Author, Simon.
Published, April 22, 2008.

I first came across Tim Keller when I heard an mp3 of him speaking at the 2006 Desiring God National Conference. The subject was ‘The Supremacy of Christ and the Gospel in a Post-modern World”. Keller struck me as highly intelligent, well read, and an excellent thinker in general. His foundation and argument for an ‘exclusive’ Christianity was extremely refreshing and well thought out. In this volume, The Reason for God, Keller has constructed water-tight arguments for the Christian faith, as well as highly logical and intelligent answers to common objections to Christianity.

Part 1 of the book is sub-titled ‘The Leap of Doubt’. Keller answers the 7 most common moral and philosophical objections to Christianity. These are:

1. There Can’t be Just One Religion

2. How Could a Good God Allow Suffering?

3. Christianity is a Straightjacket

4. The Church Is Responsible for So Much Injustice

5. How Can a Loving God Send People to Hell?

6. Science Has Disproved Christianity

7. You Can’t Take the Bible Literally

Keller’s experience in answering these questions is obvious. He is head pastor at Redeemer Presbyterian Church in New York. In what is generally thought of as the bastion of secularism and modernism, Keller planted and grew a church which, today, has over 5,000 regular attendees. He approaches each objection carefully and considerately. Keller is no Dawkins; he is considerate and understanding of the other side of the argument. His logic and clear thinking, though, exposes the flaws and fallacies which are pertained in many of the assumptions behind these objections.

The second part is called ‘The Reasons for Faith’. Chapters are as follows:

1. The Clues to God

2. The Knowledge of God

3. The Problem

4. Religion and the Gospel

5. The (True) Story of the Cross

6. The Reality of the Resurrection

7. The Dance of God

Keller, here, lays down solid philosophical and logical foundations for why Christianity makes sense and why believing in God is, in fact, a fairly reasonable thing. Broadly, the reasonableness of faith is supported here. Keller, though, does set out to try and prove God exists. He states explicitly that he cannot do that. He says:

“We should not try to “look into the sun” as it were, demanding irrefutable proofs for God. Instead we should “look at what the sun shows us.” Which account of the world has the most “explanatory power” to make sense of what we see in the world and in ourselves?”

Indeed, what Keller sets out to do is to explain why Christianity does provide the best and most convincing answers to the big questions. Keller is one of a band of evangelical Christian preachers and writers who invite, and force, Christians and skeptics to use their minds. This book is an excellent example of this. The writing style is accessible to almost anyone. The book is well researched and well constructed. It is written for skeptics and non-believers. It will challenge them to think hard before dismissing Christianity. Similarly, the book is an invaluable tool for Christians who wish to better understand their faith and the reasons for it. It will also provide believers with a solid apologetic foundation with which to defend their faith. Keller’s approach is summed up in this passage:

“Whether you consider yourself a believer or a skeptic, I invite you to seek [honestly] and to grow in an understanding of the nature of your own doubts. The results will exceed anything you can imagine.”

This book is great. A must-read for those in both camps. (At the minute this is not available in Australia. I got my copy on Amazon.)