Christians and non-Christians struggle with vital questions about God and themselves. Honest questions deserve honest answers. And in an age when people often have little acquaintance with Christianity, the answers must be especially clear and understandable--no religious jargon, just straightforward truth. In this unusual book, frank dialogs between a non-Christian and his Christian friend move intriguingly from topic to topic, covering such pertinent questions Is there a God? How do we know? So, why does evil exist? Why should modern man believe in the Bible rather than evolution or in miracles rather than scientific law? What are the evidences for Christianity? If Christianity is true, why has so much evil been done in its name? Can God really forgive me for what I've done? Answers for Atheists presupposes no prior understanding of Christian vocabulary or beliefs but concisely explains each new term or teaching as it comes into the dialog. Invaluable both for the unbeliever looking for answers and for the believer who wants to learn how to better answer friends' questions--and his own. "For those who indeed are 'thoughtful skeptics,' Cal Beisner's patient thoughtfulness, found in Answers , is sure to bear fruit. This is important reading." --Chuck Colson, Chairman of the Board, Prison Fellowship Ministries "Cal Beisner has done an excellent job in placing classical and contemporary apologetics into a readable, conversational style ready to assist Christians in sharing their faith with whoever comes their way." --John F. Ankerberg, Producer/Host, "The John Ankerberg Show"
The dialogue of this book was anything but believable for an actual conversation; however, that does not mean that it did not hold some very interesting points. The book showed me many arguments that I could use in defense of my beliefs, although some of them seemed outdated and disproven, both philosophically and scientifically. The best I can say is that it offered me new points of argumentation for my beliefs, and that it also showed me how to argue without becoming too emotional, or without offending the other person. If you're looking for a book with solid arguments that can't be beaten, this isn't the book. If you're looking for a book specifically on how to debate Christianity, this isn't the book; the whole thing is in dialogue form, which offers no instruction, but rather a list of arguments that could be made as a defense against arguments that one might use. These arguments are very responsive, meaning that if one was to use them, they could not attack another person's arguments with them, but simply defend themselves against the other's arguments.
All in all, the book was a good read. It was a refreshing look at what debates should look like, and showed the reader new insights in arguments for Christian beliefs (although, spoilers; Christian beliefs have yet to be universally proven to be true). However, the book was in dialogue form, save for the brief periods between conversations between the main characters. This made the book very one-dimensional, and not very insightful on either of the arguments outside of the conversations.
This book is a good example for readers of what a healthy debate between friends should look like. Nothing more, nothing less.
The format made it easy to read and keep up with the many ideas expressed during the discussion between the 2 friends. I like the patience that was display during points of disagreement. (Too bad our politicians refuse to act in this same manner.) I highly recommend this book to others who seek to understand Christianity. I would like to read some of the many resources the author listed to expand my knowledge, however the materials are not available at my local library. Overall I consider this a goodread and will add it to my re-read list.