Have you ever come across a passage in the Bible that left you scratching your head? Surely God couldn’t have meant that. Or maybe you have shared the gospel with a friend, and that person has asked you a question you couldn’t immediately answer.

Confronting Christianity: 12 Hard Questions for the World’s Largest Religion by Rebecca McLaughlin is designed to prepare us for situations like these. Using biblical texts, academic research, and personal stories, McLaughlin helps us examine our faith and explores many of the questions we encounter as Christians in 21^st century culture – questions such as:

• How can you say there’s only one true faith?
• Doesn’t religion cause violence?
• Hasn’t science disproved Christianity?
• Isn’t Christianity homophobic?
• Doesn’t the Bible condone slavery?
• How could a loving God allow so much suffering?

With honesty and tenacity, McLaughlin analyzes these questions and six others, dealing with real concerns she has heard from scientists, academics, religious leaders, and friends. Her connections in the academic world give her uncommon insight into the thought processes behind what we might term the “educated skeptics.” These aren’t just the kinds of antagonists one might find in the universe of social media. Instead, they are people who have taken the time to delve deep into the claims of Christianity and who have genuine questions about thorny issues.

But McLaughlin’s book isn’t just for academics. It reads less like an academic tome and more like a discussion between friends, and it is tenderly hopeful for those who have experienced the pain and suffering of this world. McLaughlin acknowledges where those acting in the name of Christianity have failed to accurately interpret and represent the teaching of the Bible. She recognizes errors of the past and present and points us to the true hope found in Christ, even when people fail us.

McLaughlin also examines the viewpoints of critics like Richard Dawkins and Sam Harris. She carefully avoids ad hominem attacks, focusing instead on the logic of their arguments. Using Scripture, she confronts those arguments with truth and offers a perspective that seeks out the narrow path between atheism and blind faith.

One of this book’s strengths is that McLaughlin draws from the overarching narrative of Scripture to support her points rather than relying on isolated proof texts. For example, in the discussion on sexuality, she presents a biblical framework for marriage and friendship before delving into the biblical texts on the sexual sin of homosexuality. She also presents evidence from psychology and from science to demonstrate that the issue is far from closed, even from a secular viewpoint. But perhaps the most compelling element of this discussion is McLaughlin’s personal experience with same-sex attraction. She shares her story transparently, and her commitment to following the truth of Scripture despite personal cost is beautifully compelling. I found McLaughlin’s discussion to be a refreshing complement to the story of Rosaria Butterfield in The Secret Thoughts of an Unlikely Convert. Whereas Butterfield focuses primarily on her personal experiences in an autobiographical style, McLaughlin uses her story as a launching point to dig deeper into the biblical teaching. Both can be helpful, but McLaughlin’s approach will likely provide more useful information for non-believers seeking answers as well as for Christians who want to be well-equipped for discussions on this topic.

Throughout the book, McLaughlin allows her personality and experiences to shine through, which makes the book a delight to read. It’s not just an academic discussion. It’s a straight-from-the-heart exploration of real issues faced by real people. Her writing is clearly informed by her work at Veritas Forum, an organization that works with Christian students on college campuses to explore biblical truth about tough questions. But she also shares personal anecdotes about her children, friends, and family. These serve to ground her discussion in real life, helping us connect the dots between apologetics and the daily practice of faith.  

McLaughlin does not always stand as strongly on specific nuances of interpretation as we would wish. For example, in the discussion on science and faith, she leaves room for Christians to hold other views on Genesis. Still, her goal in the chapter is to demonstrate that Christianity and science are not mutually exclusive, which she does suburb job of accomplishing.

This book is a refreshing look at many of the standard questions of apologetics. Perhaps its greatest strength is that McLaughlin’s approach has been honed by her immersion in an environment where real people ask real questions. Many Christians have not had the opportunity to experience this kind of environment to the same extent and depth that McLaughlin has. As a result, her work reads as a genuine discussion rather than the straw-man arguments which can sometimes make up apologetic works.

This is a wonderful book to share with those who may be struggling with parts of the Bible that seem harsh or unscientific. It is also an excellent tool for Christians as we prepare ourselves for the kinds of discussions that often arise when sharing the gospel.

In fact, this is the book we are working through in our Sunday evening discipleship class called Hard Questions for Christianity. If you haven’t had a chance to join us, now’s a great time to jump into the discussion! Each week we are taking a different one of McLaughlin’s questions (and others) and discussing how we might answer it, using examples from both Scripture and conversations with current-day skeptics.

If you want to purchase the book, stop by the Resource Center to see if it’s available!