The subtitle to the book says it all.
I love apologetics. Learning ways to defend the faith is a thrilling and empowering experience.
However, I've found that the greatest hurtle to showing somebody the truth of the faith is not their rational defenses, but their emotional ones. A few bad experiences, or a childhood of emotional abuse, can turn people away from Christ far faster, and for far longer, than the pleas of atheists and propaganda of the public school system.
Over and over, I've talked with those that used to go, used to believe, and used to care about Christ. But no more. They didn't leave because God let them down, but because his people did. The subtitle is right, Christians often give God a bad reputation. The questions, then, are how can we avoid doing that, and while we are at it, what can we do to heal those wounds left by others?
That's where this book steps in. The author, Mary Sharp, was raised an atheist, became a Christian after high school, but was driven to deep doubts about the faith through the emotional abuse of fellow "Christians" in her adult years. Finally, she began to pursue apologetics, hoping to find answers to the questions burning in her heart. Through extraordinary circumstances, some extraordinary friends, and the working of our extraordinary God, she found more than she ever expected.
This book is the story of that journey, but it's also so much more. The story format drives the book forward, yet through the chapters, common problems are seen, common struggles are fraught, and complete answers are given. This book is both a biography and a well written defense of the beauty of God, even when we Christians give him a bad reputation.
Highlights:
Rather than give a breakdown of every chapter, I'll note some special highlights.
Twelve chapters divide the book neatly, with each only spanning 14-20 pages. However, the introduction should not be skipped, as that sets the emotional foundation for all that follows.
Chapter 1 continues beyond the introduction by showcasing her early fascination with God and learning more about him. However, the story quickly hits a sour note as initial encounters with Christians are tainted with hypocrisy and an utter lack of the love and hope she was looking for in God's people.
Chapter 2 continues the description of the ugliness of some Christian individuals, with accounts of emotional outbursts, quick judgments, and harsh words. Yet, even then, the message of true, biblical hope still shines through and even this ugliness is only present to set the stage for the bright hope to come later.
Chapter 3 does an excellent job pointing people to the truth that Christianity can be and is rational, and that there are rational Christians. Those seemingly stuck in their doubts with nobody to turn to do have hope; that hope is apologetics. But it also brings up the equally startlingly truth that logic and reason are not enough, that the problem is often a combination of ignorance and a lack of will to follow the evidence once presented.
Chapter 7 has a very interesting section. Part of this chapter focuses on a debate with a Muslin, yet the presentation is brilliant. First, the Muslim presents his arguments, which Christian readers would naturally dismiss as false, even if they can't explain how. After a moment to consider, she shows not only his faulty reasoning, but why that reasoning is faulty in other areas too. This leads to the obvious need for rational thinking, all inductively leading along the audience until she reveals that many Christians also lodge complaints and arguments with equally poor reasoning. This process gently leads readers along until the final crushing blow that shows readers their own need for correct logic, else they themselves take on the errors of false worldviews and faulty thinking.
Chapter 8 Has a wonderful note about expectations vs reality! Judgementalism is a big problem, but a human problem. That inability to trust, abundance of hypocrisy on both sides, and misbehaving of God's people, are all huge issues.
Chapter 12 provides what I'd call the non-ending of the story. Even though it is a messy and incomplete ending, it is actually good that way. Many Christian movies/novels end in the perfect place where doubts are gone, people are happy, and everything is sunny. Yet, life isn't that way this side of glory, often our emotions and doubts linger, just as people continue to hurt us. In a way, this book provides some help, while also realistically showing our ideal may never happen while we are on this earth. Yet, she also leaves readers with a great sense of the goodness and beauty of God, even though this imperfect world with imperfect people.
Conclusions:
While Mary Sharp's writing is full of great illustrations, the most striking quality is the openness seen in her admission of personal struggles and needs. These are feelings shared by many, but many that are too afraid to express them. Throughout the book, insightful quotes, interesting references, and powerful illustrations strengthen the arguments raised.
However, Mary Sharp doesn't just leave readers with a soulless tactics and emotionless arguments. She rebukes the fact that some see apologetic as a chess match, rather than a chance to bring others to Jesus and love their souls. She sees the need to address their hearts and approach all people with love and compassion.
Through the narrative, lessons are learned for all. Atheists and those with a severe dislike for Christianity will see that it is so much brighter and better than it is often portrayed as. Christians will see the need for a right mindset and good thinking, and probably feel guilt for the times they have given God a bad name. Others will see the wonder of apologetics and the beautiful logic and reasoning that has answers for their doubts and questions.
Without a doubt, this is a great book for seeing the wonder of God through the often cloudy behavior of his people.
Notable Quoteables:
Page 23 - [Discussing her first church experience that was soured by immediate rejection.]
"I have always been a glass-half-empty kind of person, so it was typical of me to distrust. But how I wish someone had warned me not to get my hopes up. First-time church attendance should come with a disclaimer. Churches could post a sign or place fine print at the bottom of the bulletin: “Church attendance may cause extreme discomfort. Side effects of interactions with humans include, but are not limited to, doubt, anger, disappointment, and disillusionment.”"
Page 210 - "To reduce Christianity to a neat-and-tidy recipe for happiness is to miss it almost entirely. There are at least three reasons why this is true: (1) the arguments can only take me so far, (2) the reality of the human condition, and (3) the vision of something better entangled with our current experience."
Page 214 - "Part of my problem with turning away from Christianity is that I believe Christianity has the right diagnosis of the human condition, of my condition. Christianity has the story that makes sense of all this mess that we are in, but its story deeply and sharply daggers human pride, self-delusion, and self-aggrandizement."