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Real World
A.S.K. Real World Questions/ Real Word Answers
Welcome to A.S.K – Ask. Seek. Knock.
‘Ask and it will be given to you; seek and you will find; knock and the door will be opened to you. For everyone who asks receives; the one who seeks finds; and to the one who knocks, the door will be opened.’ (Matthew 7:7–8).
We all have questions about Jesus, the Bible, the Christian faith and our culture today. The great news is that Jesus gives answers. These questions were gathered from teenagers in fifteen countries in five different continents. All of them are real questions from real teenagers.
52 short chapters. Each contains a question, a Bible passage, a Bible verse, a discussion, something to consider, recommended further reading and a prayer.
These answers may lead to more questions which is fine – but the main aim of this book is that you the reader comes to see and know better the One who is the Answer, Jesus Christ.
‘Ask and it will be given to you; seek and you will find; knock and the door will be opened to you. For everyone who asks receives; the one who seeks finds; and to the one who knocks, the door will be opened.’ (Matthew 7:7–8).
We all have questions about Jesus, the Bible, the Christian faith and our culture today. The great news is that Jesus gives answers. These questions were gathered from teenagers in fifteen countries in five different continents. All of them are real questions from real teenagers.
52 short chapters. Each contains a question, a Bible passage, a Bible verse, a discussion, something to consider, recommended further reading and a prayer.
These answers may lead to more questions which is fine – but the main aim of this book is that you the reader comes to see and know better the One who is the Answer, Jesus Christ.
Paperback
Published January 1, 2019
24 people are currently reading
48 people want to read
About the author
David Robertson
9 books6 followersLibrarian Note: There is more than one author in the Goodreads database with this name.
David Robertson is the minister of St Peter's Free Church in Dundee, Scotland, and a director of the Solas Centre for Public Christianity. He is the author of The Dawkins Letters, and has publicly debated Richard Dawkins and other prominent atheists throughout the UK and Europe. David is married to Annabel and has three children.
David Robertson is the minister of St Peter's Free Church in Dundee, Scotland, and a director of the Solas Centre for Public Christianity. He is the author of The Dawkins Letters, and has publicly debated Richard Dawkins and other prominent atheists throughout the UK and Europe. David is married to Annabel and has three children.
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Displaying 1 - 14 of 14 reviews
September 5, 2021
Seems doctrinally sound. I like that it was always pointing to a relationship with God and His word. However, I don't know that those having the specific questions would find adequate answers. It's just really hard to answer questions when every situation is different. There is a very good suggested further reading list.
June 27, 2020
Simplistic, might be comforting for those who already believe; ironically the “ask” idea itself is I really explored; there’s simplistic answers given that actually discourage people from thinking / doubting.
( free sample that gave about 6 “chapters” ). Not worth wasting money on.
( free sample that gave about 6 “chapters” ). Not worth wasting money on.
August 23, 2023
Wow, three years and I finally finished this book! I enjoyed the concept of this book, and would be interested in other similar ones.
This book is by no means a definitive answer to every question someone could have about the Bible - it is merely a starting point for discussion. The author understands this and included plenty of additional reading titles for the reader to explore their biggest questions further. I love this compiled list of further readings, which I plan to take advantage of in the future. This is not to say that the author isn’t knowledgeable - his answers seemed well-rooted in the Bible to me. I loved receiving answers to questions like “What does the Bible say about tattoos?” and “Do people who commit suicide go to Heaven?”, which I thought the author gave very insightful answers to.
I was a little disappointed with the way the author answered a few questions. Sometimes it seemed as though he didn’t quite understand what the question was asking (see “What is the of the law in my life?”) Other times I don’t think he answered the question fully, especially if the question had multiple parts to it. I think this is most visible in the question about teen pregnancy, which was the shortest chapter in the book. How is it that he only needed 3 pages to answer that question, but 4 pages for “Do pets go to Heaven?” (Each chapter was 4 pages long except for the teen pregnancy one - I know one page doesn’t seem like a big difference, but it is pretty noticeable when it’s the only chapter in the book with a completely blank page. Especially because the question wasn’t completely answered as it had many parts to it.)
I think this is a great book to provide the beginning of much deeper discussions. While I chose to read this independently and tried to read it daily, I believe it lends itself to a group Bible study with one passage per week for a whole year (52 weeks).
This book is by no means a definitive answer to every question someone could have about the Bible - it is merely a starting point for discussion. The author understands this and included plenty of additional reading titles for the reader to explore their biggest questions further. I love this compiled list of further readings, which I plan to take advantage of in the future. This is not to say that the author isn’t knowledgeable - his answers seemed well-rooted in the Bible to me. I loved receiving answers to questions like “What does the Bible say about tattoos?” and “Do people who commit suicide go to Heaven?”, which I thought the author gave very insightful answers to.
I was a little disappointed with the way the author answered a few questions. Sometimes it seemed as though he didn’t quite understand what the question was asking (see “What is the of the law in my life?”) Other times I don’t think he answered the question fully, especially if the question had multiple parts to it. I think this is most visible in the question about teen pregnancy, which was the shortest chapter in the book. How is it that he only needed 3 pages to answer that question, but 4 pages for “Do pets go to Heaven?” (Each chapter was 4 pages long except for the teen pregnancy one - I know one page doesn’t seem like a big difference, but it is pretty noticeable when it’s the only chapter in the book with a completely blank page. Especially because the question wasn’t completely answered as it had many parts to it.)
I think this is a great book to provide the beginning of much deeper discussions. While I chose to read this independently and tried to read it daily, I believe it lends itself to a group Bible study with one passage per week for a whole year (52 weeks).
August 18, 2020
- This book is great if you're looking for quick, short answers on a range of topics. However, I felt that the book lacked the detail needed to fully get to the bottom of these questions. As all non-fiction books are, this book was very biased. It became clear to me while reading that David Robertson is an evangelical/conservative Christian, and who is politically very conservative. He made some bold, irrational statements about Liberals and atheists (and assumed atheists must be liberal) which were frankly rude and stupid. For example:
> Of course today all liberal progressives would shout out loud their anti-racist credential and how they believe that all humans are equal. But I'm not sure on what rational basis they nase this. It is only Christianity with its view that all human beings are created in the image of God that provides a real basis for equality and diversity. I think you will still find that most white liberal progressives believe that their culture is superior and should be imposed upon the rest of the world.
I'm not sure what "white liberal progressives" he's talked to. It also assumes that Christianity is opposed to "White progressive" liberalism, and there no-one progressive or not-conservative is really christian. This also suggests that anyone who isn't a christian is against equality and diversity, and are therefore racist. This is stupid.
> (Talking about the philosophical idea about something being created from nothing) "Such a notion is beyond the realms of reason and is a total nonsensical fantasy"
To disregard an incredibly complex idea like this needs many books to get to the bottom of, but to dismiss it like this is just silly.
- I would recommend this book to teenagers with lots of questions about christianity who want a quick, short, one-sided answer.
> Of course today all liberal progressives would shout out loud their anti-racist credential and how they believe that all humans are equal. But I'm not sure on what rational basis they nase this. It is only Christianity with its view that all human beings are created in the image of God that provides a real basis for equality and diversity. I think you will still find that most white liberal progressives believe that their culture is superior and should be imposed upon the rest of the world.
I'm not sure what "white liberal progressives" he's talked to. It also assumes that Christianity is opposed to "White progressive" liberalism, and there no-one progressive or not-conservative is really christian. This also suggests that anyone who isn't a christian is against equality and diversity, and are therefore racist. This is stupid.
> (Talking about the philosophical idea about something being created from nothing) "Such a notion is beyond the realms of reason and is a total nonsensical fantasy"
To disregard an incredibly complex idea like this needs many books to get to the bottom of, but to dismiss it like this is just silly.
- I would recommend this book to teenagers with lots of questions about christianity who want a quick, short, one-sided answer.
December 31, 2022
The book answers 52 questions by real teens related to God, the Bible, culture, relationships, etc. The main idea of the book was excellent and each of the questions were from actual teens around the world. This would make a good springboard for discussion for parents, pastors, and teens, though I wouldn't recommend it as a book to give teens as an accurate theology resource.
PROS:
Good chapter on animals and heaven, suicide, Buddhism, tattoos, the role of the Law in a Christian's life, and other chapters.
CRITICISM:
The chapter on Harry Potter argues that the book is okay to read because it includes similar themes as the Bible. I'm not opposed to reading Harry Potter but that's a poor reason for justifying a secular book, and one can get into all sorts of trouble with that reasoning. The chapter on the Big Bang was inconclusive. The author refuses to say whether creation was literal days or if God used evolution. In the chapter on the gender of God, the author introduces divine impassibility and uses catechism questions to prove that God is without gender. He notes that Jews, Muslims, and Christians believe in the same God (p. 55). In the chapter on hell, the author argues that it could be literal or metaphorical. In the chapter on infants dying and salvation of those who've never heard the gospel, he is inconclusive and primarily reasons from an emotional standpoint, which doesn't make sense after emphasizing God's impassibility.
I would say that 90% of the book was edifying but the questionable sections were directly connected to God's identity and Scripture.
PROS:
Good chapter on animals and heaven, suicide, Buddhism, tattoos, the role of the Law in a Christian's life, and other chapters.
CRITICISM:
The chapter on Harry Potter argues that the book is okay to read because it includes similar themes as the Bible. I'm not opposed to reading Harry Potter but that's a poor reason for justifying a secular book, and one can get into all sorts of trouble with that reasoning. The chapter on the Big Bang was inconclusive. The author refuses to say whether creation was literal days or if God used evolution. In the chapter on the gender of God, the author introduces divine impassibility and uses catechism questions to prove that God is without gender. He notes that Jews, Muslims, and Christians believe in the same God (p. 55). In the chapter on hell, the author argues that it could be literal or metaphorical. In the chapter on infants dying and salvation of those who've never heard the gospel, he is inconclusive and primarily reasons from an emotional standpoint, which doesn't make sense after emphasizing God's impassibility.
I would say that 90% of the book was edifying but the questionable sections were directly connected to God's identity and Scripture.
October 15, 2020
Even though I didnt care for the book personally, I gave it 3 stars because it accomplishes it's purpose. I read this book because it was given to me by a friend, it's not the type of book I normally like to read. Robertson states in the preface he wrote this book specifically for teenagers and he only gives a brief answer to 52 questions. If you want to find out more about a certain topic he provides a list of additional reading.
Because of my background, I already knew the answers to the questions. And because he only gave a paragraph or two answer for each question, I didn't learn anything new. For a long time Christian looking for a thought provoking and convicting read, this is not the book. However, for a youth study or a new believer, this would be an excellent resource.
Because of my background, I already knew the answers to the questions. And because he only gave a paragraph or two answer for each question, I didn't learn anything new. For a long time Christian looking for a thought provoking and convicting read, this is not the book. However, for a youth study or a new believer, this would be an excellent resource.
April 9, 2022
This book is absolutely disgusting! How dare you compare transgender people to racism and misogyny! I’m my opinion saying that that is racist, sexist and transphobic all in one! And that was just one example of the many discriminative notes in this book. Being trans brings no harm to anyone and as God is ‘all loving’ he would accept people for what they are! You should ashamed for your sins which you’ve displayed in this book! There is no justification for what you have written and as an ex - Christian and philosopher I’m highly educated to speak on this! Change your ways! I would give it -100 stars but that’s not an option!!
December 22, 2020
This book is an excellent book for high school youth group. It has questions that really are asked by students. With concise and thought-provoking answers. Not deep, but very good for giving somebody a place to begin.
December 17, 2019
Read with the intention to give to some in our church’s youth group. Concise, understandable, and Biblical (or ‘real Word’) responses to good questions.
June 1, 2023
had some good points but failed to grab me... but then again, me and non-fiction aren't really besties
August 11, 2025
A great book aimed at teenagers, asking good, thoughtful questions of Christianity.
December 31, 2021
Does exactly what it says on the tin: gives real answers to real questions.
This book is especially excellent for Christian kids - it asks all the questions I wish I’d had answered when I was growing up. David Robertson does well to keep it at a level easily accessible for all levels of teens, and keeps it short and within a pattern that makes it great for weekly reading. I’ll be recommending and using with my youth group in Glasgow.
The one downside was the short format meant some questions didn’t get the space they probably needed to answer fully. The suffering question especially could have used more air time.
Bar that - great book, abs fantastic tool for youth work!
This book is especially excellent for Christian kids - it asks all the questions I wish I’d had answered when I was growing up. David Robertson does well to keep it at a level easily accessible for all levels of teens, and keeps it short and within a pattern that makes it great for weekly reading. I’ll be recommending and using with my youth group in Glasgow.
The one downside was the short format meant some questions didn’t get the space they probably needed to answer fully. The suffering question especially could have used more air time.
Bar that - great book, abs fantastic tool for youth work!
November 9, 2019
This could have been a 4 star had it not been for a mind boggling blunder on Page 145, where the author seems to underplay the seriousness of a particular sin. The book is still worth giving away to 15-17yr olds!
May 5, 2021
Biblical answers to real world questions. A great resource for young adults and any new Christian.
Displaying 1 - 14 of 14 reviews