Reasons to Believe: One Man's Journey Among the Evangelicals and the Faith He Left Behind

John Marks is very fair, and does a great job in making human those who are religious. He lets them speak, and respects their views entirely. He simply does not buy the message. The Barna study, something I had not heard of, was very illuminating and thematic throughout. It illustrates the many schisms and types of Christians within Christianity. Most of my family, and my wife's family are Christian. But 20% or 9% of Christians, depending on how you define it, would only say they are nominally Christian. Most Christians in America are tolerant, and their belief in Christianity guides them. They are tolerant and do not wear it on their sleeve. They try to use Christian philosophy, but are not judgmental, and accept, say, homosexuality or do not seem so worried about hell and saving people. Then there are the Christians who condemn everyone, and do not seem to wonder how they are becoming more and more of a minority. I agree with Marks' conclusions, and thought especially powerful his passage where he compares two ways to value or give purpose to Nikki McDonall's life. She is the missionary who lost her husband and a hand in Iraq. While I think Christians, and religious people gain joy and comfort from their belief. Living for a mythical afterlife is a waste of time, and neutralizes the good a person can do, but also can make others better. It's not universal one way or the other. Marks' main reason for not believing, namely, the fact God allows atrocity, is something I disagree with. Some Christians defended this by saying God makes up for it in the afterlife, and this has logic. I think the best reason not to buy religion is because they have the imprint of man. This is the case with Zeus or the Sun God, and most people can agree, but it is rather strange why this is not so easy for the masses to see concerning the more widely believed religions. Marks asks in the opening pages a very good question that most Christians have, and I paraphrase: How can so many people not believe in Christ when the signs are unmistakably clear? Marks gives a very solid answer.

As a lapsed evangelical who has recently left the fold, I'm probably still too close to the subject to be objective about my experience. Indeed, some traumatized former evangelicals, like author Frank Schaeffer, may never be able to write dispassionately about the Church (as demonstrated in his recent book "Crazy for God"). However, John Marks has gotten to the point where he can rationally revisit the evangelical Christianity he abandoned long ago, and in this fine book he takes us along on his journey. In the introduction an evangelical married couple asks the author if he will be "left behind," an allusion to the popular Christian book series about the End Times. In other words, is Mr. Marks condemned to eternal separation from God? He teases out this question all though "Reasons to Believe," and finally answers it on the last page. But not before we follow him as he visits various churches (mega and otherwise), checks out the Christian music scene and homeschooling movement, considers the possible theological fate of his Jewish wife and gay friend, and reexamines his own past when he was a youthful true believer. One of the things I appreciated about "Reasons to Believe" was that it lived up to its title. If you read my review of "Crazy for God," you might discern that I'm still a bit sensitive about my former Christian walk, much like someone who has finally left a long-term abusive relationship. However, there had to be some goodness in the Church for me to have stuck around for over twenty years, and Mr. Marks reminded me of that truth. He encounters grieving families who lovingly stick together and retain faith in the face of unexplainable tragedy, mixes with intelligent believers who have a strong sense of community and purpose, discovers ministries that reach out to anyone in need regardless of their belief system, and experiences sublime moments of joyful worship. To this day, I miss these elements of Christianity. Of course, there had to be reasons to leave as well as reasons to believe, and the author digs into those as well. He uncovers the Church's obsession with sin management and avoiding the appearance of evil, ruminates over the problem of suffering, reveals the persecution of those who don't tow the doctrinal line, and highlights the hypocrisy of leaders who live double lives and can't measure up to their own fire and brimstone sermons. As with me, the doctrine of hell angers the author, especially when family members and close friends would be condemned to eternal suffering and separation from God for no other reason than failing to follow a particular theological bent. I'm with Mr. Marks in my distain for such an infernal idea and I had no problem walking away from this, and the other aforementioned negative aspects, of the Church. So...will Mr. Marks be "left behind?" At the conclusion of his journey he takes his stand, and it's one that I can empathize with. I recommend reading "Reasons to Believe" along

It's easy to ridicule the American Evangelical movement and their more outlandish beliefs, and a number of recent books have done so quite successfully, sometimes even entertainingly. But the problem with those kinds of books is that they're preaching to the (un)converted and that their polemical tone doesn't really help you understand the phenomenon of Christian fundamentalism in America. That's why I think REASONS TO BELIEVE fully deserves five stars: it's a great, in-depth, refreshingly non-partisan piece of reportage. That the author once considered himself a reborn Christian adds a fascinating and poignant personal angle to this journey across the American Christian landscape. If you want to seriously engage with Christian fundamentalists in America - whether you're a believer or not - this book is the best possible starting point.

In Reasons to Believe, John Marks has done a fantastic job of telling two stories in one. First he tells his own story of finding, and later losing, faith in Jesus Christ. At the same time, he explores the world of evangelical Christians in America today. During his research he interviewed over 400 pastors, missionaries, and evangelical church members, and he ties together the results of the research with his past experiences into a beautiful, easy to read narrative. As he visits churches, catches up with old friends, and reads his teenage journals, he finds himself drawn back toward the faith that he abandonded. The book begins with a question posed to Marks by a preacher he interviewed while he worked for 60 Minutes, "Will you be left behind when the rapture comes?" Marks does not answer until the very last sentence of the book, creating a trail of suspense that believers and unbelievers alike will find impossible not to follow.