Skeptics Answered

VOYA - Kathleen Beck

Presbyterian pastor Kennedy has produced what amounts to a debate handbook for conservative Christians. Is there a God? Is the Bible historically reliable? What about evolution? Miracles? Evil? In clear, uncomplicated prose, Kennedy suggests responses to challenges on these issues and more. Teens who wish to have their theological ducks in a row when questioned will find this systematic approach helpful. Like many generals, however, Kennedy apparently believes that the best defense is an attack, and the tone is sometimes combative. That the heart of Christ's message is love is not emphasized here. A few statements may give readers pause. Discussing the Spanish Inquisition (probably not a big issue for YAs in the 1990s, though as Monty Python observed, no one expects the Spanish Inquisition) the author rightly points out that it began three hundred years before the Protestant Reformation. "When Protestantism did come into existence... evangelical Protestants often were on the receiving end of the Inquisition, tortured and killed for their beliefs. To blame real Christians for the Inquisition is an utter distortion [emphasis mine]." Some of today's teens may be surprised to hear that their Catholic friends are not "real Christians." Kennedy succeeds in his stated purpose of enabling evangelical Christians to give a "ready defense" for their faith. Young believers at a loss for words may find this a good resource. Index. Source Notes. VOYA Codes: 3Q 2P J S (Readable without serious defects, For the YA with a special interest in the subject, Junior High-defined as grades 7 to 9 and Senior High-defined as grades 10 to 12).