The Story of Reality: How the World Began, How It Ends, and Everything Important that Happens in Between

Description

Biblical Christianity is more than just another private religious view. It's more than just a personal relationship with God or a source of moral teaching. Christianity is a picture of reality. It explains why the world is the way it is. When the pieces of this puzzle are properly assembled, we see the big picture clearly. Christianity is a true story of how the world began, why the world is the way it is, what role humans play in the drama, and how all the plotlines of the story are resolved in the end. In The Story of Reality, bestselling author and host of Stand to Reason, Gregory Koukl, explains the five words that form the narrative backbone of the Christian story. He identifies the most important things that happen in the story in the order they take place: God Man Jesus Cross Resurrection If you are already a Christian, do you know and understand the biblical story And for those still seeking answers to the questions of life, this is an invitation to hear a story that explains the world in a way nothing else will. This story can change your life forever.

Gregory Koukl holds MA degrees in both apologetics and philosophy. He's spoken on over 70 university campuses and hosted his own radio talk show for 27 years defending "Christianity worth thinking about". Greg is founder and president of Stand to Reason (str.org) and serves as adjunct professor of Christian apologetics at Biola University.

'I have known Greg Koukl for a quarter of a century as a smart, well-educated man of integrity with a tender heart for God. I've enjoyed his previous writings, but The Story of Reality is clearly his best and most important book to date. I couldn't put it down. Koukl carries on a conversation with the reader, presenting the big elements of the Christian Story, providing reasons for believing the Story, and contrasting it, when appropriate, with alternative narratives. The book has a wonderful feel of authenticity. I highly recommend it for believers who want to be encouraged and instructed, and it's an excellent give-away for an open unbeliever.' * J. P. MORELAND, Distinguished Professor of Philosophy, Talbot School of Theology, Biola University * 'Greg Koukl is a master communicator! The Story of Reality is a beautifully crafted description of the Christian worldview, written in an accessible, winsome, and well-reasoned manner. If you're curious about why Christians see the world the way we do, or you're a believer who simply wants to communicate Christianity in an articulate way to others, this book is for you!' * LEE STROBEL, bestselling author of The Case for Christ and The Case for Grace * 'We're not likely to glean the point of our existence from CNN. It takes the greatest story ever told---and a great storyteller---to steal us away from our dead-end plots and to display the richness of reality as Greg Koukl does here. These are the big questions, and The Story of Reality answers them in a sharp, winsome, and accessible way. Read it, and then give it to a friend!' * MICHAEL HORTON, J. Gresham Machen Professor of Theology, Westminster Seminary California; author of Pilgrim Theology * 'The Story of Reality is the clearest explanation the Christian worldview I've ever read, written in a style everyone can understand. More than any other time in history, it's essential that followers of Christ clearly understand what we believe, why we believe it, how it benefits our lives, and the best ways to share it with others. Fortunately, my friend Greg Koukl has given us this book at just the right moment. He has brilliantly given us a simple tool we all can use in a culture that has lost touch with reality.' * RICK WARREN, author of The Purpose Driven Life * 'The Story of Reality is a delightful and bold book. Greg Koukl has masterfully captured the heart of the Christian story in a way that is clarifying and insightful for believers but also eye-opening and thought-provoking for nonbelievers. The Story of Reality is a book worth reading carefully, discussing with friends, and ultimately passing on to others.' * SEAN MCDOWELL, Ph.D. professor at Biola University; author of more than fifteen books, including A New Kind of Apologist * 'When I looked into Koukl's Story of Reality, I thought, "This is not how I would say this." I would have used more technical terms, added quite a bit of history, expanded it by a couple of hundred pages, and put in about a thousand footnotes. So readers can rejoice that, instead, Greg Koukl is the right man to tell the story in such a clear, concise, and conversational way. This book explains the central ideas of Christianity and answers questions people are really asking.' * FRED SANDERS, Torrey Honors Institute, Biola University; author of The Deep Things of God * 'When I first read The Story of Reality, I knew I was reading a modern classic. Like C. S. Lewis before him, Greg Koukl has written a masterful, measured, intelligent, and insightful book---a must-read for anyone who wants to understand Christianity and its unique ability to explain the way the world really is. Greg will enlighten and inspire you, just as he's inspired me as my mentor for many years. The Story of Reality is a book you'll read more than once. It will take its rightful place alongside other Christian classics on your bookshelf.' * J. WARNER WALLACE, author of Cold-Case Christianity, God's Crime Scene, and Forensic Faith * 'Not since Mere Christianity has a book so wonderfully told the Story of Reality. The Greatest Story Ever Told is true, and Greg Koukl tells it in such a compelling way that I'm recommending you not only experience it but give a copy to everyone you care about. Why? Because The Story of Reality is not just the Christian Story---it is your Story whether you believe it or not.' * FRANK TUREK, author of I Don't Have Enough Faith to Be an Atheist * 'The Story of Reality is perfect as an introduction to Christianity for new Christians, for older Christians who've never grasped the "big picture," and even for non-Christians wondering if the Christian worldview really makes sense. Greg Koukl masterfully explains and defends what Christianity is---an accurate description of reality from the beginning of time through its end, and not just one of many valid worldviews---and he does so with the simplicity and clarity that is the hallmark of Koukl's writings. This book is a fresh alternative to the distorted picture of Christianity fostered by the politically correct crowd that is naively accepted by so many.' * MICHAEL LICONA, Associate Professor of Theology, Houston Baptist University; author of The Resurrection of Jesus * 'Nothing is more important than knowing reality. There are many stories, but only one essential Story of reality itself. That is what we must know. In straightforward and interesting language, Mr. Koukl tells that story truthfully and skillfully. He deserves a close reading by anyone who is uncertain about who they are and where they are going.' * DOUGLAS GROOTHUIS, Ph.D., Professor of Philosophy, Denver Seminary; author of Christian Apologetics: A Comprehensive Case for Biblical Faith * 'This primer on a Christian outlook on life by Greg Koukl covers an incredibly large number of the pithiest issues in an amazingly small number of pages. Time and again I wondered, "Now how is Greg going to work his way through this question quickly and nontechnically?" But the thoughtful, succinct, and quickmoving answer that followed never disappointed and was handled amazingly. It is not an exaggeration to call this treatment C. S. Lewis-like in a number of ways. Those who pay attention to the fast pace will later be astonished at how far they have come. I recommend it highly.' * GARY R. HABERMAS, Distinguished Research Professor and Chair, Dept. of Philosophy, Liberty University; author of The Case for the Resurrection of Jesus * 'My friend Greg Koukl is known as a man whose ambition is to be pleasing to God---and his newest work, The Story of Reality, certainly is ambitious. How can one cover "the reason for everything" in a single manuscript? Well, Greg tackles the challenge valiantly and courageously, addressing the heartfelt plea of every person who asks, "Why am I here? What is so important about life?" Thoughtful, provocative, and intellectually stimulating, Greg walks the reader through the big issues of life, giving answers that are truly worthy of consideration by the toughest skeptic. I highly recommend this stirring book by a most remarkable apologist!' * JONI EARECKSON TADA, Joni and Friends International Disability Center * 'Greg Koukl thinks you deserve answers to your "why" questions about reality, and he offers them with wit and compassion. The Story of Reality brings the greatest story ever told to life in all its brilliant simplicity.' * JEFF MYERS, Ph.D., President, Summit Ministries * 'In a day when so many people find the Bible's message to be anything but sensible, Greg Koukl's The Story of Reality does a superb job of showing how much sense it really makes after all---first, by putting the story in order, beginning with God and moving from there through man's creation, man's problem, and God's solution; and second, by showing through solid reasoning that the biblical story is more believable---and thus more sensible---than any other way of looking at reality. For anyone who wants to be able either to understand the story better or to explain it more clearly, this book is essential.' * TOM GILSON, author of True Reason: Confronting the Irrationality of the New Atheism * 'Writing a small book on all that ever was, is, or will be is, needless to say, a daunting task. But if anybody could pull it off, it is Greg Koukl. And his Story of Reality does it better than any small book I can remember reading. This book is not intended for great philosophers or theologians---although any of them would benefit greatly by reading it. This book is for everyone who simply has the slightest desire to know with a great deal of certainty who we are, why we're here, what this is all about, and where we're going. If a person wants a succinct, straightforward, and deeply knowledgeable answer to those questions (and I'm pretty sure that's everybody), this is the book I would have to recommend. This work is a fantastic gift to the Church! I hope church leaders understand how important it is---and how life changing it can be for so many in their congregations.' * CRAIG J. HAZEN, Ph.D., Founder and Director, Graduate Program in Christian Apologetics, Biola University; author of Five Sacred Crossings * 'Greg Koukl is one of the clearest and most accessible Christian communicators I know. Telling the big Story of God's purpose and actions in history, Greg masterfully demonstrates why no other story but Christianity can account for the way the world is and why it matters. Common sense, a logical approach, and years of experience in putting the puzzle pieces together in his own life, make Greg an ideal guide for others seeking to piece together the true Story of reality for themselves.' * JUSTIN BRIERLEY, host of the Unbelievable? radio show and podcast * 'If you're looking for something fresh in the conversation about faith and culture, The Story of Reality is for you. Offering more than just a series of propositions and claims, Koukl weaves propositional truth into a story that we can all relate to and find ourselves in. Easy to read yet intellectually stimulating, this book is worth your time.' * ABDU MURRAY, North American Director of Ravi Zacharias International Ministries; author of Grand Central Question: Answering the Critical Concerns of the Major Worldviews * 'Greg has done us all a great service by giving a fresh answer to our oldest questions. In simple yet insightful and profound ways, The Story of Reality will help you understand all the "whys" that matter most to us. Whether you want to begin your own personal journey toward understanding or be sharpened in your ability to help others as they wrestle with timeless curiosities, your time in this book will serve you well.' * TODD WAGNER, Pastor, Watermark Church, Dallas *