It’s First Line Friday! That means it’s time to pick up the nearest book and quote the first line.

Today I’m sharing from Why I Still Believe: A Former Atheist’s Reckoning with the Bad Reputation Christians Give a Good God by Mary Jo Sharp. I’m not a big nonfiction reader, but picked this up because I’m always interested in understanding why people become Christians (especially as adults), and how we can deal with hypocrisy.

Here’s the first line from the Chapter One:

What’s the book nearest you, and what’s the first line?

 

About Why I Still Believe

For anyone who feels caught in the tension between the beauty of God’s story and the ugliness of human hypocrisy, Why I Still Believe offers a stirring story of hope.

Why would anyone be a Christian when there is so much hypocrisy in the church? Mary Jo Sharp shares her journey as a skeptical believer who still holds to a beautiful faith despite wounding experiences in the Christian community.

At a time when de-conversion stories have become all too common, this is an earnest response – the compelling conversion of an unlikely believer whose questions ultimately led her to irresistible hope. Sharp addresses her own struggle with the reality that God’s people repeatedly give God’s story a bad name and takes a careful look at how the current church often inadvertently produces atheists despite its life-giving message.

For those who feel the ever-present tension between the beauty of salvation and the dark side of human nature, Why I Still Believe is a candid and approachable case for believing in God when you really want to walk away. With fresh and thoughtful insights, this spiritual narrative presents relevant answers to haunting questions like:

• Isn’t there too much pain and suffering to believe?
• Is it okay to have doubt?
• What if Jesus’ story is a copy of another story?
• Is there any evidence for Jesus’ resurrection?
• Does atheism explain the human experience better than Christianity can?  
• How can the truth of Christianity matter when the behaviors of Christians are reprehensible?

At once logical and loving, Sharp reframes the gospel as it truly is: the good news of redemption. With firmly grounded truths, Why I Still Believe is an affirming reminder that the hypocrisy of Christians can never negate the transforming grace and truth of Christ.

Find Why I Still Believe online at:

Amazon | BookBub | ChristianBook | Goodreads

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Share your first line in the comments, and happy reading!

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