Customer Reviews

The Hopeful Skeptic: Revisiting Christianity from the Outside

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In his new book, "The Hopeful Skeptic: Revisiting Christianity From the Outside", Nick Fiedler shares a remarkably honest struggle with his faith, which may have emerged too far from the center to still be considered an insider. Although, the word "struggle" might not be the best choice of words. Nick seems to be surprisingly at ease with the tension of being both a person of hope and skepticism. I'm encouraged by his ability to embrace these two labels. I can relate to them both.

People tend to write books after they have everything figured out, or at least when they've lived long enough to think that they do. It's refreshing to read a book by someone willing to share their ideas at the beginning of their journey, when they admit they don't have many concrete answers. Nick writes with the wisdom of someone who's had a few changes in perspective, and that is rare in a young writer. I wonder how much better most theological books might be if, like Nick, the author wrote assuming they'd probably change their mind in a few years. There might be fewer emphatic declarations, and less harsh criticisms of others. Nick's ability to hold on to his ideas loosely may be the best part of this delightful book.

I highly recommend this book for the faithful, the skeptical, and those who've found peace as a hopeful skeptic.

First, the disappointment: travel isn't the theme of this book. The author seems to have spent his fourteen months of overseas living and working (not so much backpacking) in boredom. Maybe the idea was that he spent those months in thought, forming and reforming his beliefs, but surely something interesting happened in all that time? Granted, he relates a couple of experiences from that time, but most of the stories in the book are from his work in churches or with his podcast, all right at home prior to the big trip.

The best chapters are topical, focused, and sandwiched in the middle, not beginning until fully halfway through the book. In these chapters -- which in turn discuss the inerrancy of the Bible, the truth about who Jesus was, civil disobedience, traditional church structure and the efficacy of prayer -- you start to see what this book is all about. If travel wasn't to be the theme, perhaps it should have been the sorting of traditional beliefs into "keep" and "discard" boxes, as Fiedler mentions late. These chapters form a modern-day credo, written by and for my generation of kids who grew up in church, then went to college and learned to poke gaping holes in things they had been taught were unshakable.

Thomas Paine's The Age of Reason was brought to mind when Fiedler started discussing the problems with believing what people tell you to believe despite the glaring inaccuracies on which those beliefs are based. The difference, I suppose, is that when Paine tore apart the Bible he ended up a Deist, but when Fiedler does a little of the same he ends up a "hopeful skeptic" and still a born-again Christian -- though, one imagines, one that attends a non-traditional sort of church.

After a somewhat wandering start, Feidler hits his stride with this series of declarations and discussions of his current thoughts and beliefs. If you enjoy probing some of these same issues, you may find this to be a good read.

Searching for meaning and ones spiritual home is a journey. I appreciated the author's choice to use his spiritual traveling as a symbolism of his backpacking experiences while traveling the world. These days, as I search for my own, Nickolas Fielder's book, The Hopeful Skeptic, has given me the sort of travel companionship I needed. We all have our own experiences that led us through the twists and turns of belief and doubt. I found several pages that I could read and reread because of the attitude of openness with a healthy respect and reverence for Christianity. I wonder about my chosen faith tradition, many times wishing I could unload the heavy baggage and rhetoric that I unconsciously carry. I shared the author's point of view and through many of his own moments of transcendence, I saw my spirituality view more clearly. And, finding my own label in the emergent movement, it is always great to find another who has read and embraced Brian McLaren. Through this author's eyes I also foresee that great discussions are reaching Christians everywhere. It is time to ask the questions and be open enough to listen to the deeper and more complicated answers.

This book puts into words what I have wrestled with for a long time! I have also struggled with the label "Christian" since it has come to symbolize one with "answers" rather than one with "questions". I, too, am a "hopeful skeptic" who has left the church, but not the Church! I highly recommend this book for those who are no longer "comfortable" sitting passively in the pews.

There's not much meat to this book. While Nick's honest, open, moderate perspective is needed in today's world of polarizations, he doesn't say anything new and I really wasn't sure what the point of his book was, or why it was published. It's not a memoir, because he doesn't share very much about himself. It's not a theological manifesto because, as Nick himself admits, he doesn't have the education for that. It reads more like a journal of his own thoughts on certain aspect of Christianity, why he calls himself a "hopeful skeptic" and which of those two boxes ("hopeful" or "skeptic") he packs certain traditional Christian beliefs in. This book might be great for a disillusioned Christian who has no interest in theology, but it definitely wasn't for me. Other than a few interesting insights and analogies, it was a pretty pointless book.

I thought that I would be the last guy who would not only pick up a book on religion, but to purchase it as well. I grew up in the Bible belt, was forced to attend a Baptist church and was baptized seven times...I guess the first six didn't take. I was young, but my mind refused to accept what could not be proven, so I was scared into saying the words that were written on the piece of paper they put in front of me and of course I had to be baptized again to keep me from spending an eternity in a lake of fire. I always enjoyed the stories from the Bible but didn't understand how the preacher came up with his interpretations and why I had to accept those as fact.
Nick's story is similar to mine but he had the courage to give up all the comforts of life, and set out on a long journey of self exploration to answer these questions that most of us just shove into the back of our minds. I really enjoyed reading this book and learning from his experiences that I am not alone. It's okay to have doubt, and no, having doubt doesn't mean you are going straight to hell, but that you are using the mind that God gave us.
I would highly recommend this book to anyone who believes in God, but has a little trouble following the men who are paid to sell it.

This is one of the best reads I have had in a long time, it is so refreshing to read about someone without biases and willing to explore outside of the box even though he was heavily influenced by religion growing up. A great adventure of self discovery. Five stars!

In The Hopeful Skeptic Nick Fiedler unbuckles his Bible belt, takes off the armor of Christ and unpacks the preconceptions that defined the faith of his childhood. In his newfound nakedness, he dons his faith flip-flops and joins countless pilgrims before him in a journey to see where God may be speaking to him today. Other spiritual seekers can find solace in Nick's story as they realize they are not alone in their doubts and questions.