Customer Reviews

Letters from a Skeptic: A Son Wrestles with His Father's Questions about Christianity

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Greg and Edward Boyd have have given us a great blessing in publishing their correspondence on the nature of Christianity. This book is unique among the many apologetic sorts of books I have read for a few reasons:

1)It's honest. Ed Boyd doesn't go easy on his son about Christianity. The questions are thoughtful, penetrating and genuine, not straw men set up to be easily knocked down. Greg Boyd's answers are equally thoughtful and well stated. He doesn't overwhelm with theological language but does a very good job of explaining difficult ideas in simple language. He honestly admits to uncertainty in places, but does a fine job of showing that uncertainty need not be a serious impediment to genuine faith and rational belief. I have never seen so many difficult questions about Christianity answered so well in so little space.

2)It's intimate. This is a discussion between a father and son who genuinely love and respect one another. It's a model for how important, ultimate issues can be debated in a very constructive manner.

3)It's powerful. Ed Boyd's conversion is more than a mere acceptance of certain religious beliefs. It is a powerful testimony to the power of God to change a human life wonderfully "from the inside out."

Many have objected to parts of Greg Boyd's theology. For example K. Restoule's review here goes so far as to say this isn't really a Christian book because of Boyd's "Open Theism." (See his other books for a more detailed treatment of his theology.) Though I have some questions about this position myself, I think Boyd is a genuine evangelical Christian theologian who is wrestling honestly with how to make the best sense out of the whole Bible's portrayal of God. Restoule's objections are one-sided. There are plenty of places in the Bible where God is portrayed as being shocked (even surprised?) at human behavior. He changes his mind. He is passionate and emotional (if the prophets are to be believed and Jesus is really God incarnate). God doesn't fit in a neat little conceptual box and Greg Boyd is honest about that. He deserves a fairer more open-minded reading than many of his critics give him.

If God is the most powerful being in existence, he can do anything; even limit himself in some respects (not all) with regard to his knowledge of the future. To some people this implies a diminshment of God. If so, it is a self-diminishment--no other being has done it to him--and he is still is the most powerful being in existence--no one else has more foreknowledge than he. So how is God diminished? Is God unable to right any wrong just because he didn't "know" it would happen beforehand (because it wasn't part of reality before it happened)? I don't think so. I think Boyd makes a good point when he suggests that the conception of God that many Christians have may owe itself more to the ancient Greeks than to Christianity (or the Judaism from which it sprang) and biblical teaching.

Greg Boyd is a passionate, whole-hearted Christian with the Highest regard for the Bible. That comes out very clearly in this book. I highly recommend it.

I loved this book and read the 190 pages in few days. I am struggling with my own doubts about religion. My belief in God is strong, but any details are blurry (that includes the choice of religion). Edward Boyd asked several questions which have been leaving me confused about Christianity, I found myself suprised many times at how he was just asking what I often wondered about. Several times I was thinking "ok, that explains it, but what about XYZ, I want you see explain that one, ah!" and later Edward did ask something like it and his father managed to come up with a pretty solid answer. The topics include: Why has Christianity done so much harm? Why is the world full of suffering? Why does God create famine,earthquakes? Couldn't it all be by chance? Why does an all-powerful God need prayers? Why trust the Gospel as true? What about the contradictions? How could a man rise from the dead? Why are there so many different interpretations of the Bible? What about other holy books of other religions? Do all non-Christians go to hell? Why would God torture people in an eternal hell?

Plus many other. Sometimes you'll get answers that are based on faith, sometimes you get clear facts, but I have to admit I have never read any explanations that left me thinking it was making sense.

If you already believe, this book might help you to see things a bit more clearly. If you are a skeptic (like me), it will leave you less confused.

Ultimately, I do not believe I will find any final answer from books. It will have to be a deep personal experience, but I am gathering as much info as I can. I dare quoting the Bible: "Test everything, hold on to the good" (1 Thess 5:21).

This book was great clearing up a few problematic issues like the concept of Hell. Of course I still don't understand many things, and still have a lot to learn, but if you are a skeptic, buy it now.

A previous reviewer wrote that Boyd claims to know the truth, but resorts to compromise when his beliefs are on the line. Maybe he does sometimes, but even Boyd himself near the end admits that you cannot be 100% of anything. He admits things might be different, but gives you enough facts to make you start looking at other options as if they are as hard to believe in as the whole "christian stuff".

I also recommend another book which also clears out many issues and some good arguments from atheists: "The Case for Christ" by Lee Strobel. "The Journey" Bible is also easy to read and addequate for people who don't believe yet. I've been trying to explore it, it's a lot easier than most Bibles.

The book ends a bit quickly, the last 2 months were not written, it abruptly ends with Gregory's father saying he is ready to believe. I am curious about how he feels now, and it would be interesting to read more correspondence between the two.

In general, a great book, with many strong arguments. Doubts will always be present, but this was one of the most interesting books about Christianity I have read so far.

No matter what you believe in (or don't believe in), buy it. I am sure you will find some good thoughts in it, even if you don't end up converted or fully convinced.

An excellent book for anyone who is curious about Christianity and the many common misconceptions about what Christianity is all about and who God is. The book is essentially correspondence between a Father and Son, in which the Father asks dozens of tough questions about his Son's faith, all in letter format (including the small talk and pleasantries). Among the questions are "Why believe in God in the first place?", "Why would an all powerful God need prayer?", and dozens more about the Bible, the life and teachings of Jesus Christ, and Christian doctrine. What makes this book so compelling is the honest way the questions are posed, and the answers delivered. The son (Gregory Boyd) answers these tough questions with logic, theology, science, and uses a straightforward approach which is neither "preachy" or "academic" but rather grounded in everyday language. In particular, the section on "Why believe in God in the first place" addresses the fallacies of "random chance" theories such as Darwinism's evolution. For example, the Son poses the question back to the Father regarding all human longing for meaning and a supreme being by saying "Where did our longing for something that never existed, and that never could exist (if we are a result of random chance) come from?" He presents some questions which atheists and evolutionists have been skirting and simply have no answer for. Overall, the book is easy to read and will challenge the way you think about Christianity, and the rational, logical, and even scientific conclusions which all point to God. It also demonstrates a rare feat these days: a passionate debate about a serious subject, handled with maturity and love. A great example for anyone who engages in theological discussions with persons who have strongly opposing viewpoints. Buy this book and read it - it is worth the effort!

In about four days after receiving this book as a Christmas present, after quickly finding I liked it and having difficulty putting it down, I promptly had it read. Desirous of quickly giving the gift-giver my impressions of the book and being curious about what others thought of it, I went to Amazon.com, since one usually can find editorial and customer reviews for any book it sells. And I wasn't disappointed: I was able to find plenty of reviews: frankly, all quite laudatory -- but, strangely, none written by skeptics! A fact from which might lead me to infer that skeptics apparently don't do much reading in the area of Christian apologetics. So, to remedy what I regarded as an imbalance -- a one-sided presentation -- I decided to tackle the job myself.

A few general comments first. I found the book to be a well written and argued defense of Christianity -- for someone predisposed to such belief and/or seeking confirmation for such. But it is not so strongly argued that it is likely to convince a well-read skeptic, or bring someone back to the fold who has thoroughly examined, and been persuaded of, the evidence for nonbelief.

The book consists of a series of letters between a son (Dr. Boyd), who is a well-credentialed (multi-degreed, culminating in a P.H.D from Princeton Theological Seminary) Christian apologist (minister and college professor), and his father -- a skeptic, from his mature years, but born and raised a Catholic.

The avowed purpose for the letter exchange -- dialogues carried on over a three-year period -- is for the son to get his agnostic father to become a believing, born-again Christian. Which is what eventually occurs. However, I felt that the father lacked the background to counter his son's arguments. He was simply overwhelmed and outgunned. What struck me right off, though, is that it didn't seem to be a fair matchup. The father, although supposedly well educated and highly intelligent (but oddly, no mention is made of his educational background), spent 35 years in sales management at Uniroyal Tire Company. So I seriously doubt that he had either the time or the inclination to pursue serious religious studies. And his remarks evidence that: he makes no mention of philosophical or scholarly writing of any kind dealing with the subject of religion. A familiarity with such writings, I believe, may have equipped him to rebut some of his son's arguments, e.g., his son's claim for the historicity of the Gospel accounts, a viewpoint the father doesn't challenge and seems to accept too readily! A more equal matchup would have been between two people who were both equally qualified to argue their respective positions.

A few years ago, I belonged to a Friday Night Bible study not far from where I used to live. We had a Christmas gift exchange and wrote ona piece of paper our name & what we wanted. I wrote "A Christian book." Oddly enough, this is what I got in return.

These days apologetic literature is all over the place. With the Muslim world vastly growing, books on apologetics are vastly popular. I enjoyed this book because it was an easy read & was very down to Earth. Sometimes apologetic books can be a bit too theological and will be too deep for the average reader. Even though Gregory Boyd works at a Christian college, he made this book understandable.

This book started out of letters from Greg's dad, who had lots of faith related questions. His dad, Edward Boyd, was a skeptic/agnostic. His questions were thorough & gut wrentchingly honest. His Son Greg answers his questions honestly and evry straightforward. In about 3 years time & over 30 letters between father & son, Edward Boyd finally got saved & became a Christian. It's neat to read all of the letters back & forth & watch the drama unfold.

Now, some of the other reviewers had some trouble with this book. Even though it's not specifically stated, I think it's because of their own theological and/or denominatonal background. It's as though they were saying, "I wouldn't go there defending Jesus." "My church wouldn't say that." "What aboyt this issue or that?" As a pastor myself, I can tell you that this is the reason more people in America don't get saved. We're centered too much on our own theological camps & on our differences. What so many negative reviewers didn't say was that Gregory Boyd did explain the tenants of salvation correctly. And in the end, his dad did get saved because of it.

Question: can you get past the denominational wars & just simply tell someone about Jesus? If you can, this book will be an asset to you as it was(and still is) to me. If you can't, you'[ll have lots of trouble with this book.

This is one of the best books I have read on apologetics. Throughout the conversations with his father, Dr. Boyd does an excellent job clearing any obstacle that stands in the way of his father's ability to have a saving relationship with Jesus Christ.

Dr. Boyd, a Princeton and Yale grad, challenges his father to a dialogue on Christianity. With each giving reasons why they are/not a Christian. The father accepts, and what results is a well thought out Q & A on the basic tenets of Christianity. Throughout this journey, Ed Boyd (father) asks very good, yet common questions. The questions range from issues dealing with the existence of God, to theological questions of hell. Dr. Boyd than gives very forceful and sincere answers.

The positives of this book are many. The exchange covers a lot of topics, so it's a good place to start to get an overall idea of how Christians answer questions from everyday people. The author also doesn't get too philosophical and has a great writing style. Which makes the book great for a non-philosophical skeptic. He also does a good job of keeping you interested. You are eager to read what the father will ask, and when he does, what Dr. Boyd will respond. Each person always leaving you thinking the answer/question is impenetrable and valid. Only too see a response you did not expect.

The negatives of the book are few. The one that bothered me the most is that the author, since he did decide to publish the letters, should have included a list of recommended books for further reading on each topic. The author is obviously very educated and intelligent, so his recommendations would have helped readers identify good books that deal more with the particular subject. Another negative is the author does not have an orthodox view of God's omniscience and a somewhat liberal view of hell. Although this doesn't detract from his overall view that we need Jesus as our personal Lord and Savior, it will still be a problem for a Christian who wants to give this book to a skeptical friend, but wants traditional Christianity represented.

However, with the negatives in mind, this book is definitely a great resource of apologetics. It is one of the books I would think of first as an easy to read defense of the Christian position. The author does an excellent job clearing many obstacles that stand in the way of skeptic's who would like to have a relationship with Jesus Christ.

As an atheist, I bought this book because I was interested in learning how Christians think and how they defend their faith. The book gives answers to some questions, but there is one big problem. Gregory (the son) is a professional apologetic, while his father, Edward, is a layman, who, according to himself, does not have a clear worldview. He's an agnostic, not an atheist. Gregory is the one who's spent the most time thinking through his beliefs, and studied Christian theology. He knows how to articulate his arguments, and even when they are flawed, his father accepts them almost without exception. Still, some of his arguments are less than impressive, such as his failure to explain how man is saved by Jesus's death on the cross or why God created hell.

So, this book does give you answers to some of the questions you may have about Christianity, but it leaves many questions unanswered. I can think of several followup questions to Boyd's answers that his father didn't think about asking. It would have been much more interesting to read a correspondance between a Christian and an educated atheist. It would have raised many more important questions and the apologetic would not have gotten away so easily with flawed arguments.

Greg Boyd and his now deceased father co-author this interesting work on defending the Christian faith. This book tackles many of the important issues facing someone struggling with whether to believe in God, believe in Christ, and many other things. Mixed in with these issues is Greg's theological stance that God can change his mind. Greg's view, or an 'open view' of God, is widely debated and much criticized. Some from the Calvinist point of view will call him a herectic, cultist, and other productive terms that really help facilitate healthy dialogue.

This book is bigger than open view vs. calvinist theology - God is bigger than MUCH BIGGER - than this debate. Take this book for what it is - a dialogue between someone who does not believe in God and someone who passionately believes in God - and go from there. Most non-believers would have zero idea what the difference was between a calvinist and an open view theologian anyway, and quite frankly, an unbelieving world could care less.

While I don't necessarily see eye to eye with Greg and some parts of his theology, this is a great evangelistic tool. All I know is that my wisest thought is dumber than God's dumbest thought, so I will just add my humble opinion to these reviews. This is a good book, regardless of your theological stance. God can use anything to change hearts and save souls, and he has used this book.

I have found this book very useful in helping me to combat some of the logical arguments against the faith given to me by non-believers. Dr. Boyd's logic flows very well and provides a great logical argument to many important complaints about Christianity. Don't rely on this book as your only source, though! It contains only one man's opinions. Personally, I have found some of his reasons to be a little weak, and on one point I think he is wrong. His point about how God does not know the future is based on what I feel is incorrect theology. A few other points he makes might also be seen as based on some abnormal theological ideas. This is still a very good book, though, as long as it the reader reads it for what it is - one man's logical defense of Christianity - and also uses other sources (especially the Bible) in defense of the faith. If this book shows you anything, it shows you that Christianity is more than blind faith or emotionalism, it is actually a very logical and intelligent view of the world, one which I am convinced is the correct one.

This book helped to answer many tough questions about the Bible, God, and Jesus Christ. Through Boyd's attempts to convince his father to believe, I have strengthened my spiritual standpoint by finding that there are sensible (notice I said 'sensible', not correct) answers to many questions that Christians wrestle with. I am not saying that everything written by Boyd is an absolute truth, but it does help fill in the blanks about some aspects of the Christian faith. I would recommend it to anyone who is in need of some spiritual answers or knows of someone else who is. This book was very important to me, simply because I have a father who has not yet come to accept Christ who bombarded me with skeptical questions, like the ones found in here, as a teenager who faithfully went to church and tried to uphold a good Christian attitude.

I am a little disappointed that this book was put down by so many who simply disagreed with what Boyd said. That isn't critiquing the book, that's comparing your beliefs to his! That's like giving a book on human evolution 1 star because you don't believe in what it's saying, regardless of the relevant book quality! I think that you should express your opinions, but I don't think you should call it flawed or misleading, simply because you don't know whether your opinion is right or not, either.

Either way, it is a great book, and I highly recommend it.