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Finding God in the Questions: A Personal Journey
by Timothy Johnson
Product Group: Book
Publisher: InterVarsity Press (2004-04)
ISBN: 0830832149
EAN: 9780830832149
Dewy Decimal #: 230
Hardcover: 216 pages
SKU: 090508015
Condition: Used: Good
Comments: ...no markings or highlighting...light shelf wear on dustjacket
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Editorial Reviews
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Product Description
Many of us are spiritually searching. We wonder if God is real, if religion is relevant, if faith is possible. We don't know what the answers are, and sometimes we don't even know what questions to ask. Don't shy away from the questions, says Dr. Timothy Johnson, medical editor for ABC News. That's where God meets us--in the midst of honest grappling with heartfelt issues. In this remarkable book, Dr. Johnson discloses his deeply personal journey of faith. With the same keen mind accustomed to medical and scientific examination, he investigates the plausibility of God's existence and explores the significance of Jesus of Nazareth. Despite all the difficulties of faith, he explains what he believes and why. Come join a fellow pilgrim on the journey. Ask the questions--and perhaps find God behind them.
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Customer Reviews
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Definitely not meant as a devotional
Rating  (5)
Date: 2008-11-26
This book is subtitled A Personal Journey, and it's certainly that. It is also a penetrating analysis of religion and science, and how they relate to each other in 21st Century terms.
Timothy Johnson began his adult life as a seminary graduate, planning on pastoral ministry, after growing up nurtured by the certainty of a theologically conservative background. Then he changed directions, becoming a medical doctor in order to relieve suffering and serve his fellow humans in what seemed to him the most practical way possible. That forced him to see a side of life from which he'd always been shielded before. Eventually he became the medical correspondent for a major television network, and most of us who read his book will know him from that role.
I've heard a great deal about this book that was based on quotes taken out of context. "He doesn't want to call himself a Christian!", for instance. Now that I have read it, I find those reactions saddening. However one may react to the science he presents, or to his analysis of it, this is a man who sincerely believes in and daily strives to live his faith. He's also a scientist (as every good doctor should be), so he doesn't have the doubtful luxury of ignoring facts when they seem to be in conflict with the beliefs of his childhood. Can the two be reconciled? Is that even necessary? And in any case, how can an intelligent, thinking person live as a follower of Jesus, when conflicts do apparently exist? One option is to "check the brain at the church door" (something I can't do, and furthermore won't do). The other is to struggle honestly, and still believe. And act on one's faith, no matter what.
This book hits me right where I live. It's written for those who need its message, not for those whose faith is comfortable and filled with absolutes. It should be readable whether or not one already knows the Bible, although it may be a bit challenging for those who find complex sentences and a rich (sometimes technical) vocabulary problematic. I found it not only worth reading, but worth adding to my carefully culled home library.
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the Hobo Philosopher
Rating  (3)
Date: 2008-07-02
1 out of 2 customers found this reveiw helpful
If you are a serious student of the debate over the existence or non-existence of God, you don't want to waste your money on this book. Dr. Tim seems like a very nice man but he is no philosopher. The best part of this book is the bibliography - and I really do not believe that Dr. Tim read all of those books. If he did he obviously lost consciousness every now and then. He states a main argument every so often but then like all true believers he dismisses it with a wave of his crucifix or bible. This book is a freshman endeavor at its best. Get yourself a copy of the Impossibility of God if you want to get some serious research on this subject.
I made the big mistake in my career in philosophy in trying to learn philosophy at a college of Catholic priests - it was a total waste of time - as is this book.
If you would like to read something that reaffirms your want-to-believe notions then Dr. Tim is your man.
It is nevertheless complimentary to Dr. Tim that he even gave such matters the little serious thought. Greater religious leaders than him did considerably less.
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Poorly-researched nonsense for the Reader's Digest crowd
Rating  (1)
Date: 2007-11-25
2 out of 10 customers found this reveiw helpful
I was given this book by a believer and read it, basically, on a dare.
There were several passages that made me laugh out loud, but I'll give you only the most ridiculous. At one point Johnson says, "[t]he distance between planets in our solar system is about 30 million miles, just the right distance for stable orbits."
This is apparently an argument that someone positioned the planets, ignoring I guess the uncountable number of other stars where that might not be the case. And one could say that it also misses the possibility that our system ejected other planets while it was forming and--hey, if you're going to go to the trouble of designing a star system for life why bother with the other (uninhabitable) planets at all? And you DEFINITELY wouldn't want to fill it with dangerous asteroids and comets.
But nevermind all of that for a moment and just consider the basis for his claim. It's incorrect. The planets (not counting Pluto, just to be pedantic) average 395 million miles apart. That's an average--some are much closer to each other and some are much farther away. This can be determined in seconds with a google search and a calculator, so it certainly makes one wonder how much effort Mr. Johnson put into checking his facts. And it also makes me doubt that Mr. Johnson did all of the calculus necessary to determine that such a configuration is "just right for stable orbits."
If you find this book to be at all convincing, then I sincerely feel very sorry for you.
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A plainly written spiritual autobiography and theological treatise
Rating (5)
Date: 2007-09-04
1 out of 1 customers found this reveiw helpful
FINDING GOD IN THE QUESTIONS: A PERSONAL JOURNEY - An accessible (i.e., plainly written) spiritual autobiography of ABC News medical editor, Dr. Timothy Johnson (an ordained minister prior to medical school). Dr. Johnson asks the big questions (e.g., who are we? Who was Jesus? Is God in control?), and humbly submits the answers he has arrived at after a lifetime of pondering. This 2004 book is a meditative and rewarding read.
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Time with this book is time well-spent
Rating  (4)
Date: 2007-05-10
6 out of 7 customers found this reveiw helpful
Dr. Timothy Johnson is best known as a medical expert for ABC news. What many people might not be aware of is that he is also a minister, having graduated from the seminary forty years ago. In "Finding God in the Questions," he attempts to dig deeper into his own beliefs and how he has come to them. He is also attempting to integrate the spiritual and secular aspects of his life in a more meaningful way. Perhaps as a means of doing that, he is donating all his profits from the sale of this book to organizations that serve the poor and disadvantaged.
Section One deals with "Does God Exist?" Dr. Johnson relies heavily on scientific evidence to make his case for his belief in an omnipotent intelligent being. One often comes across those who believe that science and faith are incompatible. For those who believe, however, an examination of our physical world only serves to reinforce that belief. At times, his scientific inquiry can be somewhat intense for those without scientific backgrounds. To his credit, he does tell readers they can skip those few pages of his book without losing the point of his book.
Section Two focuses on "What is God Like?" Dr. Johnson offers a brief history of how the Bible came to be and then turns his attention to what one can learn about God by studying Jesus. He encourages people to read the Bible with fresh eyes, to simply sit down and read the four Gospels straight through as if it was your first experience with them (for some, it may very well be.) He believes many people will be surprised by what they find there. For example, Jesus says nothing against homosexuality, but preaches heavily against divorce. He speaks strongly against the accumulation of material possessions, yet many Christians seem to make this their prime goal in life. Also, "Jesus clearly shows more sympathy to the outcast and to the sinful than he does to the righteous and formally religious." Johnson then goes on to discuss Jesus' parables and miracles. Lastly, he investigates the Resurrection, coming to the conclusion that it was indeed a physical resurrection.
The last section is "What Difference Does it Make?" In this section, Johnson explores the way faith should manifest itself in our lives. He studies the Sermon on the Mount and the high standard it sets for our lives. He acknowledges that one must leave space for mystery, and that the questions will never be completely answered in this lifetime. Yet, he encourages readers to follow Jesus' example, not because it will bring us "comfort and ease and even financial reward. The truth is that Jesus himself never painted such a rosy picture. . . . The only gift he promised for sure is that if we attempted to follow his teachings, we would be closer to the heart of God than we would otherwise be."
Overall, Johnson's inquiries will resonate with many. He brings his journalistic mind and medical knowledge as well as his theological background to investigate these questions. Time spent with "Finding God in the Questions" is put to good use.
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