BOOK REVIEW: The Reason Why Faith Makes Sense by Mark Mittelberg

The Reason Why Faith Makes Sense is an update of a book called The Reason Why written by Robert A Laidlaw in 1913. Laidlaw, a successful New Zealand businessman, wrote the book for his employees to provide simple answers to complex questions about God and Christianity. Laidlaw's little (37-page) book eventually reached more than fifty-million people around the world.

Mittelberg recreated the book with contemporary expressions and updated evidence to support Laidlaw's conclusions.

The book is organized around the following questions:

Is there a God?

Can the Bible be trusted?
Are we accountable to God?
Who was Jesus and what was his purpose?
Is divine forgiveness available?
What do I need to do?

Answers for each question are given with both Bible references and logic provided by experts in fields other than theology. Stephen Hawking, for example.

What I like about this book is that the answers are succinct while being full of information. My notes from reading the book are nearly as long as the book itself.

This is the type of book you'll want to read over and over again. You'll also want to have a few extra copies to share with friends and family. I feel more comfortable with my beliefs from reading it.

 

Disclosure of Material Connection: I received an advance review copy of this book free from the publisher. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255 : “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.”

 

BOOK REVIEW: Two Devotionals by Martin Roth

Love, Justice and Power: The Message of Passover for Christians by Martin Roth

Martin Roth writes this devotional from his perspective of growing up in a Jewish family and becoming a Christian later in his life. Included are Bible reading assignments and discussions. However, what I found special was when the author talked about his own experiences. His first Seder, or Passover Ceremony, was experienced at the home of his aunt and uncle in Tel Aviv where Roth had gone to work on a kibbutz after recently graduating from the university. It was his first Seder because his father, a refuge of World War II in New Zealand, had rejected his Jewish heritage.

Roth became a Christian at the age of forty-four after his Jewish experience and other experiences while living in Japan.

Another interesting story in this devotional is about Rabbi Harold Vallins, a man who went from being an atheist to a Rabbi to a Christian. Roth talked to him to learn how this happened and reading about it is fascinating as well as informative.

 

A Psalm for the Battle: Reflections on Psalm 18, Christians and Warfare by Martin Roth 

Roth's father was a Jewish refugee to New Zealand and a Communist who served in the New Zealand Air Force. After the war, he became anti-war, refused his war medals, and became a leader, along with Roth's mother, in the fight for nuclear disarmament.
 

The question the author poses is this: Should Christians kill as soldiers? The devotional goes through Psalms 18, analyzing each verse as it relates to war.

I found the quotes from Andrew Grills interesting. Grills was an Anglican chaplain with the Australian Defense Force. Another story I liked was the way a British general became an Anglican priest after he retired.

Both these devotionals are well worth the read.