Choosing Your Faith: In a World of Spiritual Options

by Mark Mittelberg, Lee Strobel (Foreword)

In a world of spiritual options, people constantly tell us what to believe. Yet, while we hear these pleas, we're already functioning with existing beliefs—even if they are beliefs by default. So how do we choose what to believe—especially in the area of faith? Do we need to choose? In "Choosing Your Faith, " Mark Mittelberg encourages us, as Socrates does, not to lead an unexamined life. He invites us to examine why we believe what we believe. This examination will resonate with Christians and seekers alike.

Genres: Christian, Religion, Spirituality, Psychology, Theology, Faith, Christian Living

269 pages, Hardcover

First published February 6, 2008

About the author

Mark Mittelberg is a best-selling author, sought-after speaker, and a leading strategist in evangelism and apologetics-oriented outreach. He is the primary author (with Lee Strobel and Bill Hybels) of the updated Becoming a Contagious Christian Training Course, through which more than a million people have learned to effectively and naturally communicate their faith to others. Mark’s newest book, The Questions Christians Hope No One Will Ask, is based on a survey of 1000 Christians commissioned through the Barna organization, and deals with the ten issues that believers most want to avoid—but must not! Prior to that Mark collaborated with Lee Strobel to develop The Unexpected Adventure, a six-week devotional designed to inspire Christians and churches to enter into the excitement of sharing Christ. His previous book, Choosing Your Faith ... In a World of Spiritual Options, strengthens the faith of believers and is a great resource to give to friends who are figuring out what to believe — and he’s developed a DVD study course for Christians based on that book, Faith Path: Helping Friends Find Their Way to Christ. Mark also wrote the articles for the Choosing Your Faith New Testament. His other books include the updated Becoming a Contagious Church, which sets forth an innovative blueprint for mobilizing churches for evangelism, and the classic best-seller Becoming a Contagious Christian, which he co-authored with Hybels. In addition, Mark was contributing editor for The Journey: A Bible for the Spiritually Curious, and a contributor to Reasons for Faith: Making a Case for the Christian Faith, edited by Norman Geisler and Chad Meister, and God Is Great, God Is Good: Why Believing in God Is Reasonable & Responsible, edited by William Lane Craig and Chad Meister — which won the 2010 Christianity Today award for best book in the area of apologetics and evangelism. Mark was the evangelism director at Willow Creek Community Church in Chicago for seven years and for the Willow Creek Association for a decade. He is a frequent contributor for Outreach magazine, and he was an editorial consultant and periodic guest for Lee Strobel’s Faith Under Fire television show. He and Strobel have been ministry partners for over twenty years. After receiving an undergraduate degree in business, Mark earned a Master's Degree in Philosophy of Religion from Trinity Evangelical Divinity School in Deerfield, Illinois. In recognition of his achievements in the areas of evangelism and apologetics, he was recently honored by the conferring of a Doctor of Divinity degree from Southern Evangelical Seminary in Charlotte, North Carolina. Mark and his wife, Heidi, have two teenage children, and live near Denver, Colorado.

Reviews

[Julbs · Rating 5 out of 5]

Compelling and amazing!

I wish I had this book when I had my Philosophy of Religion and theology classes back in my university. This book nicely bridges the two disciplines together in a compelling manner.

I like how the book is structured. The first half of the book presents the philosophical foundations by which we must measure our faith. It draws theories from classical philosophers such as Socrates, Augustine of Hippo, Descartes, Hume, Nietzsche, to the philosophers of our time, say Dawkins, and C. S. Lewis—which is exactly like my Philosophy of Religion class under Fr. Masong (I miss that class)! From these philosophical foundations, the author makes an argument for the validity of Christianity on the second half of the book. I thought that this book would just be like other Christian apologetics books which prove the Bible using the Bible itself. Instead, the author tried as much as he can to measure Christianity—and subtly, other religions—by the philosophical standards he set up at the beginning of the book.

I like how this book arrives at a definition of faith after all the arguments presented:

"Wise, spiritual faith—the kind I'm advocating—is a commitment of trust based on solid, though incomplete, evidence that we're believing in the right things and moving in the best direction" (221-222, emphasis mine).

I agree that this book resonates a lot to both Christian and non-Christian faith seekers alike. This book made me remember my first lesson in Catholic theology back in my first year in my university. I was a Protestant and I was so cynical of everything Catholic. Yet my Jesuit education taught me that we all may walk different paths, but all these paths lead to God—even the path of disbelief. This book totally embodies my biggest takeaway from my Jesuit education: that we are to have fides quaerens intellectum.

[Julex Aguila · Rating 4 out of 5]

"When considering matters of faith, why wait until we're close to death, hoping that we'll have the chance to "make our peace" and patch things up at the very end - when it's too late to discover the adventure or to live out the truth that we might finally find?"

This book, "Choosing Your Faith: In a World of Spiritual Options", is a good one to consider when you want to reevaluate or rethink the faith that you have. Here the author uses faith as a personal relationship or personal decision and not a state of religion or cult. The author recommends to consider his "Six Paths of Faith" arguments as a way to reevaluate what you believe in. These paths tried to explain how we come up with each kind of faith and how it affects our chosen faith. The book also tries to question the foundation of the reader's faith. These paths can be a reference to start one's personal journey of his faith and come up with a stable foundation about what he believes in.

Love.

[Kevin · Rating 2 out of 5]

I found this book to be a bit on the simplistic and deceptive side. It starts off by presenting itself as an unbiased guide to help you think through major issues and come to your own conclusions about what you should believe. However, as the book goes on, the author starts to place what he believes to be the answer (e.g., conservative Evangelical Protestant Christianity) into many of the questions, and begins subtly (and later not so subtly) guiding you to the answer he wants you to accept. If you are getting this book to help you think your own way through major metaphysical issues, I would look for something a bit more objective. However, as Christian apologetic writing goes, this book is not terrible--perhaps not the best, but certainly a decent basic guide.

[Austin · Rating 5 out of 5]

New to your ideas of considering if you believe in God? Read this. Already comfortable in your faith, but are open to taking your relationship with Him further? Read this. Excellent book that strengthens every aspect of your faith, particularly this attacked by this secular world.

[Marianne · Rating 5 out of 5]

An apologetic response to the Christian faith. Great read. I would recommend this book to anyone who has doubts and questions regarding faith in an Almighty God.

[John · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great book to know and distinguish how and why people follow the faith they are in now and a great tool to win people from other faith to the Christian faith.

[DocHolidavid · Rating 3 out of 5]

Have you ever considered how you established your spiritual attitudes? Has it any logic? Can belief, although not of perfect continuity, be of sound doctrine and reasoning? After all belief and knowledge are different. Are your convictions founded on absences therein and without question?

In speaking of Paul and James of The Bible, Mittelberg says, “These two skeptics-turned-star-witnesses served notice to the world, and to us as we consider and weigh the Christian truth claims, that this faith is built on a solid foundation of facts.”

Although this book is not a restatement of Anselm-of-Canterbury’s: "I do not seek to understand in order that I may believe, but rather, I believe in order that I may understand.”

But, it may be asking, “Are you seeking faith in a belief with no understanding?”

It's great book for anyone serious about their belief.

[Vivek Maurya · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book is a wonderful introduction to the world of apologetics, a well written and well researched book.

[Mikayla · Rating 4 out of 5]

Insightful if you're looking to compare religions or search out what you believe.

[Noah McClintock · Rating 1 out of 5]

Extremely biased, one-sided and poorly put together. Probably the worst Christian apologetics book I've read.

[Victoria Evangelina Allen · Rating 4 out of 5]

~SCRATCHING A DIVINE ITCH~

In Choosing Your Faith Mark Mittelberg explores the different paths that lead one to accepting a faith: Relativism, Tradition, Authority, Intuition, Mysticism, Logic and Evidence. In the second part of the book he shows how to use Logic and Evidence, with the addition of Intuition and Mysticism (as well as some of Authority), to critically look at the religion you are exploring or the one you already belong to.

Do not think that you will have an opinion after reading the book - rather, you'll have a set of tools, as well as some brush influence of PR for Christianity. The author is openly critical to Buddhism, Islam and Mormonism while giving a very good set of scientifically proved facts from the Bible; he quotes many famous atheists-become-Christians and is seemingly passionate about his faith. Of course it influenced the book greatly; but if you are accepting of all faiths, or is already a Christian, or simply believe in Christ and everyone's freedom of choice, author's blunt preferences should not disturb you much. For your tolerance you close the book fresh with desire to deeper examine the field of religion and with some astonishing facts and quotes about the Bible and Christianity, such as:

"No archeological discovery has ever controverted a single biblical reference. Scores of archeological findings have been made which confirm in clear outline or exact detail historical statements in the Bible. And, by the same token, proper evaluation of biblical descriptions has often led to amazing discoveries" - Nelson Glueck, renowned archeologist, who was once featured on the cover of Time magazine.

I recommend this book to anyone interested in matters of religion, faith, spirituality, humanity. From the creation of the world and probably until it's last moment, a human being will be scratching some divine itch apparently reachable only with faith in its organized form of a religion.

Victoria Evangelina

[John · Rating 2 out of 5]

I liked this book more than I expected. The timing of it is unfortunate, though. With Keller's "The Reason For God" in bookstores now, there is no reason to recommend this book when there's a superior option available. Mittelberg's achilles' heal is Keller's strength. Mittleberg tries to act the part of the neutral guide, but the reader all along knows this isn't the case. Keller on the other hand, in being more forthright, proves to be more fair in his presentation of the alternative and thicker in his presentation of the gospel.

[Diane · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book looks at how human beings choose their religious faith (or lack thereof). The author discusses several different paths to faith, and then describes why he believes that an evidence-based analysis is best. He then presents reasons why he believes Christianity is the only religion that passes an evidence-based test.

I think the author makes his point well, and I would recommend this book to anyone considering religious faith or to new Christians. However, the book doesn't go very far in to depth, so I don't think it would be helpful for the experienced Christian in most cases.

[Jim Well Balatero · Rating 4 out of 5]

A well written and articulated book. I like how this book asserts the existence of God using Logic, Evidence, & Science. I like how it started as an unbiased book but at the end the author slowly entails his own sets of beliefs.

"In our culture, people increasingly want more than just information and ideas; they're after a genuine experience. They don't just want coffee; they want a Starbucks experience."

[Brooke Marie · Rating 2 out of 5]

this book is very in-depth. Infact it lost me quite a few times. The ending of the book was the best part of the whole thing.

[Jason · Rating 2 out of 5]

Was expecting a book on Comparative Religion.

I would rename the book "Rejecting your faith and choosing mine."

[Krista · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5

[Sharyn · Rating 3 out of 5]

Good info on what he describes as faith paths. Important point is making sure you have intentionally chosen your faith path. At end describes 20 arrows, which point to Christian faith.

[C Jacobson · Rating 1 out of 5]

The premise started out ok, but then you got the feeling that he was steering you to Christianity. Like in the beginning he makes the claim that the gospels are "biographies". Did not finish.