Emmett L. Holman

Questioning Faith

Christian Living

“Atheists like me, and other religious skeptics, are sometimes quick to dismiss popular apologies of traditional Christian faith. But this can be unfair, and in the case of Randy Newman’s new book, it would be. The book is well argued, well informed, and thought-provoking. It is also, I might add, not Pollyannaish. Newman readily acknowledges the weaknesses and uncertainties of some of his arguments but insists that the other side faces even greater problems. As to whether he successfully makes his case—well, the issues here are complicated. Newman does make a strong case that the virtues of faith cannot easily be dismissed. But the virtue that I think matters most is epistemic virtue. Does faith produce knowledge, or at least rational belief, more rational than its denial? Newman offers some interesting and thought-provoking arguments that it does, but I don’t think those arguments ultimately succeed. Still, the book is worthy of serious consideration, and I very much recommend it, including to religious skeptics like me.”