How Reason Can Lead to God: A Philosopher’s Bridge to Faith
Overview
Do you seek the truth?
Do you value reason, science, and independent thinking? Are you skeptical of beliefs that people maintain merely “on faith,” yet you remain interested in the big questions of life? Do you hope there could be a greater purpose to the universe, if only that were realistic?
If so, then philosopher Joshua Rasmussen can encourage you in your journey. Beginning with his own story of losing faith and the belief in any ultimate purpose in life, he then builds a bridge to faith. Using only the instruments of reason and common experience, Rasmussen constructs a pathway—step by step, brick by brick—that he argues can lead to meaning and, ultimately, a vision of God.
- Utilizes reason and common experience as apologetic tools
- Addresses objections of a skeptic audience
- Covers related issues of faith, purpose, and meaning
- When Reason Leads to Doubt
- The Bridge of Reason
- Foundation
- Testing Ground
- Eternal Power
- Purely Actual
- Foundation of Mind
- Foundation of Matter
- Foundation of Morals
- Foundation of Reason
- Perfect Foundation
- Challenging the Bridge
- Removing Barriers
Top Highlights
“It implies that the blob of everything has the following strange feature: the blob of everything has no outside explanation or outside cause of its existence.” (Page 16)
“Dependence Principle: purely dependent things form dependent totals” (Page 24)
“in order for there to be a world, any world, there must be an independent foundation underlying everything else” (Page 31)
“Principle of Actuality: Whatever is actual, but potentially not actual, depends on an actualizer” (Page 32)
“Principle of Inheritance: whatever is diffusive is whole-inherited.” (Page 25)
Professor Rasmussen is a top Christian philosopher, a deeply devoted believer, and a longtime personal friend. He identifies his primary audience as a skeptic who cares about truth, is interested in life’s big questions, and believes only what can be supported by reason. And Rasmussen hits the bull’s-eye. Along with Mere Christianity, How Reason Can Lead to God is the book to give to such a person. But don’t let this aim fool you. This book is a must-read for believers who love philosophy or apologetics. You will learn a ton by reading this book, and by reading it your ability to think will be vastly increased. The flow of Rasmussen’s argument for God is developed with such precision and care that, quite frankly, it could not be improved. I am so excited about How Reason Can Lead to God and can’t wait to see its impact. So put on your thinking hat, buy it, and study it carefully.
—JP Moreland, distinguished professor of philosophy, Talbot School of Theology, Biola University, author of Scientism and Secularism
A magnificent and prodigious talent as deft in analytic skill as it is adept at uncommon common sense. Joshua Rasmussen has produced a disarming, brilliant, bridge-building book that renders the recondite accessible. It takes readers on a fascinating journey, inviting them to think for themselves, try out his arguments, and come to their own conclusions. He is a remarkable philosopher in the best and old-fashioned sense: respecting his readers; asking vitally important, existentially central questions; rigorously following the evidence where it leads; animated by deep confidence in the revelatory power of reason to show the way. Any genuine seeker of wisdom and truth will find in these pages an eminently kindred spirit and faithful fellow traveler.
—David Baggett, coauthor of The Morals of the Story: Good News About a Good God
This short book contains a bold, original, and provocative argument that shows how reason can lead a person who is genuinely seeking truth to God. It is written in simple, ordinary language and makes no appeal to authority. Although Rasmussen appeals only to truths that he thinks should be universally accepted, a good deal of the force of the book stems from the personal story of Rasmussen himself; his courage and honesty draws the reader into a similar journey.
—C. Stephen Evans, university professor of philosophy and humanities, Baylor University
- Title: How Reason Can Lead to God: A Philosopher’s Bridge to Faith
- Author: Joshua Rasmussen
- Publisher: IVP
- Publication Date: 2019
- Pages: 206
- Resource Type: Monographs
- Topic: Apologetics
