No, I haven’t mistakenly scored an own goal! Neither am I having second thoughts about my Christian faith. What I’ve done is borrowed Rebeca McLaughlin’s book title, Confronting Christianity – 12 Hard Questions for the World’s Largest Religion. What better title could I have come up with for a book recommendation?
Another confession. Reading has been a real drag for me since the start of the lock-down. Often, I’m exhausted by the end of the day, and reading just naturally and gradually took a back seat. Well, I did eventually grab a book, and worked my way through its twelve chapters at a pace marginally faster than snail speed. By the time I turned the last page over, I had no doubt that it was well worth the effort.
From the question of suffering to homophobia, Confronting Christianity covers a breadth of topics that readily pass for landmines in a postmodern, post-truth world, more so as such topics are not detached from the grim reality of far too many people. To be misheard on such matters would therefore be a disservice to any attempt to offer a credible defence, however well-meant that may be. McLaughlin takes great care to express her thoughts in a way that leaves the reader in no doubt as to the point she’s making. She does not offer mere philosophical answers to what she rightly concedes as ‘hard questions’; but repeatedly does a good job of fleshing out otherwise abstract ideas in practical ways, all within a biblical framework.
Without doubt, a lot of research went into this piece of work, both in terms of historical and anecdotal evidences. The author does seem to have a bevy of friends and associates from whom she garnered first-hand experiences of varying sides of an argument. This gives the book a balanced feel, rather than an amplified opinion oozing from an echo chamber. Yet, she does justice to divergent perspectives with a healthy balance of grace and candour. Without dismissing legitimate concerns, she gives fair hearing to opposing ideas and follows them through to their logical ends, thereby exposing undetected assumptions and gaping fault lines.
For different reasons, this book will serve believers, non-believers and every category in between. As a believer, reading this book reinforced my knowledge and appreciation of foundational truths of the Christian faith, whilst also challenging personal biases on some other aspects. It also held out the hope of the gospel in a very tangible way that reminded me that the goal of my existence is relationship with Christ; a relationship formed through suffering as much as through joy!
The 12 questions tackled in this book are asked not only by sceptics, but dare I say, by genuine Christians as well. The robust answers and defence in this compelling work of genius is therefore a helpful additional resource for people keen to heed the Bible’s admonition to “always be prepared to gently and with respect, give an answer to everyone who asks you to give the reason for the hope that you have.” 1 Peter 3:15.
Thanks for reading!
Sike Osinuga.