Chapter and Verse: A Skeptic Revisits Christianity

A self-described ``shaky atheist,'' Bryan ( Dogleg Madness ) in 1989 enrolled in Criswell College, a Baptist Bible school in Dallas, to pursue the truth about evangelical Christianity, espoused by an estimated 50 million Americans. The school embraces a conservative, informed Christian worldview that thrives despite the recent scandals which have beset flamboyant evangelicals. Bryan was not indoctrinated at Criswell and departed months later, still rejecting the ``truth claim of biblical Christianity.'' Yet he was impressed by the liberal, multifaceted views espoused in the classrooms and by other aspects of the evangelical world, having participated in such events as a mission trip to El Salvador and a preachers' conference at which Jerry Falwell of the discredited Moral Majority found an unresponsive audience. This insider view of the world where literal interpretation of the Bible prevails is respectful and enlightening. (July)