People today in our culture often claim that religion should be kept private. These same people are also the one’s who loudly declare their opinions about a variety of political and societal injustice. Sadly as our culture continues to move in it’s seemingly never ending downward spiral, Christians are the one’s who are most often labeled intolerant. How can Christians speak the truth into a culture where the claims of Christ are increasingly becoming viewed as irrational, bigoted, and wrong? Enter Dr. Dan Dewitt’s excellent new book Christ or Chaos, a book that helps us to understand how to face objections to Christianity whether for the first time or discussing our faith with unbelieving friends. This book will help God’s people to present a more compelling explanation of what it means to be human than atheism or our culture does.
Christ or Chaos follows the story of Thomas, a junior in college as he wrestles with the claims of those who think the Christian faith is nothing more than a collection of ancient myths with little connection to reality. Growing up in the Greater Seattle, Washington area I was confronted by people who believed this all the time. These same people though were honestly interested in what I believed as a Christian.
There was a lot that I enjoyed about this book. Dr. Dewitt captures the readers attention with the way he writes. While written around mostly a narrative, this book has plenty of deep theology and analysis to it. He writes, “Every perspective of reality contains an inherent narrative. Every worldview is a novel. Each has an author, a beginning, and an end. The task for thinking people is to consider not which story is the most interesting, but which one is actually true. In the end we may find a story compelling and true in which we lose ourselves. Better yet, we may discover a story in which we can actually find ourselves” (17).
The author has written this book for friends like I had in high school and in my early years in college who need to learn this critical truth:
“A healthy conversation can take place about what Christianity looks like in the real world—or better yet—what the real world looks like in Christianity” (22).
Whether Dr. Dewitt is looking at who God is or seeking to help his readers deal with objections to the Christian faith, Christ or Chaos is an excellent book. I wish this book had been written when I was in high school or college so I could have given it to my friends. Every Christian should read this book to understand the challenges we face in our apologetics and evangelistic endeavors.
Dr. Dewitt’s book is worldview thinking and analysis at its finest. If you have any interest in engaging in apologetics or evangelism this is the book for you. Reading it will help you to minister to the unsaved and understand the cultural moment we are living in. I highly recommend this book and believe reading it will encourage and equip the saints to engage their neighbors and others with the gospel.
