Reviewing “Unbelievable” by Justin Brierly.
I read this book across a five year period—not because I didn’t enjoy it or didn’t find it persuasive enough. I actually found it very convincing and read the first half right when I needed it because I was struggling with atheistic doubt, and the second half also at exactly the right time, because I was struggling with questions about Jesus specifically.
In the first half of the book, Justin argues that “God” makes sense of the human existence, human value, and human purpose. He argues for the intelligent design of creation and that things don’t appear from nothingness, so “the universe too must have a cause.” He talks about “fundamental numbers” such as the force of gravity, without which this universe, solar system, and planet earth—glued together by the exact measurement of the force of gravity—would not exist. How can that be the result of mere “coincidence?” Atheism seems to do little to answer the “why” question of our existence. Why do we exist? What is our purpose? Why did the numbers (and stars) align with such seeming precision?
In his chapter about human value, Justin argues that our moral convictions and our inherent value as human beings must come from an external force, otherwise we could just as easily decide that racism and rape are morally “right” as that they are morally “wrong.” In fact, we are constantly living in this tension of trying to decide what constitutes racism and what constitutes rape because we believe that all humans have inherent value. “The belief that humans are created free, equal and with inherent dignity only makes sense if there is a God.”
In the second half of the book Justin makes an incredibly strong case for the resurrection of Jesus that passes the “historical reliability” test.
Fact 1: There is historical consensus that Jesus died by crucifixion.
Fact 2: There is also consensus that the tomb was empty. No one produced Jesus’ body after the disciples made claims about the resurrection. Justin even makes a point of the fact that women verified the resurrection which would have been embarrassing to male disciples and is likely something they would have covered up, except if there were no way around this embarrassing truth.
Facts 3 & 4: “People reported meeting the risen Christ” and this included Saint Paul whose life was radically altered after encountering the resurrected Jesus. It is difficult to explain such transformation—from a Pharisaic Jew who persecutes (tortures and murders) Christians, to a believer who will go to the extent of martyrdom as a Jesus following Christian—any other way.
Fact 5: The Church grew exponentially and rapidly, after the resurrection and ascension, on the basis that the resurrection and ascension were gospel truth.
Justin attempts to address the problem of pain, but even he admits there are no easy answers. He calls this the “atheist’s greatest objection” to Christianity and yet finds the atheist to have no easy answer to the question, either. He points back to the fact that we even judge this world as “suffering” and “painful.” How can we come to such conclusions if there is no God, no purpose, no human value, no righteous law code? Does not the very concept of “sin” and suffering come from God? Suffering only has meaning, if there is a God. And God’s seeming answer is to descend, in Christ, and endure the same suffering that every one else endures.
I have really only summarized four chapters of this book. Justin goes into a lot more detail and does a terrific job of sharing from the atheist perspective as well as the Christian one. He lives in a highly atheistic society that used to be highly Christian and he interviews both atheists and Christians for the “Unbelievable” podcast, comparing and contrasting their arguments. Clearly he has learned a lot! I found his apologetics highly valuable and respectable.