Jan 16 2008
What one book…?
Today someone emailed me and asked this question:
What ONE book, other than the Bible, would you suggest an atheist read to spark their interest in Christianity?
He asked about Don Miller’s Searching for God Knows Best and that is good. I also suggested Lee Strobel’s The Case for the Real Jesus.
What books would you suggest? Atheists, feel free to share your suggestions! 
15 responses so far
Mere Christianity by C.S. Lewis.
It’s not light reading and Willard makes you work for every sentence, but The Divine Conspiracy by Dallas Willard is the single best volume I’ve ever read on the Christian faith.
Hmmm, that’s a tricky question. What book would you recommend to spark a Christian’s interest in atheism?
Amen on Mere Christianity.
Damian… to spark a Christian’s interest in atheism? Purpose Driven Life or Your Best Life Now are good starters.
Lee Strobel’s book is very technical… but good…
I still like Mere Christianity…
There are countless volumes of apologetics and philosophy, any of which, in a vacuum, are capable of convincing someone like me that the claims of Christianity are true. The trick is not in choosing the right book for the unbeliever, the trick is in insulating the unbeliever from the rational arguments against the claims.
I would recommend a good hymnal.
In the fiction arena, I would say Francine Rivers’ “Redeeming Love”. It is based on the book of Hosea and shows how awesome is the love of the LORD our God though we do not deserve such love.
Others have suggested Lewis’ Mere Christianity which is great. However, I would suggest two other books by Lewis. First, his own autobiography Surprised by Joy which tells of his transformation from atheist to Christian. The second would be a lesser known book of Lewis’ but one of my favorites — Pilgrim’s Regress.
A3, that’s funny.
Crimes Against Logic by Whyte was a pretty good philosophical bashing of religion if you can get past the condescending tone.
If a person wants to be an atheist, I think a typical newspaper is good source material.
As an afterthought, I’d tempted to read, “The Gospel of the Flying Spaghetti Monster” by Henderson. I’m told its a clever send up of evangelical argumentation.
I gave a Lyle Schaller book to a friend of mine who was an atheist, and she ended up becoming a Christian. I hate to say it, but for the life of me, I cannot remember what it was. It was perfect for her, because she is a deeply intellectual woman, and she thrived on the contents of the book. She said it challenged her intellectually unlike any other book she had ever read, including Mere Christianity, which I had also given her.
It just depends on the atheist, I guess.
OLM,
Good point about the newspaper :))
As an aside, if you want to read something really laugh-out-loud funny (though be warned, it’s quite irreverent!), take a peak at “Lamb: The Gospel According to Biff, Christ’s Childhood Pal” (http://www.amazon.com/Lamb-Gospel-According-Christs-Childhood/dp/0380813815)
If it doesn’t offend you (and I don’t think it will), not only is it a hoot, but it also has lots of obscure biblical and historical references throughout that are really fun to spot. Think of it as sort of a “Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Bible”.
stuartdelony,
I’m rolling on the floor!
Ravi Zacharius: Can Man Live Without God?