Why I Believe

Mark Joseph Young

Over a decade ago a family friend who was a lapsed Baptist commented that I was the smartest person he knew, and that fact combined with the fact that I was genuinely, not casually, a believer in God and Jesus Christ was a serious problem for his unbelief.

Well, it's not easy to convey an adequate explanation for such a question in conversation--so I started writing this book for him, and for anyone else with the same question:  how is it that intelligent people can believe in God?  I think that one of the answers is, how can they not?  In any case, it took fifteen years and forty drafts to produce what I hope is the definitive answer.

It begins with some evidence that I actually am one of those super-intelligent persons (who knew?  It was a surprise to me), then covers a few of the expected objections, such as that I was raised to believe this.

From there it goes into a detailed presentation of what might be called the philosophical arguments--ontology, cosmology, teleology, moral, intellect, the good man, prophecy, poetic symmetry, love is all we need, and synchronicity.  These are presented simply but hopefully adequately enough to be considered thorough, dealing with what the arguments are, what they prove, and where they have weaknesses.

The next section looks at all the major problems raised as objections to faith, including suffering, disaster, evil, poverty, the Crusades, exclusivity, insignificance, the Fall, Hell, and several others.  Answers are offered to these, explaining why they are not fatal to belief in God and to some degree how they fit into His existence.

The final section of evidence is personal attestation, what I have seen God do in my own life that supports my belief that He is there.

The book wraps up with a consideration of why the existence of God is not blatantly obvious, and how to determine it for yourself, followed by three appendices tying up some loose ends.

More information about the book including a couple of early reviews is available on the publisher's website.

All of this is available under the title Why I Believe through booksellers.  Amazon offers the paperback and Kindle editions, and other electronic editions are listed and linked here.  There is also a hardcover edition available through bookstores.