Evidence for joy: Unlocking the secrets of being loved, accepted, and secure

by Josh McDowell

Evidence for Unlocking the secrets of being loved, accepted, and secure

Genres: Christian Living, Christian

194 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 1984

About the author

Josh McDowell is a bestselling Christian apologist, evangelist, and author of over 150 books, including Evidence That Demands a Verdict and More Than a Carpenter. Once an agnostic, he converted to Christianity while investigating its historical claims. He went on to earn degrees from Wheaton College and Talbot Theological Seminary. For decades, McDowell has been a prominent speaker with Campus Crusade for Christ, addressing issues of faith, character, and youth culture worldwide. His work emphasizes historical and legal evidence for Christianity and tackles challenges posed by skepticism and non-Christian beliefs. He lives in California with his wife, Dottie, and is the father of four children, including fellow apologist Sean McDowell.

Reviews

[Susan Barnes · Rating 4 out of 5]

Evidence of Joy by Josh McDowell and Dale Bellis is quite dated now, but I was curious with the authors’ premise. Much of the material is repeated elsewhere in newer books but a couple of things stood out to me. One was the emphasis on faith being objective. Christian faith is based on historical facts which can be checked, plus the biblical record which Christians believe is an accurate account of God’s dealings with his people over many centuries. Therefore faith isn’t subjective and whipped up from within ourselves. Rather it is objective, and not affected by how we feel. Even Jesus told us to believe the evidence: “Believe me when I say that I am in the Father and the Father is in me; or at least believe on the evidence of the works themselves” (John 14:11).

I found chapter seven on the law and God’s motivation particularly insightful as the authors explain that God gave his laws to protect and provide for his people. Often we see God’s laws as restrictive but his heart is to protect us from the physical, mental, and emotional damage that happens when we pursue our own choices. God’s desire is to meet our need for love, acceptance and security but often we prefer to meet these needs ourselves, but ultimately end up dissatisfied.

The book is easy to read, with anecdotes and illustrations from real people’s experiences.

Still a worthwhile read, many years after its publication.

[Frederick Tan · Rating 4 out of 5]

Who you are in Christ show who you are internally.

[Megi · Rating 5 out of 5]

I got so in touch with myself and with God. It really does challenge you to look into yourself and see where you could make changes. God did an amazing time ministering to Josh during the time he wrote this.

[Rachel · Rating 3 out of 5]

Not a bad inspirational read but a bit poorly written.