Consider Christianity, Evidence for the Christian Faith

Elgin L. Hushbeck, Jr., 1955-.

Aletheia Publishing, 1814 Commercenter West, Suite G., San Bernardino, CA 92408. ISBN 0-9638662-6-5.

First printing, October 1993.

Received November 1, 1993 from the author, at Georgie's, La Canada.

Read December 20-29, 1999 on vacation in order to loan to dad.

Reviewed 12/29/99 via eMessage, word processed at home 1/14/00.

Sometime before Elgin Hushbeck left JPL, perhaps in 1989, he asked me to proofread a chapter of this book, I think Chapter 13 on the resurrection. He had asked several Rogue colleagues to proof various sections, in part as a way of witnessing to them. (Listed in the Acknowledgments are myself, Brooks Thomas, Jeff Srinivasan, Tom Meehan, Rob Kursinski, Don Spitzmesser, and Joe Grahle along with Dallas Willard) I marked my chapter up really well, finding copious spelling, grammatical, and logical flaws in everything he said. Elgin appreciated this nonetheless, and thanked me and each of us with copies of the book that he had published himself later in 1993. Zondervon turned him down, ostensibly because they already had plenty of books like this.

Based on my knowledge of Elgin, the most conservative person I've ever known. Even more so than my mother who, when told this was worried, "what do you mean conservative?" Then "what do you mean Christian?" Elgin was one who would argue nearly anything but then cut off when you didn't agree with him in a final perfunctory way. So this didn't hit the top of my list of things to read. Here six years later, it had made the cut of my 24 books to read in the year (under the "Faith" heading) because Elgin was indeed a friend, and it occurred to me that dad might like it and I should take it to him. I don't know that one can buy this book, but I have an autograph from Elgin, marked 2 Corinthians 13:14, which, even itself, I've only just now looked up.

After all this editing and advice, Elgin turned out to be a remarkable author. There is indeed a tinge of what I feared, this was his way of getting the final word in every argument he's ever had. He uses the phrase "the problem with this is" just about every paragraph before nailing the opponent to the wall and he does think that everything discussed is an open and closed case, but the depth of his research is much greater than I had suspected.

This is an excellent survey text on the debate between Christianity as a philosophy and modern secularist thinking and includes definitions of those very points of view. He identifies the distinction between liberal and conservative theology, that is, whether social causes or salvation comes first (respectively) and whether or not (liberals and secularists together) you believe that the supernatural is possible. In four parts (14 chapters) he deals with Christianity, The Bible, Jesus Christ, and Christianity and the Modern World (relevance). In each case he gives a very well read and well-footnoted commentary on all of the arguments that he wishes to make or dispute and he takes on the major issues confronting the faith, and rebellion against God, which is really the root of all these arguments.

His worldview allows for God and the supernatural, thus all of his conclusions are theologically conservative. Arguing against liberals who believe in neither, he effectively makes them look nonsensical. Of course, it all boils down to those beginning assumptions, and Elgin understands this quite well.

I'm composing this on the just-installed e-mail at dad and mom's house. I'll have to get in touch with Elgin by e-mail about this and maybe get dad in touch with him too. Elgin's writing sounds in many places like dad's preaching, with less emotion and more non-religious background in hard research. I have nothing to disagree with Elgin about philosophically or theologically, I do debate his near-hostile and seeming self-righteous personal approach and envy but do not share his degree of knowledge and self confidence. He is well read like I wish I was and has less rebellious against God and more certain in his relationship with God than I am.

Elgin's a good guy and I was glad I could help out. Just about every page, I saw things that mom and dad would really resonate with. I'm glad to be leaving the volume here and will check amazon.com to see if it is at all available for purchase. I might well buy another for my own reference, though my own studies in the future are less likely to follow Elgin and more likely to follow my own paths, faith and other.