Friday

Soul Cravings

An Apologetic for the Soul
Most great Christian apo
logetic works have one thing in common: they use logic and science to compel the reader to consider and put their faith in the claims of Christianity. From Josh McDowell’s Evidence that Demands a Verdict to C. S. Lewis’ Mere Christianity to G. K Chesterton’s Orthodoxy: all their arguments primarily target the mind and use reason and external verification as their support. In Soul Cravings, Erwin Raphael McManus creates a compelling argument for Christ but unlike McDowell, Lewis and others, McManus targets his arguments at the soul of the reader.

Through stories, musings, observations, song lyrics, poetry and even photography, McManus contends that if one examines his or her own soul’s true and deepest longings, he or she will find themselves looking for God. He challenges the reader to look at three different cravings of the soul: intimacy, destiny and meaning. Each of these sections, which McManus encourages be read in any order, is made up of a series of brief entries intended to show the reader how the truth, purpose and relationship they seek is best and most fully found in the person of Jesus Christ. In the end, McManus issues a challenge to the reader to pursue what his or her soul is really seeking.

McManus’ arguments are honest and spoken from his heart and while they focus primary on the inner evidence of the soul, it is clear that this evidence is not independent from the more traditional apologetic approaches. Although the lack of page numbers and free form format can be somewhat frustrating, the style of Soul Cravings is engaging and thought provoking: not to be read quickly but to be digested and pondered. If you’ve heard all the logical and scientific arguments for Christ or have a friend who has, Soul Cravings is a fresh and refreshing examination of why He deserves another look.

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