Does Christianity Really Work?

The Big Ten

by William Edgar

Wasn’t the South African apartheid supported by Christians? Weren’t the Crusades motivated by greed, but advocated by the church? Don’t phoney television preachers manipulate viewers into donating money? - and don’t these, and many more examples, mean Christianity doesn’t really work? Navigating this area can be difficult and confusing. William Edgar, though, addresses these and other questions honestly, without attempting to dismiss or explain away their uncomfortable realities. He displays the good aspects of the church even more brilliantly through frankly and Biblically acknowledging the bad. If you have ever asked the question Does Christianity Really Work? this will be an interesting and enlightening read, whatever your prior convictions. This is the second installment of The Big Critical Questions Answered - a Christian apologetics series which addresses ten commonly asked questions about God, the Bible, and Christianity. Each book, while easy to read, is challenging and thought-provoking, dealing with subjects ranging from hell to science.

Genres: Theology

145 pages, Kindle Edition

Published August 26, 2016

About the author

William Edgar (DTheol, University of Geneva) is professor of apologetics and coordinator of the apologetics department at Westminster Theological Seminary. His books include Reasons of the Heart, The Face of Truth, and Truth in All Its Glory.

Reviews

[Frank Peters · Rating 2 out of 5]

This book was in many ways disappointing. The purpose of the book was to show that Christianity works, however the arguments provided were presented as if Christianity was merely the best of many philosophies available. The examples provided, while mostly OK, all seem to neglect the power of God, implying that God never does anything supernatural. I wonder if this is the view of the author! It was also unclear who the target audience was. I can imagine that the target audience might be those who are not yet ready to believe that God is real and interested in people. But, if this was the case, why would the author keep quoting from the Westminster Catechism? Thus, it unfortunately seems as if the book was written to only a narrow group of cessationist Presbyterian/Reformed church goers who are looking for some assurance. Ultimately, I cannot think of anyone I would recommend this book to and will not retain the book in my library.

[Haley Mons · Rating 3 out of 5]

I liked "Why Should I Believe Christianity" a lot more. This book isn't bad, it's just not the kind of style of writing I was looking for. I expected more of a technical book with more theological concepts and arguments, but from what I can remember, it was almost entirely filled descriptions of real-life events. This isn't inherently wrong, I just would have rather read a book with more "abstract" elements arguing for how practicality of Christianity.

[Dave Krohn · Rating 3 out of 5]

Don’t expect too much from this book and you will enjoy it. Edgar presents an anecdotal case for the effect of the christian faith on multiple lives, most of them being quite prominent. His ability to flesh out these stories in only a few pages is really good!
But - the book doesn’t show if christianity works. One could always say: „Sure, but I can tell you stories of non-christians.“ I don’t think the anecdotal style of the book justifies the title.