What do you think?
Rate this book
A Place for Skeptics: A Spiritual Journey for Those Who May Have Given Up on Church But Not on God
Have you given up on church but not on God?If you, or someone you know, are reconsidering some of the larger questions of life, then this is the book for you. This thirty-day spiritual journey examines questions about God, the Bible, faith, and Jesus. A Place for Skeptics is written as a conversation, engaging Christian truth in a relevant, nonconfrontational style. Modern questions and doubts intersect with ancient confessions of the Christian faith in this provocative book of reflections about nurturing real faith.
- GenresChristianity
Hardcover
First published August 30, 2005
1 person is currently reading
14 people want to read
About the author
Scott Larson
29 booksDr. Scott Larson is the co-founder of Straight Ahead Ministries and a leading voice in juvenile justice ministry. He has authored 13 books, developed a transformative engagement model for high-risk youth, and trains professionals nationwide. He holds a doctorate in leadership and teaches at Gordon College and Gordon-Conwell Seminary.
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews
August 9, 2016
Oh no, i'm poo-pooing another book. (partially). I'm probably going to give 5 stars to the Craig Blomberg "Can We Still Believe The Bible?" book that i'm also reading. So I'm not such a bad guy. Occasionally capable of love.
So, what is a skeptic? Definition:
1. a person inclined to question or doubt all accepted opinions.
synonyms: cynic, doubter; More
2. PHILOSOPHY
an ancient or modern philosopher who denies the possibility of knowledge, or even rational belief, in some sphere.
So the problem I have with this book is that it's all emotional apologetics. Not my area of expertise. Here's a statement from the authors:
"If you have given up on church or traditional religion but not necessarily on god, this book was written with you in mind. It's an exploration of the questions, confusion and disappointment so many of us feel when it comes to God, and of how that affects our day to day lives."
My other major complaint is that it uses the MESSAGE "pop-culture" translation of the Bible. (when is somebody going to write a Hillbilly Nascar translation, you know; for us normal people). Everytime I hear a Bible verse done in message-slang I have to read it 4 times and Text John Calvin in his grave. I bought my son the Action Cartoon Bible INSTEAD of a message version...YES, one has cool pictures of Angels with flaming swords, the other has words Snoop Dogg might embrace. I still haven't quite forgiven Chuck Swindol for using The Message in his church.
Anyway, "Stay OFF my lawn!"
In a world of chaos and liberalism: we really need some answers. WE also need the right questions. This author proudly says:
"If you are expecting a lot of answers, how-to's or formulas, this probably isn't the book for you. As a matter of fact, you may have more questions when you are finished than when you started."
So is this a good healthy place for skeptics? Maybe. It's almost impossible to say anything that will crack the bitter armor and dark heart of an eternal naysayer. So rather than your usual Christian Apologetics that deal with Science, History, Geography, Philosophy, Logic, Cultures AND language... this deals with emotional daily needs. Okay then. Let's have a look.
I fully enjoyed the running theme the authors used: A 30 day emotional journey through the classic "Apostles Creed Statement". (sort of... emotionally anyway)
I believe in God, the Father almighty, creator of heaven and earth.
I believe in Jesus Christ, His only Son, our Lord, who was conceived by the Holy Spirit, and born of the virgin Mary. He suffered under Pontius Pilate, was crucified, died , and was buried
He descended to hell.
The third day he rose again from the dead, he ascended to heaven and is seated at the right hand of God the Father almighty. From there he will come to judge the living and the dead.
I believe in the Holy Spirit, the resurrection of the dead, forgiveness of sins, the communion of saints, holy catholic church, the resurrection of the body, and the life everlasting. Amen.
Fun things to believe. The descending to hell bit is interesting.
I'm still trying to figure out who exactly these SKEPTICS are? Probably people who go to Brian McLaren seminars and have very little Biblical theology. Who else would so easily reject the Church?
I hear so much about these amazing dedicated spiritual christians who seem to have given up on church. (I don't generally call them Christians - And I assume they aren't busy reading their Bibles enough to properly understand Jesus' Church). I know, I know - the church did them wrong, If only it was perfect LIKE THEM. WE can only pray for such enlightenment. Hint, this is what happens when people don't properly comprehend Satan and what he's been upto for a few thousand years - they falsely assume he wouldn't dare walk into a church.
Let's dig in.
Quote: (pg. 15)
"...and with that in mind, we think of ourselves more as guides than experts in the area of wrestling with faith."
Is this Biblical? A guide instead of someone who gives Spiritual Truth? I do see how the Holy Spirit has to crack the hard-stubborn rebellious core before truth can get in. Often it never does. The Bible indeed shows this as well.
I have always demanded answers. But I also agree that first you might need some questions.
AS a Christian I began questioning the Bible and Christianity. (there's a reason i'm not a charismatic-Episcopal-snake handling-faith healer). Because the Bible tells me I don't currently need to. But if you chat with some atheists you'll realize many of their concerns are valid and deserve answers. So, I went around gathering questions from atheists, muslims, mormons, those fruity folks who attempt to squash all the religions together into one holy vegan soup.
My recommendation: always give questions AND answers. The spiritually blind need all the help they can get. So does Brian McLaren. (we can get into him later).
Here is a wonderful quote: (pg. 68)
"...the fact remains that we are relational beings. Humans are made in God's image, and He is Himself, even within Himself, a relational being. Christians referred to this as the Trinity, a concept that describes the one true God as having always existed as three persons- Father, Son, and Holy Spirit - yet one essence."
Well said. You get a star for correct theology.
John 1:14 (Snoop Dogg translation)
The Word became flesh and blood, and moved into the neighborhood. "Jesus is IN THE HOUSE"
Quote (pg. 83)
"...God knows what it takes to truly connect with someone's way of life. Unlike other gods who watch their subjects from afar or remain just out of reach, He has become one of us. He gets dirty, down on the floor... He loves us. And He plain likes us."
I'm still not convinced God/Jesus still likes all of us. I could post you about a 100 Bible stories showing people who WERE NOT LIKED by God. "Cough! Annanias & Sapphira".
But yes, Jesus has lived our reality. He speaks our language. This should touch our hearts and minds. But we must always remember that God is our HOLY SOVEREIGN COSMIC DEITY of love and justice. Many poorly assume he's like an eternal majestic fluffy Care-bear. YES, this is Brian McLaren's comprehension of our Biblical Savior.
Here's a comment in Christianity Today:
"Brian's devil is Western evangelicalism, which he caricatures often, and his poking is relentless enough to make me say that he needs to write a book that simply states in positive terms what he thinks without using evangelicalism as his foil.
Brian is not only poking evangelicals, he is also calling everything about Christian orthodoxy—from the ecumenical creeds through the Reformation and up to present-day evangelicalism—into question."
I actually kind of like this skeptic book. But it looses any credibility as a sound Christian theological loving truth when Brian's name often comes up. The authors even recommend we read a book or two by McLaren. Strangely, they also recommend Brother Yun's "The Heavenly Man: The Remarkable True Story of Chinese Christian Brother Yun".
I assumed this book would be heading off into Liberal Neverland - but then it takes a turn into fruity charismatic shenanigans. It appears discernment is not a priority to our two authors. This makes sense as they also recommend some Philip Yancey and Donald Miller. Yes, lots of questioning - but people need some correct answers.
Positive note: I must say that they finally get around to recommending some Lee Strobel (A Case For Christ), and Josh McDowell's (Evidence That Demands A Verdict). YES, thankfully - some books with actual Answers.
My favorite part of this guide was the mentioning of a ministry working with gang kids: (pg. 142)
"So why did you join a gang?"
"I was looking for respect...and I got respect."
"I used to be afraid...now nobody messes with me."
"I was looking for a place to belong, a place to really matter."
"I was looking for something big enough to live for and big enough to die for."
... Author says; "by this time I was ready to join a gang."
Then the author takes the boys to the 1st century church - which had some similar issues. Kid comment: "Yo, that's REAL." "That's the church, huh?"
For that, this book does some rather good emotional apologetics. I applaud. (the skeptic in me is concerned: that other religions might similarly offer spiritual journeys with some selling points like those.) Eventually some hardcore apologetic truths will need to be presented. And some way to keep everyone from becoming Brother Yun doing charismatic miracles and slight exaggerations about his endless ministries and accomplishments.
Which takes us back to the core problem: Who are these skeptics exactly? That claim to like God but not HIS church? Simply read the Bible FOR answers. (as well as some John MacArthur commentaries and books.) And for the real issues in life: Read every Ravi Zacharias book.
So, what is a skeptic? Definition:
1. a person inclined to question or doubt all accepted opinions.
synonyms: cynic, doubter; More
2. PHILOSOPHY
an ancient or modern philosopher who denies the possibility of knowledge, or even rational belief, in some sphere.
So the problem I have with this book is that it's all emotional apologetics. Not my area of expertise. Here's a statement from the authors:
"If you have given up on church or traditional religion but not necessarily on god, this book was written with you in mind. It's an exploration of the questions, confusion and disappointment so many of us feel when it comes to God, and of how that affects our day to day lives."
My other major complaint is that it uses the MESSAGE "pop-culture" translation of the Bible. (when is somebody going to write a Hillbilly Nascar translation, you know; for us normal people). Everytime I hear a Bible verse done in message-slang I have to read it 4 times and Text John Calvin in his grave. I bought my son the Action Cartoon Bible INSTEAD of a message version...YES, one has cool pictures of Angels with flaming swords, the other has words Snoop Dogg might embrace. I still haven't quite forgiven Chuck Swindol for using The Message in his church.
Anyway, "Stay OFF my lawn!"
In a world of chaos and liberalism: we really need some answers. WE also need the right questions. This author proudly says:
"If you are expecting a lot of answers, how-to's or formulas, this probably isn't the book for you. As a matter of fact, you may have more questions when you are finished than when you started."
So is this a good healthy place for skeptics? Maybe. It's almost impossible to say anything that will crack the bitter armor and dark heart of an eternal naysayer. So rather than your usual Christian Apologetics that deal with Science, History, Geography, Philosophy, Logic, Cultures AND language... this deals with emotional daily needs. Okay then. Let's have a look.
I fully enjoyed the running theme the authors used: A 30 day emotional journey through the classic "Apostles Creed Statement". (sort of... emotionally anyway)
I believe in God, the Father almighty, creator of heaven and earth.
I believe in Jesus Christ, His only Son, our Lord, who was conceived by the Holy Spirit, and born of the virgin Mary. He suffered under Pontius Pilate, was crucified, died , and was buried
He descended to hell.
The third day he rose again from the dead, he ascended to heaven and is seated at the right hand of God the Father almighty. From there he will come to judge the living and the dead.
I believe in the Holy Spirit, the resurrection of the dead, forgiveness of sins, the communion of saints, holy catholic church, the resurrection of the body, and the life everlasting. Amen.
Fun things to believe. The descending to hell bit is interesting.
I'm still trying to figure out who exactly these SKEPTICS are? Probably people who go to Brian McLaren seminars and have very little Biblical theology. Who else would so easily reject the Church?
I hear so much about these amazing dedicated spiritual christians who seem to have given up on church. (I don't generally call them Christians - And I assume they aren't busy reading their Bibles enough to properly understand Jesus' Church). I know, I know - the church did them wrong, If only it was perfect LIKE THEM. WE can only pray for such enlightenment. Hint, this is what happens when people don't properly comprehend Satan and what he's been upto for a few thousand years - they falsely assume he wouldn't dare walk into a church.
Let's dig in.
Quote: (pg. 15)
"...and with that in mind, we think of ourselves more as guides than experts in the area of wrestling with faith."
Is this Biblical? A guide instead of someone who gives Spiritual Truth? I do see how the Holy Spirit has to crack the hard-stubborn rebellious core before truth can get in. Often it never does. The Bible indeed shows this as well.
I have always demanded answers. But I also agree that first you might need some questions.
AS a Christian I began questioning the Bible and Christianity. (there's a reason i'm not a charismatic-Episcopal-snake handling-faith healer). Because the Bible tells me I don't currently need to. But if you chat with some atheists you'll realize many of their concerns are valid and deserve answers. So, I went around gathering questions from atheists, muslims, mormons, those fruity folks who attempt to squash all the religions together into one holy vegan soup.
My recommendation: always give questions AND answers. The spiritually blind need all the help they can get. So does Brian McLaren. (we can get into him later).
Here is a wonderful quote: (pg. 68)
"...the fact remains that we are relational beings. Humans are made in God's image, and He is Himself, even within Himself, a relational being. Christians referred to this as the Trinity, a concept that describes the one true God as having always existed as three persons- Father, Son, and Holy Spirit - yet one essence."
Well said. You get a star for correct theology.
John 1:14 (Snoop Dogg translation)
The Word became flesh and blood, and moved into the neighborhood. "Jesus is IN THE HOUSE"
Quote (pg. 83)
"...God knows what it takes to truly connect with someone's way of life. Unlike other gods who watch their subjects from afar or remain just out of reach, He has become one of us. He gets dirty, down on the floor... He loves us. And He plain likes us."
I'm still not convinced God/Jesus still likes all of us. I could post you about a 100 Bible stories showing people who WERE NOT LIKED by God. "Cough! Annanias & Sapphira".
But yes, Jesus has lived our reality. He speaks our language. This should touch our hearts and minds. But we must always remember that God is our HOLY SOVEREIGN COSMIC DEITY of love and justice. Many poorly assume he's like an eternal majestic fluffy Care-bear. YES, this is Brian McLaren's comprehension of our Biblical Savior.
Here's a comment in Christianity Today:
"Brian's devil is Western evangelicalism, which he caricatures often, and his poking is relentless enough to make me say that he needs to write a book that simply states in positive terms what he thinks without using evangelicalism as his foil.
Brian is not only poking evangelicals, he is also calling everything about Christian orthodoxy—from the ecumenical creeds through the Reformation and up to present-day evangelicalism—into question."
I actually kind of like this skeptic book. But it looses any credibility as a sound Christian theological loving truth when Brian's name often comes up. The authors even recommend we read a book or two by McLaren. Strangely, they also recommend Brother Yun's "The Heavenly Man: The Remarkable True Story of Chinese Christian Brother Yun".
I assumed this book would be heading off into Liberal Neverland - but then it takes a turn into fruity charismatic shenanigans. It appears discernment is not a priority to our two authors. This makes sense as they also recommend some Philip Yancey and Donald Miller. Yes, lots of questioning - but people need some correct answers.
Positive note: I must say that they finally get around to recommending some Lee Strobel (A Case For Christ), and Josh McDowell's (Evidence That Demands A Verdict). YES, thankfully - some books with actual Answers.
My favorite part of this guide was the mentioning of a ministry working with gang kids: (pg. 142)
"So why did you join a gang?"
"I was looking for respect...and I got respect."
"I used to be afraid...now nobody messes with me."
"I was looking for a place to belong, a place to really matter."
"I was looking for something big enough to live for and big enough to die for."
... Author says; "by this time I was ready to join a gang."
Then the author takes the boys to the 1st century church - which had some similar issues. Kid comment: "Yo, that's REAL." "That's the church, huh?"
For that, this book does some rather good emotional apologetics. I applaud. (the skeptic in me is concerned: that other religions might similarly offer spiritual journeys with some selling points like those.) Eventually some hardcore apologetic truths will need to be presented. And some way to keep everyone from becoming Brother Yun doing charismatic miracles and slight exaggerations about his endless ministries and accomplishments.
Which takes us back to the core problem: Who are these skeptics exactly? That claim to like God but not HIS church? Simply read the Bible FOR answers. (as well as some John MacArthur commentaries and books.) And for the real issues in life: Read every Ravi Zacharias book.
March 24, 2008
This book is actually intended to be read one "chapter" at a time over thirty days, but I read it several "days" at a time off-and-on throughout the last three weeks. I found it while browsing at a local bookstore and picked it up for a friend, but I never give away a book without having read it first.
Basically, this book is a step-by-step analysis of the reader's own views on Christian faith made possible by systematically considering each phrase of the Apostles' Creed. After each day's reading, the authors present some ideas on how to delve more deeply into the topic of the day as well as a recommended title for reading more about the concepts that were discussed that day. Scripture references throughout the book are from The Message (MSG) paraphrase translation, of which I am a huge fan.
While the audience of the book is anticipated to be "skeptics" -- someone who is searching for answers to the "larger questions of life" or who has "given up on church but not on God", I found it to be helpful and relevant to me, as well. The sections that I found the most helpful (and over which I spent the most time contemplating) were the sections on Hell ("...he descended to hell..."), Judgment ("...From there He will come to judge the living and the dead..."), the Holy Spirit ("I believe in the Holy Spirit..."), and Christian community ("I believe in ... the communion of saints..."). I think all-to-often the (protestant/Baptist) church today over-looks many of these topics or just bluntly says "here are the facts" without bothering to discuss their importance to living the Christian life. This book does a good job of considering each of the beliefs that Christians have held most dear since the early church and what the implications of each is on our modern lives.
I highly recommend this book to anyone who:
1. is questioning the basic elements of their Christian faith, or
2. has always taken someone else's say-so on the basic elements of their faith and is ready to think about them for their self, or
3. needs a break from their stale routine faith to go back and dust-off the basics, or
4. who is wanting to take-up relevant conversation with any of the above.
Basically, this book is a step-by-step analysis of the reader's own views on Christian faith made possible by systematically considering each phrase of the Apostles' Creed. After each day's reading, the authors present some ideas on how to delve more deeply into the topic of the day as well as a recommended title for reading more about the concepts that were discussed that day. Scripture references throughout the book are from The Message (MSG) paraphrase translation, of which I am a huge fan.
While the audience of the book is anticipated to be "skeptics" -- someone who is searching for answers to the "larger questions of life" or who has "given up on church but not on God", I found it to be helpful and relevant to me, as well. The sections that I found the most helpful (and over which I spent the most time contemplating) were the sections on Hell ("...he descended to hell..."), Judgment ("...From there He will come to judge the living and the dead..."), the Holy Spirit ("I believe in the Holy Spirit..."), and Christian community ("I believe in ... the communion of saints..."). I think all-to-often the (protestant/Baptist) church today over-looks many of these topics or just bluntly says "here are the facts" without bothering to discuss their importance to living the Christian life. This book does a good job of considering each of the beliefs that Christians have held most dear since the early church and what the implications of each is on our modern lives.
I highly recommend this book to anyone who:
1. is questioning the basic elements of their Christian faith, or
2. has always taken someone else's say-so on the basic elements of their faith and is ready to think about them for their self, or
3. needs a break from their stale routine faith to go back and dust-off the basics, or
4. who is wanting to take-up relevant conversation with any of the above.
Read
August 9, 2011It was great as a refresher to our faith, and it was great that they used the Apostles Creed as the foundation for this book. I think it definitely helps people to review the Christian faith, but as a place for skeptics, i'm not sure how effectively that was done. It definitely encouraged me in faith, and hope if you pick up this book it would do the same for you!
Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews