and more academic, and less readable.

Templeton claims his not atheist but agnostic, that he is open to the possibilities of a life force of some kind. His arguments pretty much show he is atheist and in the end leaves very little wiggle room for creation of any sort.

He falls into the atheism is faith trap as do many theologians. Atheism is not belief gods do not exist, rather atheism is not believing because there is no credible evidence they do. Enough of that, this topic sends fundies into fits.

Overall I'd recommend this for anybody interested in faith, from the atheist to the fundamentalist. Fundies will not read this book, of course; because I seriously doubt most fundies can read any book, even their precious bibles. Modern, progressive theologins should definitely read and tackle it; this is the wall they are trying to overcome. If your faith is so strong, no wall is too high. Read it and find the new church.

[Jocelyn · Rating 5 out of 5]

Farewell To God is well written and highly readable, a fair and insightful argument for intelligent thinkers who want to hold on to all that is good in our Christian heritage while acknowledging the obstacles to unquestioning belief.
Templeton observes that: "The laws of life that affect our daily lives are not revealed truths communicated by a deity on a smoking mountain or delivered through some special compact into the hands of priests or rabbis or members of the clergy; they lie at the heart of life. The philosopher discovers them in his pondering and passes them on. The scientist tracks them down in his laboratory and passes them on. The novelist observes them in his scrutiny human behaviour and passes them on. The poet intuits them in his meditation and passes them on. There is no need to petition the gods, to erect costly temples, to follow elaborate forms of worship, or to sanctify ordinary men on the presumption that by virtue of their vocation they have special access to the truth. The laws of life are intrinsic in everything that exists and are available to anyone.”
In the closing chapter “I Believe” the author lists what he does believe, and I especially like this one:
“I believe that there is what may best be described as a Life Force, a First Cause, a Primal Energy, a Life Essence, and that it is the genesis of all that is, from the simplest atom to the entirety of the expanding universe.”

[Lily · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book reeeeally helped me let go of the last of the brainwashing I received from my early years until age 17, forced to go to a fundamentalist church twice on Sunday and every Wednesday night. I NEVER believed in what was being taught, I hated church, but of course was wracked with guilt for feeling that way. I thought something was wrong with ME because I could not embrace the teachings of the church. This book affirmed my disbelief and made sense of it. I like how he sums up the bible as a "book of ancient fairy tales". Why are these stories/teachings any more important than those of other civilizations, such as the American Indians? Why should there be any more rules other than to treat the universe and all of it's inhabitants with kindness and good will? It's been a while since I read this book but I will never forget it and I just might buy it for my collection.

[Nancy · Rating 4 out of 5]

Clear, easy to read. Not rude, belligerent, or degrading. This should be required reading for every Christian or those thinking of converting. This should be in hotel nightstands next to the Gideon bible. It clearly points out all the flaws, inconsistent stories, inconsistent morals (and lack thereof), and other holes and not so tidy plot points in the Christian religion focusing primarily on the Bible, the base of the religion.

It also drives home a pretty good point about "cultural Christians" which I what I personally think many people are. And he is correct in that the Fundamentalist really are the ones who have the religion right and are doing it as prescribed. And that's a hell of a scary thought.

[Pat · Rating 3 out of 5]

Honest and plainspoken account of uncomplicated doubt and alienation from contemporary Christianity. Wouldn't convince me to leave the church, but a good book for understanding how some people might come to the conclusion that they should.

[Michael · Rating 4 out of 5]

one of the best books i've ever read in my life, made me seriously start question the idea of "fiath in god"

[Jeffrey Thiessen · Rating 3 out of 5]

A really good book for anyone making the jump into agnosticism. Light on atheist material, but poses some obvious fallacies involved with Christian dogma.

[Dave · Rating 4 out of 5]

eye opening!

[Michelle L · Rating 5 out of 5]

LOVED it! Loved his approach and open-mindedness, and respect towards Christians at the same time. This is the kind of book I love to share with my Christian friends. :)

[Steven H · Rating 5 out of 5]

THE FORMER ASSOCIATE OF BILLY GRAHAM PRESENTS HIS CASE

Charles Bradley Templeton (1915-2001) was a Canadian cartoonist, evangelist, agnostic, politician, newspaper editor, inventor, broadcaster and author; when an evangelist, he was also an early associate of Billy Graham. He wrote in this 1996 book, "My purpose in these pages is not to denigrate Christian or Jewish beliefs... but rather to make it clear that it is no longer possible for an informed man or woman to believe that, for all its ancient wisdom, its remarkable insights, and its occasional literary excellence, the Bible is either a reliable account of our origins as human beings or... the infallible Word of God." (Pg. 38)

He recalls, "Billy Graham and I sensed an immediate affinity when we met, and it led to a close and continuing friendship that has been sustained--albeit now only occasionally---over fifty years... [When] a group of us formed Youth for Christ International, I ... moved that we appoint Graham our evangelist-at-large... Billy and I would alternate in the pulpit..." (Pg. 4) He attempted unsuccessfully to persuade Graham to attend Princeton Theological Seminary (Pg. 7-8), and muses, "I have sometimes wondered what would have happened [if he had succeeded]... I am certain of this: he would not be the Billy Graham he has become, and the history of mass-evangelism would be quite different... I disagree with him at almost every point in his views on God and Christianity and think that much of what he says in the pulpit is puerile, archaic nonsense. But there is no feigning in Billy Graham: he believes what he believes with an invincible innocence. He is the only mass-evangelist I would trust. And I miss him." (Pg. 8-9)

He explains, "I am a former Christian minister who is now an agnostic---not an atheist, not a theist, and certainly not indifferent." (Pg. 17) He adds, "If the existence of God is not demonstrable except by faith, and if there is no hard evidence that the universe was created by a First Cause, then agnosticism is the only rational position." (Pg. 18)

He admits, "there can be no doubt that [Jesus] did live, did enlist a group of disciples... said most of the things attributed to him... kindled animosity---especially among the religious hierarchy---was arrested by Roman soldiers and was, after a brief and farcical trial, cruelly put to death by crucifixion on a Roman cross." (Pg. 86) He asserts, "What a disservice the Christian church has done to Jesus of Nazareth! He has been so misrepresented across the centuries that it is almost impossible for us to imagine him as he was. The church's greatest disservice? Turning this most uncommon of common men into a god." (Pg. 97) He also confides, "for almost twenty years... I was so irresistibly drawn to the extraordinary figure of Jesus of Nazareth that when doubts arose about his divinity, I believed my beliefs and doubted my doubts. It was only when... [I] began to strip away from the biblical account the accretions of bias and superstition that the injustice and the stark, unutterable horror of the cruel death of this unparalleled human being made its full impact on me." (Pg. 108-109)

He states, "How, one must ask, could a loving Heavenly Father so order it? Alzheimer's is not a punishment for wrongdoing; it does not afflict only the wicked... For the families of Alzheimer's sufferers, it is as though the loved one had died and been resurrected as an irascible look-alike stranger." (Pg. 201) He argues, "The idea of an endless Hell is a monstrous concept. That a so-called loving Father would condemn his children---no matter how persistently obdurate---to be tortured forever, with no hope for a reprieve, is barbarous beyond belief and can only be dismissed as ancient sadistic nonsense." (Pg. 219)

There are quite a few "ex-Christian turns skeptic/atheist" books out there; but Templeton's is more interesting (if less sophistically philosophically) because of his more careful understanding of his former position. Persons on all sides of the debate will be interested in this book.

[Marilyn Letts · Rating 3 out of 5]

The first section, “A personal word”, where Templeton tells his story is the most interesting.
After that? He does a great summary of a number of biblical passages. He points out why they can’t be taken as literal history as we understand history today.
He points out that the “Old Testament” portrays a vengeful, tribal god and the “New Testament” attempts to present a charismatic leader as part of this god.
The book feels like a farewell to the god that Templeton (and Billy Graham) were introducing people to in their mass evangelism. While presenting some great points, some of the arguments address a simplistic, fundamentalist version of Christianity I cannot really imagine believing. (Creationism? Praying for the victory of your football team?)
Many Christians would agree with many of his points and still believe. Even more so people who have other versions of ‘god’ may not find his reasons for agnosticism compelling.
Overall, it’s a quick, easy, rambling read. We’re given the thoughts of one person who attempted to live with integrity, was involved with some of the mass evangelical North American movements of the twentieth century and moved from belief to agnosticism.

[Vinson · Rating 3 out of 5]

The book is very well written and makes some very good points particularly about Hell, Noah’s Ark, and the Bible’s imperfections. For some reason the author reaches the conclusion that there is no “Creator” God based on very weak rational. There is overwhelming scientific evidence supporting an intelligent designer of both the universe and the planet on which we reside. I concur with his conclusion that there is very little evidence that this creator is actively involved in our daily lives. I have also never felt comfortable with the position so many have taken regarding humans going to hell.

Much of what he writes about the contradictions, etc. in the Bible can easily be explained away and have been but who knows why they exist. Probably word of mouth and copying over time is the cause for much of it. Read the book. Maybe he is right on some of it but his narrow focus leads him to many conclusions based on what he thinks, his own personal prejudices. As a mere human being I would not even attempt to explain the mind of God. As a physicist, I try to understand but quantum physics, dark matter, dark energy, and the vastness of the unknown parts of the universe make it very difficult, probably impossible. Good read.

[Debra · Rating 2 out of 5]

At more than halfway I decided that even at one or two chapters a night I could not abide this book. It is very well written, but definitely not balanced with supporting facts. It is very clever is presenting ideas. He states truth then adds in his opinion mixed in the same sentence so it all blends together and you swallow the whole sentence without a thought.
Many have pondered the violence of the Old Testament. Many have wrestled with the question of who Jesus is. This is NOT a book that will move you to faith, but will put up a concrete barrier to finding it. I found it interesting that there is very little scripture quoted and no reference notes to where these "facts" could be easily compared to the original source. I know you will write me off as a religious zealot who cannot face the truth. So be it. But the God he talks about is not the God I know, experience and depend on.

[Susan Chow-Dukhan · Rating 3 out of 5]

Well written, easy to read book by Charles Templeton about his doubts about the teachings of the Christian church of a loving omnipotent God, that led to his abandonment of the faith.
The book points out discrepancies in the Testaments that questions the validity of some of the events that were to have occurred in the past, the creation of heaven, earth and the existence of hell, the resurrection of Jesus and the treatment of women and non-Christians, as well as the trappings of the modern church and the lifestyles of the priests and preachers.

[Freddy West]

It is deeply saddening to read about Mr Templeton's lack of faith if I may add. Yes we all go through doubts and many of us seek answers to our questions, but Mr Templeton was a former evangelist and a gifted one as well. What made him to reject his faith is just mind boggling. I'm no different from Mr Templeton's thirst for the truth but to reject the resurrection and Jesus was the biggest mistake he has done and this will be his undoing on Judgement day. I don't judge him I'm just astonished that he decided to throw away the pearls and scoff with the pigs.

[Pierre Legault · Rating 4 out of 5]

I read this book 20 years ago when it first came out. It's a short, easy read. I never bought the book, but rather read it in the bookstore (I bought and continue to buy many, many books from this bookstore so I didn't feel bad about reading one in the store for free).

This isn't deep philosophy; it doesn't attempt to answer the theodicy problem. It isn't a screed or polemic. Rather it's a straight-forward "common sense" exposition on why the Bible simply cannot be taken as an infallible or inerrant book and why it makes to sense then to believe in the God mentioned in said Bible.

[Richard Worden · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book was published in 1996 (26 years ago) and fits in well with McLaren's recent book. The book describes what is happening today with the Church, the study of theology and faith. I would like to see this book re-published. The book has no bibliography and no footnotes though Templeton freely quoted various people. However, the book is not an academic study - it is a conversation. The content (bible, theology, history, science) is well presented by means of Templeton's awesome skills as an executive managing editor, editor-in-chief, public speaker, writer and theologian.

[Edmond · Rating 1 out of 5]

Another book by those exvangelicals, this time by a previous generation exvangelical. These leftist use the same tired arguments. If one is widely read, one can see through these exvangelical arguments. I did not read all of the book, I skimmed through it, I do not want to waste my precious time on these atheists.