I Don't Have Enough Faith to Be an Atheist

Every time a review item from Apologia comes up I get very excited.  Everything I have used from them has been excellent and this is no exception.  Several weeks ago I was sent a copy of the book I Don't Have Enough Faith to Be an Atheist and the corresponding curriculum workbook.  They did not disappoint.

The book, written by Norman Geisler and Frank Turek has 445 pages. The workbook is a spiral bound 279 page companion to the book written by Frank Turek and Chuck Winter. They are written for high school students, but I think this is also a perfect study for adults and particularly for parents.

Table of Contents

Foreward by David Limbaugh
Preface: How Much Faith Do You Need to Believe this Book?
Introduction: Finding the Box Top to the Puzzle of Life

1. Can We Handle the Truth?
2. Why Should Anyone Believe Anything at All?
3. In the Beginning There Was a Great SURGE
4. Diving Design
5. The First Life: Natural Law or Divine Awe?
6. New Life Forms
7. Mother Teresa vs. Hitler
8. Miracles: Signs of God or Gullibility?
9. Do We Have Early Testimony about Jesus?
10. Do We have Eyewitness Testimony about Jesus?
11. The Top 10 Reasons We Know the New Testament Writers Told the Truth
12. Did Jesus Really Rise from the Dead?
13. Who is Jesus: God? or Just a Great Moral Teacher?
14. What Did Jesus Teach about the Bible?
15. Conclusion: The Judge, the Servant King, and the Box Top
Appendix 1: If God, Why Evil?
Appendix 2: Isn't that Just Your Interpretation?
Appendix 3: Why the Jesus Seminar Doesn't Speak for Jesus
Notes
General Index
Scripture Index

Here you can see the workbook open.  Notice there is ample space for writing answers.

While this book is not what I would call light reading, it is written in an easy to understand and enjoyable format.  I like the personal stories that are interjected.  When you include the workbook this is an in-depth apologetics course designed to teach you and your students how to "always be ready to give an answer for the hope that is in you."  You will find questions, activities, vocabulary and supplemental reading material which includes lots of biographical sketches of men mentioned in the book.

Each chapter should take 2-3 weeks to complete, making it possible to complete this course in less than 9 months. So, easily within the school year even if you start a few weeks into it.

The beginning pages of a chapter in the workbook.  The workbook is not
just text but also includes black and white pictures and diagrams.

Every lesson begins with a reading assignment in the book, the key topics the student is expected to learn, key terms (vocabulary) and a road map that shows which of the twelve points that prove Christianity is true is being covered in the chapter.  There is a HOOK which will remind you what was read in the textbook (not a substitute for buying the book in case you are wondering), the BOOK which takes you deeper into the issues covered in the chapter and includes comprehension questions, LOOK which has research assignments and other suggested activities for the student to search it out for himself and TOOK which is the summary of the material learned within the chapter.

Tests are included but not in the book, however, you are given a password in the workbook that will allow you to download them from the website free.  You will also find the workbook answer key and test answer key in the same place.

Every major worldview fits into one of these three categories.

These are the twelve points mentioned above:

1. Truth about reality is knowable.
2. The opposite of true is false.
3. It is true that the theistic God exists. This is evidenced by the:
     a. Beginning of the universe (Cosmological Argument)
     b. Design of the universe (Teleological Argument/Anthropic Principle)
     c. Design of life (Teleological Argument)
     d. Moral Law (Moral Argument)
4. If God exists, then miracles are possible.
5. Miracles can be used to confirm a message from God (i.e., as acts of God to confirm a word from God).
6. The New Testament is historically reliable. This is evidenced by:
     a. Early testimony
     b. Eyewitness testimony
     c. Uninvented (authentic) testimony
     d. Eyewitnesses who were not deceived
7. The New Testament says Jesus claimed to be God.
8. Jesus’ claim to be God was miraculously confirmed by:
     a. His fulfillment of many prophecies about himself;
     b. His sinless life and miraculous deeds;
     c. His prediction and accomplishment of his resurrection.
9. Therefore, Jesus is God.
10. Whatever Jesus (who is God) teaches is true.
11. Jesus taught that the Bible is the Word of God.
12. Therefore, it is true that the Bible is the Word of God (and anything opposed to it is false).

I think this is a course that every Christian should take the time to go through.  If you homeschool, you will definitely want to add this to your high school student's list of must have classes.  If you don't homeschool, you still may want your high school student to read this book and complete the workbook.  While you could just read the book, the workbook adds a whole level of understanding that you wouldn't get just from reading alone. (You do need the book to complete the workbook.)

You can read a sample chapter and view workbook sample pages.

You can purchase I Don't Have Enough Faith to Be an Atheist for $16.00.  The consumable workbook is $33.00. Answers could be kept in a notebook so that more than one student could use the book, but copies cannot be made. Ideally each student would have their own workbook.

If you are not already familiar with Apologia you should take the time to visit their website and see all they have to offer from science curriculum to parenting and more.

See what others on the crew are saying about I Don't Have Enough Faith to Be an Atheist on the Schoolhouse Review Crew blog.








Disclaimer:I received a free copy of I Don't Have Enough Faith to Be an Atheist book and workbook in exchange for an honest review.