The Searchers: A Quest for Faith in the Valley of Doubt

With the tone of a circumspect apologetic, Loconte (God, Government, and the Good Samaritan), a senior research fellow at King’s College in New York, examines, among other things, “the poison of religion,” acknowledging well-known abuses and disgraces that have plagued Christianity through the ages. While the reader may nod in approval here, he or she will soon squirm. Loconte asserts every civilization is shaped by God seekers who are trying to understand the relationship between the natural and the supernatural; he explores, for example the inexplicable need people have to touch relics or pray to saints. He asserts that this connection carries the hope and gravitas of the supernatural: “They want to believe.” And so he builds his case, championing the notion that faith is a mystery and that “mystery,” of itself, is not an excuse to disbelieve. He helps the reader with up-to-date cultural reference points, such as a nod to The X-Files, citing Mulder, who “want[s] to believe” and (predictably) Harry Potter. Whereas those of an older, more seasoned, cohort will have read the likes of this before, those of a generation who missed out on John Stott will find the book relevant and compelling. Agency: Alive Communications. (June)