Book Review: Reasons We Believe

If you’ve spent any time defending your faith or even simply listening to popular media, you have heard many objections to the Christian faith. These objections become so common that it is likely that you even here the same few repeatedly. Instead of seeking out answers that are available in a plethora of formats, they continue to promote the same, tired excuses not to believe in order to ease their conscience. But simply answering questions isn’t going to regenerate the soul in bondage to sin. Even with truth clearly presented, people will continue to “suppress the truth in unrighteousness” (Romans 1:18). Only the Holy Spirit through the power of the Word of God can soften a hard heart and regenerate the soul.

From this perspective, Nathan Busentiz writes his book Reasons We Believe: 50 Lines of Evidence That Confirm the Christian Faith. Throughout the book he simply presents what the Bible says and how it applies to a Christian defense. Too often in our apologetical zeal we are led down rabbit trails and forget that our aim is to present Scripture and proclaim the gospel. We get trapped in defending against insignificant claims or present “evidence” that has no bearing on the gospel. Busenitz does a nice job of using Scripture and letting the Word of God speak; trusting the Spirit to do the work on the heart.

Reasons We Believe is organized into six sections; the first as an introduction to faith that uses reason and five sections dealing with the evidence. The five sections include Reasons We Believe in God, Reasons We Believe the Bible, and Reasons We Believe in Jesus, and they are broken down into ten short sections explaining each piece of evidence to consider. Most of the chapters are only a few pages long, but they guide the reader to all he needs to know on the topic. Busenitz introduces the line of evidence, presents the Scripture that applies, and reasons through the effect the evidence has on our understanding of Christianity. Throughout its pages the book references a broad spectrum of Christian sources and cites them in footnotes that are helpful for further study.

While Reasons We Believe isn’t an exhaustive source for apologetics, it is a great place to get a summary of important evidences for the Christian faith and a good starting point for those who want to dig deep. Nathan Busenitz has written the book in a way that a person can either read a few pages to pick up helpful information or spend hours researching the concepts he presents.