Does the truth really matter

Does the truth really matter? Sometimes in this crazy world we live in, it seems like the truth is the last thing that we want to worry about, but when it comes to eternity, truth does matter. What we believe to be true should determine how we act, and how we react. In "Truth Matters: Confident Faith in a Confusing World (B&H Publishing, 2014) the authors (Andreas J. Köstenberger, Darrell Bock and Josh Chatraw) offer arguments to help high school/college students defend their faith.

           

            For mature Christians, secure in their faith, much of this book seems simplistic, but the intended audience is not so much mature, secure Christians as it is college students. Surveys discussed in the book indicate that many people of college age leave the church. The authors suggest that young people are often exposed to a new set of standards when they go away to school, a wide variety of worldviews, and in courses that many are required to take because of their major, or as an elective for their 'generals' that they are exposed to challenges to their own Christian worldview.

 

The authors chose to use Dr Bart Ehrman, "one of the leading voices attacking the reliability of the Christian faith" as their reference point, and quote or refer to him often throughout this book. They use Ehrman's arguments and teaching points as a starting point, and offer young Christians tools with which to not only disagree with Ehrmans' stand, but also to defend their faith.

 

These questions that are discussed in this book are ones that have been addressed many times before, (for example see  Lee Strobel's "Case for Christ" or "Case for Faith"), and are used as examples of the questions that are frequently offered to disprove the tenets of the Christian faith.

 

Having read other books by Köstenberger, and Bock, it took a few pages to realize that this was not going to be what I expected. It is not a deep theological treatise, it is probably not going to serve as an evangelistic or apologetic tool, but it certainly will be useful for teens and young adults who have grown up in the church, and are not confronted by an authority figure, in the form of a college professor - an 'expert' - who denies the truth of all that they have been taught  about God, Jesus, and the church.

 

I liked the book because it gives students (like my son) permission to think for themselves, permission to challenge theories that are presented by non-believers, by those who teach in secular colleges and who believe that true Christian faith is just another theory, just another version of truth which is as valid as any other truth.

 

Yes Truth Matters!

I received a copy of this book in exchange for the review.

4/5