Does God really exist? If so, does He care about what happens in our world? These questions and more are ones that most people will face at some point in their life, whether introspectively investigating their own thoughts, or defending their faith and beliefs to another. As Christians, how prepared are we to explain the essence of our faith? It is not enough to just say that we believe in God without furthering explaining the basis for that belief. Especially for parents, passing on the heritage of our faith to our children requires arming our children with the tools and understanding necessary to embrace that faith as their own as they head out into this world. 

Author Cathryn S. Buse has written a fascinating 172-page book that simply and logically unravels complicated scientific evidence into six manageable lessons, not only giving evidence of a Divine Creator, but also analytically deciphering why a person should believe in Him and know Him personally. I was so impressed not only by the accurate scientific facts – Buse explained DNA replication in a way that even a layman could understand – but also the analytical and logical approach to the entire study.

Following her own firsthand experiences where Cathryn Buse was challenged as a scientist and Christian to defend her faith, she began developing an interest in helping ‘thinking people’ to learn how to combat secular scientific dogma with Biblically centered scientific understanding. Buse is well qualified to do so, having worked as a NASA engineer for over ten years. Working in a scientific field with many intellectual giants allowed her to encounter a great deal of skepticism towards God, the Bible, and Christianity. She became burdened to not only reach her peers, but also to equip young people who would follow a similar career path.

Teachers or parents who use this book in a classroom setting can easily transpose the material into lessons for high school or adult students. Though the material is exceptionally complex, Buse lays it out in a logical fashion, explaining concepts in simple terms, and illustrating with diagrams for further understanding. Buse also suggests challenging an atheist friend to read the book as an objective study. The material is designed in such a way that even an inquisitive non-believer could systematically read their way through the book and come to know Christ. The first half of the book lays the groundwork for the existence of God, and the second half compares various religions to enable the reader to determine which one is the correct path.

I found this book both challenging and necessary. Challenging because it is not simple reading – it causes you to think and logically decipher answers to the questions asked at the end of each chapter. Necessary because our culture is becoming increasingly secular, and our paths will cross with many people who either don’t believe God exists or don’t understand the place He has in their life. It is imperative, if we are to live out our duty to the Great Commission, to be equipped to “give an answer to every man” that asks us about our Christianity and our faith.

As a mother to two daughters who are enrolled in Science programs at a secular college, this book is one of the finest tools I have encountered to enable them to defend their faith. Even if they are not outspoken in class, it is important to me that their inner thoughts are not shaken to the core by what they are taught in the classroom. I am so thankful for the presentation of truth in this book in a way they can understand and integrate into their own world view. I feel it has strengthened their resolve while helping them to understand the Biblical basis for the scientific facts they are studying. I highly recommend this book to all Christians who have an interest in owning their faith, and sharing it with others, but I think this book is critical for a Christian young person to read before entering a Science program at the college level.

Teaching Others to Defend Christianity is currently available on the CrossLink Publishing website for $11.97.

-Product review by Erica Beyea, The Old Schoolhouse® Magazine, LLC, May, 2017