The reasons why people are attracted to Christianity and its teachings are many and varied. In this book, Diogenes Allen hopes “to supply more of the information (pieces of the puzzle) that are needed if a person is to make more sense of the Christian understanding of God and our life in the universe.” This leads him to an approach that seeks to increase a critical but pious person’s understanding of the Christian religion. More philosopher than theologian, Allen writes for “a troubled believer,” dealing with issues and questions that emerge during Christians’ daily lives and in the course of contemplating the Christian faith. His account of theology seeks to be “as accessible as the Prodigal Son is to people without a long, technical training in theology.” He shows how our ideas of God affect our view of ourselves and our behavior. He seeks to show that a Christian understanding of God makes sense while also pointing out how Jesus’ teachings form the basis of “the widespread conviction in our civilization and beyond that each of us is of irreplaceable or of absolute value.”
