Why Believe
Why Believe?
A Reasoned Approach to Christianity
by Neil Shenvi
Why Believe? engages some of the best contemporary arguments against belief, presenting compelling evidence for the truth of Christianity and calling readers to entrust their lives to Christ.
Compass Reviewed
Introduction
Joshua Tippe
Shenvi’s first foray into the world of apologetics is a shining example of a clear and accessible writing about the rationality of Christian belief. This book is small, but it really packs a punch! Shenvi begins his book by exploring whether one religion can be true and invites the reader to consider whether Jesus is worth giving their loyalty to. From there, Shenvi discusses the historical evidence and arguments that pertain to Jesus’ (a) claims to divine authority and identity and (b) resurrection from the dead. Next, Shenvi launches into six arguments for God’s existence: “the applicability of mathematics to nature, the origin of the universe, the explanation of the universe, the fine tuning of the fundamental constants of physics, the existence of objective moral facts, and the intrinsic goodness of truth” (p. 145). After briefly responding to common arguments against God’s existence, Shenvi spends his final three chapters devoted to summarizing the Gospel and the nature of Christian salvation, closing with another invitation for the reader to consider entrusting their lives to Jesus.
Basic Plot Summary
Shenvi’s devotes his second chapter to making the famous “Trilemma” argument. The argument hinges on the thesis that Jesus’ actions and statements about Himself, as recorded in the Gospels, can only be explained by positing that He was either a liar, lunatic, or the Lord of all. Shenvi spends the initial two chapters skillfully presenting the historical evidence that points to the conclusion that Jesus is truly the resurrected messiah and incarnate Lord, the rightful King of the cosmos.
Shenvi then transitions to discussing various arguments for the existence of God. He covers a lot of ground here, but deftly summarizes arguments such as the Kalam cosmological argument and moral arguments for God’s existence. His presentation of these arguments is remarkably clear, particularly given the complexity of these arguments in professional philosophy of religion. Readers who want an accessible introduction to such arguments will want to pay close attention to these chapters.
Next, Shenvi discusses three common arguments against God’s existence: (1) the problem of evil and suffering, (2) (naturalistic) evolution, and (3) divine hiddenness. Because of the existential force of the issue, Shenvi mostly focuses on the first objection – why would a perfectly good God allow suffering and evil to occur in the world? This chapter shines brightest when Shenvi focuses on personal, rather than intellectual, responses to the problem of evil and suffering. He draws from experiences in his own life and demonstrates from Scripture that the Christian God is not indifferent to the evils which afflict His creatures. For Christians, the God we worship sympathizes with our pain, shows His love and kindness to us throughout our sufferings, and can be trusted to put the world to rights in the end.
To close out the book, Shenvi’s devotes three chapters to discuss (1) what makes Christianity distinct from other religions, (2) the problem of sin, and (3) the salvation that is offered through Christ alone. His overall point is that Christianity uniquely identifies the deep sinfulness that lurks within every human being. But because we cannot save ourselves, God Himself came to rescue us and His creation through the death and resurrection of Christ Jesus, who bore the punishment we deserved for our sins. Shenvi shows how this leads to the amazing promise for those who trust in the atoning work of Christ and give their allegiance to Him. Namely, God will not only pardon us of our sins, but His Spirit will dwell with us, transform us, and empower us so we can begin to overcome our sinful inclinations (however imperfectly) and experience a new life of joy and intimacy with God.
Praise for the Book
The premier strength of Shenvi’s book is the clarity and precision of his writing, particularly given the many complex topics he addresses. The fact that he presents arguments for the truth of Christianity, responds deftly to objections, and wonderfully concludes by presenting the Gospel in an accessible and compelling way in so little space is frankly amazing. As someone familiar with much of the literature he cites in the footnotes of his chapters on the moral argument and the human proclivity for evil and sin, I can say that Shenvi accurately represents even subtle differences between the scholars he cites. Impressively, he captures these nuances while still managing to address the core concerns of each objection. The quality of his footnotes remains true in the other chapters of his book, meaning that readers can be confident Shenvi has done his homework.
Shenvi’s discussion on the problem of human sin is also excellent! We often hear in our culture that human beings are basically good, at least until social forces corrupt us. Shenvi presents overwhelming evidence for humanity’s natural propensity for violence and evil. This evidence, as well as an honest appraisal of our own conscience, supports the Christian teaching that human nature is deeply sinful. Shenvi beautifully transitions to showing that God’s mission to rescue His people and restore His creation in Christ Jesus is humanity’s only hope for salvation amid such a dire condition.
Third, I liked Shenvi’s frequent use of the word “allegiance” and emphasis on Jesus' Kingship when describing salvation in Christ. This evokes the royal dimensions of the Gospel message – that Jesus is the resurrected Saviour-King of the cosmos who calls for our trust and allegiance to Him alone (above anything or anyone else). While a small detail in his book, I deeply appreciated the care with which Shenvi draws the reader’s attention this vital theme that should guide our daily lives as Christians.
Lastly, Shenvi’s presentation of the Christian view of salvation is very strong. Shenvi wonderfully captures the beauty of the Christian salvific story when he writes, “Not only does Christianity uniquely expose the depths of our sin; it also uniquely shows how God has gone to unimaginable lengths to rescue us from it” (p. 224). The view that human beings are sinners in need of rescue and transformation is not a popular view in our culture. However, Shenvi’s defense of this aspect of the Gospel message is exemplary and worth reading (multiple times, if possible). As Christians, we know this story as an existential reality – a sign of the Holy Spirit’s transforming power in our lives. But Shenvi artfully describes the content of this lived reality: that it is only when we realize the gravity of our sin can we properly bend the knee at the cross of Christ, for by no other name can we be saved.
Critiques
While a concise and clear presentation of Christian apologetics, Shenvi’s brevity sometimes limits how deeply he explores some of the topics he addresses. Furthermore, many of Shenvi’s arguments are not new in the world of apologetics. Rather, he presents excellent summaries of ground that has been well-traversed by other Christian scholars. Those who are well-versed in apologetics may find Shenvi’s book to be more of a helpful refresher than a treasure trove of new insights.
Second, I think Shenvi could have made his Trilemma argument much stronger if he built his case first on the letters of the apostle Paul, then building out to the gospel accounts of Jesus’ life. The argument can go along the following lines. In his letters, Paul often quotes early Christian traditions that refer to Jesus’ divine status, which most scholars believe were crafted before Paul’s letters and the gospel accounts of Jesus’ life were written down. These passages provide strong evidence that Jesus was revered by his earliest followers – who were devout monotheistic Jews – in ways normally reserved for God Himself. The best explanation for this early Christian devotion to Jesus is that He truly said and did things that Jews in His culture believed to be the exclusive province of Yahweh (e.g., forgiving sins). This sort of Trilemma argument has been aptly made by many Christian scholars and puts lay Christians in a much stronger intellectual position in conversations with “super-skeptics” they might one day encounter1.
Recommendation and Rating
I give Shenvi’s new book, “Why Believe?”, a 4 out of 5 rating. He summarizes numerous arguments supporting Christianity deftly and with grace. His tone is honest and charitable, he documents his sources well, and he ultimately returns the reader’s focus to where the foundation of the faith truly lies – in Christ Jesus our Lord. Overall, Shenvi’s book is a short, accessible guide to anyone interested in the case for Christianity, and I am proud to recommend it highly.
1 For an accessible audio introduction to such evidence, see the Bible Project’s podcast episodes, “Who did Jesus think He Was?” and “Who did Paul Think Jesus Was?”. For a recent scholarly presentation of such an argument, see Loke, A. T. E. (2017). The origin of divine Christology. Cambridge University Press.