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A Friendly Letter to Skeptics and Atheists: Musings on Why God Is Good and Faith Isn't Evil (Hardcover)

~ (Author)
Key Phrases: prayer experiments, religious engagement, religious attendance, National Opinion Research Center, Sam Harris, Richard Dawkins (more...)

4.2 out of 5 stars See all reviews (11 customer reviews)

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Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

Social psychologist Myers adds to the numerous apologetic texts that have emerged since the neoatheist movement began. But this quick jaunt into potentially dangerous waters is head and shoulders above the rest. The author admits that many people throughout history who have claimed to believe in God have caused much evil in the world. He is respectful of his atheist interlocutors, like Richard Dawkins, preferring to discuss how Surely, in some ways I'm wrong, you're wrong, we're all wrong. Believers and skeptics could learn much from each other, and the author's willingness to build a bridge between two sometimes hostile territories is what makes his work so welcome. Myers's psychological training enables him to grasp the human person in a unique way, and he is able to introduce an intellectual element into the God debate. While never attempting to prove that God exists, Myers works to show that religious people can be faithful and psychologically healthy. (Sept.)
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Review

"As a scientist, open-minded skeptic (who cheers on challenges to irrationalism), and a man of faith, [Myers] seeks to transcend the skeptic/believer divide by suggesting how faith can be reasonable, science-affirming, and humane."
–Skeptical Inquirer (January/February 2009)

"Reading Myers will not set to rest all the incongruities or failures of Christianity; but it will demonstrate, in a thoughtful and readable format, that God is good and that to follow in the steps of Jesus your soul will become bigger, better and more gracious."
– Youth Worker Journal

"The humility with which Myers writes and the intelligence with which he composes his arguments could disarm the most jaded cynic."
– Worship Leader Magazine

"Believers and skeptics could learn much from each other, and the author’s willingness to build a bridge between two sometimes hostile territories is what makes his work so welcome. Myers’s psychological training enables him to grasp the human person in a unique way, and he is able to introduce an intellectual element into the God debate."
–(Sept.) (Publishers Weekly, July 7, 2008)

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Product Details

Hardcover: 160 pages
Publisher: Jossey-Bass (September 2, 2008)
Language: English
ISBN-10: 0470290277
ISBN-13: 978-0470290279
Product Dimensions: 8.8 x 5.8 x 0.8 inches
Shipping Weight: 8 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)

Average Customer Review: 4.2 out of 5 stars See all reviews (11 customer reviews)

Amazon.com Sales Rank: #421,919 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

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Front Cover | Table of Contents | First Pages | Surprise Me!

Inside This Book (learn more)

Key Phrases - Statistically Improbable Phrases (SIPs): (learn more)
prayer experiments, religious engagement, religious attendance, skeptical friends

Key Phrases - Capitalized Phrases (CAPs): (learn more)
National Opinion Research Center, Sam Harris, Richard Dawkins, David Sloan Wilson, West Coast, Christopher Hitchens, Saint Paul, Francis Collins, Once Several Monthly Nearly Weekly Several, Old Testament, Selected States, Association of Religious Data Archives, Never Less, Big Bang

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Front Cover | Table of Contents | First Pages | Surprise Me!

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Customer Reviews

11 Reviews

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3 star:		(1)
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4.2 out of 5 stars (11 customer reviews)

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Most Helpful Customer Reviews

13 of 14 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A "Friendly" Approach to Bridging the Chasm Over Faith from a Noted Scholar in Psychology, August 26, 2008

By	David Crumm "Editor of www.ReadTheSpirit.com" (Canton, Michigan) - See all my reviews (TOP 500 REVIEWER) (REAL NAME)

Dr. David Myers easily could rest on his laurels as the author of the most widely studied psychology text on college campuses. In fact, much of his time is consumed, these days, researching the cutting edge of psychological research to prepare future editions of his textbooks.

But, in his mid-60s, his lifetime as a scholar, a teacher and a man of deep faith has driven him toward another vocation: Building bridges that may help millions of us to cross over the social chasms of our age.

This includes his work on improving conditions in public places for hearing-impaired people and encouraging a fresh discussion between gay and heterosexual people over faith. If you're interested in those themes, take a look at his earlier books, "A Quiet World: Living with Hearing Loss" and "What God Has Joined Together: The Christian Case for Gay Marriage."

Dr. Myers is an equal-opportunity bridge builder. His eye, his mind and his heart all are focused on the timeless promise of compassionate community that lies at the heart of nearly all of our faith traditions. What fuels his work, year after year, is his vision of what he calls "human flourishing by making sense of the universe, giving meaning to life, connecting us in supportive communities, mandating altruism and offering hope in the face of adversity and death."

That's a pretty good summary of the purpose of faith, right? He's really preaching a message that's universal. Who could disagree with these goals?

And yet -we do find so many issues around which we want to hunker down and dig deep trenches between "us" and "them."

What's so fascinating in recent years is that people of faith suddenly discovered that an influential group of best-selling writers, commonly called "the new atheists," had completely outflanked the religious community. These elite writers are digging their own trenches to separate their new circle of voices from the religious community they seem to despise.

One thing you must understand about Dr. Myers -- and I know this from talking with him and occasionally interviewing him in depth over the years -- is that he's got a boundless, constructive optimism in the way he approaches all questions. In short, think of Mister Rogers.

About the same time as the release of Myers' book, Michael Novak released "No One Sees God: The Dark Night of Atheists and Believers," a book with a similar purpose -- a full-scale response to the new atheists. Novak's book also is a good read on these issues, raising fresh examples and arguments that are different in a number of ways from Myers' own approaches. But the central difference here, I think, is that Novak's book is more muscular, more strident, more the voice of a debater in a TV studio. Novak's book is more Catholic in its cultural references; Myers' is more mainline Protestant.

Both books are good choices, if you're an individual reader wanting to weigh both sides in this fascinating debate. If you're looking for material to read in a small discussion group and you're making a choice between Novak and Myers, then you'll probably find Myers' book, as the title says, more "Friendly."

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6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Surprisingly convincing, February 3, 2009

By	J. Davis (San Diego, CA United States) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

An impressive book written by a humble, respectful religious moderate. Myers makes little effort to convince the reader that miracles are true or that there have been virgin births; he focuses on the usefulness of religious belief. He shows, through empirical data, that believers have better marriages, are happier, and give much more to charity than secularists. While conceding the harm religion has done through the ages, he believes strongly that it has done more harm than good. Being a nonbeliever, it gives me no pleasure to say this, but Myers makes a strong case for faith. I would love for Dawkins, Harris, or Hitchens to read this book and respond to its arguments.

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5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Civil, Intelligent Reply to the New Atheist Wave, November 21, 2008

By	Waverley36 (Nunya) - See all my reviews

The author, a psychologist, responds briefly but well to the "new atheist" wave of Sam Harris, Christopher Hitchens, Richard Dawkins et al. At first I thought his approach was, frankly too "friendly," to the point of seeming timid and insubstantial, but as this brief book goes on it gets more impressive. What's really neat is the way Meyers seems to address just about every controversial subject imaginable--evolution, intelligent design, gays, the mind-body connection--without being dishonestly reductive. None of the sections are meant to be thorough explorations of the particular topic: they only offer more inclusive ways to think about each topic so as to allow for faith.

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Most Recent Customer Reviews

5.0 out of 5 stars A very friendly letter
This is a very pleasant and gentle book. It offers the dogmatic atheists a chance to consider that, "there may be more than this" and "there may be a different way of seeing these... Read more

Published 23 days ago by Dr. Nicholas P. G. Davies

1.0 out of 5 stars Friendly to Satan?
The author of this book appears to think that it's fine for atheists to mock Jesus and the apostles, and to play footsie with the minions of Satan. Read more

Published 9 months ago by Sam Wood

4.0 out of 5 stars Just What the Title Says It Is
An elegantly written and argued book, focusing on finding common ground between skeptics and believers. Read more

Published 10 months ago by David K. Chivers

5.0 out of 5 stars Walking the tightrope
Myers respectfully defends his faith to skeptical scientists as only a fellow empiricist could. Through a series of short chapters Myers takes up the critical points of the... Read more

Published 12 months ago by Stephen H. Hobbs

4.0 out of 5 stars Go to the source
"Why can't we all just get along", says Myers, as he dives right into the deep end of the Christian vs. anti-Christian pool. Read more

Published 13 months ago by Todd Stockslager

3.0 out of 5 stars Too Friendly
The author appears to be trying too hard to be a "friend" to God's enemies. I find some of his conclusions abhorrent. I will probably finish his book, but I'm in no hurry to do so.

Published 13 months ago by Ross Safford

5.0 out of 5 stars Great book!
A balanced, thought provoking book,and an easy read at the same time. Dr. Myers addresses with equal clarity those for who faith is an illusion, and those for whom it is a cudgel... Read more

Published 14 months ago by Robert H. Ambrose Jr.

5.0 out of 5 stars perfect timing: the necessary bridge between seemingly disparate worlds
I just finished David Myers' latest book in his never ending quest to write enough to fill a book shelf in my basement. I think this is his 17th book. Read more

Published 14 months ago by Todd B. Kashdan

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