“Reasons for Hope” by Carl Kerby

“Reasons for Hope” by Carl Kerby is a really interesting book.  It has the subtitle “In the Mosaic of Your Life”, and I think this is the most appropriate way to describe the book.  Kerby makes the point early on describing how a mosaic is based on pieces of broken clay and glass being formed into a picture, and how our lives, and more specifically this current generation, are pieces of brokenness and colour that God fashions into the big picture.  We, in our place in life, do not see the big picture, but we should have faith that the God that designed the universe has us in mind.

This book is about the road that Mr. Kerby took to get to where he is now as the founder of Reasons for Hope, the ministry.  He talks about the trials growing up with a father who was a professional wrestler, and the moving around and the fact that his father was often on the road.  He tells stories from his time in the military, and the process where he met his wife in Japan.  There are a lot of teaching points drawn from his time working as an Air Traffic Controller.  He tells stories of how through God’s providence Mr. Kerby ends up working with some of the people in my favourite creation ministries, and eventually founding his own.

There are some discussions about defending the Christian faith, and more specifically about defending the creation account described in Genesis.  He has some words to say about the process of becoming a Godly husband and father which is always relevant.

Part three of the book goes through some of the common objections to faith and the bible that I have heard time and time again.  As a pastor, these kinds of sections are helpful in finding ways to help others overcome their intellectual issues and move towards faith in Christ.  He touches on “Why does God allow pain and suffering?”  There are sections that begin the discussion on Evolution and its results, Dinosaurs and the bible, Issues of racism, and some retorts from people that he has shared these issues to.  He closes the book by zooming out to try to take the perspective of how God sees things, and offers some final thoughts on life and faith in Christ. 

This is an excellent book to start the journey down the road of a creation worldview, and as a kind of biography, it was an excellent read.

I was provided a complimentary copy by the B & B Media Group for review.  I was free to review the book as I saw it.