YGod

Danielle D'Souza

Description

"Faith is a dynamic thing, a lively thing, of asking questions and finding answers," says Danielle D'Souza. In Y God, she addresses more than thirty of the most interesting and pressing questions being asked about God by believers and skeptics alike. Rather than coming across as having all the answers, Danielle puts her ideas in the form of a conversation. Yet at her core she has convictions that come from a faith rooted in her heart as well as her head. Y God will appeal to Millennials (the Y generation) and anyone who has ever had doubts about the biblical story of God. Questions include:Is faith reasonable?Are miracles really possible?Is the Bible literally true?Is God the author of morality?Are other religions false?Is America a "Christian nation"?Does anyone deserve hell?Why do people become atheists?Is science at war with religion?Is evolution compatible with the Bible?If Jesus did exist, who was he?How would Christianity change my life?

Sujets

• Philosophie et théologie
• Christian theology

Informations

• Publié par: Baker Publishing Group
• Date de parution: 05 novembre 2012
• Nombre de lectures: 0
• EAN13: 9781441224781
• Langue: English

Extrait

PRAISE FOR Y GOD
Danielle D’Souza brings up every sticky question that gets tossed around on the deflated sofas of church youth groups. I would love to see YGOD read and discussed in each one of these groups, because it will stimulate discussion on the most important issues of life. Whether you agree or disagree with the answers Danielle gives, I can guarantee the discussions will be lively, fun and unforgettable.
Craig J. Hazen
Founder and Director, Graduate Program in Christian Apologetics at Biola University La Mirada, California
Wow, this is an impressive book! As a teacher, I can attest that Danielle is asking the most pressing questions this generation faces. Her conversational style is engaging, and her responses are right on track. I will be recommending this book to many young people.
Sean McDowell
Educator, Speaker and Author of Ethix: Being Bold in a Whatever World
It’s now quite obvious that the amazing Dinesh D’Souza has in fact learned all that he knows from his brilliant daughter, Danielle! So, if you want the real thing, straight from the source, why not skip the middleman and read this book? Seriously, if you have a teenager, you must get this! Tremendous.
Eric Metaxas
New York Times Bestselling Author of Bonhoeffer: Pastor, Martyr, Prophet, Spy
Danielle D’Souza certainly did not fall far from the tree—her first book foreshadows a vocation as a writer and thinker who is both precocious and influential. Her achievement here is to create reasoned responses to difficult criticisms of Christianity that are often thrown at young people today and to translate them into “teenagerese.” My own teenage granddaughter verified for me the aptness of the translation, and its range and depth impressed her—no easy thing to do, I have found.
Michael Novak
Author, Washington’s God: Religion, Liberty, and the Father of Our Country and No One Sees God: The Dark Night of Atheists and Believers
With an upbeat, breezy style and a firm commitment to the truth, Danielle D’Souza opens the door in YGOD to young people who are seeking clear answers to difficult questions.
Holly Ordway
Author, Not God’s Type: A Rational Academic Finds a Radical Faith
Chair, Department of Apologetics, Houston Baptist University
Houston, Texas
Sparing young readers the burdens of theological and doctrinal subtlety, Danielle D’Souza provides sound and instructive commentary on the very foundations of Christianity. Along the way, she liberates young readers from the chains of ignorant prejudice and “selective” histories as she locates the central place of Christianity in the forging and preservation of western civilization.
D. N. Robinson
Professor of Philosophy, University of Oxford
Oxford, England
Following in the tradition of her distinguished father, Danielle D’ Souza has burst on the scene with a provocative analysis of some of the most controversial issues facing young people today. In addition to teenagers, I recommend this book for new Christians and those who are curious about the Christian faith. YGOD is theologically sound and easy to read, and the author reflects a certain humility in her approach to issues.
Carol M. Swain
Professor of Political Science and Law, Vanderbilt University Law School
Nashville, Tennessee

© 2012 Danielle D’Souza
Published by Revell a division of Baker Publishing Group P.O. Box 6287, Grand Rapids, MI 49516-6287 www.revellbooks.com
Revell edition published 2014
ISBN 978-1-4412-2478-1
Previously published by Regal Books
Ebook edition originally created 2012
All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means—for example, electronic, photocopy, recording—without the prior written permission of the publisher. The only exception is brief quotations in printed reviews.
Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data is on file at the Library of Congress, Washington, DC.
All Scripture quotations, unless otherwise indicated, are taken from the New King James Version . Copyright © 1979, 1980, 1982 by Thomas Nelson, Inc. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
Other versions used are:
CEV—Contemporary English Version . Copyright © American Bible Society, 1995.
ESV— Scripture taken from the English Standard Version , Copyright © 2001. The ESV and English Standard Version are trademarks of Good News Publishers.
KJV — King James Version . Authorized King James Version.
NIV —Scripture taken from the Holy Bible, New International Version ®. Copyright © 1973, 1978, 1984 by International Bible Society. Used by permission of Zondervan Publishing House. All rights reserved.
Illustrations by Matthew Lawler, [e-mail]
For Tracy
My dear cousin and fellow traveler
on the road to truth
D
Contents



Foreword by Dinesh D’Souza
Introduction
1. Is Faith Reasonable?
2. Is Science at War with Religion?
3. What Does the Big Bang Say About Creation?
4. Is There Proof That God Made the World for Our Sake?
5. Does Evolution Contradict the Bible?
6. Did Christians Persecute Galileo?
7. Was Jesus an Historical Person?
8. If Jesus Did Exist, Who Was He?
9. Were Adam and Eve Real People?
10. Is the Bible Literally True?
11. Did the Resurrection Really Happen?
12. Are Miracles Really Possible?
13. Can God Create a Stone Bigger Than He Can Lift?
14. How Do We Know What Comes After Death?
15. How Do We Know That We Have Souls?
16. Is God the Author of Morality?
17. Why Didn’t God Prevent the Holocaust?
18. Are Natural Disasters “Acts of God”?
19. Are Other Religions False?
20. Do Jews, Muslims and Hindus Go to Heaven?
21. Does Anyone Deserve Hell?
22. Isn’t Religion a Source of Division, War and Oppression?
23. What Has Christianity Done for the World?
24. Is America a “Christian Nation”?
25. Should Church and State Be Separate?
26. Should Christians Be Republicans or Democrats?
27. What’s Wrong with Homosexuality?
28. Why Does the Old Testament God Seem Like a Monster?
29. Why Does God Appear to Some People But Not to Others?
30. Why Pray When Prayers Aren’t Always Answered?
31. Why Do People Become Atheists?
32. How Would Christianity Change My Life?
Foreword
by Dinesh D’Souza
My daughter Danielle is an unusual person, at least for her age. Recently she said to me, “I’ve been thinking about why some Christians make the sign of the cross.”
I was raised Catholic in India, and I confessed the question hadn’t really occurred to me. Danielle explained, “They touch their heads because God is the creator, the mind who made the universe. Then they touch their hearts because Jesus is the Savior, the one who removes sin from our hearts. And finally they touch each shoulder, because that’s the Spirit in us. We are God’s arms in the world, and it is our job to do God’s work while we are here.”
That’s the kind of daughter I’ve got. She says stuff that is totally unexpected for a kid her age—stuff that I’ve never thought of, and sometimes wish I did. While I regard myself as her teacher, or one of her teachers, occasionally she teaches me things I don’t know.
This book came about as a result of a thoughtful young Christian woman trying to live out her Christianity in a largely secular culture. Danielle attends The Bishop’s School in La Jolla, California. While the school has an Episcopal background, it now represents a very faded Christianity. Many students don’t go to church, and neither do their parents. There are students from China, Korea, India and Iran who come from different religious backgrounds. Like many young people today, Danielle lives out her faith in the middle of surrounding skepticism and in an environment where Christianity is by no means the only religious option.
This creates the need for apologetics—an old word meaning the defense of the faith. Apologetics is not about apologizing; it is about giving a reason for why you believe what you believe.
This is necessary for Christians to be able to communicate a message to others who don’t necessarily share Christian assumptions. In this situation, it makes no sense to say, “homosexuality is wrong because the book of Leviticus says so,” because inevitably the other person will respond, “Who cares what the book of Leviticus says? Why should I accept the authority of the book of Leviticus?”
So before appealing to the Bible, it is important to show why the Bible is a reliable authority on such questions.
Apologetics is not just for the benefit of the doubter or seeker but also for the benefit of Christians. Many young people today who are raised in Christian homes don’t know there is good archeological, historical and scientific evidence that supports the things they believe. Christianity is not a faith held in stubborn resistance to evidence; it is a faith that is anchored in evidence, even though it ultimately goes beyond that evidence into the province of God’s revelation.
I especially love the spirit and tone of this book, which is open, inviting and conversational. It is just the right tone for discussion among young people, and also for discussion between parents and children—across the generations, if you will. It has the potential to generate a unique type of conversation, and I’m proud to have a daughter who has initiated this conversation.
Dinesh D’Souza
Introduction
There are plenty of good books out there that provide answers to the most pressing questions about God and faith. I’ve read a bunch of them and have come to appreciate the work of really smart Bible scholars and Christian apologists.
There are also some very thought-provoking books written by skeptics and atheists who challenge my beliefs, and I admire their commitment to views that are different than mine. Of course, I disagree with their conclusions, but it’s not enough to “just say no” to anyone who doesn’t agree with me. Whether I’m talking with my friends who wonder if God and this whol