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Smooth Stones: Bringing Down the Giant Questions of Apologetics
Street-level apologetics for everyday Christians.
Because faith in Jesus makes sense. And you don’t need an advanced degree to understand why.
This book was written for two reasons.
First, too many people think believing in Christianity means blind faith, against all evidence, the way a child believes in Santa Claus or the Tooth Fairy. Nothing could be further from the truth.
Second, every few years a new book intended to undermine Christianity becomes a best seller and shakes the faith of many. Yet the arguments in these books are rarely compelling.
Jesus likened faith in God to a house built on a foundation. If built on sand, storms of doubt will tear the house apart. But if we build on a solid foundation, we will stand. In these pages, Joe Coffey inspects our foundation — so we can know why we believe, and so we can speak of our faith to others with greater confidence and clarity.
The conclusion? The Christian faith is built on a tremendous amount of credible evidence. You don’t need to be a scientist, an historian, an archeologist, or a philosopher to understand why belief in Jesus makes perfect sense.
Think of the last time an unbeliever asked you a seemingly unanswerable question as a way of supporting their unbelief. Did you feel thwarted in your attempt to “give an account for the hope that is in you”? Smooth Stones answers six of the toughest of these
1. How do you know God exists?
2. How can you be sure the Bible is authentic and true?
3. If God exists, why is there evil and suffering?
4. Doesn’t science disprove the Bible?
5. Aren’t all religions the same?
6. How can you be sure the claims of Christ are true?
Joe Coffey writes in a style that is clear, winsome, and compelling. Smooth Stones will equip you with answers to some of the toughest apologetics questions a Christian can face.
There is plenty of evidence to support the claims of Christianity. Smooth Stones puts much of that evidence at your fingertips and offers practical guidelines for how to unpack it in ways that are “gentle and reverent.”
Because faith in Jesus makes sense. And you don’t need an advanced degree to understand why.
This book was written for two reasons.
First, too many people think believing in Christianity means blind faith, against all evidence, the way a child believes in Santa Claus or the Tooth Fairy. Nothing could be further from the truth.
Second, every few years a new book intended to undermine Christianity becomes a best seller and shakes the faith of many. Yet the arguments in these books are rarely compelling.
Jesus likened faith in God to a house built on a foundation. If built on sand, storms of doubt will tear the house apart. But if we build on a solid foundation, we will stand. In these pages, Joe Coffey inspects our foundation — so we can know why we believe, and so we can speak of our faith to others with greater confidence and clarity.
The conclusion? The Christian faith is built on a tremendous amount of credible evidence. You don’t need to be a scientist, an historian, an archeologist, or a philosopher to understand why belief in Jesus makes perfect sense.
Think of the last time an unbeliever asked you a seemingly unanswerable question as a way of supporting their unbelief. Did you feel thwarted in your attempt to “give an account for the hope that is in you”? Smooth Stones answers six of the toughest of these
1. How do you know God exists?
2. How can you be sure the Bible is authentic and true?
3. If God exists, why is there evil and suffering?
4. Doesn’t science disprove the Bible?
5. Aren’t all religions the same?
6. How can you be sure the claims of Christ are true?
Joe Coffey writes in a style that is clear, winsome, and compelling. Smooth Stones will equip you with answers to some of the toughest apologetics questions a Christian can face.
There is plenty of evidence to support the claims of Christianity. Smooth Stones puts much of that evidence at your fingertips and offers practical guidelines for how to unpack it in ways that are “gentle and reverent.”
114 pages, Kindle Edition
First published May 26, 2011
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77 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 17 of 17 reviews
June 3, 2024
A PASTOR LOOKS AT SIX ISSUES RELATED TO CHALLENGES TO CHRISTIANITY
Author Joe Coffey wrote in the Introduction to this 2011 book, “Why did I write [this book]? There are two reasons. The first is that there are so many people … who think believing in Christianity means you have to take your brain and put it on a shelf and simply trust with blind faith, against all odds, against all evidence, the way a child believes in Santa Claus or the Tooth Fairy. The second reason is that every two or three years, a new book intended to undermine Christianity will become a bestseller and shake the faith of many to the core… And yet the arguments in these books, although well-written, are typically not compelling… What I want to do in these pages is to inspect our foundation so we know WHY we believe what we believe. We will explore six issues: the existence of God, the challenges of modern science, the validity of the Bible, the question of evil and suffering, the similarities of other religions, and the evidence for the claims of Jesus. I think we will discover that the Christian faith is built on a tremendous amount of credible evidence.”
He suggests, “I think Freud is right in one sense. If you honestly believe in something that does not exist, you will become less healthy and probably mentally ill. Yet we have this mountain of evidence indicating that a strong faith in God results in BETTER mental health. By Freud’s argument, wouldn’t that indicate that people who believe in God are not distorting reality because, in fact, God is real? There it is again. God has placed eternity in the hearts of men.” (Pg. 18)
He points out, “The scientific evidence that the universe had a beginning posed a two-fold challenge to naturalist philosophy… Naturalists eventually responded with a new category of theories to try to explain how all these precise conditions could come to exist in our universe by chance. The cornerstone idea is that multiple universes must exist simultaneously, each one the result of countless random events. Out of these billions and billions of parallel universes, we happen to be in the one universe where everything came together just right… But the thing is, that is not science. It involves zero scientific facts. It is philosophy---naturalist philosophy that rejects even the possibility of a ‘cook’ or a ‘designer’ like God.” (Pg. 27-28)
He outlines, “God created the world without pain and suffering, but Adam rebelled against God and as a result the whole human race came under God’s curse. There is pain and suffering in the world because we are being punished for rebelling against God… In essence, that is the punishment theory. The problem with this theory is the distribution of suffering… some of us have gone through a lot more suffering than others. And that doesn’t seem fair. Especially when a relatively good person suffers and a relatively bad person gets by scot-free. In cases like those, the punishment theory fails to provide satisfying answers.” (Pg. 58)
He explains the Free Will theory, “evil and pain and suffering must be allowed to exist in order for love and goodness to be genuine… Here is the problem with the free will theory. If God is both loving and powerful, free will should be important, but it should not be the MOST important thing… There’s another problem… Just like the punishment theory, it doesn’t explain why some people go through a lot more suffering than others.” (Pg. 59-60)
He continues, “According to [the] natural law theory, certain kinds of actions always have the same consequences… We make wrong choices and get hurt when we violate natural law. But NOT ALL of our suffering is a result of our choices… The natural law theory fails to provide adequate explanations for all kinds of suffering.” (Pg. 60-61)
He then replies, “My first answer for the head is simply this. If there is a God big enough for you to be mad at for allowing whatever evil or pain or suffering has happened, then that God is big enough to have reasons you and I cannot begin to understand.” (Pg. 62)
He states, “in Christianity, we believe God revealed himself, and it is only by God’s self-revelation alone that we know truth… That is a truth claim, and it is exclusive by nature. Christians believe that God revealed himself in Jesus Christ, the God-Man. But when the pluralist says, ‘No one can know if their way is right or wrong,’ he or she is ALSO making a truth-claim: ‘God is not a revealer by nature. No one can know. I am right about this and you are wrong.’ And that truth-claim is also EXCLUSIVE by nature.” (Pg. 76)
He concludes, “The two most important words for apologists are ‘the gospel.’ Do not forget you are sharing good news. The good news tells us that even though you are more deeply flawed than you have ever wanted to admit to anyone---even yourself---at the same time you are more deeply loved than you have ever dared to dream. The good news is made possible by the person of Jesus Christ… It is easy to get into discussions with friends and, in a quest to be right about some particular point, lost sight of the gospel. No one was ever won to Christ through that kind of argument… Do not lose sight of the grace when you share your faith.” (Pg. 105)
This book will be of keen interest to those studying Apologetics.
Author Joe Coffey wrote in the Introduction to this 2011 book, “Why did I write [this book]? There are two reasons. The first is that there are so many people … who think believing in Christianity means you have to take your brain and put it on a shelf and simply trust with blind faith, against all odds, against all evidence, the way a child believes in Santa Claus or the Tooth Fairy. The second reason is that every two or three years, a new book intended to undermine Christianity will become a bestseller and shake the faith of many to the core… And yet the arguments in these books, although well-written, are typically not compelling… What I want to do in these pages is to inspect our foundation so we know WHY we believe what we believe. We will explore six issues: the existence of God, the challenges of modern science, the validity of the Bible, the question of evil and suffering, the similarities of other religions, and the evidence for the claims of Jesus. I think we will discover that the Christian faith is built on a tremendous amount of credible evidence.”
He suggests, “I think Freud is right in one sense. If you honestly believe in something that does not exist, you will become less healthy and probably mentally ill. Yet we have this mountain of evidence indicating that a strong faith in God results in BETTER mental health. By Freud’s argument, wouldn’t that indicate that people who believe in God are not distorting reality because, in fact, God is real? There it is again. God has placed eternity in the hearts of men.” (Pg. 18)
He points out, “The scientific evidence that the universe had a beginning posed a two-fold challenge to naturalist philosophy… Naturalists eventually responded with a new category of theories to try to explain how all these precise conditions could come to exist in our universe by chance. The cornerstone idea is that multiple universes must exist simultaneously, each one the result of countless random events. Out of these billions and billions of parallel universes, we happen to be in the one universe where everything came together just right… But the thing is, that is not science. It involves zero scientific facts. It is philosophy---naturalist philosophy that rejects even the possibility of a ‘cook’ or a ‘designer’ like God.” (Pg. 27-28)
He outlines, “God created the world without pain and suffering, but Adam rebelled against God and as a result the whole human race came under God’s curse. There is pain and suffering in the world because we are being punished for rebelling against God… In essence, that is the punishment theory. The problem with this theory is the distribution of suffering… some of us have gone through a lot more suffering than others. And that doesn’t seem fair. Especially when a relatively good person suffers and a relatively bad person gets by scot-free. In cases like those, the punishment theory fails to provide satisfying answers.” (Pg. 58)
He explains the Free Will theory, “evil and pain and suffering must be allowed to exist in order for love and goodness to be genuine… Here is the problem with the free will theory. If God is both loving and powerful, free will should be important, but it should not be the MOST important thing… There’s another problem… Just like the punishment theory, it doesn’t explain why some people go through a lot more suffering than others.” (Pg. 59-60)
He continues, “According to [the] natural law theory, certain kinds of actions always have the same consequences… We make wrong choices and get hurt when we violate natural law. But NOT ALL of our suffering is a result of our choices… The natural law theory fails to provide adequate explanations for all kinds of suffering.” (Pg. 60-61)
He then replies, “My first answer for the head is simply this. If there is a God big enough for you to be mad at for allowing whatever evil or pain or suffering has happened, then that God is big enough to have reasons you and I cannot begin to understand.” (Pg. 62)
He states, “in Christianity, we believe God revealed himself, and it is only by God’s self-revelation alone that we know truth… That is a truth claim, and it is exclusive by nature. Christians believe that God revealed himself in Jesus Christ, the God-Man. But when the pluralist says, ‘No one can know if their way is right or wrong,’ he or she is ALSO making a truth-claim: ‘God is not a revealer by nature. No one can know. I am right about this and you are wrong.’ And that truth-claim is also EXCLUSIVE by nature.” (Pg. 76)
He concludes, “The two most important words for apologists are ‘the gospel.’ Do not forget you are sharing good news. The good news tells us that even though you are more deeply flawed than you have ever wanted to admit to anyone---even yourself---at the same time you are more deeply loved than you have ever dared to dream. The good news is made possible by the person of Jesus Christ… It is easy to get into discussions with friends and, in a quest to be right about some particular point, lost sight of the gospel. No one was ever won to Christ through that kind of argument… Do not lose sight of the grace when you share your faith.” (Pg. 105)
This book will be of keen interest to those studying Apologetics.
May 3, 2019
This was a quick and easy read, addressing 6 major questions related to Apologetics. This would probably be a good resource for a new believer and/or someone familiarizing himself in the area of Christian apologetics; it is easy to follow, accessible, and contains many of the basic arguments that argue for Christianity. Two critiques of the book: 1. it mainly seemed to be collecting arguments from other Apologetics book and making it accessible to the reader. 2. it would not be my go-to book on Apologetics to go through w youth or as a curriculum; I will need to keep looking for that.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
January 30, 2020
Smooth stones
The author provides a helpful, short introductory discussion on apologetics. He writes in a way that is personable, and engaging, using anecdotes from his own life as illustrations. I would recommend this book to teens, new believers or someone who hasn’t yet read any other works on apologetics.
The author provides a helpful, short introductory discussion on apologetics. He writes in a way that is personable, and engaging, using anecdotes from his own life as illustrations. I would recommend this book to teens, new believers or someone who hasn’t yet read any other works on apologetics.
March 2, 2018
Great short read on apologetics
If you’re looking for a layman’s book on apologetics this was a good read. It always comes back to the Gospel. This is a handy one to have on hand to pass along to your non-Christian friends too.
If you’re looking for a layman’s book on apologetics this was a good read. It always comes back to the Gospel. This is a handy one to have on hand to pass along to your non-Christian friends too.
April 10, 2018
Great book. Very easy read. Practical and applicable tips for making the case for Jesus Christ. Highly recommended.
March 9, 2021
Brief, but invigorating primer on Christian apologetics. If you haven't read about apologetics in a while, consider picking this one up!
February 24, 2015
I’ll begin by saying buy the book & read it you’ll be glad you did, & here is why.
There are a lot of books on apologetics & the faith has been defended well through the centuries. However, most of the books are easily 260 pages, several running 400 plus, & they are, at times, fairly academic, they can be a little thick at times. The hard part is writing a book on the subject that is both brief and fairly thorough. “Smooth Stones” is that book.
Many Christians have heard that the Scriptures & human reasoning, both gifts of God, testify to the validity of the historic Christian faith. But we often struggle to succinctly answer important questions our children, friends & co-workers may raise.
“Smooth Stones” answers six of the biggest questions that challenge Christianity. They are,
Is There a God?
Does Science Disprove God's Existence?
Is the Bible Authentic and True?
The Question of Evil and Suffering
Aren't All Religions the Same?
Is Jesus for Real?
I believe that this book may be the best resource I've seen for Christians to keep on hand to answer common objections in everyday language. There are helps throughout the book in sharing our faith with others as well as questions we can use to help in bringing non-believers to really think about the issues they may be questioning.
One of my favorites are the five key words for religion; "How does your religion define "Sin", "Justice", "Love", "Sacrifice", and "Grace"? And just to stake our claim on the PC front & show that we are tolerant there is this gem, "Christianity in its exclusivity, is the most inclusive religion the world has ever seen." Now that will re-energize any discussion you are having with naysayers.
Only about 100 pages & very well done, good read, very good resource to keep around & would be a great study guide to introduce Christians to apologetics without scaring them off with lectures on epistemology & the like.
There are a lot of books on apologetics & the faith has been defended well through the centuries. However, most of the books are easily 260 pages, several running 400 plus, & they are, at times, fairly academic, they can be a little thick at times. The hard part is writing a book on the subject that is both brief and fairly thorough. “Smooth Stones” is that book.
Many Christians have heard that the Scriptures & human reasoning, both gifts of God, testify to the validity of the historic Christian faith. But we often struggle to succinctly answer important questions our children, friends & co-workers may raise.
“Smooth Stones” answers six of the biggest questions that challenge Christianity. They are,
Is There a God?
Does Science Disprove God's Existence?
Is the Bible Authentic and True?
The Question of Evil and Suffering
Aren't All Religions the Same?
Is Jesus for Real?
I believe that this book may be the best resource I've seen for Christians to keep on hand to answer common objections in everyday language. There are helps throughout the book in sharing our faith with others as well as questions we can use to help in bringing non-believers to really think about the issues they may be questioning.
One of my favorites are the five key words for religion; "How does your religion define "Sin", "Justice", "Love", "Sacrifice", and "Grace"? And just to stake our claim on the PC front & show that we are tolerant there is this gem, "Christianity in its exclusivity, is the most inclusive religion the world has ever seen." Now that will re-energize any discussion you are having with naysayers.
Only about 100 pages & very well done, good read, very good resource to keep around & would be a great study guide to introduce Christians to apologetics without scaring them off with lectures on epistemology & the like.
August 11, 2011
Joe takes on six of the biggest questions that challenge Christianity, namely:
Is There a God?
Does Science Disprove God's Existence?
Is the Bible Authentic and True?
The Question of Evil and Suffering
Aren't All Religions the Same?
Is Jesus for Real?
I know, I know, one of the chapter titles isn't in the form of a question. That bugged me too. But after flying through this book in one day, I was ready to forgive. As a self-proclaimed apologist, I pride myself in at least being familiar with all the big questions and answers surrounding Christian apologetics. Yet Joe surprised me on more than one occasion with simple and fresh approaches to answering these popular challenges.
The simple beauty of this book is in its brevity. This book may be the best resource I've seen for a church to keep on hand to answer common objections in every day language. I know of a number of young men in my church family who would benefit from reading a book like this, but would instantly start having heart complications if I suggested them read anything larger. I, for one, will be commending this book to my pastor to keep on hand for those questioning Christianity.
Is There a God?
Does Science Disprove God's Existence?
Is the Bible Authentic and True?
The Question of Evil and Suffering
Aren't All Religions the Same?
Is Jesus for Real?
I know, I know, one of the chapter titles isn't in the form of a question. That bugged me too. But after flying through this book in one day, I was ready to forgive. As a self-proclaimed apologist, I pride myself in at least being familiar with all the big questions and answers surrounding Christian apologetics. Yet Joe surprised me on more than one occasion with simple and fresh approaches to answering these popular challenges.
The simple beauty of this book is in its brevity. This book may be the best resource I've seen for a church to keep on hand to answer common objections in every day language. I know of a number of young men in my church family who would benefit from reading a book like this, but would instantly start having heart complications if I suggested them read anything larger. I, for one, will be commending this book to my pastor to keep on hand for those questioning Christianity.
June 10, 2011
The book starts out with a claim that christians do not think, that it is all emotional decision. This book goes thru the questions is there a God, does science disprove God's existence, is the bible authentic and true, the question of evil and suffering, are'nt all religions the same and is Jesus for real. Each chapter gives a mindful description using the bible, historic fact, commen sense, and truth if you really think it true. Pluralism is more about what any given individual thinks for himself where God's truth about right and wrong is engraved in our hearts. There are many examples but one that Coffey brought up was when someone cuts in line at the grocery store. It is a book for christians and non christians alike to give food for thought and to defend the faith. I do think a part of faith is a heart issue. That was touched on a bit and without that softened heart, it is difficult for one to believe the truth of the Lord. However, that being said, I did gleam much from the thinking part of my faith and was encouraged.
July 20, 2011
This great book puts into clear, simple to understand language evidences for God, as described in the Bible. The author did an outstanding job of taking a subject that can be dry and detailed and difficult, and make it simple, clear, and yet well documented and referenced. I enjoy the more detailed variants of apologetics books, such as The Case For Christ, but this book is downright outstanding. I will recommend this book to many!
April 2, 2012
This short (106 pages) easy to read (1 hour for me) book is simply one of the best apologetic tools I have come across. Joe's writing style is humorous with a point--a very sharp point. He takes the hardest questions head on and gives Biblically based and logically sound responses. This is a great book for a lay person with questions about God and the Bible or for a skeptic searching for answers.
December 30, 2013
Coffey attempts to answer some of the more common objections to Christianity in this primer on apologetics. Perhaps overly ambitious for the format restrictions of the recently-launched Cruciform Press, Coffey’s efforts are welcome but fail to engage on the level they aim for. His personal stories resonate more powerfully than his logical arguments which, while sound, don’t pack the requisite oomph. Most will be better served by reading William Craig, Paul Copan, or even Josh McDowell.
January 12, 2013
Great book to read. It got the 4 stars instead of 5 because of Chapter 2: Does Science Disprove God's Existence? I am a true idiot to understand all kind of science theories. I couldn't understand all of that. I know that I wouldn't be witnessing to someone about science view. Without any question of doubt, I only believe in Creation and Biblical view. I know nothing about all other fault theories of science. All the others chapter got the 5 stars.
January 8, 2016
Straight-forward, informative Apologetics
In his conversational, yet effective method of communicating, Pastor Joe Coffey does an exceptional job in sharing how to address the "head and heart" issues as it relates to sharing the Gospel. Well written and easy to read, Dr. Coffey's illustrations are right on mark.
In his conversational, yet effective method of communicating, Pastor Joe Coffey does an exceptional job in sharing how to address the "head and heart" issues as it relates to sharing the Gospel. Well written and easy to read, Dr. Coffey's illustrations are right on mark.
November 11, 2011
A solid intro to apologetics. A quick read and well done.
May 19, 2013
One of the most easily understandable apologetics books I have read.
April 21, 2016
Accomplishing what he set out to do, Coffey helpfully distills basic apologetic truths and arguments for Christians to use in conversation with friends, family and strangers.
Displaying 1 - 17 of 17 reviews