Can I Believe?: An Invitation to the Hesitant

Stackhouse (Humble Apologetics), religious studies professor at Crandall University, mounts a robust defense of Christianity in this forceful work. In a convincing opening, he explains that believers rely on the same process for continuing in or choosing their religion as in other decisions in life: by considering options close to hand and seeing if they improve their lives. Stackhouse then pushes readers to reconsider the inherent strangeness of Christianity with a clear explanation of sin as “a fit of self-determination” and the once shocking notion that humanity’s reconciliation with God required the sacrifice of Jesus’s life. Next, he argues ways in which believers can trust Christianity, including assertions of the accuracy of the historical gospels, Christianity’s “coherent” philosophical explanations of the universe and human impulses, and how Christianity resonates with human desires for beauty. He closes by offering brief refutations of two common reasons to not believe in Christianity: its demand for being the only true option (“all the major religions reduce to some basic combination of virtues”) and why God allows evil (“the greatest good” is beyond human comprehension). Stackhouse’s framework for considering Christianity holds great promise, but he has a habit of dismissively brushing off other faiths. This accessible take will be of aid to any Christians looking for an articulate defense of their theological positions. (Oct.)