I Still Believe : How Listening to Christianity's Critics Strengthens Faith

by Kurt Bruner

• ISBN13: 9780310249979
• ISBN10: 031024997X
• Format: Paperback
• Copyright: 2005-08-01
• Publisher: Harpercollins Christian Pub

Summary

Lots of books have been written on apologetics-savvy defenses of the Christian faith. But should your faith really depend on your ability to outsmart every critic?

Table of Contents

Introduction: Listening to the Unconvinced	9	(6)
Pester the Perishing	15	(12)
Unmet Expectations--The Disillusioned
Saint Mary Ellen	27	(9)
Fallen Angel	36	(13)
Aimless Wandering--The Seeker
Dabblers	49	(12)
Free Agent	61	(10)
Bad Impressions--The Offended
An Awful Taste	71	(7)
To Hell with You!	78	(4)
Wandering	82	(7)
Little Interest--The Apathetic
A Theory Blown	89	(8)
No Nonsense	97	(10)
Tough Questions--The Skeptic
Thinking Free	107	(9)
Chat with a Cyborg	116	(8)
Oh, God!	124	(11)
Cheap Shots--The Heckler
On Edge	135	(12)
Nervous Laughter	147	(14)
Hard Sayings--The Uneasy
I Wish He Hadn't Said That	161	(10)
The Elephant in the Room	171	(10)
Willful Defiance--The Rebel
Insanity	181	(7)
Highway to Hell	188	(15)
Why Unbelief?--Conclusions
Recovering Unbeliever	203	(10)
Epilogue: Lessons from the Unconvinced	213	(6)
Notes	219

Excerpts

I Still BelieveCopyright © 2005 by Kurt BrunerRequests for information should be addressed to:Zondervan, Grand Rapids, Michigan 49530Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication DataBruner, Kurt D.I still believe : how listening to Christianity's critics strengthens faith / Kurt Bruner.p. cm.Includes bibliographical references and index.ISBN-10: 0-310-24997-XISBN-13: 078-0-310-24997-91. Apologetics. I. Title.BT1103.B78 2005239—dc222005006092All Scripture quotations, unless otherwise indicated, are taken from the Holy Bible: NewInternational Version®. NIV®. Copyright © 1973, 1978, 1984 by International Bible Society.Used by permission of Zondervan. All rights reserved.All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system,or transmitted in any form or by any means—electronic, mechanical, photocopy,recording, or any other—except for brief quotations in printed reviews, without the priorpermission of the publisher.Published in association with the literary agency of Alive Communications, Inc., 7680Goddard Street, Suite 200, Colorado Springs, CO 80920.Edited by Rebecca ShingledeckerInterior design by Beth ShagenePrinted in the United States of America05 06 07 08 09 10 11 12 /?DCI/ 15 14 13 12 11 10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1Kurt Bruner can be contacted by email [e-mail]:Listeningto the UnconvincedIimagine even the most die-hard believers have moments whenthey become uneasy about their faith. Kind of like that feelingyou get when you crawl into bed and your wife asks whether youremembered to lock all of the doors. No matter how confidentyou may feel that the doors are properly bolted, the mere suggestionkeeps you awake until you go downstairs and doublecheck.I’ve often found myself comfortably between the sheets, readyto settle into a confident faith. But then the suggestions come.“How can you be so sure when so many are not?”“Why do you find Christianity so appealing when others findit so offensive?”“If most of earth’s six billion people reject Christianity, isn’tit arrogant to think you have the corner on truth?”Unable to properly rest until I’ve double checked, I decidedto explore what makes my religion so hard to accept—to grabeach handle, give it a good twist, and see whether it opens orremains securely locked.I’ve never experienced what you would call a serious crisis ofdoubt; sometimes I envy those who have. Strong faith should notaccept easy answers, something I probably have done too quicklyat times. Not that I don’t ask hard questions or face difficult realities!It’s just that I do so from the perspective of one who wholeheartedlyaccepts Christianity as the best description of our worldand the dilemma in which we find ourselves. It also offers aunique solution, a key that fits the lock better than any other religiousor secular offering.Raised in church and immersed in religious assumptions sincediapers, I suppose faith comes easier for me than for some others.As an adult, I attended a well-respected seminary where Istudied theology and apologetics. Consequently, I believe inChristianity like I “believe” in the changing seasons or the law ofgravity. And I find those who don’t a curiosity.Still, it bothers me that some of history’s greatest minds haverejected Christian belief. Of course, just as many have not. Forevery Neitzsche, there is a Lewis; for every Voltaire, a Pascal; andfor every Twain a Tolstoy.A number of Christianity’s most hardened opponents oncecounted themselves believers, while among its most articulatedefenders we find former atheists and skeptics.Clearly, something exists behind unbelief besides the reasonsgiven. Is it genuine doubt or a defensive bluff? Sincere questioningor cynical heckling? Hard to say.Of course, the same can be asked of Christians. We must seema bit scary at times, overly eager to draw others into our odd littlesubculture. Is our motive to rescue them from eternal damnationor to prop up our own wavering confidence? Intenseconviction or contrived enthusiasm? Looking from the outside, Iguess it is just as hard to tell.In order to find out, I decided to listen to the unconvinced—truly listen, not simply pause long enough to formulate my nextargument. I have no interest in making my case to unbelievers;that’s been done. I want to hear their case to me. Rather thanattempt to overcome their objections or argue their points, I wantto understand their dilemma.What makes Christianity so hard to swallow?Why does the faith I hold so dear repel others?If so many sincere people doubt to the point of skepticism,then what makes me sure my own faith isn’t mere wishful thinking?Perhaps I am just needy or naïve, hastily accepting a religionthat billions reject. Perhaps I believe because I want it to betrue. But then, maybe others don’t believe because they want itto be false.The Dynamics of DoubtPoet Alfred Lord Tennyson said that there is more faith in honestdoubt than in half the creeds. I, for one, would like to find outwhy. In order to do so, I dove deeply into the reasons for and thedynamics of doubt, unbelief, and skepticism. Ignoring etiquette,I discussed religion in polite company so that I could listen to theunconvinced—from the common doubts of the faithful to thenasty attacks of the hostile.Using a journalistic approach, I’ve chronicled a number offace-to-face interviews with a variety of individuals, most whodo not embrace Christianity despite some level of exposure to theteachings and followers of Christ. You will read their stories intheir words, with only names and places changed to protect confidentiality.Folks like Ralph, the friendly skeptic; Mary Ellen, agentle soul who misses the church she dislikes; and Ken, a childwho resented being told his Muslim mommy is going to burn inhell.I have also captured the voice of unbelief as expressed in thewritings of famous unbelievers, living and dead.Those represented have been placed in eight categories ofunbelief: the disillusioned, the seeker, the offended, the apathetic,the skeptic, the heckler, the uneasy, and the rebel—anadmittedly incomplete list, as others could be explored.Obviously, no individual fits neatly into any single classification.You can become a skeptic after being offended, but skepticismcan also make you more prone to take offense. We are complicatedbeings.I also asked long-term believers what parts of Christianitymake them uneasy, studied famous skeptics to understand whythey seem so on edge, and researched what some of history’sgreat minds have said in the continuing debate over faith. WhatI encountered fills the pages to follow in language full of candor,brutality, and sincerity.I invite you to sit quietly on the other side of a one-way mirror,observing the dialogue. What you see and hear may botheryou (I know it did me). There may be moments when you canrelate to the misgivings expressed, even hearing your ownthoughts in the words of others. Other times you might feel anoverwhelming urge to shout through the glass to correct mistakenimpressions, to refute faulty arguments, or to justify actions ofthe God you adore (I felt the same temptation). But remember,our goal is not to argue, but to listen.If you are a Christian, this book may serve as a safe way toexamine some of the tough questions that drive lingering, unspokendoubt. It might also help you better understand the unbelieversin your life. Perhaps it will shed some light on questionsyou have about friends and loved ones:“Why doesn’t Frank seem even remotely interested in Godor eternity?”“My teenage son is questioning the Christian faith.

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Excerpted from I Still Believe: How Listening to Christianity's Critics Strengthens Faith by Kurt Bruner
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