The Reason for God - Timothy Keller (Part 1 The Leap of Doubt)

The first half of Keller's book is an engagement to dialog about the most common and typical barriers people have towards Christianity. He has had many years of dialoguing with people face to face and now extends that dialog into book form. Here are the main points raised raised in the first seven chapters. Obviously to get the full treatment of each topic, you need to read the book. Essentially the first half is a challenge to those who doubt (do not half faith) to see that their doubt is based on a leap of faith or ignores significant evidence that is readily available. The first half is titled "The Leap of Doubt".

If you think: There can't be one true religion.
Consider: Which fundamental beliefs will lead their believers to be the most loving and receptive to those with whom they differ?

If you think: How could a good God allow suffering?
Consider: Is suffering bad? Where do concepts of "good" and "bad" come from?

If you think: Claiming "truth" is restrictive and exclusive.
Consider: What is "the thought" that stops thought? Is a community with no boundary still a community?

If you think: The Church is responsible for so much injustice.
Consider: What is better; an ethic of status and self, or an other-regarding ethic?

If you think: How can a loving God send people to hell.
Consider: Separation from God (in hell) is simply one's freely chosen identity apart from God on a trajectory into infinity.

If you think: Science has disproved Christianity because miracles don't exist.
Consider: Must all things science can not prove as fact necessarily not exist?

If you think: You can't take the Bible literally.
Consider: How do you empirically prove that no one should believe something without empirical proof?