Faith and Reason: Searching for a Rational Faith

by Ronald H. Nash

Book Overview

Christians should not have an inferiority complex regarding the academic or intellectual integrity of their faith and should understand that Christian faith is also a rational faith. Faith and Reason has two major purposes. First, it is designed to introduce readers to the more important questions that link philosophy and religion. It explores philosophical questions. It is also written for pastors, Christian workers, and educated laypeople who want...

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0310294010
• ISBN13: 9780310294016
• Release Date: May 1994
• Publisher: Zondervan Academic
• Length: 296 Pages
• Weight: 0.87 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.8" x 6.0" x 8.9"
• Age Range: 18 years and up

Customer Reviews

Rationality does not necessarily need proof

Rationality does not necessarily need proof. Weird it may sound. But this is one of important things discussed in the book Faith and Reason. Our belief in God is rational, even if we do not have any arguments to prove it. In his introduction, Nash says that Faith and Reason was written to introduce readers to important questions related to philosophy and religion, while at the same time attempt to answer them. Among these questions are: Is Christian faith rational? Can we answer challenges directed towards Christian faith? How do we help others to see that Christian faith is a rational faith? Nash emphasizes the importance of approaching apologetics from the perspective of worldviews. He says that Christianity should be seen as a system, as a total world and lifeview. Of course there are reasons behind his words. "Once people understand that both Christianity and its competitors are world-views, they will be in a better position to judge the relative merits of all the systems" (p.25). He continues, "The reason why many people reject Christianity is not due to their problems with one or two isolated issues; it results rather for the simple reason that their anti-Christian conceptual scheme leads them to reject information and arguments that for believers provide support for the Christian world-view" (p. 26). That is why the first part of the book is written to discuss world-view: what is world-view, what is Christian world-view, and how to choose a world-view. It is highly recommended that reader reads the first part carefully, and if possible, several times, to avoid unnecessary confusion later. Nash differentiates positive and negative apologetics. Closely related with this, Nash also underlines the importance of understanding the burden of proof in apologetics. He writes, "Surprisingly, many Christian apologists in the past have agreed to play the atheologian's game, and they have played it according to the atheologian's rules... that the only proper way to begin the task of apologetics is... to prove that God exists" (p. 84), or in other words, it is theists who have to bear the burden of proof. Nash and a number of other Reformed thinkers believe that Christians are not supposed to follow the atheists' rule of play. "The sensible person will reject the claim that theism should be presumed guilty until proven innocent" (p. 18). The task of negative apologetics is to challenge the view that Christian faith has to be declared irrational if there are no proofs to support it. It is these important concepts, such as world-view, positive and negative apologetics, and burden of proof, that underline the following parts of the book. Part two to five consecutively deals with the rationality of religious belief, some arguments for God's existence, the problem of evil, and miracles. From the first part, the reader should have had the hints why belief in God is rational. But Nash elaborates this further in the second part. One important term that appe

A thorough and well-reasoned Christian apologetic

In this book, Ronald Nash presents his Christian apologetic and worldview. Starting with his definition of a worldview and how a person should go about choosing one, Nash discusses everything from evidentialism to the miraculous, from the various theistic arguments to the problem of evil. The book is well-written and enjoyable to read from beginning to end.By answering many of the questions philosophy asks, Nash shows that Christianity can not only assert itself as a reasonable worldview, but also surpass the reasonability of other belief systems. For those interested in learning how Christianity answers the great philosophical questions, this book is an excellent starting place.

Introductory, Yet Meaty Book

Ron Nash wrote this wide ranging book back in the '80s, but much of its material is applicable and helpful for the reader today. I debated whether to give the book 4 stars or 5. I opted for 5, but I think a certain kind of reader might not rank it that high. I found that there were parts of the book, particularly the early parts dealing with noetic structures and worldview formulation, that tend to drag a bit. But, for someone who is new to the field of apologetics and the intellectual side of the Christian faith, these chapters might well be very engaging. Since it appears that Nash's target audience was at a more beginner-type level, I have no problem with his extensive early treatment of noetic structures since it lays a good foundation for the rest of the book. That's why I did not demote my 5 star rating even though I found a fair amount of this specific material to be a bit dragging. Someone else who has been around the block a few times with these issues might not give it a 5 star rating due to the amount of time Nash devotes to this area, but I think Nash's treatment is very good and would be quite helpful for the beginner.I found the real highlight of the book to be Nash's treatment of miracles. His critique of Hume's landmark work on the subject is outstanding, as is his examination of non-Hume objections to miracles. Also, Nash's examination of the problem of evil is also quite good, but given his Reformed theological background, I was a bit confused by his often repeated emphasis on the preservation of human free will as a central issue in the problem of evil. I happen to think this line of thinking has merit, but I'm unclear as to how it fits into a Reformed worldview. Nonetheless, for Christians who don't have entrenched theological leanings on the free will issue and simply want to be able to respond to the problem of evil, Nash offers a lot of meat to chew on.In summary, this is a wide ranging book that takes the reader from the infancy of noetic structure and worldview formation, to the more advanced issues that face theism such as cosmology, design, the problem of evil, and the problem of miracles. And while I believe it is a very good and unintimidating resource for the beginner, I also think there's plenty of meat in this book for more advanced readers to make it worth reading.

Philosophy 101 For Christians

Ronald Nash takes time to write a book that intends to educate Christians (and those seeking to learn about the Christian worldview). He begins with defining terms (like noetic structure) that help the reader come up to speed on philosophical terms they need to know. He quickly dives into defending the Christian worldview, where he weighs the evidence for and against the existence of God, which is followed by an excellent theodicy (which is defending the problem of evil with an all-good and powerful God). He discusses the possibility of miracles, the resurrection and a few other important issues.If every Christian read this book, we would have more Christians prepared to give a defense of the hope that is within them. Many Christians complain that universities are filled with too many "liberal" or "atheist" instructors, yet they don't do anything to change that. Many Christians fail to educate themselves or their children. Use this book as an introduction to apologetics and philosophy. You will not be disappointed, even if you disagree with Nash's conclusions.

Analyzing Fundamental Beliefs or Noetic Structure

The author is a Christian apologist yet his approach to logic and analyzing "religious" beliefs is good for any person. It is a good text to review when confronted with unfamiliar arguments. Discusses concepts of good and evil in a unique manner. Centers around the two pillars upon which Christianity must stand: The Incarnation and the Resurrection.