Customer Reviews

A Reasonable Faith: The Case for Christianity in a Secular World

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There is only one negative thing that I could say about this book, and that is the sad fact that it is now out of print. Still, if you are at all interested in how the claims of Christianity can speak to the many counter-claims of our modern world, then please try locate this book somewhere. Social scientist Dr. Anthony Campolo here addresses four major areas of secular thought, and shows how Christians can respond to these in an impressive "reasonable" way. These four areas are:

Contingency, which claims that everything that exists has a cause which can be scientifically explained.

Autonomy, which claims that man shapes his own destiny. There is no God, and man is a law unto himself.

Temporality, which claims that all things pass away; in the end there is nothing at all.

Relativity, which claims that, if there is no God, anything is permissable. Man establishes his own laws and principles for living.

Campolo writes about serious (heavy) matters in an engaging way that is... light, yet filling. Brilliant, witty, gracefully uncompromising, and never boring. I have attended a Campolo conference, listening in amazement as he fielded audience questions and answered them off the cuff. It's near impossible to put one over the wall when Campolo's in the park, but yet one senses the honesty that would respond with an "I don't know" if necessary.

He's utterly brilliant, but never pedantic.

Try get a hold of this book. It's full of honesty, and no "I don't knows"!

Heavy-duty sociology meets fundamental Christian theology in a big way. While the early and middle sections of the book can be slow reading, they lay the foundation for an excellent finish.

Campolo shows how Christians can grow in positive human traits (love, sensitivity, awareness of and concern for others) by spending time with the One who exceeds all others in these qualities.

An excellent book that's more intellectual than entertaining.

I read this book two years ago when I was traveling for work. It was a good read, as I finished reading it one afternoon by the hotel pool side.

This book is a 101 on apologetics the Campolo way. I've been a big fan of Campolo and will continue to support his work!

I'm reading a wide variety of books on apologetics in preparation for preparing a Bible study for people who will consider who Jesus is, but who aren't interested in the institutional church. N.T. Wright, Henri Nouen, C.S. Lewis, Lee Stroebel and others have excellent and very helpful books that cover the ground in different ways and on different levels. "A Reasonable Faith" fits right into this list and may well lead it.

I've had Dr. Campolo's book on my shelf for decades and don't recall having read it until I pulled it down and dusted it off last week. Wow, what an idiot I've been. If I'd dug into this book years ago I would have been able to use Dr. Campolo's helpful insights dozens of times when talking with skeptics and seekers.

I have no idea what "heretical" book N. Hyde read, but it surely wasn't the same one that I'm busy pulling notes out of right now.

In his introduction (page 12), Campolo writes that Jesus came into the world not only to provide a way to heaven, but to show all the people of the world they could become fully human and live life more abundantly. Campolo says that Jesus not only incarnates God, but he also incarnates the fullness of humanity.

If that's heresy, throw me in the same cell. I'll be in good company, not only with Campolo, but also with Jesus and his apostles.

Why is this book so hard to find? It is amazing in the ground it covers. It has many of his classic stories that made me a fan of Campolo but it also packs the big punches that we need to hear and understand in today's society. I think this book is more impotant now than ever.

Not to sound mean, but I'm glad this book is out of print. I thought Tony Campolo was a Christian until I read this book. I was shocked. Among other heretical beliefs, he argues that Jesus is not concerned about people's eternal destiny after they leave this life. Thinking I was reading a Christian book, I was terribly disappointed. I'm puzzled about why Campolo is considered by so many people to be a Christian. This book is neither reasonable, nor about faith. A more accurate subtitle would be: "The Case for Secularism in the Christian World."