A Friendly Dialogue Between an Atheist and a Christian

by Luis Palau, Qizheng Zhao, Zhao Qizheng

UNDERSTAND CHINA through the eyes of a renowned Chinese diplomat's conversations with Luis Palau, American Evangelist. In A Friendly Dialogue between an Atheist and a Christian, Luis Palau, representing the Christian faith, and Zhao Qizheng, representing atheism, present a composite of recorded dialogues held in China in 2005 between them. Through these dialogues, readers are provided insight into the current struggles atheists have regarding the truth claims of the Christian faith. Topics discussed include philosophy, history, religion, the Bible, creation, atheism, Confucianism, politics, ethics, Chinese and Western cultures, and the relevance of Jesus Christ to society. Through the engaging dialogue between Luis Palau and Zhao Qizheng, many of the stereotypes and misinformation concerning the Chinese culture are exposed, revealing a nation in which the Bible is published and new churches are being built. By avoiding the use of complicated theological language, these discussions express the concerns of both Christians and atheists in a clear, meaningful, and respectful way. A Friendly Dialogue between an Atheist and a Christian is a must read for anyone interested in gaining a greater appreciation of the oriental world of China and how the Christian faith is being received within that context.

Genres: Nonfiction, Religion, Christian

160 pages, Paperback

Published January 29, 2008

Reviews

[Tinyhandsmd · Rating 4 out of 5]

Quick read. Interesting. Now dated, written in 2005.

Hearing perspectives from Chinese and atheistic views of American Christians is interesting. I hadn’t fully realized it was literally transcribed conversations. But easy and interesting read.

[Dave · Rating 5 out of 5]

I really liked this book. I was impressed with how respectful each was of the other's religious and scientific views. I was very impressed by Luis Palau's knowledge of the Bible and deft responses to the Chinese atheist's questions.

[Tlnorz · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a short book and was, for me, a very quick read. I enjoyed it immensely.

It is rare to read a book, listen to a conversation or have a dialogue about religion where people actually listen to each other's points of view. Most times, we kind of listen while we wait for our turn to have our say.

This book pulls of the feat of showing two people with opposing views on religion who tell each other where they are coming from and why they believe what they believe. They listen to each other attentively and provide lucid responses.

The book does not try to influence you one way or the other; it is a straightforward record of conversations between two people. You are free to decide, or to not decide, on which point of view you agree with.

[Dan · Rating 2 out of 5]

I agree with what this reviewer said - http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/29...

It is fantastic that two people with opposing views can meet, love each other's company and exchange ideas. But as far as an interesting reading - not so much.

A few good quotes here and there (such as Zhao's river analogy and some of Palau's explanations), but I wouldn't recommend this book.

[Katie W · Rating 4 out of 5]

An interesting read - a dialogue between two intelligent people who bring up some intriguing questions and make some informed comments on a range of topics, Christianity, atheism, science, creation, culture, society, history philosophy, etc.

[Michael Peters · Rating 3 out of 5]

I expected more from the book; more content. There's a lot of pictures in the book. It's a beginners level book on China and Atheism, I was looking for something with more substance.
I'm probably not a member of the book's target audience, because I've lived in China 4+ years.