Overview

Belief: surely it’s a relic from the past, a hangover from a superstitious age that is totally out of sync with today’s rational, science-led culture? 'A timely, often bracing and always highly stimulating book.' Tom Holland, author of Dominion and co-host of The Rest is History In today’s science-driven, rational world, belief is dismissed as an artefact of a bygone era – something absurd at best, harmful at worst. The prevailing narratives paint belief as primitive, weird, even dangerous. But as life grows ever more confusing and our societies more atomised, contemplating something bigger than ourselves has never been more vital. Alister McGrath offers a fresh perspective on belief, presenting it not as a weakness of rational thought but as an essential tool for navigating uncertainty. Elegant and thought-provoking, Why We Believe reveals how belief provides meaning in the face of existential despair, how it fosters community and offers solace. As society moves beyond the dismissive rhetoric surrounding people of faith, here is a powerful manifesto for the re-enchantment of the Western mind. 'Scholarly, compulsively readable and with gems of information on every page... a must read.' Revd Fergus Butler-Gallie, author of A Field Guide to the English Clergy

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Reviews

'A salutary corrective to those who might imagine they have emancipated themselves from belief, and a reassurance to those who have not that to believe is the very essence of being human. A timely, often bracing and always highly stimulating book.' —Tom Holland, author of Dominion 'Why We Believe is a timely and important book. It asks and answers exactly the sort of questions about belief and the very nature of who we are that are most needed at this stage of history. Scholarly, compulsively readable and with gems of information on every page, it is a must read for anyone who has ever wondered why and how humans come to believe.' — Revd Fergus Butler-Gallie, author of A Field Guide to the English Clergy 'Taking on the ""great over-simplifiers"", McGrath shows that belief is not some weird fault in human nature, but a vital part of it, a tool for navigating an uncertain word in our endless search for meaning, goodness and significance. A thoughtful, penetrating and engaging read.' —Nick Spencer, author of Magisteria ‘Alister McGrath shows us in this book with (paradoxically) great lucidity, just why we can only ever be ""darkly wise"", as Alexander Pope put it, about our ordinary assumptions, about scientific conclusions and about ultimate realities – supremely the question of God. Belief is all pervasive, while conversely religious faith may not be a desertion of reason but its intensification and the necessary guarantee of its link to reality. McGrath’s cogent conclusions will surely be of immense help to many perplexed people in our perplexed times.’ —Professor John Milbank 'While we cannot prove God exists, that is not a reason to think he doesn’t... An enjoyable book.' —Prospect

'A salutary corrective to those who might imagine they have emancipated themselves from belief, and a reassurance to those who have not that to believe is the very essence of being human. A timely, often bracing and always highly stimulating book.' —Tom Holland, author of Dominion 'Timely and important... Scholarly, compulsively readable and with gems of information on every page, it is a must read for anyone who has ever wondered why and how humans come to believe.' — Revd Fergus Butler-Gallie, author of A Field Guide to the English Clergy 'Taking on the ""great over-simplifiers"", McGrath shows that belief is not some weird fault in human nature, but a vital part of it, a tool for navigating an uncertain word in our endless search for meaning, goodness and significance. A thoughtful, penetrating and engaging read.' —Nick Spencer, author of Magisteria ‘Alister McGrath shows us in this book with (paradoxically) great lucidity, just why we can only ever be ""darkly wise"", as Alexander Pope put it, about our ordinary assumptions, about scientific conclusions and about ultimate realities – supremely the question of God. Belief is all pervasive, while conversely religious faith may not be a desertion of reason but its intensification and the necessary guarantee of its link to reality. McGrath’s cogent conclusions will surely be of immense help to many perplexed people in our perplexed times.’ —Professor John Milbank 'While we cannot prove God exists, that is not a reason to think he doesn’t... An enjoyable book.' —Prospect ‘I have read many books by Alister McGrath, renowned scientist and theologian… This, though, is the best I have read. It is quite simply brilliant, a must-read for those who want to reflect deeply on the whole question of belief… the work of an exceptional and very mature scholar. I recommend it very highly.’ —Church Times

Author Information

Alister McGrath is emeritus Andreas Idreos Professor of Science and Religion and Director of the Ian Ramsey Centre for Science and Religion at the University of Oxford. Among his many books, translated into 27 languages, are Dawkins’ God and C. S. Lewis: A Life. Before turning to theology, he was a committed Marxist and a student of the natural sciences with a PhD in molecular biophysics.

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