Humbler Faith, Bigger God: Finding a Story to Live By

This daring treatise by Wells (Walk Humbly), vicar of St. Martin-in-the-Fields, London, rebuts common criticisms of Christianity. The author dissects 10 issues skeptics often raise as reasons to reject Christianity, including that science has “disproved” Christianity, that the religion functions as a method of social control, and that it’s a “cruel fantasy.” For example, Wells addresses the accusation that the Bible is a childish fairy tale by acknowledging that though the Bible doesn’t hold up to strict historical scrutiny, it should be understood as the foundation of a “living tradition” with room for dynamic interpretation. Wells also responds to those who condemn Christianity for its intolerance by urging Christians to “enjoy the manifestations of the Holy Spirit” in non-Christians, aspiring toward a more inclusive future. Readers looking for a modern approach to Christian devotion will appreciate Wells’s rigorous and nuanced analysis, which grapples with historical injustices such as the Crusades as well as current debates surrounding discrimination against LGBTQ people—though others may take issue with Wells’s tendency to provide sociological answers to theological questions. This heady volume will stretch the thinking of doubters and believers alike and poke holes in some settled assumptions. (Mar.)