Those of you that know me (or read the sidebars in this blog) know that I am a fan of Greg Boyd. I was introduced to his writing by my good friend Kevin Burgess. Boyd is an extremely intellectual guy with some pretty controversial (some say heretical) stances that I will likely reference at a later time. But his book, Letters from a Skeptic, is a fantastic read for Christians and non-Christians alike who want answers (or proposed answers) to some tough questions.
The format of the book is very interesting because it is essentially a series of letters between Greg and his dad over the course of several years. At the beginning of the process, Greg’s dad is a non-believer. By the end, he has given his life to God. Greg cleverly suggested that they open this dialog through the mail. Every time they would get together in person and discuss these issues, one of them would get frustrated or angry and shut down the conversation. I think that is something to which we all can relate. The last thing many people want to do at Thanksgiving or a family reunion is discuss religion or politics.
It wasn’t until later that Greg decided to assemble the letters, and “co-write” this book with his dad. The thought was that many of the questions posed by his dad were common concerns. Some of the topics addressed in the book are:
- Why is the world so full of suffering?
- What about earthquakes and famines?
- What’s the point of prayer?
- Why do you think Jesus actually rose from the dead?
- Why does God make believing in Him so difficult?
Greg’s dad has since passed on, but his co-efforts in bringing this book to the public will serve as a great legacy. It is really an engaging book. I highly recommend it.
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