52 Reasons to Believe by Gregg Peter Farah

This book is a mixture of theology and devotional. Each of the 52 chapters is short, like a devotional, but deals with theological issues. This is a great book for someone ready to learn a little theology but not ready to tackle a systematic theology tome.

Farah starts out with thoughts on the Bible, giving 20 characteristics and evidences of the Bible's reliability. He next moves to God, with 12 descriptions of God, revealing who He is. He follows that with 13 characteristics of Jesus. In the final section Farah covers seven traits of the Holy Spirit.

Each chapter includes insightful aspects of the topic, a key quote from another author, a “did you know” interesting fact, how to link the topic to your faith and practice, small group discussion questions, key verses, and a prayer.

The information presented is aimed at giving reasons for belief. He includes lots of resources so readers can further investigate each subject.

I was impressed with the material presented. The information is theologically sound and is presented in such a way that even new Christians will be able to understand why the Bible is reliable and the basic characteristics of the Godhead. His “link to your life” sections are great. He provides very practical ways of incorporating the truth of the chapter into every day experience. I really liked his challenge to keep track of the amount of time spent on consuming information and entertainment, then compare that to the time spent reading and reflecting on the Bible. That really is a wake up call! (64)

This book is a great choice for anyone wanting an introduction to theology. The format is very readable and clear. Farah has even added curriculum ideas and lesson templates at the back of the book so this would make a fine choice for small groups or Sunday School classes.

Gregg Peter Farah is a Pastor at Shelter Rock Church on Long Island. He and his wife have three daughters. You can find out more about him and his books at http://gpfarah.com/. There you can watch a video, sign up for his blog posts and download a free ebook.

Carpenter's Son Publishing, 240 pages.

I received a complimentary copy of this book through the Book Group Network for the purpose of this review.