Why People Stop Believing

This book addresses a growing need in apologetic literature. It is a response to the growing wave of Christian leaders who are rejecting Christianity and becoming some of its most ardent critics, often supported by a plethora of new organizations arising to encourage such people to cut ties to their faith. This is a new challenge from a different breed of critics who are using their instant credibility and insider's knowledge of theology, the Bible, church history, even apologetics, to debunk the faith they once believed and promoted. They have taken aim at the foundations of Christianity, including God, the Scriptures, miracles and the supernatural, and Christianity's perceived inherent prohibition on free enquiry. Readers will be introduced to arguments against Christianity by these critics, which they claim compelled them to leave, followed by responses that use examples, questions, and nontechnical language to make the reasoning accessible. Every issue addressed has been raised by a former Christian leader, and special attention has been paid to their precise formulations. The book makes the case that, however convincing the critics' arguments may appear at first glance, further analysis reveals them to be weaker than they appear, and in many cases entirely unpersuasive. ""Paul Chamberlain does a masterful job in addressing why people stop believing in Christianity. He clearly identifies the most difficult-to-answer reasons for why people abandon Christian faith, and provides sophisticated, yet accessible, answers to these objections. I commend this book to anyone who wishes to shore up their view of the plausibility of a vibrant Christian faith."" --Scott B. Rae, Talbot School of Theology, Biola University ""In his insightful, carefully-argued book, Paul Chamberlain patiently works through some of the fundamental objections raised by those who have walked away from the Christian faith. He applies these skeptics' own self-professed standards and criteria to expose a number of inconsistencies and double-standards. He also presents lucid, well-informed responses that help put these criticisms in proper context. Well done!"" --Paul Copan, Chair of Philosophy and Ethics, Palm Beach Atlantic University ""Paul Chamberlain is not your average cultural observer. Armed with a good theoretical background, he has used it for years to watch and investigate recent societal trends, including the key questions and challenges to religious belief. This book is another of Paul's timely efforts to discuss items that often cannot be found when you really need them most."" --Gary R. Habermas, Research Professor of Philosophy Department, Liberty University Paul Chamberlain is the director of the Institute for Christian Apologetics at Trinity Western University (ACTS division). He has also worked with Ravi Zacharias International Ministries and has appeared on numerous radio and television talk shows, debated on university campuses, and is a frequent guest speaker at public functions.