Surprised by Doubt - by Joshua D Chatraw & Jack Carson (Paperback)

About the Book

Building on the metaphor of Christianity as a house, two apologetics scholars invite doubters to leave the confines of late-modern evangelicalism for a deeper, more orthodox faith.

Book Synopsis

"Those at a faith crossroads will want to pick this up."--Publishers Weekly

The Gospel Coalition 2023 Book Award (Evangelism & Apologetics)

Even those who live by faith sometimes doubt. Those doubts don't have to mean the end of Christian identity.

In Surprised by Doubt, Joshua Chatraw and Jack Carson help readers rediscover a deeper faith in the midst of a confusing world. They invite skeptics and doubters to explore the ancient faith for a new perspective on contemporary Christianity.

Chatraw and Carson build on C. S. Lewis's metaphor that envisions Christianity as a house with many rooms, suggesting that readers move beyond the cramped attic of reactionary versions of the faith to explore the larger, more ancient main floors of the house.

With pastoral care and intellectual rigor, Chatraw and Carson not only help Christians think through the issues confronting them. They also help readers engage their emotional journey of anxiety, fear, anger, and frustration. Readers will discover the wisdom of the past and ways to reimagine a faith that can thrive alongside doubt.

From the Back Cover

Why Doubt Doesn't Have to End in Deconversion

Even those who live by faith sometimes doubt. Those doubts don't have to mean the end of Christian identity.

In Surprised by Doubt, Joshua Chatraw and Jack Carson help us step into Christianity's ancient structure, which can handle our contemporary doubts. Building on C. S. Lewis's metaphor of Christianity as a house, they invite us to move beyond the cramped attic of reactionary versions of the faith to explore the more spacious main floor of the house.

With pastoral care and intellectual rigor, Chatraw and Carson show us how to rediscover the wisdom of the past and reimagine a faith that can thrive alongside doubt.

"Reading Surprised by Doubt is like sitting in a comfortable room and enjoying a thoughtful conversation with generous and stimulating hosts. You leave feeling challenged, more knowledgeable, heard, and understood. The coffee is on. Come. And be sure to invite your friends."
--Karen Swallow Prior, author of The Evangelical Imagination: How Stories, Images, and Metaphors Created a Culture in Crisis

"For too long, doubt has wrongly been condemned, and the unfortunate reaction to the condemnation of doubt has been to celebrate it. Chatraw and Carson take a better approach, which is to address doubt, to seek to alleviate burdensome doubts, and to comfort in the midst of doubt. This is apologetics at its best, grounded not in the 'right ideas' but in the person of Jesus, who is himself the Word, the Way, the Truth and the Life. This book will help you trust him."
--Michael Wear, president and CEO of the Center for Christianity and Public Life; author of The Spirit of Our Politics

About the Author

Joshua D. Chatraw (PhD, Southeastern Baptist Theological Seminary) is the Billy Graham Chair of Evangelism and Cultural Engagement at Beeson Divinity School. He lives with his wife and two children in Birmingham, Alabama.

Jack Carson (PhD, University of Aberdeen) serves as the executive director of the Center for Public Christianity in Raleigh, North Carolina.