* This assignment was done for our Senior Honors English Class, to address the issues in Timothy Keller’s book Making Sense of God.

You and I are not as different as you may think. We both feel strong emotions, we spend our time living in community, we have morals and values, and in the end of it all our past experiences have shaped us to be who we are today. The main difference in our lives is the beliefs we have. I know you like hard proof–in fact, you support a situation only when you know everything–but I would like to suggest a way of looking at Christianity that opens the door to more conversations: I want to address those doubts you have at the back of your mind.

Quite frankly, a life without a god seems to lack purpose, especially when it comes to death, and I want to give you something to mull over that may add an entire dimension to your life and beyond. Other skeptics, not unlike yourself, have softened their perspectives of Christianity because they have noticed an aspect of life that doesn’t make sense with their worldview…I hope that you do not feel shame or weakness by abandoning a previous theory of yours when you have doubts about it. Now, you probably say that you do not have any need for God in your life. Hearing Christians say that they can’t do anything without God, while you accomplish lots without this deity, seems a bit ridiculous. However, I ask you to look at the human race in entirety; for instance, humans have developed a system of human rights that do not seem to align with the necessity of evolution. Think about the ways humans treat each other that don’t reflect natural selection, such as sacrifice for others and giving to the poor. Perhaps you can consider that an outside source gave these values to humanity, created us to act this way. Even the emotions you feel, the way you are moved by beauty, has the possibility of reflecting more than a simple chemical imbalance in your brain. There are quite a few discrepancies, between all religions and for atheists as well, and I have long since accepted that we can’t understand everything. I have found that Christianity best explains life and humanity, the way I act and the purpose I have in the big picture of life; therefore, I invite you to meditate on the doubts you have, and we can see if we can’t make sense of them with a Christian perspective.

Once again, I stress that there is no shame in having doubts and reconsidering your perspective. Many other people are questioning, in this current century, and the number of churchgoers is rising as a reflection of this: they have found their answers in God. Consider your life, and if you think something is missing, you want something more, or you just have some questions, we can talk. I am not asking you to reform, but I want to see if my knowledge can help you find the worldview that makes the most sense to you.

Thank you for taking my perspective into consideration.