Believe by Ross Douthat

Believe

Why Everyone Should Be Religious

Ross Douthat

Zondervan · Print & ebook · February 11, 2025

An Instant New York Times Bestseller "Truly a Mere Christianity for the 21st century"--World magazine From the host of the Interesting Times podcast Do you ever wish you had more faith?

We earn from qualifying purchases.

Who it’s for
A contemplative argument that treats religion as an intellectual and personal question.
Genres
Christian Apologetics, Religion & Science, Religion & Philosophy
Published
Zondervan, February 11, 2025

Nearest books

Matched by what the books are about, then ordered by what their readers also loved.

  1. The Second MountainDavid Brooks56% match
  2. Humanly PossibleSarah Bakewell55% match
  3. DominionTom Holland54% match

For younger readers: The Case for Faith Student Edition, Is God Real? for Teens, How to Stay Christian in College

Start with three books, and this one can be the first.

Members get a new edition every morning: a route out from their books to essays, research and talks, with the reason for each.

Start with this book

About this book

An Instant New York Times Bestseller "Truly a Mere Christianity for the 21st century"--World magazine From the host of the Interesting Times podcast Do you ever wish you had more faith? Here is a blueprint for thinking your way from doubt to belief. As a columnist for the New York Times who writes often about spiritual topics for a skeptical audience, Ross Douthat understands that many of us want to have more faith than we do.

Continue reading

Douthat argues that in light of what we know today it should be harder to not have faith than to have it. With empathy, clarity, and rigor, Douthat explores: - Why nonbelief requires ignoring what our reasoning faculties tell us about the world - How modern scientific developments make a religious worldview more credible, not less - Why it's entirely reasonable to believe in mystical and supernatural realities - How an open-minded religious quest should proceed amid the diversity of religious faiths - How Douthat's own Christianity is informed by his blueprint for belief With clear and straightforward arguments, Believe shows how religious belief makes sense of the order of the cosmos and our place within it, illuminates the mystery of consciousness, and explains the persistent reality of encounters with the supernatural. Highly relevant for our current moment, Believe offers a pathway for thinking your way from doubt into belief, from uncertainty about our place in the universe into a confidence that we are here for a reason.

Why It Clicks

A contemplative argument that treats religion as an intellectual and personal question.

Come here for

  • faith and philosophy in conversation
  • a serious, reflective case for belief

Expect

  • layered reasoning
  • book-club debate fuel

Where it sits

Christian Apologetics97%
Religion & Science48%
Religion & Philosophy32%

Percentages are BookFrontier’s reading of the book.

Publisher categories

  • Lives in Journalism
  • Religion & Philosophy
  • Inspirational Christian Books
  • Spiritual Growth
Show all 6 publisher categories
  • Christian Apologetics
  • Faith
Authors
Ross Douthat
Publisher
Zondervan
Published
February 11, 2025
Format
Print & ebook
Reading lane
Lives in Journalism