Cross Examined: An Unconventional Spiritual Journey

by Robert B. Seidensticker

“A fascinating novel of ideas … puts a whole new light on apologetics.” — Dr. Robert M. Price, author of Deconstructing Jesus, The Case Against the Case for Christ, and many others

“Bob Seidensticker’s Cross Examined is a great read on two fronts. You won’t find a better book on Christian apologetics and the rebuttals … and the story is compelling, with a startling climax. Highly recommended.” — Paul Gabel, author of Inventing The New Testament Narrative as Fiction
In 1906, three men share a destiny forged by a prophecy of destruction. That prophecy comes true with staggering force with the San Francisco earthquake and fire, and young assistant pastor Paul Winston is cast into spiritual darkness when his fiancée is among the dead. Soon Paul finds himself torn between two powerful the charismatic pastor who rescued him from the street and an eccentric atheist who gradually undercuts Christianity’s intellectual foundation.

As he grapples with the shock to love and faith, Paul’s past haunts him. He struggles to retain his faith, the redemptive lifesaver that keeps him afloat in a sea of guilt. But the belief that once saved him now threatens to destroy the man he is becoming.

Paul discovers that redemption comes in many forms. A miracle of life. A fall from grace. A friend resurrected. A secret discovered. And maybe, a new path taken. He realizes that religion is too important to let someone else decide it for him. The choice in the end is his—will it be one he can live with?

CROSS EXAMINED challenges the popular intellectual arguments for Christianity and invites the reader to shore them up … or discard them. Take the journey and see where it leads you.

Genres: Fiction

278 pages, Paperback

First published December 9, 2011

Reviews

[Jude · Rating 4 out of 5]

I mostly enjoyed this book for its discussion of apologetics and logical refutation of the god theory. The actual story was rather far fetched and predictable, but pleasant. I liked the way the author used the most common rationalizations of theists and the contradictions of bible.

[Carol Kuniholm · Rating 3 out of 5]

The narrative of Cross Examined offers conventions of plot: a half-hearted love story, uncertain identity, mounting tension between rival mentors, a young man facing traumatic past and uncertain future.

Yet the plot, and the characters themselves, are little more than a framework for the interplay of ideas. Between two formal debates that frame the action, young protagonist Paul shuttles between pastor and recluse, rebutting arguments from one, gathering ammunition from the other, an almost featureless pawn in the battle of belief.

The story suffers, but the ideas suffer as well. Arguments both for and against belief are flattened, misrepresented, treated as little more than markers in a competitive game that resembles poker more than chess: "I'll meet your ontological arguments and raise you one Pascal's wager."

The novel introduces arguments for and against the existence of God, the truth of scripture, the possibility of miracle, but in a way that seems heavily weighted toward the author's own assumptions. Those who represent Christian belief (a bombastic, dishonest minister, a paternalistic priest, a flat, authoritarian father) appear slightly dim-witted, while atheist Jim is the voice of reason.

Jim tells Paul: "faith is immune to facts. . . And that's the biggest clue that Christianity is false: it's built on faith. Believing something because it's reasonable and rational requires no faith at all." In the intellectual chess game Seidensticker has constructed, facts and logic are the highest values, sweeping all opposition from their path.

At the same time, there's an odd undercurrent to the novel's slight narrative.

Jim lives in such a place of distrust he is unable to leave his home. He's been trapped in one place since he left the church and abandoned his faith over two decades earlier. As he invites Paul deeper into his logical agnosticism, he also invites Paul into a place of isolation and paralysis.

In the end, Paul seems required to choose between reasoned loneliness or irrational acceptance of a more productive and emotionally healthy community. Is that Seidensticker's point? Or is Paul so programmed to be a pawn that the loss of one mentor sends him reeling back toward the other? It's hard to tell - and by that point in the story - equally hard to care.

For a longer review - with more plot summary, and more personal reflections: http://wordshalfheard.blogspot.com/20...

[Stanley Brooks · Rating 4 out of 5]

I'm currently reading this book, and so far I'm very impressed with the story and the ideas explored. The book tells the story of an assistant protestant pastor in an evangelical Los Angeles church at the time of the San Francisco earthquake. In the course of his duties the protagonist meets an atheist whom he is ordered to try to convert by his lead pastor. The person in question is a reformed believer and a skilled debater and using the narrative method as a tool, the various position of Apologetics are examined, challenged and ultimately dismissed. I'll add to this assessment as I work my way though the book.

[Gay · Rating 3 out of 5]

Simply written, a little boring, sometimes confusing. I read this book to reinforce my humanistic beliefs and it did do that. It probably wouldn't convince a confirmed Christian to think otherwise. Strange ending.

[Scott · Rating 4 out of 5]

While not completely what I was expecting, this was an enjoyable read that made me think about thing again. Wait, maybe that was what I was expecting.

[Steve Heyduck · Rating 5 out of 5]

I'll review this on my blog within the week. Good read!