Answers to Tough Questions Skeptics Ask About the Christian Faith (Mass Market Paperback)

by Josh D. McDowell (Author)

Editorial Reviews

Product Description
The authors tackle 65 of the most-asked questions about the Bible, God, Jesus Christ, miracles, other religions, and Creation in a question-and-answer format.

Spanish available

About the Author
JOSH MCDOWELL is an internationally known speaker, author, and champion of the Beyond Belief Campaign. He a traveling representative of Campus Crusade for Christ speaking to more than ten million people in at least 84 countries, including 700 university & college campuses. Josh has authored or coauthored more than 90 books, including 'More Than a Carpenter' and 'The New Evidence That Demands a Verdict'. Josh and his wife Dottie, have four grown children and live in southern California.

Product Details

• Mass Market Paperback: 256 pages
• Publisher: Living Books (February 16, 1986)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 084230021X
• ISBN-13: 978-0842300216
• Product Dimensions: 6.5 x 4.1 x 0.8 inches
• Shipping Weight: 4 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 3.2 out of 5 stars See all reviews (33 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #40,292 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

30 of 37 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars I am Reluctant to Join This Debate, April 1, 2000

By	Matthew Gunia (Justice, Illinois) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

McDowell's book has become a sort of an excuse to further their own pre-existing ideas. For this reason, I am reluctant to enter my review of this book. However, I do think I can give those considering buying this book some information. For the record, I am a devout Christian. I enjoyed reading the book and found it interestig and insightful, but I don't think I was reading it for the same reasons as others. I did not read it in order to "arm" myself as I argue God's existance with unbelievers. I did not read it because the book is somewhat fluffy and I could easily argue that McDowell presents shoddy research. I read it simply because I am a Christian and I desired a little more insight into the faith to which I subscribe. Here are some of My Brief Answers to Frequently Asked Questions:

Will this book sufficiently arm me as I do battle with Unbelievers?: Probably not Is this book intened to be the end-all, be-all, convincing me that God definately does exist?: Probably not. Is the research thorough and clearly preented: Not really. If I do not believe in God, will it cause me to question my non-belief a little bit?: Quite possibly.

The reason (I believe) McDowell wrote this book is so that unbelievers would critically think about their faith or lack thereof. The breity and simplicity of the book make it very inviting. Putting myself in the unbeliever's shoes, if I decided it would benefit me to read an apologist's book, I think I'd rather spend very little time doing it then a great deal of time, making McDowell's book all the more inviting. Furthermore, to refute McDowell's arguments, I'd be forced to study history and the Bible more. Imagine that.

So, McDowell's ulterior motive is to get unbelievers to feel a little uncomfortable and make an attempt to reaffirm their belief that there is no God (or at least no Christian God)through researching Biblical truths and the Bible. If we learn a little about McDowell, he was an athiest who was challenged to research Biblical truths in order to refute them and wound up convincing himself that the Bible is true and that God does indeed exist. Do you think he might be hoping the same thing will happen to other unbelievers who pick this book up? To sum everything up this book will be good for you if you read it for the "right" reasons. I enjoyed it and recommend it for a light read.

14 of 17 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars A Tough Book, May 21, 1999

By A Customer

McDowell in this book provides some answers that are solid and answer common objections to Christianity today. Some say that the Biblical records are just fiction, or are just "hearsay upon hearsay" written many years after Jesus died, but if one rejects the Bible accounts like that, he or she is forced to reject just about every other historical document that we acknowledge without thinking as truthful and historical, such as Ceasar's history of the Gallic Wars. Basically, if we discount the New Testament documents, then we would have to throw out, say, a WWII vet's first hand testimony of a battle he was in. There are some solid reasons for believing that the accounts were not doctored, extrapolated, or exaggerated in any way.

13 of 17 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars OK for beginners, October 6, 2000

By	E. Johnson (El Cajon, CA United States) - See all my reviews (TOP 500 REVIEWER)    (REAL NAME)

When this book was written 14 years ago, it was much-needed, and I used it a number of times to help in my research of certain questions. However, in 2000, there are so many other books like this available today that are much more detailed and better organized. Several include When Skeptics Ask and When Critics Ask by Norman Geisler. Even McDowell's A Ready Defense is better than the Answers book. But if you are looking for a simple beginner's manual, then I suppose this could be very useful to you. It's small, inexpensive, and McDowell is very clear about his answers. For many, though, a good look through the apologetics section of Amazon or any Christian bookstore worth its salt will turn up better choices.