IF GOD, THEN WHAT?
By Andrew Wilson
IVP. 159 pages. £8.99
ISBN 978 1 844 745 692
If you want hard evidence of how brilliant this book on apologetics is, then you need to see the review by a thoughtful atheist on the Amazon website who read it after being invited to debate with author Andrew Wilson on the radio.
The atheist in question, Geoff Lillis, writes: ‘Most books in this genre seem to try to win conversations or close them down. Wilson seems to be trying to open them up... The negative comments on non-believers, so frequent among his competitors, are absent here. There are no attacks on science or ham-fisted links with Hitler, and he makes good efforts to show how much weight his arguments will bear as opposed to painting each as a certain proof... It’s the best I’ve read in the genre and extends a hand of friendship rather than a wagging finger of disapproval. It didn’t convert me, but did leave me wanting to join the author for a coffee and a long chat’.
Reasons for belief
This is a thoughtful, intellectually sharp and at times laugh-out-loud tour de force articulation of reasons for belief. Wilson is one of the UK’s best young Bible expositors and comes with a keen mind and mischievous humour.
If I had any quibbles, I think he perhaps underestimates the scientific framework that has given birth to the idea of a multiple universe, or multiverse: I believe there’s rather more to it than he perhaps credits.
Marketing approach
And, more substantially, I was very puzzled by publisher IVP’s marketing approach. The book seems fairly and squarely written for both non-Christians (as per atheist Geoff above) and believers — but both the back and inside cover reviews seemed much more aimed at Christians and might be quite off-putting to seekers, it seemed to me. But do buy the book for yourself and give some other copies away!
David Baker,
rector of the churches of East Dean with Friston and Jevington, East Sussex
