7 Truths That Changed the World: Discovering Christianity's Most Dangerous Ideas (Reasons to Believe) [Paperback]

Kenneth Richard Samples (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: May 1, 2012 | Series: Reasons to Believe

Ideas have consequences, sometimes far-reaching and world-changing. The Christian faith contains many volatile truths that challenged--and continue to challenge--the cultural and religious status quo of the world. This biblical, historical, and philosophical exploration of some of Christianity's most transformational ideas offers a unique look at how the world changed when Christ and his followers came on the scene. These ideas include

the resurrection
Jesus as God incarnate
creation out of nothing
the compatibility of faith and reason
justification by grace through faith
humankind in God's image
the greater good of suffering

Pastors, students, and thoughtful Christians will be strengthened to face contemporary challenges to these truths and will find the confidence to impact their world for Christ.

Editorial Reviews

From the Back Cover

What Good Is Christianity?

Ideas have consequences, sometimes far-reaching and world-changing ones. The Christian faith contains many volatile truths that challenged--and continue to challenge--the cultural and religious status quo. This fascinating exploration offers a unique look at how the world changed when Christ and his followers came on the scene. In a world where Christian belief and practice are increasingly under fire, 7 Truths That Changed the World will give you the confidence to impact the world for Christ--for good.


"While many Christians are accustomed to hearing that there is good evidence for their faith, far less common are arguments that point out how other worldviews are far inferior in terms of both evidence and explanatory power. Ken Samples develops a cumulative case for Christianity, arguing well that no other thesis even comes close to accounting for what we know about reality."--Gary R. Habermas, Distinguished Research Professor, Liberty University

"Ken Samples has combined clear thinking with clear writing to give us a guided tour through basic Christian truths. He shows us what those truths are, why we should believe them, and how they make better sense of the world than the alternatives. Thanks be to God for this helpful, encouraging, and challenging book!"--C. John Collins, professor of Old Testament, Covenant Theological Seminary

"7 Truths That Changed the World is a powerful reminder that Christianity is a truth claim that confronts the beliefs and values of our contemporary age at a number of critical points. But Samples is neither confrontational nor combative as he spells out seven aspects of the Christian truth claim that stand in opposition to much of what our non-Christian neighbors hold dear. This is must reading."--Kim Riddlebarger, senior pastor, Christ Reformed Church, Anaheim, California


Kenneth Richard Samples is a senior research scholar with Reasons To Believe, the premier science-faith think tank. An adjunct instructor of apologetics at Biola University, Samples is the author of Without a Doubt and A World of Difference.

About the Author

Kenneth Richard Samples is a senior research scholar with Reasons To Believe, the premier science-religion think tank. An adjunct instructor of apologetics at Biola University, Samples is the author of Without a Doubt and A World of Difference. He lives in Southern California with his wife, Joan, and their three children.

Product Details

• Paperback: 240 pages
• Publisher: Baker Books (May 1, 2012)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0801072115
• ISBN-13: 978-0801072116
• Product Dimensions: 8.9 x 5.9 x 0.8 inches
• Shipping Weight: 10.4 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (12 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #531,650 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Most Helpful Customer Reviews

18 of 18 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars Christianity's Dangerous Truths May 1, 2012

By Martin Troyer

Format:Paperback

You often hear atheists like Richard Dawkins claim that not only is religion for the ignorant, but that it is actually dangerous. Perhaps they are partially correct and that Christianity, in particular, has dangerous ideas? Could it be that Christianity and its radical ideas have made a huge, positive impact on the world? In the new book, 7 Truths That Changed the World, Discovering Christianity's Most Dangerous Ideas, Ken Samples puts forth the case that Christianity has made the biggest impact on the world of any movement in history!

So what is so radical and dangerous about Christianity's claims? They are radical in the sense that they upset the status quo and threaten accepted, competing beliefs. They are dangerous in that they have implications for how all people live their lives, and how they view themselves and the world around them.

What are some of these dangerous ideas? The book addresses 7 different ones:

The Resurrection of Jesus
God became a Man
Creation from True Nothing
The Existence of God
Salvation by Grace, not Good Works
Humans are created in the Image of God and yet are sinful
There are reasons for pain and suffering

This book builds upon a foundation established in a couple of Samples' previous works, World of Difference, A: Putting Christian Truth-Claims to the Worldview Test and Without a Doubt: Answering the 20 Toughest Faith Questions. In this new book, like the others, he makes his case using abductive reasoning to the best explanation. He logically builds the case for Christianity by using multiple lines of evidence and sets forth a weighty cumulative argument for the truth claims of Christ. As usual, the book is very well researched, referenced, and indexed which makes it a valuable tool.

I very much enjoyed reading this book and I got a lot out of it. It is written in a manner that should be accessible to readers from a variety of backgrounds. I would encourage even those who are skeptical of the claims of Christianity to at least pick up the book and give themselves a chance to be challenged. It is possible that a fair-minded seeker of the truth may find something to shake up their worldview.

I'll end with a quote from another of my favorite books, which Samples uses to introduce the book:

"Who said anything about safe? 'Course he isn't safe. But he's good. He's the King, I tell you."

This was said about Aslan, the lion, in C.S. Lewis' The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe, the first of the Chronicles of Narnia. Christianity's Jesus may not be safe, but he and his followers have impacted the world for good and continue to do so.

11 of 11 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars A Comprehensive but Readable Introduction to and Defense of Christianity May 16, 2012

By Joseph Wartick

Format:Paperback

Kenneth Samples' latest book, Seven Truths that Changed the World (hereafter 7TC) provides an easy-to-read, fairly comprehensive apologetic for the Christian faith in a unique format.

Samples presents 7TC as a kind of investigation into the "dangerous ideas" that are central to Christianity. These dangerous ideas are:

1. Not all men stay dead. In this section, Samples defends the historicity of Jesus' resurrection. Christians who are actively involved in reading apologetics will find that the argument is the fairly well-known "minimal facts" style, but Samples does manage to give some uniqueness to the argument in the next chapter, wherein he examines various objections to the argument for the resurrection. Particularly unique was the fact that Samples takes the time to offer critiques of some of the more outlandish objections, like the twin brother theory (38).

2. God walked the earth- Here, Samples puts the "dangerous idea" squarely in the context of religious pluralism. Not all religions can be true (48ff) and if Jesus was God on earth, then Christianity is true. Interestingly, rather than simply presenting arguments for Jesus' Godhood, Samples offers a few theories of the incarnation and only then moves towards Biblical evidence for Jesus' deity (50-53; 53ff). Again, Samples engages with some little-known but often abused objections, including the notion that Jesus was a guru (69-70) or even an alien (70-71).

3. A fine-tuned cosmos with a beginning- Samples then engages in an argument from cosmic fine-tuning. Again, Samples puts the argument into a context rather than simply throwing it out to be fielded. Throughout the book, Samples grounds the arguments he makes within the broad theological history that surrounds the ideas. For this argument, he points out the historical doctrine of creation out of nothing through the Bible and church history (78-80). He also points out the "weighty theological implications" of the fine-tuning argument (82-83). He then argues that Christian theology helped ground the emergence of science (91ff).

4. Clear pointers to God- Explanatory power is one way to evaluate worldviews, and Samples weighs atheistic naturalism against Christian theism. Samples offers a method by which people can evaluate worldviews. Essentially, this is a summary of his excellent work, A World of Difference, which I comment on in my post "Can We Evaluate Worldviews? How to navigate the sea of ideas." Throughout this section, Samples offers a number of arguments in favor of the notion that God exists and can best explain the universe we observe.

5. Not by Works- One of the core tenets of Protestantism, and indeed of evangelicalism (and in many ways, more modern Roman Catholicism) is salvation by grace. The fact that Christianity offers salvation as a gift provides another way to analyze it in light of other worldviews (134ff). All humans feel an urge to try to work for salvation, but this is mistaken. Ultimately, we cannot do it by ourselves (136ff). Sin is a predicament in which we find ourselves, it is a condition (137-138). Thus, Christianity offers a "way out" by salvation through grace in Christ.

6. Humanity's Value and Dignity- Humans have value. Most humans realize that it is wrong to cause harm or suffering and that certain virtues are good. However, without theism, there is no basis for human values (167ff). Some atheists have realized this and rejected meaning (163-166), but their worldviews dim in comparison to the light Christianity brings.

7. The Good in Suffering- The problem of evil is the most oft-trumpeted argument for atheism, and Samples responds to it mostly by utilizing the "greater good" theodicy (theodicy means, basically, a defense from the problem of evil). First, he points out that it is not logically incoherent to suppose God is all powerful and all good while still believing evil exists (196-200). Then, he argues that God can have good purposes for evil and suffering (205ff). While we may not come up with a specific reason for every single evil that occurs, God's sovereignty ensures that good will triumph and that all things work for His purposes (209ff). I don't tend to favor the "greater good" theodicy because I'm not sure I can swallow the notion that every evil has a greater good-but I think that when applied to evil generally it may be more powerful. Samples does a good job introducing the reader to the basics on the problem of evil and a theodicy here.

While much of the material in 7TC goes over things the avid reader of apologetics will have encountered, the novelty of some of the arguments as well as the answers to some infrequently-considered objections makes the book worthwhile even to "veterans." It is also very helpful to have some of the background in historical theology that Samples gives to contextualize many of his points. These kinds of extra details with the overall argument give readers a level of background knowledge that not all introductory apologetics books can provide.

Moreover, the format makes it work well as the kind of book to hand to a skeptic or a believer with doubts. It presents the core doctrines of the Christian faith in their broad contexts and defends them admirably. While hardened skeptics may laugh a book like this off, for those with open minds the arguments will be compelling enough to start conversations. Due to the effort to make the book readable for a general audience, it is clear that Samples can't touch on every objection, but it will get readers thinking.

Overall, 7 Truths that Changed the World is a superb effort by a fantastic scholar. It presents a reasoned defense of the whole of Christianity in a short, digestible form that makes it perfect for an introduction to apologetics or as a book to give friends to start conversations. Not only that, but Samples provides enough unique insight to make it worth a read by even "veterans" of apologetics literature. It comes recommended highly.

Disclosure: I received a copy of the book for review from the publisher. I was not asked to endorse it, nor was I in any way influenced in my opinion by the publisher. My thanks to the publisher for the book.

SDG.

10 of 10 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars Excellent May 25, 2012

By Truth, Undiluted

Format:Paperback

7 Truths That Changed the World is the latest book by Ken Samples, senior research scholar at Reasons to Believe and Adjunct Instructor of apologetics at Biola University. I had the pleasure of taking the "Authority, Canon, and Criticism" course under Mr. Samples and attending his lectures during my summer residency time at Biola. The breadth of his knowledge is impressive and inspiring. He is one of the most gifted lecturers and writers I have encountered. I greatly appreciate his command of language, his careful use of phrasing, and the way he is able to articulate arguments (even those I'm very familiar with) in a way that gives me a fresh perspective and deeper understanding of their significance. So, whenever I set out to read his latest book, I expected more of what I have come to admire about Mr. Samples' work, and I was not disappointed.

7 Truths is arranged into seven main sections, each dealing with a "Dangerous Idea" that is fundamental to the Christian belief system. Samples says, "If as a Christian you find that these dangerous ideas don't rock your worldview, then maybe your faith has become far too safe. And if you're not a Christian, then welcome to Christianity's dangerous, but good, ideas" (p. 11). These ideas are as follows:

1. Not All Dead Men Stay Dead

2. God Walked the Earth

3. A Fine-Tuned Cosmos with a Beginning

4. Clear Pointers to God

5. Not by Works

6. Humanity's Value and Dignity

7. The Good in Suffering

In each major section, Samples uses subtitles to break the topic down into compact, digestible segments. I appreciate how well he outlines each argument thoroughly but incredibly succinctly. Never did I feel bogged down in superfluous details or examples. He gets right to the point without omitting valuable facets of the discussion. As I mentioned above, he has a talent for re-framing apologetics arguments in a way that even a seasoned apologist can benefit from. He incorporates appropriate instruction on logic and spotting skeptics' fallacies. Another thing I absolutely LOVE is the inclusion of handy charts and tables that condense vital information into visual learning tools.

The overall scope of the text is appropriate to its purpose, which is to show how Christian truth claims make sense of both objective reality and our internal instincts, and to encourage believers to use this knowledge to make a difference in today's secularized world. Every one of the arguments are well-supported and all of the information is properly referenced. This book would serve well as both an introductory apologetics text for those new to the discipline and a refresher text for those (such as myself) who have already spent several years in formal study. I enjoyed every page, and I expect I will put it to use repeatedly as a nice quick-reference. I think it is a staple for every thinking Christian's library.