Christianity is a religious belief that revolves around hope for eternal life, grace derived from the death of Jesus, and endless forgiveness, thus making it unique. Joshua Strahan's book titled The Basics of Christian Belief: Bible, Theology, and Life's Big Questions is an attempt to demystify Christianity. The author focuses on the key tenets of Christianity by comparing it with other popular world religions including atheism. The author has used anecdotes, quotes, scriptures, personal experiences, and convictions, and other scholarly works, thus making the book a source of religious authority. However, this book has its shortcomings which may interfere with the message it aims to pass. Nonetheless, the author manages to conclude that Christianity is a more convincing worldview, especially when compared with atheism.
Part 1: Strengths of this Book
The Basics of Christian Belief: Bible, Theology, and Life's Big Questions is a book that provides a new understanding of the tenets of Christianity. One of the strengths of this book is the fact that the author is focused on providing an objective analysis by accepting various views. G. K. Chesterton quote, “There are some people and I am one of them who think that the most practical and important thing about a person is still his or her view of the universe” depicts objectivity. The quote is indicative of an author who, although has personal convictions, would not directly influence the readers to align with them. Rather, the author provides different opposing stances and allows the readers to review them before they decide which of them are sensible and acceptable. Strahan introduces the reader to the atheist worldview as espoused in The Atheist’s Guide to Reality by Alex Rosenberg, a philosophy professor at the Duke University. Rosenberg’s worldview about God, the reality of the soul, morality, and free will, contravenes the Christian worldview, but Strahan accommodates it. The reason why he accepts them and endears the reader to do the same is that they make sense also, especially if they are reflective of personal beliefs regarding their world. What the author is advocating for is the fact that there is no absoluteness to these beliefs and the best thing to do is to accommodate others even if they have contrary ideas. This aspect of his book establishes that Strahan is open to other ideas since they can enhance his perspective on the world.
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This book draws its strength from the incorporation of several anecdotes and personal experiences which provide a framework for understanding Christianity. In the beginning, Strahan introduces G.K Chesterton, a popular man who lived in London at the turn of the twentieth century. While no one alive met this man, it is evident that he made lasting impressions that would be crucial in understanding the contents of the book. The mention of this person lays the foundation for contrasting Christianity with other popular beliefs in a bid to improve the readers’ understanding. In the same manner, Strahan incorporates his experience as they pertain to the Christian faith. “The Lord’s Prayer” paves the way for the author to share his struggles with accepting that God is his Father. The line-by-line analysis of this prayer is so articulate that the reader views it in a new light. Most Christians may view it just like any other prayer, but Strahan has brought in a new perspective. In particular, he has established that the prayers capture the Christian worldview using a few articulate, intricate, and divinely inspired statements. The author provides the reader with his experience with blurred vision when he was eight to establish the need to change one's perspective of the world. According to Strahan (2020), a blurred vision made him think that life was fuzzy, but Christians are in a position to focus better on the world, thus allowing them to see its meaning and beauty. Overall, the use of anecdotes and personal experience paves the way for more critical thinking, especially when understanding one's purpose on earth as well as the place of God.
This book that focuses on Christian beliefs has an outstanding strength in that the author has consulted widely, thus providing authoritative information. In the beginning, he explores atheist beliefs as presented by Alex Rosenberg who is a specialist in the particular discourse. In the same way, the author backs up his claims using the scripture in the topics and subtopics that revolve around the tenets of Christianity. For instance, in Chapter 1 Strahan relies on The Book of Genesis to lay the foundation for the divine creation. The inclusion of scriptures allows readers to understand the basics of Christianity in that they acknowledge God as their source. In furtherance of this claim, the author consults Atra-Hasis and the Enuma Elish which are ancient creation accounts in a bid to enhance the readers' understanding. A comparison of the Genesis and these two creation accounts presents three differences that make Christianity unique. The most outstanding difference is that “the Genesis account is monotheistic, which means it recognizes only one unrivaled God at a time when polytheism was the standard religious view” (7). The inclusion of various scholastic and religious articles throughout the book is indicative of an author who is keen on providing a holistic approach to a sensitive topic of religious beliefs. Overall, the author is keen to avoid glorifying any of the beliefs but instead allows the readers to decide between the different arguments that he presents.
Part 2: The Weakness Of The Book
The book is an attempt to highlight the impacts that worldviews have on how people interact with their surroundings. In as much as the author has succeeded in bringing new insights into the topic, some weaknesses may affect the interpretation. The most outstanding of these weaknesses is the fact that the writer is more knowledgeable in Christianity affairs as opposed to atheism and other beliefs. As a result, it is expected that he will lean more to the Christian worldview at the peril of other views and popular beliefs. The author used only Alex Rosenberg’s book to support the atheist worldview but claimed that “many of us find that our self-professed worldviews don’t always align with our lives” (4). This statement causes bias, considering that it refutes Rosenberg’s stand on atheism and in turn all their beliefs since to Strahan they are just personal opinions. Strahan goes ahead to assert that while many atheists may agree with Rosenberg they do not have the detached and unsentimental perspective that he describes. This assertion is an indicator that atheists do not ascribe to similar beliefs which is a way of discrediting their worldview. The inclusion of these statements that pertain to their worldview right at the preface dilutes everything else that the author advances, especially in the atheism discourse.
The book is indicative of an ambitious endeavor on the part of Stratham to cover the entire Bible right from Genesis to Revelation in those few chapters. While one can appreciate his effort which is geared towards defending the Christian worldview, it is clear that he is prone to miss crucial information. In particular, a condensation of the whole Bible in these few chapters means that he is likely to only pick the information that supports his thesis while ignoring other scriptures. One would feel that the book may not appeal to an atheist reader who in this case should be the focus. In as much as he has tried to create a connection between all the chapters, there is still a chance for misinformation. The last part which is titled “A Christian Point of View”, provides a summary of the apologetics for Stratham’s preferred worldview. The inclusion of this chapter is Strahan’s last chance to convince the reader that the Christian worldview is the most reasonable and compelling. What the author has succeeded in doing is to defend against attacks on the Christian worldview. Overall, the book is all about pitting different worldviews but with a predetermined and favorable outcome for the majority of readers.
Part 3: Connecting the Book to Acts
The book is divided into three but interrelated parts that include the “Plotline of the Scripture”, “The Apostles Creed” and “A Christian Point of View”. The second part aligns with The Book of Acts since it is a chronicle of the apostles’ contribution to building the New Testament church. Chapter six of this part revolves around the Holy Spirit and the Church who was manifested after the ascension of Jesus. The Apostles Creed has a part that says “I believe in the Holy Spirit”, a phrase that became apparent when the disciples experienced an overflow as Jesus had promised them (Acts 2). When the Holy Spirit came upon the disciples He empowered them to spread the gospel to all cities, most specifically to the Gentiles. This is the first time after Jesus’ death that the apostles advanced the Christian worldview since they also had been partakers of the gospel. The Book of Acts espouses the Apostles Creed’s phrase that says “I Believe in the Communion of Saints” which points to the need for unity to build up the body of Christ. The church that resulted from the manifestation of the Holy Spirit through tongues of fire communed at every opportunity. According to Acts 2:44-46,
All the believers were together and had everything in common. They sold property and possessions to give to anyone who had a need. Every day they continued to meet together in the temple courts. They broke bread in their homes and ate together with a glad and sincere heart (NIV). This practice brought in a new meaning to Christianity, making it a religion that values unity which in turn allows individuals to realize their purpose. The author of this book advances the notion that the Christian worldview espouses free will, morality, and eternal life. The Book of Acts captured all these tenets in that the New Testament church which was built upon an apostolic foundation represented Jesus Christ. The story of Ananias and Sapphira in Acts chapter 5 is an indicator that God desires honesty in all the people who profess to follow Jesus. The failure to declare all the money that they have received upon selling their land resulted in their deaths. This scripture aligns with the book's call for living a life free of sin since Christians, unlike atheists are accountable to God. For this reason, they ought to live a life that is purpose-driven that mirrors the love of God by being concerned about the implications of their actions. However, in all things, there is a need to understand that they are liable for persecution for their stand which is a departure from other worldviews. The book of Acts captures the trials that the apostles faced for defending their faith including imprisonment, stoning, and crucifixion. These trials were a way of saying that they were ready to defend their faith in as much as it continues to receive backlash from scientists and philosophers alike.
Conclusion
Joshua Strahan’s book provides new insights into both Christian and atheist worldviews regarding the meaning of life and the existence of God. In the beginning, Strahan established the need to respect personal convictions, a way of providing an objective review of different beliefs. The inclusion of The Atheist’s Guide to Reality by Alex Rosenberg is indicative of the need to respect other's views even if they contradict those of the majority. The inclusion of this text and others that support the atheist worldview paves the way for a balanced review into two distinct perspectives. While this choice is commendable, Strahan indicates that self-professed worldviews do not necessarily align with their lives. This assertion nullifies his support for the atheist worldview which he held at the beginning of the book and, in turn, advances Christianity as the ultimate religion.
Reference
Strahan, J. (2020). The basics of Christian belief: Bible, theology, and life's big questions . Baker Publishing Group.
