Know What You Believe

I first encountered Paul Little's "Know What You Believe" and "Know Why You Believe" about 12-13 years ago. Over the years, I have read many tomes of systematic theology, dogmatics, etc. In fact, I'd thought that I long "out-grew" these "Beginner" books on the Christian faith. Then my wife bought a new edition that contains both books and I read them through again over the weekend. I was pleasantly surprised by the masterful simplicity in Little's presentation of the core truths of Christianity in such a clear, intelligent manner; yet without trivialising the whole thing with needlessly casual anecdotes or the feeling like he's "talking down to you". As a young Christian, I got the feeling that these books were simple apologetics that one used for evangelism and discipleship. On rereading them this round, I found them to be very scholarly works but presented in a very readable format (and believe me, that's quite a feat!). For me on a personal level, it's a return to the basics, the core truths - the vital stuff that makes Christianity so amazing and meaningful in the first place. These two books are modern Christian classics and should be on every Christian's bookshelf. Buy a dozen today and start rereading them and giving them out.

Paul Little's book, KNOW WHAT YOU BELIEVE, provides an apologetic of the Christian faith in simple, yet elegant terms. Little provided a straight forward approach to understanding the faith. It is an excellent resource for learning about the Christian faith and can be used as an evangelism tool - either through a pre-Christian reading it, or by providing a Chrsitian the skills to share the faith.This book will enable the reader to draw near to God, as he or she learns about our Father, the glorious Lord Jesus, and the Holy Spirit. A wonderful experience!

If you are just beginning as a Christian, this book will help you to get a firm foundation for your faith. It helps you with your Biblical study of your new life. If you are a more mature Christian, this book helps you keep the simplicity of the Christian faith in mind. When you speak with people about our Lord, have this book readily available. It will not do the speaking for you, but will help you to express what the Bible says if you happen to need some help. And I have needed this type of help from time to time. If you are wanting to know what Christianity is about and don't want to go through the Bible yet or talk with a Christian, this book will help you to see what it is that we believe.I had a hard time putting this book down. I keep saying that I would put it down after I finish "just this one part". It helped me to get back to the basics of my belief. I was able to read the Bible with fresh eyes again. A wonderful book to read and great resource to have. I expect that I will need to buy several copies between giving them out and wearing mine out.I would recommend this book to anyone.

I think an alternative title could be "Know Why You SHOULD Believe." This is a great book for not only the Christian but anyone wanting to know why they should believe the incredible claims of Christianity. The Author does an excellent job of explaining the faith in a reasonable manner and does it in an easy-to-read format. This is the best book I have found to give to the "seeker" of Truth!

Paul Little does an excellent job explaining the basic beliefs of Christianity. He focuses on telling what the Bible says, not what other people say. This is the perfect book for new believers, but it is also excellent at reaffirming the beliefs of more mature Christians.