Customer Reviews

Don't Check Your Brains at the Door

5 star:		(34)
4 star:		(22)
3 star:		(9)
2 star:		(2)
1 star:		(5)

 

 

McDowell hits home with youth by presenting apologetic ideas in an easy-to-understand mini-devotional. I have recommended this book to my high school students for five years now, and many have really enjoyed it. (Those who didn't enjoy it said it was too simple, so I merely recommended that they read Strobel's The Case for Christ/The Case for Faith--student editions. For the hard core who feel these are still too easy, I recommend Lewis' Mere Christianity.) I just gave the book to my fourth-grade daughter, and in a month she has completed half of it with comprehension, meaning that it probably will not work too well with a post-teen audience. But for those teens who do want to know more about their faith, this is a great place to start.

This book can be used for personal growth, and the questions/references at the end of each chapter make it a useful tool for youth groups. Great general knowledge about false religions, cults, and other lame arguments that can (and will) be thrown at you during your Christian walk. Recommended for non-Christians and Christians alike.

This book has been around a little while and the updated/revised edition states that more than 250,000 copies have been sold. Josh McDowell is a fairly well known apologist (one who defends their faith), so I expected this book to run in that vein, yet tailored for teenagers. Therefore the book tackles a wide variety of topics such as Myths About God, Myths About Jesus, and Myths About the Bible to name a few. The format is more devotional in nature - each sub-chapter is about three pages in length with an application activity at the end.

I do think this book would be best marketed toward younger teens. It also does not seem to have been written with the unchurched person in mind and therefore argues more from a purely Scriptural perspective. No doubt this will leave some disappointed, however, for the young Christian teenager, this book can be a useful tool in confirming and strengthening what they have been taught.

My impressions of this book then are truly mixed. If you are expecting a strong apologetical book that you could pass on to a co-worker, then I would direct you toward "The Case for Christ." But if you are looking to help your young Christian teenager develop an ownership of their faith, then this book can help you do that.

In an attempt to provide full disclosure: I received this book free from Thomas Nelson Publishers Review Program. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own.

this is a good reference book for those interested in offering truth to people who present you with questions about the Bible, God, Jesus, and other such areas of the Christian faith. Good also for study groups, who will find corresponding questions at the end of each chapter.

This book caught my eye and I got a copy for my boys. My thirteen-year-old son has already worked throught the whole thing and my fifteen-year-old is working on it now, both completely on their own initiative. The content addresses some of the questions/arguments Christians may have or encounter from friends who are not like-minded in faith. Highly recommended as a devotional guide that will hit the spot with teenage boys.

This book approaches many of the doubts that Christians may have, as well as many of the questions that non-Christians may have. It is in an easy-to-read, amusing format. I am 14 and I love this book because it is so entertaining, and faith building at the same time. I recommend this book to all teens that struggle with myths about the Bible and their faith.

I am about to write a not so favorable review. Let me begin by stating that I had very high hopes for this book. I had hoped that it would be a valuable resource for my little one someday. However, even at the tender age of eight, I have to say that her reading level already far exceeds the scope of this book. The introduction to this book states that it is the authors intention to equip its reader with the tools necessary to defend their faith with fact and reason to those who would malign it. The authors then proceed to work their way through the top "myths" about the Bible...attempting along the way to provide the reader with solid irrefutable evidence to the contrary. It is my opinion, that if someone finds fault with the Bible and you seek to defend it, probably it's best not to use the Bible to do so. The criticizer has already decided that the Bible itself is faulty. Therefore citing from it isn't going to change their mind. It's like saying the Bible is true because the Bible says so. It won't sway anyone.

There are far more effective ways for the faithful to defend their faith in a world that is increasingly more dubious. "I'm rubber and you're glue . . ." Would be a more convincing argument. Well it would be if we were say... four years old. Unfortunately, utilizing such and argument (while no less convincing than the ones posited by the authors of "Don't check your brains..") against those seeking to attack Christianity will not win you any debate. Eventually there will come a time when you have to come up with better arguments, especially when defending your faith in Jesus Christ. So truly, ultimately, we must each look deep inside and first ask ourselves our reasons for believing. Not the reasons we've been taught but the reasons deep within our souls. If our faith is true then that truth shines through our words and actions and that is by far the most convincing argument. Besides, it isn't for us to change others...only God changes minds and hearts.

BookSneeze® has provided me with a complimentary copy of this book or advanced reading copy.

I teach Confirmation at our church to our 8th graders, and I buy a copy of this book for all of the students every year. It is a great tool for them to have and reference back to in knowing there is logic and evidence to the Christian faith. The only criticism I might have is that the wording might be a little simpler for teenagers, but the chapters are otherwise a very easy and engaging read for them.

This is a good basic apologetics primer for its intended audience - teenagers.

It has some very good information about the historical evidences of Jesus and his resurrection. It is also good at exposing several of the myths about Christianity.

This text is certainly very basic in comparison to McDowell's 'Evidence That Demands A Verdict', C.S. Lewis' 'Mere Christianity', or Lee Strobel's books, 'The Case For Christ' and 'The Case For Faith'. I would recommend all of these books for adults or teens looking for more indepth treatment of evidences for the Christian faith. As a starting point for high school or younger kids, this is a pretty good one.

If you are trying to find a good primer for apologetics for your youth ministry, this is THE book. In simple language, McDowell explains many of the myths about Christianity. The chapters on the person of Christ are particularly exceptional. Through chapters like, "Is God A Vending Machine" and "Plastic Jesus" the credibility of the claims of Christ and who He is as a whole person are explored. If you want to challenge your teens to understand their faitha s they live it, this is the book to buy.