THE REASON FOR GOD

Belief in an Age of Skepticism

TIMOTHY KELLER

Riverhead Books

New York

RIVERHEAD BOOKS

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Copyright © 2008 by Timothy Keller

Cover design by Richard L. Hasselberger

Book design by Leonard Telesca

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First Dutton hardcover edition: February 2008

First Riverhead trade paperback edition: August 2009

Riverhead trade paperback ISBN: 978-1-59448-349-3

The Library of Congress has catalogued the Dutton hardcover edition as follows:

Keller, Timothy J., 1950–

The reason for God: belief in an age of skepticism / Timothy Keller.

p. cm.

ISBN 978-0-525-95049-3 (hardcover) 1. Apologetics. 2. Faith 3. Skepticism. I. Title.

BT1103.K45 2008

239—dc22

2007043745

To Kathy, the Valiant

Contents

Introduction

PART 1: THE LEAP OF DOUBT

one

There Can’t Be Just One True Religion

two

How Could a Good God Allow Suffering?

three

Christianity Is a Straitjacket

four

The Church Is Responsible for So Much Injustice

five

How Can a Loving God Send People to Hell?

six

Science Has Disproved Christianity

seven

You Can’t Take the Bible Literally

[Intermission 119]

PART 2: THE REASONS FOR FAITH

eight

The Clues of God

nine

The Knowledge of God

ten

The Problem of Sin

eleven

Religion and the Gospel

twelve

The (True) Story of the Cross

thirteen

The Reality of the Resurrection

fourteen

The Dance of God

Epilogue: Where Do We Go from Here?

Acknowledgments

Index