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The Faith: What Christians Believe, Why They Believe It, and Why It Matters

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If you're going to read one book this year about the Christian faith, read the Bible. If you're going to read more than one book, then I'd strongly recommend The Faith. Mr. Colson, along with Harold Fickett, have written an accessible, yet profound, treatise about what Christians believe, why they believe it and why it matters. They have also written it with a palpable sense of urgency as they delve into issues of justice, God's existence, holiness, salvation, the sanctity of life and, of course, a topic near to Mr. Colson's heart, the topic of truth. This book will be an encouragement to all who read it and it's celebration of the Faith - given once, for all.

Based on the Jude 3 admonition to "vigorously defend the faith which was once for all delivered to the saints", this a great read to help all Christian discern and distinguish truth from opinion. The call for us to, as Gordon Pennington states it, "engage our culture rather than abandon it", permeates the text throughout. But not only that, the book helps us to identify THE TRUTH uncompromised.
We are thus challenged to not only winsomely be salt and light in a culture desperately looking for answers and finding none, but we are also reminded that engaging that culture is mandated by Jesus Christ himself (Matt 25: 34-40). "The Faith", faithful to scripture, identifies the right hills to die on, and encourages us that to engage our culture is a matter of obedience and not simply "polishing brass on a sinking ship".

This is a must read book for everyone who claims to follow Jesus Christ. It is very well thought out and logically defends the Christian Faith and the importance of engaging our culture at such a time as this.

For those who don't believe the Christian Church should be involved in transforming culture, "The Faith" by Charles Colson provides a fresh perspective to why it is essential for Christians to remain engaged in culture. "The Faith" calls people of faith to be united in Christ and to love as Jesus loved.

The Faith by Chuck Colson and Harold Fickett defines the essential doctrines of the Christian faith. Mr. Colson expresses alarm by the postmodern influence that has crept into our culture. He writes: "Most professing Christians don't know what they believe, and so can neither understand nor defend the Christian faith--much less live it" (p.9). Mr. Colson is right when he says that we have become self-absorbed, self-indulgent, and materialistic. These smack of idolatry. True Christians have not left God, but continue on as Christians of old. We understand the essential doctrines and work to prepare ourselves to defend our faith, while living out our faith in accordance with God's Word. Only God can change hearts and minds. The question is not whether all are called, but whether if all who are called will turn to Him. May it be so.

For those who are true Christians, The Faith is also a call to believers to rally around the faith in response to increased attacks on Christianity by secularism and radical Islam, for only the orthodox Christian faith can be a "bulwark of sanity and reason" against barbarism" (p. 223). How is this to be accomplished? Mr. Colson explains: "We have two divinely authorized commissions. The first is well known, the Great Commission, to make disciples and baptize them (Mat.28:19,). But the second is equally important. It is to bring the righteousness of God to bear on all of life, to take dominion, to carry out the tasks we are given in the first chapters of Genesis, to bring a redeeming influence into a fallen culture. I call this the Cultural Commission..." (p.107). The task is difficult, hindered by postmodern influences on the younger generation. Young adults "resist direct presentations of the Christian faith and its ethical implications" resulting in Biblical illiteracy (p. 62). Stories and experiences appeal to them more than the Bible or doctrinal teachings. Romans 10:17 says that "faith cometh by hearing, and hearing by the word of God."

The Faith is a complex read, inundated with references to postmodernism, the emerging church movement, early Catholicism, and Christian humanism. The Faith defines faith as "more than a religion or even a relationship with Jesus; the faith is a complete view of the world and humankind's place in it" (p.28). I disagree. Faith is a complete view of God and His righteousness as defined in Romans 10: 8b-9: " ...that is, the word of faith, which we preach; that if thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and shalt believe in thine heart that God hath raised him from the dead, thou shalt be saved." Loving God is a true Christian's purpose and reason for being.

The Faith: What Christians Believe, Why They Believe It, and Why It Matters by Charles Colson and Harold Fickett is a concise, cohesive, coherent look at why the United States most popular religion is still relevant despite the recent polemical diatribes that have been released saying otherwise.Colson sticks to orthodoxy in his explanation of tenets and doctrines without the pluralistic overtones taken by many of today's religious leaders.Colson pulls no punches and takes no prisoners while explaining issues about Jesus and the Trinity. On occasion, he even takes on Christopher Hitchins and Richard Dawkins who have attacked Christianity with an almost religious fervor and zeal. Colson doesn't stoop to their level; however, he avoids hate mongering and keeps a cool head while pointing out where their logic fails. This is a vital book for Christians to read and would make an excellent Bible study for churches.

To be perfectly honest, I wasn't expecting this book to be what it claimed to be - the next Mere Christianity...and I wasn't disappointed. The Faith has some fundamental elements to it - it's an okay read for a person wanting to examine the Christian faith or for a Christian wanting to deepen their elementary understanding of this great historic faith and if that's all the book is designed to do, then it has succeeded. The book also gives you a desire for more and points you in the direction of some outstanding individuals and their work - from J. Gresham Machen to G.K. Chesterton, or Abraham Kuyper to Francis Schaeffer, or John Stott to Louis Berkhof. Hopefully readers of The Faith will want to know more about the basic Christian doctrines that Colson touches on and will pick up some of the great works from these and others.

For those who love reading Colson and can't get enough of his personal vignettes, you'll love this book as well. It was interesting that at the very end of the book, the various doctrines are laid out for the reader to see since in the book they are given in a "narrative - interlaced with stories and relevant to contemporary concerns" - which is very true - the book sets out to make the fundamental doctrines of the Christian faith plain and obvious to all, but ends up clouding those very doctrines in story after story and example after example. The Faith is an okay read...there are other books that do a much better job of examining the doctrines of Christianity and this book shouldn't be one's only exposure to this issue.

Chuck Colson has written a challenging book that takes a serious look at faith and practice. Readers are challenged to an orthodox belief that results in an orthodox, God-pleasing lifestyle. This is a great read for those who find themselves suffering from a disconnect between belief and practice - this books helps to bridge the gap. Perhaps the key thought of the book can be best summed up by one of the chapter titles, "joy of orthodoxy". Colson does a good job of bringing theology down to a level for the lay person who wants to understand the relationship between belief and deeds.

If you like Colson, you will love THE FAITH. It is without a doubt the easiest read, yet remarkably thorough. One might first get the impression that it is kind of like the Cliff Notes of How Now Shall We Live, yet amazingly Chuck does not cut any corners and is even more explicit and thorough. I guess it is sort of like what Lincoln said about his Gettysburg address; ...If I had more time, I would have made it shorter... Well, Chuck must have had a great deal of time because he successfully sums up why Christians believe what they believe and why they believe it in a very easy to read book and in about 240 pages - WOW! This may be his best book yet, frankly whether one is a Christian or not. I put it up there with C.S. Lewis's Mere Christianity.

I've already used "The Faith" to help a friend respond to one of his friends that doesn't believe in the historicity of the New Testament. The book is a wonderful practical tool for any Christian who wants to build his/her confidence in their ability to speak boldly. I heartily recommend it as a wonderful apologetics tool.

In "The Faith" the authors state that Christianity is a worldview that speaks to every single aspect of life. The book shows concisely that Christianity is consistent within itself; it is coherent and congruent with reality.

Each chapter builds upon the previous showing that the statements of the Christian faith do not contradict each other; all work together and account for how things really are in life.

If the job of the 21st century evangelical church is to re-catechize itself, this book should play a part. It clearly communicates the foundation tenants of The Faith.