15 of 18 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Great apologist, December 1, 2000
By A Customer
This review is from: Jesus Among Other Gods (youth Edition) (Paperback)
This book is a wonderful antidote for our modern epidemic notion that all religions are the same. Zacharias compares how major world religions answer six major philosophical questions. The author skillfully yet respectfully shows how world religions are not the same and how one must make honest decisions about which is true. I appreciate Zacharias' apologetic works because while he is fully capable in the area of logic, he also approaches his subject with a very human and personal touch. The section in this book on the question of evil is especially good.
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16 of 20 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
A must read for every Christian Parent and Teen, January 13, 2001
This review is from: Jesus Among Other Gods (youth Edition) (Paperback)
This book is superb. It provides a biblically based response for the most common attacks made upon Christians and Christianity today. It is scripturally sound and a wonderful tool to assist in preparing a college bound Christian teen for what lies ahead in academia. I couldn't put it down. I will be handing out several copies of this book as gifts to parents and teens.
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10 of 13 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
Misses Its Audience, August 11, 2003
This review is from: Jesus Among Other Gods (youth Edition) (Paperback)
Jesus Among Other Gods was recommended reading for the students in our discipleship program during the past year. While this book is intended to be read by teenagers, most of the students in our group who started reading it did not finish. I recently reread the book to try and understand why.
First, I think that the opening chapter in the book gives the wrong idea what the book is about. The very personal account of the author does grip the students. And why not? Most young adults are grappling with the same ideas of what is truth and where should they invest their life. To follow this chapter with a discussion of unique characteristics of Jesus (His virgin birth and sinless life built upon a question of "Where do you live?" - which seemed forced) seemed to lose the students. I think they were expecting some more of the personal account of a man's quest for truth and how he sorted that out from all of the other religions vying for his attention and somehow missed the transition.
Also, students should read the last chapter after the first. When I reread the book, I honestly got bogged down after the first chapter...until I got to the last chapter. In it I found some more personal accounts of a search for Christ and a better foundation of why the discussion is even needed. Sadly, many Christians (and students in particular) avoid any kind of thinking. By asking them "Who are you looking for?" (as the last chapter is titled), we've moved from the author's search for Truth to our very own...now I'm ready to read about the claims of Jesus and how they match up to other faiths. It would have worked for me.
I'm sure there are many criticisms of this book, many based upon the simplifications of issues at hand. However, remember that this book is geared for students, many of whom have never really considered the position of Jesus among the pantheon of the world's gods. This book can be a starting point for that discussion. Students should not expect to read through this book like a novel; rather, it should be seen as textbook to introduce them to realm of apologetics. The book does address the critical claims of Jesus, the very real differences from three other world religions, and the personal desires of many people to find a god who will serve as our personal pleasure genie - answering all my questions, canceling out all my pain, and instantly fulfilling all my desires.
Overall, I was satisfied with the explanation of the existence of evil in the world and how Christianity offers the best explanation. The importance of the cross, the validity of the resurrection, and the uniqueness of the Bible are just a few issues the book adequately addresses. Jesus truly is unique among all other gods.
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