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The Story of Reality: How the World Began, How It Ends, and Everything Important that Happens in Between
Biblical Christianity is more than just another private religious view. It’s more than just a personal relationship with God or a source of moral teaching.
Christianity is a picture of reality.
It explains why the world is the way it is. When the pieces of this puzzle are properly assembled, we see the big picture clearly. Christianity is a true story of how the world began, why the world is the way it is, what role humans play in the drama, and how all the plotlines of the story are resolved in the end.
In The Story of Reality, best-selling author and host of Stand to Reason, Gregory Koukl, explains the five words that form the narrative backbone of the Christian story. He identifies the most important things that happen in the story in the order they take place:
God
Man
Jesus
Cross
Resurrection
Our story begins with God. He created everything, but something went terribly wrong. So God initiated a rescue plan and entered the world that he had made by becoming like us in Jesus Christ. Jesus saved us from the wrongness in ourselves and in the world through his death on a cross. And how people respond to what he did will determine what their future will be at the final event of history: the resurrection.
If you are already a Christian, this is your story. Do you know it? If you are not a Christian, this is still your story, because it explains the world in a way that nothing else will. It is a true story—the real story behind every other story we hear.
208 pages, Paperback
Published January 10, 2017
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2717 people want to read
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November 24, 2025
Reality is a subject that every person should be interested in. Reality stares us in the face each day and reminds us of the bare facts. Perhaps the most important realities to come to grips with is the Christian worldview. Gregory Koukl presents the major components of the Christian worldview in his newest work, The Story of Reality.
Every worldview has four important ingredients: creation, fall, redemption, and restoration. Koukl adds, “Every worldview means to tell a story like this one, a story of reality. It means to make sense of the way the world actually is – the world as we find it – not simply the world as we wish it to be.”
After Koukl orients the mind readers to the importance of reality, he weaves five critical subjects into the fabric of the Christian worldview described above. These subjects include God, man, Jesus, cross, and resurrection. Each topic is explained in detailed and opposing worldviews are challenged along the way.
At the center of Koukl’s argument is the Story:
That is the Story about how the world began, how the world ends, and everything deeply important that happens in between: the beginning filled with goodness, the rebellion, the brokenness, the rescue, the trade, the mercy, the final justice, the end of evil, the ultimate restoration to perfect goodness, and – for those who trust the Resuer – the unending friendship with a Father who, finally, satisfies the deepest longings of their hearts.
The author challenges readers to participate in this Story – for each person is an active participant whether they realize it or not. Each person will either find unending friendship with God through the completed work of his Son, Jesus Christ. Those who repudiate the offer of eternal salvation will bear the weight of their own sin – or as Koukl writes, “You can reject the gift, stand alone at the judgment, and pay for your own crimes against God, such as they are.”
The Story of Reality is a very important book. This book should be devoured again and again by Christian people. And this book should be gifted to people who have yet embraced the Story. Koukl writes with an engaging style. He steers clear from philosophical buzzwords but never dumbs down the content. This is a Story that needed to be told. Readers who take the time to digest this excellent material will be blessed beyond measure.
I received this book free from the publisher. I was not required to write a positive review.
Every worldview has four important ingredients: creation, fall, redemption, and restoration. Koukl adds, “Every worldview means to tell a story like this one, a story of reality. It means to make sense of the way the world actually is – the world as we find it – not simply the world as we wish it to be.”
After Koukl orients the mind readers to the importance of reality, he weaves five critical subjects into the fabric of the Christian worldview described above. These subjects include God, man, Jesus, cross, and resurrection. Each topic is explained in detailed and opposing worldviews are challenged along the way.
At the center of Koukl’s argument is the Story:
That is the Story about how the world began, how the world ends, and everything deeply important that happens in between: the beginning filled with goodness, the rebellion, the brokenness, the rescue, the trade, the mercy, the final justice, the end of evil, the ultimate restoration to perfect goodness, and – for those who trust the Resuer – the unending friendship with a Father who, finally, satisfies the deepest longings of their hearts.
The author challenges readers to participate in this Story – for each person is an active participant whether they realize it or not. Each person will either find unending friendship with God through the completed work of his Son, Jesus Christ. Those who repudiate the offer of eternal salvation will bear the weight of their own sin – or as Koukl writes, “You can reject the gift, stand alone at the judgment, and pay for your own crimes against God, such as they are.”
The Story of Reality is a very important book. This book should be devoured again and again by Christian people. And this book should be gifted to people who have yet embraced the Story. Koukl writes with an engaging style. He steers clear from philosophical buzzwords but never dumbs down the content. This is a Story that needed to be told. Readers who take the time to digest this excellent material will be blessed beyond measure.
I received this book free from the publisher. I was not required to write a positive review.
March 17, 2017
It is no surprise that I am a big fan of Greg Koukl's work. His book Tactics remains on my must read list for Christians and it is not unreasonable to think that I have bought a half a dozen copies of that book. He is a clear thinker and amazingly effective communicator. He is able to take difficult concepts and make them accessible. For as much as I like Tactics, I may like The Story of Reality even better. It is absolutely one of the best worldview books that I have read. Although I enjoyed the whole book, I was particularly fond of his final chapter, "perfect mercy". I would love to rip that chapter out and hand it to anyone I could get to read it, though a much better idea is to read the whole thing.
April 5, 2018
What is Christianity?
“Christianity is a picture of reality. It is an account or a description or a depiction of the way things actually are.”
“Every religion tells a story of reality. Every philosophy and every individual outlook on life is a take on the way someone thinks the world actually is...All worldviews are not equal, though. Some have pieces that seem to fit together (internally) better than others, and some have pieces that seem to fit reality (externally) better than others.”
“EVERY WORLDVIEW HAS FOUR ELEMENTS. Where did we come from? What is our problem? What is the solution? How will things end for us?”
This book clearly explains how the Christian worldview matches up with what we actually experience in real life and provides satisfying answers to the big questions we all ask.
Concise and accessible. Highly recommended.
“Christianity is a picture of reality. It is an account or a description or a depiction of the way things actually are.”
“Every religion tells a story of reality. Every philosophy and every individual outlook on life is a take on the way someone thinks the world actually is...All worldviews are not equal, though. Some have pieces that seem to fit together (internally) better than others, and some have pieces that seem to fit reality (externally) better than others.”
“EVERY WORLDVIEW HAS FOUR ELEMENTS. Where did we come from? What is our problem? What is the solution? How will things end for us?”
This book clearly explains how the Christian worldview matches up with what we actually experience in real life and provides satisfying answers to the big questions we all ask.
Concise and accessible. Highly recommended.
May 1, 2017
Gregory Koukl is driven by the desire to make the Christian faith plausible to doubters and skeptics, as he did in another book called "Tactics," which I reviewed last year.
In this book, Koukl considers three aspects of our world that everyone should be able to agree upon, no matter what is your religion or worldview: first, that something is wrong with the world; second, that there is a beauty about human beings that sets them apart; and third, that even though humans are beautiful, they are also broken.
From this starting point, Koukl then poses this question: what account of reality explains these facts adequately? What makes the best sense of both the goodness and the badness of our world?
"If a story is not accurate to reality, it's not any kind of truth at all, so it can never be my truth or your truth, even though we may believe it. It can only be our delusion." (32). Koukl then takes us through the Christian story, from creation to the new earth, and explains how it alone makes all the pieces fit together.
Koukl is very good at turning objections to Christianity back upon the skeptic. For instance, he notes that people often criticize Christianity because of the presence of evil and suffering in the world. In fact, this objection sometimes leads people to embrace atheism, and yet removing God from the equation doesn't solve anything – evil still exists, and atheism can't account for it. But Christianity is different – "evil is not the problem for Christianity that people think it is because it is not foreign to the story. It is central to it."(35)
In another place, Koukl notes that skeptics also object to the Christian notion of a wrathful God. And yet these are the same people who, when they witness some dreadful display of evil, ask, "why doesn't God do something?" The Christian answer, of course, is that God will do something – that's what his wrath is all about. (97). But the skeptic seems to insist upon complaining about evil and God's wrath – you can't have it both ways.
I'm not crazy about Koukl's free will defense of the problem of evil (ch.14), as it simply does not do justice to the preponderance of scriptural data upholding God's sovereign decree over the existence of evil. Passages like Luke 22:22 and Acts 4:27-28 indicate that God does more than merely "allow" evil.
But this is still an outstanding read, and a perfect gift for anyone asking questions about the Christian faith.
In this book, Koukl considers three aspects of our world that everyone should be able to agree upon, no matter what is your religion or worldview: first, that something is wrong with the world; second, that there is a beauty about human beings that sets them apart; and third, that even though humans are beautiful, they are also broken.
From this starting point, Koukl then poses this question: what account of reality explains these facts adequately? What makes the best sense of both the goodness and the badness of our world?
"If a story is not accurate to reality, it's not any kind of truth at all, so it can never be my truth or your truth, even though we may believe it. It can only be our delusion." (32). Koukl then takes us through the Christian story, from creation to the new earth, and explains how it alone makes all the pieces fit together.
Koukl is very good at turning objections to Christianity back upon the skeptic. For instance, he notes that people often criticize Christianity because of the presence of evil and suffering in the world. In fact, this objection sometimes leads people to embrace atheism, and yet removing God from the equation doesn't solve anything – evil still exists, and atheism can't account for it. But Christianity is different – "evil is not the problem for Christianity that people think it is because it is not foreign to the story. It is central to it."(35)
In another place, Koukl notes that skeptics also object to the Christian notion of a wrathful God. And yet these are the same people who, when they witness some dreadful display of evil, ask, "why doesn't God do something?" The Christian answer, of course, is that God will do something – that's what his wrath is all about. (97). But the skeptic seems to insist upon complaining about evil and God's wrath – you can't have it both ways.
I'm not crazy about Koukl's free will defense of the problem of evil (ch.14), as it simply does not do justice to the preponderance of scriptural data upholding God's sovereign decree over the existence of evil. Passages like Luke 22:22 and Acts 4:27-28 indicate that God does more than merely "allow" evil.
But this is still an outstanding read, and a perfect gift for anyone asking questions about the Christian faith.
August 2, 2020
A winsome and accurate explanation of the fundamentals of Christianity, suitable for non-Christians and Christians alike. It gets the gospel right. It's in plain English, and when religious terms are used, they're explained. It's an easy read, but it's not shallow; there's just enough theological depth. The book's goal is to show that Christianity is the best explanation for reality; it better explains reality than competing belief systems.
Koukl has described the book as Mere Christianity for a new generation. I liked this book much more than Mere Christianity, because it's more orthodox. Like Mere Christianity, this book avoids denominational differences and focuses on the essentials of the faith.
Koukl explains his goal for the book:
Foreward
Starting with Jesus saving from sin is like starting a story halfway through; you don't know the characters, plot, or events to that point, and you don't appreciate the depth or complexity of the problem that needs to be solved. To appreciate Christ's work, you must understand the story leading up to it.
Paul explained who God is, who we are, and our relationship to God, before explaining our sin and guilt, Jesus, and His resurrection.
Storyline
Big picture storyline and timeline: God, man, Jesus, cross, final resurrection.
In the Beginning
"The story is not so much about God's plan for your life as it is about your life for God's plan." "God's purposes are central, not yours."
Main point of story: "God owns everything and has proper authority to rule over everything He has made."
Matter-Ism
We all know something has gone terribly wrong with the world (the problem of evil), but that can only be so if there's a right way for things to be, and that can only be so if the world was designed for a purpose that for some reason isn't being achieved. These things don't make sense in a purely purposeless, natural existence.
Mind-Ism
If all is one, and differences are illusory, then there's no difference between good and evil, and everything is as it should be. Yet we know the world is not as it should be.
Broken
Any worldview must account for humans being noble but also cruel. Most modern worldviews don't, but Christianity does. Poverty and ignorance can't be the root causes of evil, because plenty of rich and educated people are evil.
Evil can't simply be breaking a social contract, defined by the majority within a society. Otherwise, there'd be no difference between social reformers fighting against evil and the evil majority (e.g., Nazis). And what higher authority would bind people to obey the social contract?
Good and evil can't simply be concepts that serve evolutionary purposes, or we wouldn't be able to blame anyone for being evil; they'd simply be acting according to natural self-interest.
It doesn't make sense to forgive yourself, because you haven't sinned against yourself, and can't pardon yourself. You don't need relief from the feeling of guilt, but from your actual guilt. Forgiveness must come from the One whose rule you've broken—God.
Evil
Allowing some evil for a time can result in a better world in the long run than a world that never had evil to begin with. That evil could be great, yet still less than the resulting good. God isn't required to stop all evil.
Wrath
God wouldn't be good if He hated evil but didn't act against those who cause it. Justice requires exacting payment for crime. A fair judge must pass judgment on lawbreakers.
History
A close look at primary sources about Jesus' life shows that myths that predate Jesus' time bear virtually no resemblance to details of Jesus' life. Myths that bear more resemblance to details of Jesus life come from after His life.
A 1st-century myth fabricator trying to convince Torah-observant Jews that their Messiah had arrived wouldn't draw from pagan accounts of dying and rising god. Jews expected a Messiah who would conquer, not be murdered and rise from death.
Trust
True faith isn't belief without knowledge ("leap of faith") nor a simple assent to certain truths (believing that Jesus was Christ), but active reliance on, and trust in, Jesus.
Reason and evidence matter to Christianity. Reason assesses; faith trusts. Reason helps us know what is true, faith helps us trust what we have good reason to believe.
Four Facts
Just because gospels were written by Jesus' disciples doesn't automatically disqualify them. Do we doubt Holocaust accounts by Jews? Almost no history is written by completely unbiased observers. Who better to trust with record of Jesus' life than those who spent the most time with him, and staked their reputations and lives on their accounts?
If Jesus didn't rise from the dead, why didn't anyone put His dead body on display to end the talk of resurrection? Assertion that disciples stole His body and lied about resurrection doesn't hold water, because disciples wouldn't willingly invent a story that caused their persecution and death.
Assertion that people seeing risen Jesus were hallucinating doesn't hold water, because how could so many different people, including skeptics, in different places and times, singly and in groups, over more than a month, share same hallucination, especially when they were convinced Jesus was dead?
Perfect Justice
If you believe that "a loving God would never send anyone to hell," you're saying that the most evil acts will forever go unpunished; God will simply look the other way.
Koukl has described the book as Mere Christianity for a new generation. I liked this book much more than Mere Christianity, because it's more orthodox. Like Mere Christianity, this book avoids denominational differences and focuses on the essentials of the faith.
Koukl explains his goal for the book:
I want to tell you the story about how the world began, how the world ends, and everything deeply important that happens in between.Koukl summarizes the story of reality (Christianity) this way:
God, the Creator of the universe, in order to rescue man from punishment for his rebellion, came to earth and took on the form of humanity in Jesus, the Savior, to die on a cross and rise from the dead, so that in the final resurrection those who receive his mercy will enjoy a wonderful friendship with their sovereign Lord in the kind of perfect world their hearts have always yearned for.Notes
Foreward
Starting with Jesus saving from sin is like starting a story halfway through; you don't know the characters, plot, or events to that point, and you don't appreciate the depth or complexity of the problem that needs to be solved. To appreciate Christ's work, you must understand the story leading up to it.
Paul explained who God is, who we are, and our relationship to God, before explaining our sin and guilt, Jesus, and His resurrection.
Storyline
Big picture storyline and timeline: God, man, Jesus, cross, final resurrection.
In the Beginning
"The story is not so much about God's plan for your life as it is about your life for God's plan." "God's purposes are central, not yours."
Main point of story: "God owns everything and has proper authority to rule over everything He has made."
Matter-Ism
We all know something has gone terribly wrong with the world (the problem of evil), but that can only be so if there's a right way for things to be, and that can only be so if the world was designed for a purpose that for some reason isn't being achieved. These things don't make sense in a purely purposeless, natural existence.
Mind-Ism
If all is one, and differences are illusory, then there's no difference between good and evil, and everything is as it should be. Yet we know the world is not as it should be.
Broken
Any worldview must account for humans being noble but also cruel. Most modern worldviews don't, but Christianity does. Poverty and ignorance can't be the root causes of evil, because plenty of rich and educated people are evil.
Evil can't simply be breaking a social contract, defined by the majority within a society. Otherwise, there'd be no difference between social reformers fighting against evil and the evil majority (e.g., Nazis). And what higher authority would bind people to obey the social contract?
Good and evil can't simply be concepts that serve evolutionary purposes, or we wouldn't be able to blame anyone for being evil; they'd simply be acting according to natural self-interest.
It doesn't make sense to forgive yourself, because you haven't sinned against yourself, and can't pardon yourself. You don't need relief from the feeling of guilt, but from your actual guilt. Forgiveness must come from the One whose rule you've broken—God.
Evil
Allowing some evil for a time can result in a better world in the long run than a world that never had evil to begin with. That evil could be great, yet still less than the resulting good. God isn't required to stop all evil.
Wrath
God wouldn't be good if He hated evil but didn't act against those who cause it. Justice requires exacting payment for crime. A fair judge must pass judgment on lawbreakers.
History
A close look at primary sources about Jesus' life shows that myths that predate Jesus' time bear virtually no resemblance to details of Jesus' life. Myths that bear more resemblance to details of Jesus life come from after His life.
A 1st-century myth fabricator trying to convince Torah-observant Jews that their Messiah had arrived wouldn't draw from pagan accounts of dying and rising god. Jews expected a Messiah who would conquer, not be murdered and rise from death.
Trust
True faith isn't belief without knowledge ("leap of faith") nor a simple assent to certain truths (believing that Jesus was Christ), but active reliance on, and trust in, Jesus.
Reason and evidence matter to Christianity. Reason assesses; faith trusts. Reason helps us know what is true, faith helps us trust what we have good reason to believe.
Four Facts
Just because gospels were written by Jesus' disciples doesn't automatically disqualify them. Do we doubt Holocaust accounts by Jews? Almost no history is written by completely unbiased observers. Who better to trust with record of Jesus' life than those who spent the most time with him, and staked their reputations and lives on their accounts?
If Jesus didn't rise from the dead, why didn't anyone put His dead body on display to end the talk of resurrection? Assertion that disciples stole His body and lied about resurrection doesn't hold water, because disciples wouldn't willingly invent a story that caused their persecution and death.
Assertion that people seeing risen Jesus were hallucinating doesn't hold water, because how could so many different people, including skeptics, in different places and times, singly and in groups, over more than a month, share same hallucination, especially when they were convinced Jesus was dead?
Perfect Justice
If you believe that "a loving God would never send anyone to hell," you're saying that the most evil acts will forever go unpunished; God will simply look the other way.
February 3, 2017
I encourage everyone to read this book. It doesn’t matter if you’ve been a Christian for your whole life or for a for week or if you’re not one at all. You will benefit from. This book presents the core truths of Christianity as a story—the TRUE STORY of reality. The author shows the reader the deep interconnectedness of the Christian worldview. He shows that all the pieces all fit together. This is incredibly powerful, for no other worldview fits together as well as or has as much explanatory power as Christianity.
March 3, 2022
I'm a Christian. And while I have decided to become a Christian based on my logic and reason, I didn't find the argument here 100% compelling. I think overall this book would have been more meaningful with more comparisons to other religions/and non-religious explanations for existence/reality. While I do agree with his conclusion, I feel that only Christians reading this will feel the same. This book won't convince anyone else. In fact, look at the reviews. All just Christians reconfirming their own bias. How is this book useful? At least with Mere Christianity or Orthodoxy, you have a constant driving comparison between other religions and non-religion and how those come up short. Overall I think it's an alright argument, but I don't think the conclusions he comes to are absolutes. There is a reason there are more than 45,000 variations of Christianity in the world today. Because people don't agree with how to interrupt the word. Is damnation everlasting or annihilation or something else, for example? Koukl speaks in absolutes when he declares that it is everlasting. He makes absolute statements like this throughout the book. He also talks about the New Testament like as if we really knew who wrote it, even though it was men (Irenaeus) who names the gospels and decides who wrote them. While Christian scholars can study the context of the work and come to pretty solid conclusions about some things, there is no certainty. We do not have the original manuscripts nor are they signed. This isn't to say I don't believe in the evidence, Irenaeus heard the teaching of Polycarp who was a direct disciple of John so I think there is plenty of room for reasonable belief here but that's not my point. His unshakable faith in Christianity makes his arguments FOR Christianity weak, in my opinion. It was the doubt Chesterton and CS Lewis had that made their arguments so unshakable. Overall some parts in this way were disappointing for me, but in the big picture it was a pretty good summery of why Christianity makes sense.
December 3, 2018
Christian apologist Greg Koukl has written a book for modern day readers who have little or no knowledge of the Bible. In The Story of Reality he explains Christian doctrines ("The Story") in clear, non-jargon-y language. I loved it.
The only reason I did not give it four stars is because I was troubled by his inclusion of his personal opinion about earth's origins, which is based on scientific theory and not on biblical revelation. It seemed odd to me that he would risk alienating half his audience with that one statement, which was absolutely unnecessary to the book's basic purpose.)
The only reason I did not give it four stars is because I was troubled by his inclusion of his personal opinion about earth's origins, which is based on scientific theory and not on biblical revelation. It seemed odd to me that he would risk alienating half his audience with that one statement, which was absolutely unnecessary to the book's basic purpose.)
August 9, 2017
One of the best books I've read this year and one of my all time favorites under "Apologetics and Worldview" category. It is a well-written explanation of the Christian faith that it is "a picture of reality. It is an account or a description or a depiction of the way things actually are. It is not a view just from the inside (a Christian's personal feelings or religious beliefs or spiritual affections or ethical views or 'relationship' with God). It is also a view of the outside. It is a view of the world out there, of how the world really is in itself."
My husband and I read this with our girls and it led to many meaningful discussions. Even though we do accept Christianity by faith, it nonetheless provides a rational explanation for the beginning, ending and everything important that happens in between. Only the Christian worldview can answer life questions, such as, "What is truth?", "How did everything begin and how will it end?", "What is the purpose of life?", "What is evil and how do we explain its existence?", "What's the solution to the problem of evil?", "Is there any hope for humanity?", "Who am I and why am I here?" "Why is there suffering in the world?", "How can I find lasting joy?"
God's story is a story not just for His followers, but for everyone. God wrote it and it affects all of His creation. Not only that, He is also an active player in it. "He does not sit silently and idly by. He is the storyteller, but he is also a player in the drama. He shows up. Because he is there, we are not alone. Because he speaks, we are not in the dark. Because he participates, we are not forsaken. More important than anything else, because he makes himself known, then we can know him."
For the new christian, a skeptic, a seeker, or a seasoned believer, I highly recommend this book, if you want to make sense of the world, life and reality. Every page brings new appreciation for the wonderful truth of God's wisdom, patience, sovereignty, goodness, mercy, justice and all of His awesome attributes. My favorite chapter perhaps is the one on heaven. The author, in simple words, described it in ways that made me long for it even more. His description of the hope and everlasting joy that await those who believe brought tears to my eyes. "And one day we will hold of [glory] in its fullness. The war will be over. The anguish will end - all brokenness mended, all evil vanquished, all beauty restored." What a day of rejoicing that will be!
My husband and I read this with our girls and it led to many meaningful discussions. Even though we do accept Christianity by faith, it nonetheless provides a rational explanation for the beginning, ending and everything important that happens in between. Only the Christian worldview can answer life questions, such as, "What is truth?", "How did everything begin and how will it end?", "What is the purpose of life?", "What is evil and how do we explain its existence?", "What's the solution to the problem of evil?", "Is there any hope for humanity?", "Who am I and why am I here?" "Why is there suffering in the world?", "How can I find lasting joy?"
God's story is a story not just for His followers, but for everyone. God wrote it and it affects all of His creation. Not only that, He is also an active player in it. "He does not sit silently and idly by. He is the storyteller, but he is also a player in the drama. He shows up. Because he is there, we are not alone. Because he speaks, we are not in the dark. Because he participates, we are not forsaken. More important than anything else, because he makes himself known, then we can know him."
For the new christian, a skeptic, a seeker, or a seasoned believer, I highly recommend this book, if you want to make sense of the world, life and reality. Every page brings new appreciation for the wonderful truth of God's wisdom, patience, sovereignty, goodness, mercy, justice and all of His awesome attributes. My favorite chapter perhaps is the one on heaven. The author, in simple words, described it in ways that made me long for it even more. His description of the hope and everlasting joy that await those who believe brought tears to my eyes. "And one day we will hold of [glory] in its fullness. The war will be over. The anguish will end - all brokenness mended, all evil vanquished, all beauty restored." What a day of rejoicing that will be!
February 21, 2017
Apologetics as a narrative! An excellent primer for both what specifically Christian doctrine teaches and why those beliefs are sound. Dogma, theology, philosophy, logic, history, morality all bound together in a story that is all together unlike a text book. A story with a beginning, a middle, an end.
If you're familiar with Christian apologetics, you'll recognize the standard devices and arguments, the common objections answered, but it's done in such lyrical and integrated way you'll benefit from it anyway. It's effortlessly cohesive. The book is full of good information, but it's the cadence of the presentation that makes it distinctive and especially worthwhile and memorable.
This is a great read for Christians, for non-Christians and for, well, anyone at all who cares about the great search for the meaning of life and everything.
I wish I had had access to this book at about age 16 when I started asking the hard questions (the ones I did read were often fascinating but also often somewhat tedious.) I will likely be giving my kids copies of this one when they hit those years.
I especially appreciated the chapter devoted to Faith. I did find the absence of the word "atonement" odd given the centrality of the cross to the whole story (but it comes close enough.)
Of course, the big questions are never perfectly answered (an admission freely made by the author as well), not in any worldview, ever. We see in a mirror dimly. But this one wraps it up just about as well as concisely and neatly as can be done. It's soul-quenching. Overall, big recommendation.
If you're familiar with Christian apologetics, you'll recognize the standard devices and arguments, the common objections answered, but it's done in such lyrical and integrated way you'll benefit from it anyway. It's effortlessly cohesive. The book is full of good information, but it's the cadence of the presentation that makes it distinctive and especially worthwhile and memorable.
This is a great read for Christians, for non-Christians and for, well, anyone at all who cares about the great search for the meaning of life and everything.
I wish I had had access to this book at about age 16 when I started asking the hard questions (the ones I did read were often fascinating but also often somewhat tedious.) I will likely be giving my kids copies of this one when they hit those years.
I especially appreciated the chapter devoted to Faith. I did find the absence of the word "atonement" odd given the centrality of the cross to the whole story (but it comes close enough.)
Of course, the big questions are never perfectly answered (an admission freely made by the author as well), not in any worldview, ever. We see in a mirror dimly. But this one wraps it up just about as well as concisely and neatly as can be done. It's soul-quenching. Overall, big recommendation.
January 30, 2022
Koukl is a clear thinker and good writer. This would serve as a good introduction to the big picture of the Christian worldview and attending to narrative is tactically sensible. I didn't gain as much from it because I have already read a number of similar books, including those by Nancy Pearcey, who provides the foreword, Jeff Myers, and C.S. Lewis. Each of whom offer better introductory texts.
Greg critiques materialism for not being able to deal with the problem of evil, overturns nonsense tropes, corrects strawmen, and so on. However, there is more to be said beyond his own Augustinian answer or views of the atonement. The reality of hell and the new heavens and new earth need much fuller treatment than was offered in this book. I appreciate it's meant to be a shorter book, but one can do damage by dealing with these in passing. Pearcey's book, Total Truth, was much more well rounded for an overview.
Throughout, Koukl boils down solid Christian philosophy and good historical scholarship. Not bad all round.
Greg critiques materialism for not being able to deal with the problem of evil, overturns nonsense tropes, corrects strawmen, and so on. However, there is more to be said beyond his own Augustinian answer or views of the atonement. The reality of hell and the new heavens and new earth need much fuller treatment than was offered in this book. I appreciate it's meant to be a shorter book, but one can do damage by dealing with these in passing. Pearcey's book, Total Truth, was much more well rounded for an overview.
Throughout, Koukl boils down solid Christian philosophy and good historical scholarship. Not bad all round.
August 10, 2022
An unhesitating 5 stars.
Part Christian worldview primer, part devotional, part apologetics (presuppositional apologetics, I believe).
I don’t even have words for how much I loved and appreciate this book. It says so many things in such a clear and simple way that needed to be said clearly and simply. And yet, it’s so jam-packed full that I had to stop frequently just to reflect before I could continue. An absolutely invaluable book. I’ll have to come back later and write a proper review, but for now, I just have to absorb it.
Part Christian worldview primer, part devotional, part apologetics (presuppositional apologetics, I believe).
I don’t even have words for how much I loved and appreciate this book. It says so many things in such a clear and simple way that needed to be said clearly and simply. And yet, it’s so jam-packed full that I had to stop frequently just to reflect before I could continue. An absolutely invaluable book. I’ll have to come back later and write a proper review, but for now, I just have to absorb it.
July 17, 2017
Highly recommend... How Christianity fits reality. I listened to the audio book, which is read by the author. He is a good speaker, so it works well.
May 2, 2024
This was a very clear and very helpful articulation of why the Biblical worldview makes the most sense in light of reality. I will certainly be recommending this to others!
May 7, 2017
First sentence of chapter one: I WANT TO TELL YOU the story about how the world began, how the world ends, and everything deeply important that happens in between. It’s a tale many already know but few understand, even those who call the Story their own. This story is not a fairy tale, but rather it is the Story all fairy tales are really about.
Premise/plot: Koukl explains the Christian worldview in The Story of Reality. He argues that Christianity isn't just a point of view, one possible reality, but THE reality. There are many, many, many world views. But there is only one reality. There are many, many, many beliefs held around the world, but, not all beliefs are true.
He writes, "Every religion tells a story of reality. Every philosophy and every individual outlook on life is a take on the way someone thinks the world actually is. There is no escaping it. These stories are meant to bring order to our beliefs, to explain the “pieces” of reality we encounter in life, whether big things or little things, important or inconsequential. All worldviews are not equal, though. Some have pieces that seem to fit together (internally) better than others, and some have pieces that seem to fit reality (externally) better than others."
He continues, "EVERY WORLDVIEW HAS FOUR ELEMENTS. They help us understand how the parts of a person’s worldview story fit together. These four parts are called creation, fall, redemption, and restoration. Creation tells us how things began, where everything came from (including us), the reason for our origins, and what ultimate reality is like. Fall describes the problem (since we all know something has gone wrong with the world). Redemption gives us the solution, the way to fix what went wrong. Restoration describes what the world would look like once the repair takes place."
He concludes, "Christianity is the Story of how the world began, why the world is the way it is, what role we play in the drama, and how all the plotlines of the Story are resolved in the end."
Koukl takes questions seriously. He doesn't answer condescendingly, in my opinion, but earnestly and logically. He knows that people--skeptics, agnostics, atheists, even believers--have questions, and that these questions should be thoughtfully, carefully considered before being answered.
My thoughts: The book is clear, logical, thoughtful. I LOVE how basic and yet thorough it is. I love the imagery of piecing together a puzzle. I think this image works throughout the book. I love that the key to 'getting' what Christianity is all about is knowing and perhaps remembering the big picture of the Bible. I love, love, love this one. I think it's worth reading several times at least.
Why you should read this book: "CHRISTIANS HAVE A PROBLEM when they fail to understand their own Story. They are not able to answer the two objections most frequently raised about their beliefs. These two obstacles are so daunting for nonbelievers, they simply cannot take the Christian Story as anything more than an implausible tale, like yarns about unicorns, leprechauns, or North Pole elves. Here are the obstacles. It is clear to most people that the world is not the way it ought to be. Something has gone terribly wrong, and everybody knows it. That’s the first part of the first obstacle. The second part is this. If there were a God, and if he really were good, and if he really were powerful, then the world would be a different kind of place than the one we find."
Premise/plot: Koukl explains the Christian worldview in The Story of Reality. He argues that Christianity isn't just a point of view, one possible reality, but THE reality. There are many, many, many world views. But there is only one reality. There are many, many, many beliefs held around the world, but, not all beliefs are true.
He writes, "Every religion tells a story of reality. Every philosophy and every individual outlook on life is a take on the way someone thinks the world actually is. There is no escaping it. These stories are meant to bring order to our beliefs, to explain the “pieces” of reality we encounter in life, whether big things or little things, important or inconsequential. All worldviews are not equal, though. Some have pieces that seem to fit together (internally) better than others, and some have pieces that seem to fit reality (externally) better than others."
He continues, "EVERY WORLDVIEW HAS FOUR ELEMENTS. They help us understand how the parts of a person’s worldview story fit together. These four parts are called creation, fall, redemption, and restoration. Creation tells us how things began, where everything came from (including us), the reason for our origins, and what ultimate reality is like. Fall describes the problem (since we all know something has gone wrong with the world). Redemption gives us the solution, the way to fix what went wrong. Restoration describes what the world would look like once the repair takes place."
He concludes, "Christianity is the Story of how the world began, why the world is the way it is, what role we play in the drama, and how all the plotlines of the Story are resolved in the end."
Koukl takes questions seriously. He doesn't answer condescendingly, in my opinion, but earnestly and logically. He knows that people--skeptics, agnostics, atheists, even believers--have questions, and that these questions should be thoughtfully, carefully considered before being answered.
My thoughts: The book is clear, logical, thoughtful. I LOVE how basic and yet thorough it is. I love the imagery of piecing together a puzzle. I think this image works throughout the book. I love that the key to 'getting' what Christianity is all about is knowing and perhaps remembering the big picture of the Bible. I love, love, love this one. I think it's worth reading several times at least.
Why you should read this book: "CHRISTIANS HAVE A PROBLEM when they fail to understand their own Story. They are not able to answer the two objections most frequently raised about their beliefs. These two obstacles are so daunting for nonbelievers, they simply cannot take the Christian Story as anything more than an implausible tale, like yarns about unicorns, leprechauns, or North Pole elves. Here are the obstacles. It is clear to most people that the world is not the way it ought to be. Something has gone terribly wrong, and everybody knows it. That’s the first part of the first obstacle. The second part is this. If there were a God, and if he really were good, and if he really were powerful, then the world would be a different kind of place than the one we find."
October 25, 2017
I know there are a number of books whose purpose is to tell “The Story of the Bible” but I have to say this one is the best I’ve seen.
The book begins, not with the problems of sin and the fallen world, but with God. He realizes the importance of starting at the beginning. As he says, “It is perfectly true that Jesus came to save us from that deforming disorder called “sin.” But starting with that theme is like going into a movie theater halfway through the film. You don’t know who the characters are, you can’t figure out the plot, and you are constantly guessing at the events leading up to that point. Most important, you cannot appreciate the depth and complexity of the problem that needs to be solved.”
He presents an excellent argument for a loving and righteous God who created a world where evil would be possible; not because He doesn’t care or is powerless to prevent it, but because such a world would be capable of a greater good than a world without evil. In other words, "evil is not the problem for Christianity that people think it is because it is not foreign to the Story. It is central to it. It fits right in.” The entire book is written from the understanding that “God owns everything and has proper authority to rule over everything he has made."
Of course Koukl is not ignorant of the fact that many people would disagree with his assertions. Koukl understands that "everyone—religious person, atheist, scientist, skeptic—believes his beliefs are true” and so he writes to convince. He lays out very analytical, logical arguments that arrive at very natural and undeniable conclusions.
The book follows a natural progression of discussing God’s perfect creation, what went wrong, what has been done to make it right, and how it will all be restored in the end. In the end, the solution to the problem of evil is, “Perfect justice for evildoers, perfect mercy for the penitent; evil banished forever, and everlasting good restored."
Of course, this logically leaves us with a choice: "You can bend your knee to your Sovereign, beg for mercy because of Christ, be welcomed into his family as a son or daughter, and belong to him. Or you can reject the gift, stand alone at the judgment, and pay for your own crimes against God, such as they are. I invite you to accept your pardon now, while you can, and turn and follow Jesus.”
The book begins, not with the problems of sin and the fallen world, but with God. He realizes the importance of starting at the beginning. As he says, “It is perfectly true that Jesus came to save us from that deforming disorder called “sin.” But starting with that theme is like going into a movie theater halfway through the film. You don’t know who the characters are, you can’t figure out the plot, and you are constantly guessing at the events leading up to that point. Most important, you cannot appreciate the depth and complexity of the problem that needs to be solved.”
He presents an excellent argument for a loving and righteous God who created a world where evil would be possible; not because He doesn’t care or is powerless to prevent it, but because such a world would be capable of a greater good than a world without evil. In other words, "evil is not the problem for Christianity that people think it is because it is not foreign to the Story. It is central to it. It fits right in.” The entire book is written from the understanding that “God owns everything and has proper authority to rule over everything he has made."
Of course Koukl is not ignorant of the fact that many people would disagree with his assertions. Koukl understands that "everyone—religious person, atheist, scientist, skeptic—believes his beliefs are true” and so he writes to convince. He lays out very analytical, logical arguments that arrive at very natural and undeniable conclusions.
The book follows a natural progression of discussing God’s perfect creation, what went wrong, what has been done to make it right, and how it will all be restored in the end. In the end, the solution to the problem of evil is, “Perfect justice for evildoers, perfect mercy for the penitent; evil banished forever, and everlasting good restored."
Of course, this logically leaves us with a choice: "You can bend your knee to your Sovereign, beg for mercy because of Christ, be welcomed into his family as a son or daughter, and belong to him. Or you can reject the gift, stand alone at the judgment, and pay for your own crimes against God, such as they are. I invite you to accept your pardon now, while you can, and turn and follow Jesus.”
December 8, 2018
I liked the idea, but I felt something was lacking in the execution. The idea is that Christian apologetics can only properly be done when our arguments are couched in the context of the biblical narrative: creation, fall, the cross, the resurrection, and the final judgment. In particular, Koukl wants to tell the biblical narrative with an eye to answering two primary objections to Christianity: (1) the exclusivity of the gospel (how can we take seriously the claim that Christianity is the only true religion and that Jesus is the only way to God?), and (2) the problem of evil (why would a good and all powerful God allow evil and suffering?). The narrative certainly does go a long way toward answering those questions and at points Koukl starts to show how, but I felt he never really drew all the threads together to make his case in a compelling way, showing how the narrative answers those objections. Maybe it needs one more chapter at the end that does that. Also, I wasn't sure who is audience was. Was he writing to Christians to help them understand their faith better? Or was he trying to convince non-Christians of the truth of Christianity? It seemed often that he was addressing unbelievers. Yet he presented the narrative in a very dogmatic way without really explaining why an unbeliever should believe it. That's not totally true, because there were some points, e.g., on the historicity of Jesus (contra the "Jesus didn't even exist" crowd that is becoming more vocal today), where he did try to provide reasons for believing in certain points of the narrative. But there were other points of the narrative where he just dogmatically asserted it without apologetic argument, e.g., the existence of God, creation, final judgment, hell.
April 4, 2017
This book's primary uniqueness is the simplicity with which Koukl explains what's really going on in the world. It is a book that describes the Christian worldview and the events pertaining to it as a story, because it behaves as a story does, with a beginning, conflict, conflict resolution, and ending. Moreover, the book is the story of reality because in fact the story being described actually happened and is happening.
The author describes the grand narrative through five words: God, Man, Jesus, Cross, and Resurrection. Each word provides a link to our understanding of reality. Koukl does a marvelous job of transporting he reader from their observations to an explanation for the causes behind those observations. He compares the Christian story to other stories, other attempts to explain the causes behind our observations, and he shows why the Christian story really is the story of reality. He explains why we cannot mix different worldviews together and hope to come up with something sensible, like mixing pieces of different puzzles.
I highly recommend this book for its clarity, its sensitivity, its simplicity, and its candor in explaining the elements of worldview and leading us to the truth through honest reasoning and observation as we experience the story of reality.
The author describes the grand narrative through five words: God, Man, Jesus, Cross, and Resurrection. Each word provides a link to our understanding of reality. Koukl does a marvelous job of transporting he reader from their observations to an explanation for the causes behind those observations. He compares the Christian story to other stories, other attempts to explain the causes behind our observations, and he shows why the Christian story really is the story of reality. He explains why we cannot mix different worldviews together and hope to come up with something sensible, like mixing pieces of different puzzles.
I highly recommend this book for its clarity, its sensitivity, its simplicity, and its candor in explaining the elements of worldview and leading us to the truth through honest reasoning and observation as we experience the story of reality.
February 1, 2018
This is a great, concise, accessible presentation of the Christian worldview with a strong gospel focus and a treatment of philosophical issues & challenges to the Christian faith. Koukl has condensed and refined a lot of study & heady ideas down into a book that's readable, enjoyable, and practical.
I would really recommend this to parents, teachers, youth leaders, etc. as a great resource to help young people to get their heads around some of the "big questions." When my kids get a little older, I hope to share it with them. It's also great for those who may not have read much in the Christian Worldview genre, and even for those who have.
The intent in this book isn't to delve too deeply into any of the specifics of doctrine and philosophy, so don't expect super-sophisticated explanations.
I would really recommend this to parents, teachers, youth leaders, etc. as a great resource to help young people to get their heads around some of the "big questions." When my kids get a little older, I hope to share it with them. It's also great for those who may not have read much in the Christian Worldview genre, and even for those who have.
The intent in this book isn't to delve too deeply into any of the specifics of doctrine and philosophy, so don't expect super-sophisticated explanations.
May 22, 2017
Wow. If every Christian told the Gospel story as simply, as clearly and as brilliantly as Gregory Koukl did, we would be a Christian nation. I've never seen the message of Christianity told as well, in any format, as in this book.
Koukl anticipates and addresses every conceivable objection to the Christian faith, but never condescends in addressing those objections. He writes incredibly well, also.
If you have an unbelieving friend who is sincerely interested in learning what Christianity is all about, don't try to explain it yourself. Put a copy of this book in his or her hand and make sure you're around to lead him or her to Christ when he or she is through with it. It's that effective. Highly recommended.
Koukl anticipates and addresses every conceivable objection to the Christian faith, but never condescends in addressing those objections. He writes incredibly well, also.
If you have an unbelieving friend who is sincerely interested in learning what Christianity is all about, don't try to explain it yourself. Put a copy of this book in his or her hand and make sure you're around to lead him or her to Christ when he or she is through with it. It's that effective. Highly recommended.
January 8, 2017
Amazing look at the completeness (and uniqueness) of the Christian worldview in explaining reality. Every worldview is like a puzzle. There are many pieces and they all are required to see the complete picture. Many people mix puzzle pieces from different puzzles to create their own, never appreciating the incompleteness of the final product.
March 9, 2017
Første jeg har lest av Koukl og ble veldig positivt overrasket! Legger frem 'den store fortellingen' på en fin måte. Skildrer godt verdens begynnelse, verdens slutt, og alt det viktige i mellom. Kort, lettlest og fylt med mange gode poenger som får frem skjønnheten av evangeliet. Noen litt rare og uforståelige kapitler om døden mot slutten - men de andre kapitlene kompenserer for det. Les!
October 5, 2024
Clear and thorough explanation of the Christian worldview. Koukl does a great job addressing the major objections to Christianity and puts forth the major arguments for Christianity as he tells the story of reality. Great book for believers and unbelievers alike.
January 21, 2018
Really good. I'd recommend this to teens and it would make for excellent discussion in a group.
January 24, 2025
Wow. Just...wow.
December 15, 2019
I'm a Christian for many reasons but one of them is that it just makes the most sense compared to anything else I hear/read about reality. In my opinion, it's the only worldview that you can live out consistently. Greg Koukl goes back to the basics and explains why Christianity best explains reality. Some of it may come across as overly simple but without making the book super long, I think he does a great job at covering the basics and giving the reader a starting point.
Some of my favourite nuggets in the book were:
"A man once told me I was probably one of those bigoted people who thought 90% of the world was wrong about their religion. I agreed with the 90% part, but I told him it had more to do with math than with bigotry.
Think about this. Some religions teach Jesus is the Son of God and others deny it. Fair enough. But is it not clear that somebody is right and somebody is wrong on that score? There is simply no getting around it.
The great monotheistic faiths understand God as a distinct, individual person, whereas some Eastern religions see God as the impersonal sum of everything all put together. Is it not clear that, if there is a God, both of these notions cannot be true about him at the same time? Clearly, massive numbers of people are mistaken on one side of this issue or the other.
When anyone dies, they might go to heaven, or they might go to hell, or they might be reincarnated, or they might disappear into nothing at all. But even a child can see they cannot do them all at the same time. Multitudes--the majority even--must be mistaken. Again, that's not bigotry. It's simple math."
"What isn't obvious is that nothing is really solved by getting rid of God, though that is the standard move at this point. I say this because removing God from the equation, though understandable, does nothing to eliminate the problem that caused someone to doubt God's existence in the first place. God is gone, but the original problem remains. The world is still as broken. Atheism settles nothing on this matter.
What now is the atheist to do? Nothing has really changed. Things still are not the way they're supposed to be, so the atheist continues to be plagued with the same problem he started with. But given a Godless, physical universe, the idea that things are not as they should be makes little sense. How can something go wrong when there was no right way for it to be in the first place?"
"On the one hand, man, like everything else in the visible universe, is made of physical stuff. He has a physical body, which means he is a creature with limitations. This is what philosophers mean when they say man is 'contingent'. They mean humans are dependent on other things for their existence, their survival, and their well-being.
Put another way, humans are not little gods, and I need to state this forcefully because I do not want anyone to be confused on this point. In the Story, we did not begin as supernatural beings, and we will not end as supernatural beings. There is nothing magical or miraculous about us or our abilities. We are creatures from the beginning and will always be creatures. We are not the center of the universe. We are not God in physical bodies. We are not all power or all wisdom or all intelligence. Instead, we depend on and owe our existence to the God who made us from the dust, who sustains us at every moment, and who will return our mortal bodies to the dust when we breathe our final breaths. Let us never forget that we are creatures.
This does not mean we are not special, though. We are, in fact, the most wonderful creatures in the world next to God. It just means we should be careful, as the Story says, not to 'worship and serve created things rather than the Creator'. Thinking of ourselves as divine is just another way of making the Story about us. There is a God, and we are not him, and pushing him off his throne and taking it for ourselves is foolish."
"I do not want you to miss the simple arithmetic here: If man's special value falls, then unalienable human rights fall, too. If man is not special, if he is not deeply different from any other thing, then there is no good reason not to treat him just like any other thing when it's convenient for us to do so. If man is just 'the result of a purposeless and natural process that did not have him in mind,' as matter-ism dictates, if he is just a gear in the machine, or if he is only an illusion of the universal Mind, then there is no good reason for unique and unalienable human rights.
It should not be surprising, then, when cultures consistently believe that there is nothing special about being human, that soon they deny ultimate moral obligations and unalienable human rights too. When man is reduced to a mere animal -- when the force of one's worldview logic demotes humans to mere biological machines -- morality and human rights die and power is all that remains. This has happened with every communist regime, and happens with all governments as they get increasing secular. It cannot be otherwise."
"Here is the last reason we are uncomfortable with the wrath of God. The notion of a 'vengeful' God strikes us as inconsistent with a God of love. This seems right at first, but the complaint is based on a misunderstanding. God's love is not a thing in itself, so to speak, but is tied, like all of his attributes, to his goodness, the very goodness we are inclined to question when evil runs rampant. 'Why doesn't God do something?' we wonder. Yet we cry foul when we learn God will do something decisive about evil and we are the evildoers.
Goodness has different faces. The same virtue that enflames God's love fires his justice. God would not be good if he truly hated evil but was benign toward those who consistently cause it. Justice means exacting an appropriate payment for a crime. No payment, no justice. No justice, no goodness. Is God 'vengeful'? No more than any good, fair, noble, just judge who must pass sentence on lawbreakers."
"In like manner, in those dark hours when Christ hung from the cross, the Father took those who would put their trust in Jesus and wrapped them in his Son who shielded them, taking every blow that they deserve. You see, there are actually three passions woven together in this single act of Divine surrender. The passionate intensity of God's anger at us for our sin collides with the passionate intensity of God's love for us, causing the passionate intensity of the agony of the cross to be shouldered by God himself in human form."
"We are each born with a deep hunger that haunts us our entire life. Its satisfaction stays beyond our reach, even though we are promised, by the rulers of this world, that the right amusements or the right possessions or the right relationships or the right experiences will put this longing to rest. We have been told that the things our hearts long for can be found on this earth, in this lifetime. But we have been misled.
We soon discover that those things will never give us what we really want because we have been made for another world, and the thing we long for, even ache for --the Story calls it a kind of groaning -- is not to be found in this world or in this lifetime. We have been longing for home, and for a Father who waits for us there, and we are lonely here in exile until we are finally together with him.
God's perfect mercy--forgiveness for everything we have ever done wrong--means we will finally, one day, be going home, and finally, one day, our hunger will be satisfied."
Some of my favourite nuggets in the book were:
"A man once told me I was probably one of those bigoted people who thought 90% of the world was wrong about their religion. I agreed with the 90% part, but I told him it had more to do with math than with bigotry.
Think about this. Some religions teach Jesus is the Son of God and others deny it. Fair enough. But is it not clear that somebody is right and somebody is wrong on that score? There is simply no getting around it.
The great monotheistic faiths understand God as a distinct, individual person, whereas some Eastern religions see God as the impersonal sum of everything all put together. Is it not clear that, if there is a God, both of these notions cannot be true about him at the same time? Clearly, massive numbers of people are mistaken on one side of this issue or the other.
When anyone dies, they might go to heaven, or they might go to hell, or they might be reincarnated, or they might disappear into nothing at all. But even a child can see they cannot do them all at the same time. Multitudes--the majority even--must be mistaken. Again, that's not bigotry. It's simple math."
"What isn't obvious is that nothing is really solved by getting rid of God, though that is the standard move at this point. I say this because removing God from the equation, though understandable, does nothing to eliminate the problem that caused someone to doubt God's existence in the first place. God is gone, but the original problem remains. The world is still as broken. Atheism settles nothing on this matter.
What now is the atheist to do? Nothing has really changed. Things still are not the way they're supposed to be, so the atheist continues to be plagued with the same problem he started with. But given a Godless, physical universe, the idea that things are not as they should be makes little sense. How can something go wrong when there was no right way for it to be in the first place?"
"On the one hand, man, like everything else in the visible universe, is made of physical stuff. He has a physical body, which means he is a creature with limitations. This is what philosophers mean when they say man is 'contingent'. They mean humans are dependent on other things for their existence, their survival, and their well-being.
Put another way, humans are not little gods, and I need to state this forcefully because I do not want anyone to be confused on this point. In the Story, we did not begin as supernatural beings, and we will not end as supernatural beings. There is nothing magical or miraculous about us or our abilities. We are creatures from the beginning and will always be creatures. We are not the center of the universe. We are not God in physical bodies. We are not all power or all wisdom or all intelligence. Instead, we depend on and owe our existence to the God who made us from the dust, who sustains us at every moment, and who will return our mortal bodies to the dust when we breathe our final breaths. Let us never forget that we are creatures.
This does not mean we are not special, though. We are, in fact, the most wonderful creatures in the world next to God. It just means we should be careful, as the Story says, not to 'worship and serve created things rather than the Creator'. Thinking of ourselves as divine is just another way of making the Story about us. There is a God, and we are not him, and pushing him off his throne and taking it for ourselves is foolish."
"I do not want you to miss the simple arithmetic here: If man's special value falls, then unalienable human rights fall, too. If man is not special, if he is not deeply different from any other thing, then there is no good reason not to treat him just like any other thing when it's convenient for us to do so. If man is just 'the result of a purposeless and natural process that did not have him in mind,' as matter-ism dictates, if he is just a gear in the machine, or if he is only an illusion of the universal Mind, then there is no good reason for unique and unalienable human rights.
It should not be surprising, then, when cultures consistently believe that there is nothing special about being human, that soon they deny ultimate moral obligations and unalienable human rights too. When man is reduced to a mere animal -- when the force of one's worldview logic demotes humans to mere biological machines -- morality and human rights die and power is all that remains. This has happened with every communist regime, and happens with all governments as they get increasing secular. It cannot be otherwise."
"Here is the last reason we are uncomfortable with the wrath of God. The notion of a 'vengeful' God strikes us as inconsistent with a God of love. This seems right at first, but the complaint is based on a misunderstanding. God's love is not a thing in itself, so to speak, but is tied, like all of his attributes, to his goodness, the very goodness we are inclined to question when evil runs rampant. 'Why doesn't God do something?' we wonder. Yet we cry foul when we learn God will do something decisive about evil and we are the evildoers.
Goodness has different faces. The same virtue that enflames God's love fires his justice. God would not be good if he truly hated evil but was benign toward those who consistently cause it. Justice means exacting an appropriate payment for a crime. No payment, no justice. No justice, no goodness. Is God 'vengeful'? No more than any good, fair, noble, just judge who must pass sentence on lawbreakers."
"In like manner, in those dark hours when Christ hung from the cross, the Father took those who would put their trust in Jesus and wrapped them in his Son who shielded them, taking every blow that they deserve. You see, there are actually three passions woven together in this single act of Divine surrender. The passionate intensity of God's anger at us for our sin collides with the passionate intensity of God's love for us, causing the passionate intensity of the agony of the cross to be shouldered by God himself in human form."
"We are each born with a deep hunger that haunts us our entire life. Its satisfaction stays beyond our reach, even though we are promised, by the rulers of this world, that the right amusements or the right possessions or the right relationships or the right experiences will put this longing to rest. We have been told that the things our hearts long for can be found on this earth, in this lifetime. But we have been misled.
We soon discover that those things will never give us what we really want because we have been made for another world, and the thing we long for, even ache for --the Story calls it a kind of groaning -- is not to be found in this world or in this lifetime. We have been longing for home, and for a Father who waits for us there, and we are lonely here in exile until we are finally together with him.
God's perfect mercy--forgiveness for everything we have ever done wrong--means we will finally, one day, be going home, and finally, one day, our hunger will be satisfied."
February 27, 2022
An incisive, compelling look at our place in God’s Story and why things are the way they are. Clear writing and profound truths.
July 13, 2019
If you look at my shelves sorted by stars, you will notice I rarely give five stars. This is one of maybe ten books that have five stars from me.
What I love about this book is that it focuses on worldview, and in that, it does two major things: 1) it helps Christians to understand what a consistent, biblical worldview is and how it fits together and 2) it shows how the biblical worldview is the one worldview that truly explains reality and all the questions that we ask. Both of those are crucial because Christians need to understand a biblical worldview, how all the pieces fit, and what they might be trying to make fit from other worldviews that simply will not work, and I believe it is crucial because the best apologetic for Christianity is not stacking up bits of evidence but going beneath that and showing the Christian, biblical worldview is the only one that truly explains reality and therefore it must be true.
When I teach on science and faith to students in my church or RUF, I try to help them understand that to defend and commend Christianity, we cannot just give competing interpretations of evidence. We need to help people see how our worldview guides our interpretations, show that a Christian interpretation is consistent within that worldview, and then say, "Well, you see the problem is not the data but our worldviews, so let's stop talking about the data and go up a layer to worldview. Our conflict is between Christian theism and naturalism" or whatever other worldview we are encountering. This book will help a Christian do that and do it well.
Like C. S. Lewis said, "I believe in Christianity like I believe in the sun: not just because I can see it but because BY IT I can see everything else." The biblical worldview is the story of reality and so it can best explain the universe in which we live, and that is what we need to present to those with whom we are sharing the gospel, defending the faith, etc.
What I love about this book is that it focuses on worldview, and in that, it does two major things: 1) it helps Christians to understand what a consistent, biblical worldview is and how it fits together and 2) it shows how the biblical worldview is the one worldview that truly explains reality and all the questions that we ask. Both of those are crucial because Christians need to understand a biblical worldview, how all the pieces fit, and what they might be trying to make fit from other worldviews that simply will not work, and I believe it is crucial because the best apologetic for Christianity is not stacking up bits of evidence but going beneath that and showing the Christian, biblical worldview is the only one that truly explains reality and therefore it must be true.
When I teach on science and faith to students in my church or RUF, I try to help them understand that to defend and commend Christianity, we cannot just give competing interpretations of evidence. We need to help people see how our worldview guides our interpretations, show that a Christian interpretation is consistent within that worldview, and then say, "Well, you see the problem is not the data but our worldviews, so let's stop talking about the data and go up a layer to worldview. Our conflict is between Christian theism and naturalism" or whatever other worldview we are encountering. This book will help a Christian do that and do it well.
Like C. S. Lewis said, "I believe in Christianity like I believe in the sun: not just because I can see it but because BY IT I can see everything else." The biblical worldview is the story of reality and so it can best explain the universe in which we live, and that is what we need to present to those with whom we are sharing the gospel, defending the faith, etc.
November 5, 2017
A sweeping look at a Christian worldview. The author says a lot of things I agree with, and for that I'm happy, who wouldn't be under those circumstances. I saw this book being raved about on social media channels by a lot of published authors, and I teach Bible classes at an international Christian school, including many units focused on what a Christian worldview is and why it's important. While this book was accurate, and I did get some illustration ideas from it, I also found it pretty basic and not overwhelmingly profound. What I mean is, the "christian worldview" media market is saturated, and yet the demand is still pretty high. With a glut like that in the market, for me at least, my expectations are high when I read rave reviews about a new work in the category. While I wasn't disappointed on the content, it wasn't so deep and original to leave me that impressed, to be honest. This is a fine book to read, and I recommend it, it's just not the greatest book out on Christian worldview. PS - my problem with a lot of "worldview" literature is that it is seeking to pass on a total life philosophy by attempting to give you a finished product, and not the many varying tools and information to build the worldview castle oneself. Like many things, I find everyone in too big a hurry, and the foundations of their attempted finished worldview castle are left rather weak. I personally find a connection between this as a controlling method of discipleship and the result of a Christianity that is miles wide and an inch deep.
December 21, 2025
From the moment I started reading this book, I knew that it was going to be good. The first 5 chapters in the introduction were enough to blow my mind 🤯. This book is a great book on the Christian worldview. Greg Koukl does a fantastic job explaining our world and answering the questions of life, death, the evil in this world and why we are here. He splits it up in five categories: God, Man, Jesus, Cross, and Resurrection.
The last chapter called Perfect Mercy was my favourite. I had tears in my eyes on the very last page of that chapter. It talked about eternity in heaven with Jesus. There was a part where it was talked about how “we were made for something far better than what we experience in this life”. And “The next time you see something - a moment in a film, or an embrace, or a vista that transfixes you - or your hear something - a poem, or a melody, or a bit of a story - or you detect a faint fragrance that sends you, in the same moment, both back to a forgotten time and forward to a new, unknown one - and you find that deep down inside of you something moves and you are transported, and you want to weep, though you’re not sure why - I want you to think, in that moment, that God is giving you a foretaste of Glory.” I had goosebumps and tears at that part. Guys, the story is beautiful and true and it’s there for you if you turn and follow Jesus. Get this book. Read this book. It’s wonderful.
There’s also a video study for this book that is already out, as well as a study guide that will be released this December.
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