A sophisticated though highly readable Christian answer book for the faithful and seeker alike

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	• Hard Questions, Real Answers William Lane Craig Crossway Books, 2003 - 176 pages average customer review:based on 12 reviews view larger image
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highly recommended

William Lane Craig for a Popular Audience

Bill Craig once told me that he has trouble writing at a popular level. Anyone familiar with his work will immediately understand why. However, in this book he succeeds admirably. This is not a book to shy away from by any means. It isn't a comprehensive treatise, but he does address issues that sometimes are glossed over by Christian thinkers, such as failure and unanswered prayer. I'd highly recommend this book for anyone who spends part of Sunday morning in a Christian church pew.

Answers from Logical Reasoning

This is the best book I've read on these tough spiritual issues. It is short and understandable. I would recommend it to anyone interested in Christ or Christianity, whether you are a Christian or just thinking about becoming one. It would make a wonderful book for classroom discussions of these issues.

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A sophisticated though highly readable Christian answer book for the faithful and seeker alike

One of the most prominent theologians of our day, Dr. William Lane Craig has written a studied, well thought out, and entirely accessible Q&A book for both the faithful and seekers alike. This is the kind of read that both I, as a student of philosophy, and my wife, whose interest in such topics is marginal, but has been slowly increasing due to her reading of Craig, both pick up on occasion, read before bed, and feel inspired in our faith as well as deepened in our knowledge and devotion to Christ.

Interesting hot topic issues jump from the pages and are addressed with a balance of clear language and philosophical rigor. Insightful sections include a compassionate analysis of homosexuality from an orthodox perspective as well as a firm defense of Christian exclusivism, and answers to burning questions such as the problem of evil. All comments are delivered skillfully and with respect.

Following Craig's career, and hearing both his academic debates and his Sunday sermon teachings, he is a man who is as comfortable in front of thousands of atheists or adherents to different faiths as he is teaching to a class of ten during Sunday school. Craig studied under the eminent German theologian Wolfhart Pannenberg and John Hick. If you are only used to Q&A books from popular pastors who feed on emotion and a verse-and-chapter approach to the Word, but are seeming to lack that "put-away punch," Craig's book rises to the occasion with a strong philosophical emphasis bolstering traditionally held theological commitments.

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One of the Best Apologetics Books Ever!

I have always respected the brain power of William Lane Craig. He is quite simply one of the most brilliant Christian men alive today. For this reason, I was afraid to read this book because I thought that his thinking would be so superior to my own that I would never be able to grasp his thought.

But alas, I am happy to report that this book was a delightful read, a beautiful collection of messages that Craig gave on hot potato topics such as the problem of evil, abortion, homosexuality, doubt, failure, and unanswered prayer. Craig is very practical and pastoral (and often quite humorous).

This book encouraged my faith so much that before I was done, I ordered a copy for my mom and a copy for my sister in law.

I especially appreciated the powerful chapter on unanswered prayer, where Craig gives a number of solid reasons why a person's prayers often go unanswered (personal sin, lack of passion, lack of persistence, self-centered praying, and praying for something that isn't God's will (1 John 5:14). He also highlights some New Testament prayers as paradigms for how we should pray.

I also profited greatly from the two chapters dealing with the problem of evil, as this issue has always stumped me when trying to reason through this issue with atheists and agnostics.

The chapter on failure was also insightful, as I learned how God's most profound lessons in life are learned through failure.

I cannot recommend this book highly enough. It is easily one of the best books I have read in the year 2006.

Rev. Marc Axelrod

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Solid 101 apologetic book

As many of the other reviewers have pointed out, this book is written in a simple style, but is by no mean simplistic. It is not as comprehensive as some of Craigs scholarly work, but that's certainly not the intent. This book seems geared toured the average Christian or non-Christian that has legitimate questions, but does not want to read a doctrinal dissertation on the subject.

Dr. Craig begins his introduction by pointing out that much of the church and society has parked itself "in intellectual neutral." In this particular section, his reasoning is in line with JP Moorlands book, Love the Lord with all your mind. He then moves into the section on doubt followed by failure. Craig does a nice job dismantling common misconceptions and proceeds to build a correct view on doubt and failure. There are two separate sections dedicated to suffering and evil. The following quote is found at the end of the chapter on "suffering and evil"...

"God could not have created a world that had so much good as the actual world but had less evil, both in terms of quantity and quality; and moreover, God has morally sufficient reasons for the evil that exists" (p.86).

The remainder of the book covers the area of abortion, homosexuality and Christ, the only way. I would recommend this book for anyone looking for a solid 101 apologetic book.

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reviews: page 1, 2, 3

Nonbelievers, and even Christians, are often troubled by questions about suffering, doubt, failure, and unanswered prayer. Yet careful, compassionate answers are hard to find, in part because evangelicals have not taken the life of the mind seriously enough. The intellectual currents of our day are just too strong for simplistic responses.

In Hard Questions, Real Answers, William Lane Craig doesn't offer trite phrases or pat answers he offers honest insights gained from a life of study and ministry. Readers in the midst of doubt and confusion will find real answers to these perplexing questions and learn to stand on the only sure foundation for hope God Himself. This expanded new edition includes chapters on abortion and homosexuality to help readers know how to think about these volatile social issues.

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