Every year, several Christian media outlets publish their top books of the year. In 2023, Surprised By Doubt won the award for the Evangelism & Apologetics category for The Gospel Coalition. I got a copy from the library and have been reading through it. Many of us know people who grew up Christian or at one time claimed to be Christians, but have since abandoned the faith altogether. In this book, the authors argue that some people are abandoning the Christian faith without really evaluating it. They’ve been sold a version of Christianity that claims absolute certainty on every single topic and doesn't tolerate honest questions.
Authors Joshua Chatraw and Jack Carson aim to help those leaving the faith consider the historical riches of Christianity. There are helpful ways to handle and express our doubts, knowing that our God and the Christian faith can handle tough questions. Just because we have doubts doesn't mean we're bad Christians. And it certainly doesn't mean that we should jump out of the house of faith entirely. Rather, the road of doubt can lead us to a deeper faith!
The book is especially written for those who may be questioning Christianity or trying to resolve their doubts. If that's you, I'd highly recommend giving this book a read. It doesn't belittle or make anyone feel guilty. Rather, it acknowledges the complexities of doubt and reconstruction.
If you know someone struggling with doubt, I'd also recommend reading this as a tool to help them process through their questions.
