Book Review: Doubting by Alister McGrath
Pages: 151
Publisher: InterVarsity Press
Year: 2006
Author: Alister McGrath
This was a nice short book (in fact, an enjoyable break from Alasdair MacIntyre’s After Virtue) on a topic I haven’t heard many people address, doubt. McGrath writes as if someone struggling with doubt — who else but these and the curious would be reading? — is reading, and as a result the tone of the book is very uplifting.
The book progresses logically and in an ordered fashion; beginning with a proper understanding of what doubt is and isn’t (e.g. taking into account the role doubt plays in the bible), illustrating how doubt is inherent to all belief systems, including atheism, and then addressing the different areas where one may experience doubt: the gospel (ch. 6), oneself (ch.7), Jesus Christ (ch.8), and God (ch.9). McGrath concludes by addressing how to put doubt into perspective, thereby allowing us to better handle it.
Admittedly, this isn’t the deepest book written on doubt, but it doesn’t need to be. McGrath seems to aim only at assuring the reader that doubt is a normal part of faith, rather than answering any number of the plethora of illegitimate and legitimate objections raised against Christian theism. In the course of Doubting he suggests (on page 121) that doubt may even be a sign of a neglected faith; something I hadn’t thought of before, and a very interesting thought to boot.
This is a short review for a nice short book, and if you’re struggling with doubt you might give this book a read to gain a better understanding of the role of doubt in the life of faith (but be aware of what I said above, McGrath does not seek to answer specific objections to Christian theism).
Related posts:
- Book Review: God is Great, God is Good
- Book Review: The Unaborted Socrates by Peter Kreeft
- Book Review: Glaen by Fred. R. Lybrand
- Book Review: The Naked Gospel by Andrew Farley
- Book Review: Between Heaven and Hell by Peter Kreeft
