Shot of Faith (to the Head)

"New Atheists" want one thing: to make everyone believe the Christian faith is not only stupid, but evil and dangerous. Mitch Stokes, himself an engaging thinker and writer, adamantly denies these claims, showing how these arguments are no more than smoke and mirrors—and sometimes less than that.

A Shot of Faith to the Head isn't a fun-filled romp portraying non-Christian intellectuals as buffoons, despite their attempts to do the same for believers. Stokes has a keen sense of humor, but he takes the issues seriously, and arms Christian laypeople to rebut the agnostic and atheistic claims of their friends, family, and neighbors thoughtfully.

Historically, there have been three major arguments against the existence of God: belief in God is irrational, unscientific, and unreasonable in the light of suffering and evil. Instead of denying the validity of these claims point blank, Stokes engages each one on its own terms, shows its place in the history of thought, and refutes it using biblical thought and Christian philosophy.

Christian philosophy, he says, is not an oxymoron. He references leading intellectuals who were orthodox Christians while pursuing the life of the mind, like Alvin Plantinga, Thomas Reid, and others. Stokes explains their worldview and synthesis of Christian faith with human reason, offering cogent insights into how their work can help the rest of us defend the faith on our own.

There are plenty of difficult concepts here, but A Shot of Faith to the Head assumes no formal philosophical, theological, scientific, or rhetorical education. Anyone who wants to better understand their faith and its reasonableness can benefit from these entertaining and wise pages, and will be better prepared to share and defend that faith from attack.

Review by C. Hollis Crossman
C. Hollis Crossman used to be a child. Now he's a husband and father who loves church, good food, and weird stuff. He might be a mythical creature, but he's definitely not a centaur. Read more of his reviews here.