Wednesday, March 16, 2011

REVIEW OF THE JESUS INQUEST BY CHARLES FOSTER



THE JESUS INQUEST


By Charles Foster


ISBN 978-0-84944-811-4


Published by Thomas Nelson


Reviewer Clint Walker




Charles Foster is a lawyer, professor, and author with wide ranging intellectual interests. In his latest book, The Jesus Inquest, Foster focuses his rather generous range of professional skill toward writing about the Resurrection of Jesus Christ. Not one to "like neat" summaries, Foster takes on several questions about the death and resurrection of Christ with thorough, well-worded thinking any professor could appreciate. He does this with two hypothetical friends posing arguments that are not so creatively named "X" and "Y". Like any good lawyer or debater, Foster goes in depth with each issue, unafraid to state the best arguments for each side of the argument. The result is a stellar book that will assist many people who are seeking to understand the truth of Jesus in an honest, in-depth manner.




I enjoyed The Jesus Inquest. It was conversational and easily accessible, while at the same time being pretty intelligent. It is not the first book to discuss the resurrection. However, most of the other books I have read on the issue seem more like a treatise. This book reads more like a conversation between two smart truth seekers. As a matter of fact, I would not be surprised if in some limited extent both "X" and "Y" in some way described the author at different points in his faith journey.




When I was younger, I struggled with whether I could believe in the Christian faith with intellectual honesty. It was, remarkably, about the same time I was also feeling called into full-time ministry. I had many questions. I still do. My key question to resolve; however, was whether I believed in the resurrection. I studied the issue, and came to the conclusion that although the resurrection could not be proven, the preponderance of the evidence led me to believe that Jesus had indeed literally risen from the dead. Once I affirmed in that truth, the rest of my faith seemed to reintegrate with it.




*This book was provided by the publisher in exchange for an honest review.

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