Customer Reviews

Yes or No?: Straight Answers to Tough Questions about Christianity

5 star:		(6)
4 star:		(4)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(7)

 

 

"Yes or No?" is like a streamlined version of Kreeft's popular book "Between Heaven and Hell". The conversation between Sal and Chris guides the reader to the truth of the claims made by Christ and orthodox Christians.

Though not for everyone, the short chapters of dialogue hold a potential reader's attention perhaps better than a straight narrative. Reading the comments of some reviewers, one can't help but think they're arguing against Christianity rather than Kreeft.

Find out for yourself. For a sample chapter online, simply perform a Google search of the words "Kreeft" and "The Bible: Myth or History?"

The book makes an excellent gift for a graduating high school senior or entering college freshman.

I truly enjoyed this book and think that it is a good Q&A text for someone starting out in the Christian faith. While there does seem to be a great deal hostility to this book from the same area in Massachusetts (I have to wonder if it's the same person writing multiple bad reviews?), I would have to strongly disagree with their review. Does this book answer every question completely and in depth? No, nor does it claim to be a comprehensive guide to Christian apologetics. Kreeft doesn't try to 'prove' Christianity so much as he tries to give us good and solid reasons for the faith (1 Peter 3:15). I've known a few young Christians - and old too - who have found the book invaluable. Give the book a shot, I think you'll like it. On the other hand, if your an old pro and you want hard hitting Christian Apologetics, try Kreeft's other book - Handbook of Christian Apologetics: Hundreds of Answers to Crucial Questions. God Bless and good reading!

Many people seem disappointed by the style of dialogue between the two characters. Let me say that it is a simple conversation, because both particpants are honest in their questions and responses. In real life people are not so honest. The dialogue is not intended to be a simulation of most real life conversations between Christians and unbelievers. He is employing the Socratic method to make his case. In other words, by simply asking the right questions, and giving honest answers, Kreeft demonstrates the plausibility of Christianity. You cannot fault Kreeft for his writing style any more than you can fault Plato for his.

Christians can learn how to ask good questions and be patient and honest with unbelievers by reading this book. Unbelievers can see how orthodox Christianity responds to some of the most common objections (that even they may have) about Christianity. I loved this book, and I think any honest thinker will be able to appreciate it, even if they do not agree with it.

Let me first say that this book isn't for everyone. Kreeft, who is a master at creating Socratic-like dialogue and employing logic to bring about a point, has created a series of dialogues between Sal the Seeker and Chris the Christian.

The dialogue is not meant to simulate real-life conversation, but employs wit, irony, and logic to bring about the points that Kreeft wants to make - namely proving that God exists, explaining the problem of evil, Heaven, Hell and the other "big" questions.

For those that do not care to read dialogue-centered books this will not be for them.

For those seeking answers to such question, however, they will find that Kreeft does a masterful job of raising the tough questions and leading one to the true answers. This is a wonderful book for a beginning logic, philosophy, or theology student.

I thought this book was excellent. Many of the other critics in this forum have blasted it for the supposed ignorance of Sal the "seeker" and the sometimes trite expressions and literary form. I hope they did not expect literature. It is meant, if anything, to be as directly close to human dialogue as possible. This serves the purpose of identifying directly with the reader. If readers have a problem with the simplicity of "sal", they must not understand that he is a person who is written to be as ignorant towards religion as possible. This is so he asks every single question a non believer would tend to ask. Chris is meant to be highly learned because he has to logically answer any question a non believer would ask. Those extremes are necessary for any book that seeks to instruct. This book, if approached open minded, will reveal some very interesting questions people could have about the Christian faith as well as logical answers. The reader also needs to understand there are some issues in Christianity still debated to this day, and that is the reason for whatever vagueness one might find. I personally found very little. I highly reccomend it to anyone.

The dialogue between a christian and an athiest is very interesting to read. In this dialogue the athiest is slowly won over to Christianity, but Peter Kreeft does so logically: the athiest does not easily surrender any points made, his conversion, while gradual, makes sense. I recommend this book to anyone from 12-40 (or anyone learning to share the faith)as it is a solid read, but is not as intellectually 'deep' as some of his other books.

This book explains in dialog format (which is great for younger readers) the simple reasoning and logic which form the basis for Christianity. It's simplicity is what makes it so powerful. Those who provided one star may not like the ultimate message, so they will never give a good rating.
If all evaluations were based on the quality of the arguments, and not the resulting lifestyle impositions (ultimately imposed by the conclusions), then most all would have provided 5 stars. You have to be intellectually honest to appreciate this book.

I have read this book atleast three times now, and gotten something new out of it each time, despite being raised Christian and actively practising the faith. I used it with my tenth grade Sunday school class this past year and I thought it was great.

Some readers may find this book difficult, challenging, or possibly condescending. I think that may be because we are largely unused to open, honest dialogue, being more familiar with both invective and polite skirting of issues than open talk. Chris can seem a bit snottish when read some ways, but perhaps that is just because it is difficult to know tone of voice from a text. I imagine Chris being enthusiastic, not snotty, and I think Sal's responses reflect that-- after all, who wouldn't lose it with someone if he thought he was constantly being patronised.

This book is challenging on a spiritual level, both to Christians and non-Christians. It is easy for those of us who are Christians to think we have the only truth, or that questioning God is somehow unfaithful. Kreeft aptly demonstrates that true faith always questions, that unquestioning faith is often very immature faith. We live in a complex world and we face complex problems, and experience tough times that would lead anyone to ask the big questions- why do bad things happen? how can we be certain of God's existence? etc. These challenge us, and can lead us to lose faith or to go deeper, but almost as bad as losing faith is not growing in it. Kreeft points out that faith isn't stagnant.

This is also a challenge to non-Christians, to be open to the answers to the tough questions that they ask, even if the answers are frightening. Christianity is often a scary thing, not because it's bad, but because true Christianity is life-changing, as Kreeft demonstrates. This is a good lesson for everyone, non-Christians and Christians, that inviting God into our lives and to work in us will mean a total reorientation of our lives-- away from ourselves. It is difficult to be out of the driver seat, or to live in a way that isn't seeking what's benefits us most but what is right and good and loving. This is, again, a challenge to everyone, but to the honest non-Christian seeker it may be especially intimidating.

We are, all of us, called to be seekers. Kreeft eloquently explains this in his introduction. He also recognises the dangers of poor Christianity to deepening faith and to attracting new seekers. As Christians, we believe that truth may be found in many places, but that when one seeks it actively and honestly, it all leads to one place: Jesus. This is perhaps the best reminder to Christians, that our faith is not about a church, or about lighting candles or saying words-- but that all those things, and we, are centered on God. We are church to be about Jesus, not Christian to be about church-- and Kreeft is great on this point. All our traditions and belief are to point to God, not to ourselves.

Another point that Kreeft makes well, and that is uncomfortable to many, is that relativism is empty. There is, in fact, truth, and it goes beyond whatever happens to float one's boat. We shy away from this in our culture, and the result is that, because we refuse to recognise any kind of overarching morality, we find ourselves witness to evils more terrible than should even be uttered, and only this jars us from our relativistic stupor. Kreeft says, yes, it is a leap of faith to be this certain, but faith is about surety-- not without questions, not without struggles, but never without hope and the promise of salvation.

Kreeft also does not fall into the trap of suggesting that reason has no role in faith. According to Kreeft, reason is the path to faith. It does not replace faith, as faith is a choice, not an equation by which you unequivocally prove the right answer-- people have argued about lesser truths for centuries. Rather, reason leads you to the point of choice to believe or not, and that reason, which is a gift from God, can never be in contrast to truth or faith, which are also of God. Even some Christians forget that reason is not checked at the door of the church, or, in more extreme cases, at the baptismal font. Kreeft eloquently makes a case for rationality in faith that will challenge both those who see it as a hindrance to faith and those who think that only the mindless can be Christian.

I think this is a great read, and anyone who is open-minded about faith should read it-- and anyone who isn't but wants to be should as well. Let it speak to you. Four stars because it's not perfect, but it's pretty frigging good. There are a lot of people making the case against God; any fair-minded individual owes it to themselves to read an intelligent yet accessible case for him.

~Nzie

In this work Kreeft attempts to present in dialog form basic objections and answers to the Christian Religion. Kreeft nicely summarizes each objection and provides a concise answer. Kreeft also intertwines aspects of inter-personal pyschology and the psychology of religious belief/non-belief into the dialogs. While this work is not meant to be an exhasutive treatment of Christian Apologetics it does succeed in introducing the reader to apologetics in an informal way. For those who are looking for more sophisticated works on Christian Apologetics and Philosophy I would recommend; Thomas Morris, Our Idea of God:An Introduction to Philosophical Theology, Norman Giesler's, Christian Apologetics,J.P. Moreland, Scailing the Secular City, William Lane Craig, Reasonable Faith, and Greg Bahnsen, A Ready Defense. For advanced and cutting edge work in the field in Apologetics I would recommend Bahnsen's Van Till's Apologetic and Stephen E. Parrish's, God and Necessity.

Peter Kreeft is infinitely understandable and practical. Philosophy is not something most of us are comfortable with. His writings are wonderful and easy for the more main stream person to delve into and become comfortable with. He covers relevant matters in very different formats. He will inform and teach you while also entertaining you, a rare combination. Please read ALL of his works, they are certainly worth it.