An Interview with J.P. Moreland

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Who is The God Question designed for?

My primary audience is that relative, co–worker, or friend who is cynical about religion, and skeptical about Christianity in particular. This book serves as a tool to give to such a person. It explains why the God question matters, provides a case for why one should believe that Christianity is true, and includes an invitation to trust Christ, along with pastoral advice as to how to grow as Jesus’ apprentice. The very important secondary audience is a believer who has doubts, is discouraged with playing church, and needs a fresh start and new perspective on the Christian life.

How is The God Question different from other apologetics books?

Let me explain why I am so passionate about The God Question. In a way, it is my attempt to provide an alternative to the wave of books recently produced by the so–called New Atheists. But, in fact, it is much more than that. For at least 25 years, I have wanted a book like this that I would be able to give to others.

Regarding the non–Christian readers, the three books that usually come to mind for such people are Lewis’ Mere Christianity, Strobel’s The Case for Christ and McDowell’s More than a Carpenter. These books are classics, and I would in no way place my book in their league. Still, their shortcoming is that they are entirely of an apologetic nature.

In contrast, The God Question presents the case for Christianity against the broader backdrop of readers being in their own journeys and not succeeding as they would like. The first two chapters discuss the fact that we Westerners are depressed and lack happiness to a degree never seen before. I also provide a cultural analysis as to why this is so. I especially emphasize my belief that the secularization of our culture and the loss of confidence in the truth and biblical worldview lie at the root of modern and postmodern angst. I ask readers to give me a chance to talk them through this crisis, to feel its impact, and to listen with fresh ears to an ancient solution to the personal and cultural crisis all around us. I then present four conversational chapters that explain why I think God exists, Christianity is true, and how it has impacted my own life and thought.

Given the truth of Christianity, chapters 6–10 show how one can enlist as an apprentice of the Lord Jesus, become His disciple, and enter Kingdom life without being religious or becoming like the many religious stereotypes all around us. I offer my understanding of the essence of the Christian life, explaining that it is an invitation to a great adventure, a cosmic drama in which we get to play a role. I offer an invitation and a prayer to trust Christ as Savior and Lord and launch the journey from there. I believe the materials in these chapters are fresh, new, and—I hope—helpful and insightful about living a life of discipleship.

Finally, I argue that life after death is real, defend the reality and intelligibility of hell, and urge the reader to take seriously Jesus’ invitation to life forever as His own. While I do present my case for Christianity, I offer it in the context of a rich and flourishing life.

You said you begin the book by talking about how unhappy Americans are. Why?

I want readers to do two things. First, to have the room to face their own emptiness and need for something to live for and, second, to gain insight as to why they feel this way, along with why unhappiness is so widespread in American culture. I want readers to consider the claims of Christianity as a solution to their own crisis of happiness and meaning.

You write that beauty is evidence of Christian theism. That might come as a surprise to some readers. What does beauty have to do with theism?

I do not believe there can be “ought’s” or intrinsically valuable rules if God does not exist. There are three areas of life where “ought’s” manifest themselves: rationality (for example, in the face of evidence, one ought to believe something), morality (if I have promised to do something, I ought to keep my promises), and aesthetics (in light of the constraints of symmetry, this painting or song should have these features and not those). So, beauty is like morality— it requires a lawgiver to make sense of it.

You share about some specific times in your life when you have had an intense awareness of God’s presence. Will you share one of those times with our readers?

On one occasion I was in intense prayer about a certain situation with one of my daughters. Suddenly, I was overwhelmed with the sense of a loving, holy, available Presence to me, and I received assurance that the situation, which was entirely out of all of our hands, would be taken care of shortly. Well, later that day, events occurred that did, in fact, solve the problem.

Do you think anyone can have these times of closeness with God? Why is it that some believers never have times when they sense God’s presence the way you have?

Not only do I believe anyone can have these times, but that everyone should have them, though we will all go through periods of dryness as well. In the book I explain in some detail what factors hinder an intimate closeness to God, but for present purposes, let me identify one factor: being out of touch with our emotions due to things such as deep pain in childhood, the fear of being overwhelmed by emotions, and so forth.

How did you personally become convinced that biblical Christianity is true?

I went through a period of exploration and investigation into the evidence for and against God’s existence and the reliability of the New Testament documents. I finally became convinced that it was true.

What advice can you give to people who are interested in the ideas and values that Christianity offers, but find it hard to believe in a deity or the supernatural?

The God Question is for them. The book is filled with help. My main advice here is to try to set aside preconceptions and stereotypes as to what Christians are like or what it means to be serious about God, and examine the topic with fresh eyes.

What courses do you teach at Talbot Theological Seminary?

I teach courses in philosophy and apologetics.

What have you learned, in working with students, about the needs of the younger generation? What about their spiritual needs?

The younger generation is tired of being told what to believe without being told why to believe it. They need to be furnished with reasons for faith.

What’s next for you?

I want to spend time promoting The God Question and spreading its influence.