Skeptics Books

In this ,compact yet rich text, JB. Phillips' classic work, Your God is Too Small, challenges antiquated presuppositions of the attributes of God and compels a reevaluation of God through a more extensive lens. Captioned "a guide for believers and skeptics alike," this books discusses common concepts of who God is, and pushes the reader to look at his or her own concept of God and the limited view that he is often seen. Phillips explores both destructive (negative) and constructive(positive) views of God, looking for a God that is "adequate. While this book is a good read and challenges the reader to see God differently, its datedness presents a limited view of the God of the 21st century. the examples used are not common place for the average reader at times, and yet, there is ample opportunity on the part of the reader to make connections if critical thinking and metaphoric understanding is employed. All in all, it is a worthwhile read...and recommended to anyone seeking to view God in a more complete way!

"Your God Is Too Small," is a small book that makes a huge impact. In a very gentle and friendly way, this book helps people who have acquired hindering misunderstandings about God develop a healthier and more accurate understanding according to the teachings of the Bible. Phillips is skillful in his analysis of modern culture, both religious and secular, as it has contributed to some troubling and trivializing notions of the God of Christian faith. This text can be a helpful addition to Sunday school curriculum as well as serious cultural and religious study as it pre-empts a great deal of misunderstanding new and seasoned believers have about God as well as those who have been repulsed by talk about God that still passes for popular dogma. The chapters are short enough to be read aloud and discussed in a classroom setting and the issues it deals with are deep yet practical.

I have had an earlier printing of this book for many years. It has helped me greatly in forming a balanced view of the nature of God. It is thought that individuals form relationships based on what they have been taught, what they have learned, or what they feel. Conservative Christians often experience spiritual development in a context in which God is used to control behavior or meet group expectations. Hence, many individuals with this sort of background reach adulthood with an unhealthy view of God based on what they have been taught and what they feel. Over the years as a counselor and university professor, I have seen many Christians struggle in their walk with God due to this limited view of the nature of God. Truly, their God is too small. I have referenced this book so many times in helping individuals in the church, in the classroom, and in the counseling room to challenge what they have been taught and what they are feeling about God and to really learn who God really is and what he is really like. This book is truly good news.

This is truly an "oldie but goodie." Written over 50 years ago, it's just what is needed today for believers and non-believers alike. Those who don't believe in God are often hampered by an all-too-narrow definition of who/what God is, and are driven to reject the whole concept. Of course God is not an old man in a white robe with an account book; believing in that, for an adult, would be as ridiculous as believing in Santa Claus. Phillips strips away the narrow, all-too-worldly notions of a deity that many of us grew up with, and then invites us to consider a liberating, expansive view of God that is worthy of a thinking adult. This is a great book for believers as well, as it will help them cope with doubts and disappointments by correcting false expectations. A valuable, accessible-to-all read.

"Your God Is Too Small" by J.B Phillips is a bit difficult to get through because of the old-fashioned language, but gaining an understanding of the fallacies we choose to believe about God is well worth the effort required to read this book. The key to completion is to read only one concept at a time, and to completely understand the text before moving on. I frequently found my mind drifting, but stopped when I realized what was happening and re-read the passage. Thankfully the "chapters" are short, so re-reading is not too great an effort. And the rewards reaped are worth it - a greater understanding of God.

I bought and read this book several months ago, and I don't remember reading it. As a result, it was probably OK but it did not change my life. Perhaps it was like a smile: tendered with a laugh to pass away into darkness.

Brian focuses on the existing scientific evidence. If you don't buy into his presented conclusion, you're always encouraged to look up information on your own.

A fun and informative read, and terrific podcast.

My 14 year old has enjoyed this immensely as well.

Well written, concise and to the point. Dunning has a wonderful sense of humor that makes this a pleasant very informative read.

Skeptoid provides a significant number of real life examples that help to remove the mystery of critical thinking.

Mr. Brian Dunning is making his incredibly well researched podcast more accessible to everyone. I bought this for a professor of mine and she loved it! I must say that Brian, aside from being incredibly cool in person, is totally committed to skeptical inquiry and critical thought and this book really shows that commitment, in trying to reach the widest audience possible. The transcripts are short and to the point, no unnecessary blabbering. So, if you have an interest in understanding the REAL details behind pop culture pseudoscience, or wish additional details to help in your daily fight against psychics, UFO's, and bigfoot, look no further!

Though beautifully written and quite engaging, I couldn't help but be a little bored in parts by the author's romantic problems.
I hate to sound sexist, but this is probably more of a 'women's book' because of the emphasis on the romantic woes of a late 30s Anglican lady. I would have liked more of an emphasis on church and spirituality, and less on the author's personal life.
But that said, I'm sure there are many who will find the book more interesting BECAUSE of this personal content. I just wanted to warn any hard-hearted, impersonal types like me out there!
I will probably read more books by this author, however - it would be interesting to follow her spiritual journey.
I just wish she wouldn't take herself so seriously.

The Water Will Hold You is an easy-to-read, accessible, and thoughtful story of a friendship with God. NOT in a scary, arrogant style, but with a tone of understanding and humor, the book explores getting to know God. I loved it and have bought many copies for gifts. It's a great book for people who WANT to believe, but are not sure how.

As a longtime journalist covering the power of spirituality in everyday life, I am drawn to memoirs that -- like Lindsey's story of her life -- invite us into fresh waters. I've read thousands of books in 30-plus years of journalism and I always feel sad when I realize that countless waves of promising spiritual memoirs wind up rippling safely in tried-and-true pools.

One phrase I've picked up in critiquing and covering spiritual media, just over the past year, is "the fix is in." The phrase handily describes those books, memoirs especially, in which we can tell from Page 1 precisely what will happen on Page 250.

Not so with Lindsey's book, which is why I've been recommending it in my writing for more than a year -- and I'm freshly recommending it during Lent 2008 in an online Lenten project I'm helping to publish. I was moved by her writing about her relationship with her mother toward the end of her mother's life. But, more than that, I was moved by Lindsey's solid-as-steel commitment as a memoirist to be honest about her life.

This honesty takes us places, as readers, that we sometimes may not want to go. There are passages in this book that you may never have expected to read in a spiritual memoir. Certainly, Lindsey takes us a good step beyond Anne Lamott. But that's what makes it a terrific book.

It's honest. And, yes, honestly this memoir "Will Hold You."

When she was four years old Lindsey Crittenden was practicing that magical trick many an adult still remembers learning -- floating on your back in the swimming pool. When you flap and flail, you will sink, but if you just relax, said her swimming instructor Mrs. Ursula, "the water will hold you." And such is the experience of Christian prayer as she describes it in this memoir.

By her college years Crittenden was a lapsed Episcopalian and a doubter, but in 1996 she walked into All Souls Church in Berkeley and, to her shock, embarked on a life-time pilgrimage shaped by Christian prayer. At first her prayers were visceral and spontaneous: "You are here, I am here." As her faith grew, initial spontaneity gave way to disciplined intentionality, including regular worship, the Anglican Book of Common Prayer, the rosary, candles, and spiritual direction from her pastors. She compares a life of prayer to her discipline of writing: "If I waited for inspiration, I'd never write a word. . . . I had to make prayer a habit, to go to it the way I went each morning to the desk. Not to summon prayer, but to tap into what was already there."

That discipline became essential to negotiating a complex and extremely painful family history. Her adopted brother Blake, hounded by drug addictions, was killed in a homicide. Her parents, then retirement age, gained custody of her nephew Dylan and became his de facto parents. When her mother died of cancer her aging father was effectively a single parent. Then followed a broken and deeply troubling relationship with a man, a vicious clinical depression that lasted over a year, and then a third death, her father's, all of which left her feeling like a Christian "failure and a fraud." In the end, she writes, Christian prayer is not only a way through loss and grief, it is a call of love and grace (p. 227); it's the growing realization that, yes, the water will hold us if we learn to relax.

Lindsey Crittenden is intelligent and discerning; not one who would turn to God or prayer on faith alone. She is also a person to whom life has given an unusual amount of loss. The fire of isolation brought her into an Episcopalian church, where she met people who believe in God and the teachings of Jesus yet who welcome questions, keen intellect, and authentic sharing of the vulnerability of the heart. Encouraged to experiment, Lindsey discovered faith based not on dogma but on personal experience. Regular prayer creates space for insight, re-framing, and a bodily knowing that one is loved by a Divine presence.

After finding a connection to well-being through prayer, Lindsey experienced betrayal and loss that was perhaps the straw on the camel's back. She then survived months of extreme grief and depression during which prayer seemed obsolete. But with time and perseverence Spirit found her again, through nature. Prayer and divinity are much larger and less predictable than a quiet morning meditation or a Sunday at church, though these rituals are often crucial.

This book is beautifully written; a fascinating and searingly honest memoir. It's a great read on that level alone. But readers interested in the powerful effect of a concious spiritual practice will find a special resonance. One does not have to be Christian to appreciate this point, or Lindsey's fascinating book. Lindsey is simply telling her own story, prescribing nothing to the reader; any one who chooses can find reinforcement in this book for their own efforts to clear a path for the Divine.

Am I a Woman? asks a lot of questions, the kind of questions that make you ask even more questions. Eller uses anecdotal evidence and personal experience to make many of her points, and that makes this a very readable book. In this age of cross-dressing, transexuals, transgenders, and generally confusing messages from all directions, Eller explores what it means to be a woman these days. She may as well discuss what it mans to be a human being, it is that basic.I enjoyed Eller's convversational style and sometimes alarming frankness. Her section on the gender quiz at The Spark website was especially entertaining, and of course, by the time I finished this book, I was so perplexed that I had to take the quiz just to assure myself that all was well. (It was, thank goodness.)

This was really fun to read and made me think. I can't wait for my women's book group to get together in the fall - this will be perfect!

In this book Cynthia Eller discusses what it means to be a woman today, and how much a woman's behaviour is affected by what society expects of her etc. My trouble with this book was that Ms. Eller worries a good deal about things that have never worried me at all. For instance, it had never occured to me that because I don't care for cooking or lipstick or shoes, this mad me not a woman. She frets a lot about whether a woman should shave her legs, whether it's all right for little girls to like Barbies, or for little boys to like Barbies etc. She's very anxious to tell us how boring she found being at home with her children when they were babies (feminists always like you to know this, it's the Betty Friedan effect, no woman should ever admit to enjoying being at home). She comes up with a lot of statistics to prove how awful things are for women, for instance she tells us that 683,000 rapes occur each year in the USA, though not more than 16 percent are ever reported. I can't help wondering how, if they're not reported, we can possibly know that they have occured? I'm sure a lot of women will find this book interesting, even helpful, but I'm afraid it bored me. I thought her previous book "The Myth of Matriarchal Prehistory" was brilliant, but this I found tedious.

I loved this book! It's funny, intelligent, and thought-provoking at the same time. And it's also important. How are our children going to think of who they are--along rigidly defined gender-stereotypes, or will something more human be possible? As the mother of an artistic son, who also loves baseball, I don't want him to drop art in favor of baseball because he gets more social kudos for doing sports. Eller raises important issues in this book that we should all think hard about. And she does it while also being entertaining. That's a good book!

The writing is breezy and funny, often hilarious, yet constantly well-informed and authoritative. As for myself -- a guy -- this goes a long way towards explaining these strange creatures called "women" that live in my house. What's more, it sheds light on us men as well, by spelling out how things aren't so black-and-white after all.

I recommend this book to everyone I know, no matter what their religion or lack there of! Rev. Buehrens helps open up the Bible and educate you enough to read it and come to your own conclusions, whether you agree with everything he says or not. I'm a new Muslim and highly recommend this to all people because the Bible truly is part of literature and history and should be read and known by all. I was actually recommended this book by a rabbi friend who believes that despite it covering the ENTIRE Bible (Old and New Testaments), he points out that it shows the literary importance and historical importance of the work as a whole, no matter what your
(dis)beliefs are.
Take the time and READ THIS BOOK!

I've come to believe that expectations matter a lot when you pick up a book to read. For me, this book fell short of my expectation, but then again, my expectations were probably unreasonable.

I attended a Christian liberal arts college, majoring in English, and decided to take quite a few Bible classes as electives. I knew that there would never be another time like then to explore the issues raised by the biblical text. My professors were fantastic (language experts, brilliant people, and progressive Christians), so my understanding of the Bible flourished there.

Fast forward one and a half years, and I find myself forgetting much of what I learned. Buehren's book, however, did little to help me regain my intellectual footing. Had I skimmed a bit before leaving the library, I would have seen that he planned, excepting the first couple chapters, to summarize the entire Bible. There was scant analysis or interpretation.

If you haven't read the Bible through and desire a sense of narrative (what happens and when), this would be a great starting point for study. However, if you are looking more for help understanding and appreciating the stories of the Bible, I'd point you towards a topical study instead. Buehrens would do well to take his abilities and understanding and apply them to a book-length study of a book of the Bible, say, Exodus, instead of wrangling with the whole massive thing in one short book.

This is an excellent and easy to understand book for anyone with an open mind about the origins and interpretations of the Bible. As a skeptic I now have a better appreciation for the Bible as an important work of literature in spite the baggage of my fundamentalist upbringing.

If you consider yourself a traditionalist or a modernist or neither, you will find this book a tremendous aid in interpreting Hebrew and Christian scriptures. I highly recommend this book to anyone wishing to wrest the bible from the pejorative ranks of literalism.

If you've ever lived in a place where people use the bible to justify ever action, and you do not have knowledge of the bible, you may have found that you had arrived at a battle and you were unarmed. If you've ever been to a place where people use the bible as a cookbook, applying the letter of its content, but not the spirit, and do authoritative damage to others, then you will find John Buehrens' book, Understanding the Bible, a refreshing, easy-to-read book that captures the spirit of the bible while providing the reader with the necessary armor to shield them against any biblical interpretation that is based in disguised fear rather than compassion.

John Buehren looks at the bible through a modern-day lens that includes both Jewish and feminist perspectives that enables us to unchain the bible from the past and make it relevant and useful for the 21st Century.

Whether you consider yourself to be a skeptic, seeker, or religious liberal, neglecting the rich rhetoric and iconic power of the bible is to ignore the impact that it has had on western Society and continues to have. Buehrens looks at historical aspects, original intent, and how tradition has reshaped the historical literature of the bible. Understanding the bible is key to our being interpreters of our common Judaeo-Christian heritage and is key to taking responsibility for our own spiritual maturation. Rather than preach about the bible, Buehrens eloquently writes of the bible and explores its narrative as metaphor so that we may transcend any arbitrary boundaries or creedal beliefs and enter into a relationship with others by finding common ground for which to begin conversations so that we may live together in harmony.

For anyone who wishes to understand the bible and apply its content to today's world, John Buehrens' book, Understanding the Bible, is a must read.

Buehrens claims to have written his book for 'Skeptics, Seekers, and Religious Liberals', and I fit into all three categoies. Having had a religious upbringing that required blind faith in the Church's teachings without any room for questioning and interpreting on one's own, it is wonderful to read Buehrens' statements that it is necessary to read and interpret the Bible through one's own personal experience. Buehrens writes simply and understandably without making the reader feel that he is 'talking down' to someone of lesser intelligence. Thank you, John Buehrens, for opening the door to an adult understanding of scripture that doesn't make me feel silly or inadequate.

The author appears to be trying too hard to be a "friend" to God's enemies. I find some of his conclusions abhorrent. I will probably finish his book, but I'm in no hurry to do so.

A balanced, thought provoking book,and an easy read at the same time. Dr. Myers addresses with equal clarity those for who faith is an illusion, and those for whom it is a cudgel. A wonderful book for the those who choose to think rather than adhere to doctrinaire rigidity on either side of the faith question.

"Why can't we all just get along", says Myers, as he dives right into the deep end of the Christian vs. anti-Christian pool. I use these terms specifically, because while consistent skeptics or atheists profess themselves against all "non-scientific" thinking, I have found that in their comments on my Amazon reviews that they have specifically attacked Christianity with a venom only attainable by those who have a faith-based interest in a competing belief system.

Myers does a reasonable job searching for a middle ground defending faith for its human efficacy in areas of physical and mental health, quality of life, charitable giving and volunteerism, civil rights, contributions to science. Myers, a psychologist who teaches at a Christian college, relies heavily on reason, history, and psychological studies in his apologetics. Most of it is familiar territory but in need of repeating in the face of a resurgent body of specifically and aggressively anti-Christian literature from Richard Dawkins (The God Delusion), Christopher Hitchens (God Is Not Great: How Religion Poisons Everything), and others.

The main problem, aside from the scorched-earth policy of these writers to invalidate any opposition to their theory, is judging Christianity by the results of human action. Admittedly, religion has a checkered record at times, with slavery, Inquisition, anti-Semitism, and hypocrisy at the hands of ever-sinful men.

But religion is a man made concept only tangentially related to our spiritual condition. The Bible records God's history and plan for salvation that depends on individual acceptance of God's plan through the sacrifice and resurrection of Jesus Christ. All that eternally matters is how each individual responds to this plan. How man has perverted religion, how atheists have attacked religion, and whether religion has any temporal value is irrelevant.

Each reader must go to the source and deal with it in their own mind and soul.

I just finished David Myers' latest book in his never ending quest to write enough to fill a book shelf in my basement. I think this is his 17th book. He has earned the trust of readers with his careful scholarship and willingness to share his personal beliefs and biases so that we know where he stands on issues so that we can formulate our own interpretation. If only more authors did this.

Its brief, extremely readable, and as only David can do, he burrows through the nuances between people who are religious and people who don't believe in a supernatural, higher power with gentleness and humility to uncover common ground. If read with a receptive, open mind by enough people, I suspect this book can make a real difference. From my reading, the goal is not to change anyone's belief system. Whether you believe that religious works were written by excellent human storytellers or whether you believe that freethinkers are missing out on the big picture, this book provides a case for why there is no reason for animosity and hatred to spillover between these groups.

Sure, there are plenty of things I disagree with but as Myers points out, it is only from arguments between friends that hatred will dissipate.

good stuff. if only this level of discourse could play out on the larger stage of politics and policy makers. If only people could say what they really think and be respectful and curious about the other side (resisting labels, categories, and preconceived notions).

I am glad he has the courage to tackle the difficult, hot button issues. As long as we play it safe with our articles, books, and discussions, the
impact of any writer, thinker, and public figure will be unnecessarily capped. Hearty skepticism, debate, arguments, and questioning have to be part of our toolbox. Still not enough of it.

I hope people read this as a complement to the other excellent books out there by evolutionary psychologists (The Moral Animal) and philosophers (Dawkins, Harris, Dennett, Shermer, etc.).

Dr. David Myers easily could rest on his laurels as the author of the most widely studied psychology text on college campuses. In fact, much of his time is consumed, these days, researching the cutting edge of psychological research to prepare future editions of his textbooks.

But, in his mid-60s, his lifetime as a scholar, a teacher and a man of deep faith has driven him toward another vocation: Building bridges that may help millions of us to cross over the social chasms of our age.

This includes his work on improving conditions in public places for hearing-impaired people and encouraging a fresh discussion between gay and heterosexual people over faith. If you're interested in those themes, take a look at his earlier books, "A Quiet World: Living with Hearing Loss" and "What God Has Joined Together: The Christian Case for Gay Marriage."

Dr. Myers is an equal-opportunity bridge builder. His eye, his mind and his heart all are focused on the timeless promise of compassionate community that lies at the heart of nearly all of our faith traditions. What fuels his work, year after year, is his vision of what he calls "human flourishing by making sense of the universe, giving meaning to life, connecting us in supportive communities, mandating altruism and offering hope in the face of adversity and death."

That's a pretty good summary of the purpose of faith, right? He's really preaching a message that's universal. Who could disagree with these goals?

And yet -we do find so many issues around which we want to hunker down and dig deep trenches between "us" and "them."

What's so fascinating in recent years is that people of faith suddenly discovered that an influential group of best-selling writers, commonly called "the new atheists," had completely outflanked the religious community. These elite writers are digging their own trenches to separate their new circle of voices from the religious community they seem to despise.

One thing you must understand about Dr. Myers -- and I know this from talking with him and occasionally interviewing him in depth over the years -- is that he's got a boundless, constructive optimism in the way he approaches all questions. In short, think of Mister Rogers.

About the same time as the release of Myers' book, Michael Novak released "No One Sees God: The Dark Night of Atheists and Believers," a book with a similar purpose -- a full-scale response to the new atheists. Novak's book also is a good read on these issues, raising fresh examples and arguments that are different in a number of ways from Myers' own approaches. But the central difference here, I think, is that Novak's book is more muscular, more strident, more the voice of a debater in a TV studio. Novak's book is more Catholic in its cultural references; Myers' is more mainline Protestant.

Both books are good choices, if you're an individual reader wanting to weigh both sides in this fascinating debate. If you're looking for material to read in a small discussion group and you're making a choice between Novak and Myers, then you'll probably find Myers' book, as the title says, more "Friendly."

Fenton Johnson opens the door to eastern and western religious thought in ways that are both illuminating and touching. Johnson, maybe one of the best writers on the market today, takes us into worlds we should experience, and somehow keeps it fascinating.

After Reading Scissors, Paper, Rock, I was anxious to read more of Fenton Johnson's work. Keeping faith is a very different book in that it is non-fiction, deeply spiritual and very personal. The book basically consists of three parts, although the boundaries between the sections are not altogether precise. The first and longest part discusses Mr. Johnson's journey of searching for what faith means to him as a lapsed and disenfranchised Roman Catholic. The second part discusses the historical background of monasticism, shedding new light on church history (at least for me). The third part deals with Mr. Johnson's integration of his understanding of church history and personal experience to find a way to reclaim his personal faith. He very strongly emphasizes that searching for faith is a journey that never ends.

For me, as a gay man, the most interesting part of Keeping Faith is the understanding of the juxtapositioning of Christian materialism (the incarnate Christ) with the emphasis on celibacy, as seen through a Buddhist lens. This discussion opened new vistas of understanding that help me integrate sexuality with faith.

The journey, being very personal, sometimes makes for strange sequencing in the text. I really had to work at following Mr. Johnson's train of thought at times. But the writing itself is very clear and precise, much like in Scissors, Paper, Rock.

As the author moves into history and doctrine in the second and third sections of this book, I was often tempted to quibble. His comments about sexuality and religion ignored the Buddhist tantric tradition of Tibet, his discussion of St. Augustine ignored Augustine's "God became man that man might become God," he accepts the questional premise of the feminine goddess preceding the masculine god as universal ... However, this "imprecision" is a strength in this book. The book is a personal account of an individual's working through of issues regarding religious institutions, spirituality and dogma through his exploration of monasticism in the Zen Buddhist and Latin Rite Catholic traditions. It is not the work of a religious scholar - historian, theologian or spiritual director.

The issues for Fenton Johnson revolve most strongly around the issues of sexuality, sexual abuse, discrimination by gender or sexual preference ... What is most impressive about his account, is the gradual change in his questions - as his questions become better formulated, tentative answers begin to form. In these questions and answers, the author recognizes the similarity of the religious journey as experienced through different paths. He learns to question and address his anger towards the institutional Catholic Church.

The end of the journey as reported at the end of this volume implies significant room for and capacity to further modifications of his view. I would readily recommend this book to individual's seeking a role for faith in their lives. Fenton Johnson's account of his personal search should encourage others to recognize that in their struggle and skepticism they are not alone, that there are at least partial answers available if they learn to frame their questions appropriately.

This is a fantastic book. As someone who has been working hard to understand religion and its influence on western culture, I have to say this book is a great first step. I found Johnson asked many of the same questions that I was asking. He then did the legwork to answer those questions, always including plenty of support for his points. Often, I would read a paragraph and write a thought about it in my reading journal only to reach the end of the page and find the exact thought I had just written right there in the book. This was like reading a book about myself...and yet it would seem johnson (a middle aged gay man who lives in san francisco) and I who am an 18 year old female and have rarely been out of my sheltered hometown in Idaho would have little in common. This is a fantastic book and has provided guidance for where to go next on this journey which will no doubt be quite long indeed. I recommend this book to anyone who is ready to begin a spiritual quest.

This book was in great condition and shipped very fast...got here in plenty of time for my class! thanks

If I didn't have to buy this for a class, I wouldn't have bought it. This stuff bores me! Sorry, but I'd rather watch my wife's fingernail polish dry! :-)

This is a fine example of how a good text can teach and still not put you to sleep. The concepts are illustrated clearly and with humor, and interesting case examples and excerpts are provided with each section. I'm a computer science major, and I still found this material quite interesting. While I can't say I think any better of sociology in general, I do know a lot more about it now that I've read this book.

This text, along with the companion reader, make an excellent package for use in an introductory level class. Students tell me that they appreciate the value and conciseness of the package, and the non-stuffy writing style. For instructors, it has excellent auxilliary material. You will not be disappointed.

This book is the one essential book I recommend to anyone starting a twelve step program. It helps anyone with doubts walk through the steps in an intelligent yet very personal way. By telling his story, the author illustrates the frustrations many of us have when confronted with the steps and then shows us, through research and much difficult soul-searching, how he was able to understand and apply the steps to his life.

I couldn't have done it without this book and its discussion of a "higher power" other than the traditional god. It really helps for those of us who think too much.

For years I've been struggling with the AA 12 step program and the way it treats Agnositicism. Here at last is a book that offers even-handed help for Agnostics, Atheists, and Religious sufferers, all in the context of Spirituality. Well worth the read for those who believe that the spiritual experience can occur without religion.

The book was a bit too "warm fuzzy" for me (with its heavy emphasis on the spiritual v. the cognitive); so I give it a 3-stars. Those of us who have not experienced an anthropomorphic God (i.e., one who intervenes in human affairs) have an uphill battle with the religionists. And those of us who experience "spirit" as a biochemical function of the brain, have had better success with a cognitive-behavioral approach to recovery. For 18-years, my Higher Power was my Home Group and the Big Book.
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As an alternative, the following is a non-theistic summary of the 12-Step Program:
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The Principles of the 12-Steps:
1. Honesty
2. Hope
3. Faith
4. Courage
5. Integrity
6. Willingness
7. Humility
8. Empathy
9. Justice
10. Perseverance
11. Spirituality
12. Service
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Three Cardinal Rules of Sobriety:
1. Stay Sober NO MATTER WHAT !!
2. Change the Brain from Stinking Thinking !!
.....(using cognitive therapy if necessary)
3. Help Others Stay Sober !!
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How to Work a 12-Step Program:
1. For the 1st 90-days, Be Quiet (except to ask questions).
2. For the 1st year, LISTEN and LEARN.
3. From Day-1, PRACTICE What You Learn.
4. Teach Others the Program (when you sponsor someone).
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In the mean time, I will keep researching other books to find a more complete, cognitive approach to the 12-Step Program. This best workbook using the cognitive approach (CBT) to recovery that I have read so far is "The Tao of Sobriety: Helping You to Recover from Alcohol and Drug Addiction." This little book is outstanding, and easy to comprehend.

Father Heidt proudly describes himself as a "Professional Christian" and feels that if one wants to know what Christianity is about, one should consult one who has expert knowledge. He argues that just because something seems familiar because of its omnipresence in our culture one should not merely assume that one knows all about it. He advocates total immersion into Christian practice and belief.

Father Heidt does not dodge difficult issues. He has little patience with fundamentalism. He is one of the few in a traditionalist-conservative milieu that vocally accepts evolution in its broad sense as a working hypothesis to explain the diversity of life forms on earth and is not afraid to admit that the Bible is sometimes wrong. One could not confuse Canon Heidt with one who subscribes to the Biblical Theory of inerrancy.

Yet in a book entitled: "A faith for Skeptics", one would think that the author would first demonstrate that a belief package is morally acceptable.

He sees some danger in belief packages when he says: "Behind this certainty lies a benign innocence, yet one that turns deadly in the minds and hands of terrorists or serial murderers."

But what are the criteria for placing an item in the package? What assurance do we have that some of these belief packages are not harmful to our society and/or to our neighbors? What kind of criteria should be used to differentiate between a good and a bad Christian belief package? Which theory of personal salvation should one subscribe to? How can a belief package that administers poison Cool Aide to children be avoided? These questions are not answered.

Canon Heidt uses the word dogma to describe first principles or assumptions, often unconsciously held, rather than just articulated first principles.

By defining dogma in this manner, he is able to suggest that all our thinking is based on unproven assumptions. It is as if he wants to say, "See, science and mathematics are based on dogmas too." This way of defining dogma blurs the distinction between mathematics/science and religion.

(By using this definition, everyone must be dogmatic about something else thinking, reasoning, trust and community would be impossible. In this definition of dogma, even Justice and mathematics are dogmas.)

Mankind has found out that the world is figure-out-able if a right methodology is applied. The basis for both science and mathematics rests with a methodology.

Science relies simply on a systematic method of inquiry. Science is a method of ordering facts. Science basically seeks to verify assumptions by subjecting theories to a reality test, discarding those that fail.

In both the inductive method of science and the deductive method of mathematics, their usefulness is in providing us with telephones, radios, dating methodology, accurate timepieces, and the like. The results are so astounding and the methodology is so simple that mathematics and science have been accepted all around the world.

These findings are independent of basic assumptions. One is not required to have a belief that Television pictures can be transmitted over the air and reproduced in your Living room. The reality of the observation is confirmation. The proof is in the Pudding.

While the world has many religions, there seems to be one scientific method and one mathematics, which the world has signed on to because of the obvious validity of their results.

On the other hand, religion usually is based on a text that has captured what some authoritative person or persons said. And unlike science, in religion there is no reality test - no one returns from the grave to tell us if God prefers Muslims over Methodists.

I would define dogma as a specific religious belief or requirement. In the concepts of science and mathematics dogma plays no role.

In what sense can the Bible be considered Authoritative? What role might God have played in a compilation that has errors, self contradictions, and disagreements among its authors. Canon Heidt does not seem to have answers for these questions.

Like Father Heidt, I am an Episcopalian, and I think there are valid reasons for a reasoned, limited, and tentative belief package along the lines of the overarching ethical principles suggested by my Lord Jesus. Uncritical belief is dangerous to ones self and society.

Finally -- a book written by an Episopalian who isn't ashamed of his Christianity! Fr. Heidt, who has recently been named the Bishop's Canon Theologian for the Diocese of Fort Worth, has composed a succinct and well crafted work which would benefit not only the "skeptic", but the tradionalist and liberal as well! This book belongs in every priest's library -- indeed the Diocese has been so impressed that a copy of this book was presented to every priest as a gift by the Bishop.
Most certainly worth purchasing.

The main thrust of the book gives skeptics a reason to feel comfortable about believing -- about having faith. Fr. Heidt expresses his regret over the loss of the old-fashioned atheist as an antagonist. Atheist believes SOMETHING, even if it entails a denial of the existence of God. Further, the classical atheist tends to use reason in making her/his case, and does not just emote. For that reason, it is at least possible to have a rational conversation/argument with the classical atheist.

Today's post-modern way of thinking makes truth relative to the interests
and preferences of each individual or group, thereby removing the issue
of truth or falsity from the table. As the author points out, it is NOT the case that there are no fundamental differences between classical Christianity and other major world religions. The historicity of the resurrection of Jesus of Nazareth, His claim to be the Son of God, and His
redemptive work on the cross for all humanity are distinctions that make Christianity different from the other major world religions--these distinctive are, after all, truth claims. First Corinthians 15: 1-12 sets forth these distinctive and makes it crystal clear why Christianity rises or falls with the factuality of Christ's resurrection.

The importance of dogma (asserted truths that are not proven, but accepted on faith), saying that we all base our thinking on unproven assumptions (in math, axioms) and that without such assumptions there is no basis for further discussion. By starting out with the dogmas (unproven truths) of the faith, a Christian has a platform on the basis of which to explore all other questions and issues that might arise in relation to the Christian faith.

Fr. Heidt is not trying to offer "arguments for the existence of God" in the classical sense of Thomas Aquinas--he regards that as a rational exercise that most folks would not find compelling. Rather, he appeals to the experiences of his readers, their quest for something solid on which to base their lives and their search for truth. He also sets forth in an appealing manner the intrinsic attractiveness of the Christian community and liturgy, in effect, asking his readers to "taste and see that the Lord is good." Some parts of the book are even reminiscent of some of C.S. Lewis's works.

If I had any issues with Heidt's approach, they would center on some of his views about the "new man" that Jesus became through the resurrection, comparing that change to a stage in the evolutionary process. I don't think that takes sufficiently into account the deity and pre-existence (pre-human existence, that is) of Jesus. Jesus said, "Before Abraham was, I am," and he nearly got stoned for claiming to be God (God's name is "I Am").

The author should be credited for noting that even in evolution, there was divine providence at work, or example, the presence of vital organs (e.g., lungs!) in certain aquatic animals that made them adaptable to breathing on land, long before any of them crawled on to the land! This is
what one of my professors referred to once as "the arrival of the fit" (the unique preparation of certain creatures to adapt to their environment all at once, not by gradual adaptation), distinguishing that from the "survival of the fit" (the actual adaptation of animals so prepared).

Dr. Heidt also emphasizes the fact that the church doesn't have to be perfect, the
Bible doesn't have to be perfect, in order to see the "invisible man," the Lord Jesus Christ, stepping out of the pages of Scripture and out of the lives of exemplary believers. Some may have a little trouble with his statement -- that the Bible contains errors--I think that undermines the "gift of authority" that Protestants have always celebrated, the authority of the Bible itself--Sola Scriptura was one of the battle cries of the Reformation. It makes the appeal a little too existential for some.

All in all, John Heidt is trying to disarm the usual objections to faith by noting that we all begin with assumptions we can't prove. For skepticism to have the possibility of being exercised without devolving into nihilism, i.e., for people to have honest doubts without ending up doubting
everything, then the possibility for agreement must be there. (i.e., truth --both rational and experiential -- must be acknowledged as one of our basic assumptions.

This book is not for non-intellectuals, or students who haven't mastered the art of reasoning, but is for thinking skeptics who may be feeling uncomfortable with their thoroughgoing skepticism and want a basis for allowing themselves to consider the possibility that it is all right to believe, that exercising faith is necessary for all human beings and does not involve committing intellectual suicide.