Monday, January 5, 2015

Is God Dead

"My God's not dead He's surely alive he's living on the inside roaring like a lion."
God's Not Dead
The Newsboys

It was a Christian film that grabbed the attention of people, believers and skeptics, alike. It challenged the modern teachings that come from many of today's secular universities. Opening at over eight million dollars on its first weekend, God's Not Dead struck a chord in our nation during its run in the theater. Whether people believed or rejected the ideas set forth in the movie no one can deny that this movie has touched many lives, but I wonder how many people have read the book on which it was based?

Rice Broocks is a pastor, speaker, and author. In God's Not Dead, the most well known of his works, Rice clearly presents the evidence for a real, personal, loving, Creator. This book is not long, only about 240 pages of reading, but it is packed with a great foundation for anyone wanting to learn how to better articulate their faith. There are three elements I specifically enjoyed about this book that I would like to share.

First. Every chapter ends with a summery of what you have learned in the previous pages. Sometimes it's easy to become bogged down with scientific details and sort of gloss over what you are reading, but ending each chapter with a summary really helped recap and cement what had been said in the chapter. By the way Mr. Broocks masterfully avoids becoming dry or dull. Even in the details he explains terms very well.

Second. Citing his sources. Many people are surprised  to find out that this book is not a novel. It is a compilation of nine proofs for the evidence of God. As such many quotes are from such leading figures in the God debate such as Richard Dawkins, John Lennox, C.S. Lewis, and many others. The author cites practically every source with footnotes, which makes more research on the subject very easy.

Third. My final and perhaps most favorite part of the book is the presentation of the gospel. This book is not written exclusively to "Christianity" it is for anyone who has had doubts or perhaps doesn't even believe in a god. Because of this Mr. Broocks doesn't gloss over salvation, but makes sure the audience knows that salvation is faith and dependance in Jesus Christ's death, burial, and Resurrection for the atonement of our sins.

In an age where Creationists and Christians are looked down upon and ridiculed, Rice Broocks has inspired a generation of young Christians to know what they believe and to be able to defend the faith. If you have not read this book, I say you definitely need pick up a copy!