Book Review: The Problem of God: Answering a Skeptic’s Challenges to Christianity by Mark Clark, Larry Osborne

Navigating the Intersection of Skepticism and Faith

In an era where the “New Atheist” movement has evolved into a more nuanced, digital-age skepticism, Mark Clark’s The Problem of God: Answering a Skeptic’s Challenges to Christianity arrives as a vital bridge between rigorous intellectual inquiry and accessible apologetics.

Clark, the founding pastor of Village Church, brings a unique “insider-outsider” perspective to the table. Having grown up in a fiercely atheistic household, his writing lacks the defensive “preachiness” that often plagues religious texts. Instead, he approaches the ten most common objections to Christianity with the empathy of someone who has felt the weight of those same doubts.

Core Themes and Structure

The book is methodically organized, dedicated to addressing ten specific “problems” that often serve as stumbling blocks for skeptics. Clark categorizes these into logical, historical, and moral inquiries:

• The Intellectual Hurdles: Science, the existence of God, and the reliability of the Bible.
• The Moral Hurdles: The problem of evil, the exclusivity of Hell, and the “hypocrisy” of the Church.
• The Person of Jesus: The historicity of the Resurrection and the deity of Christ.

Strengths of Clark’s Approach

1. Intellectual Rigor without the Jargon

Clark manages to distill complex philosophical arguments—such as the Kalām Cosmological Argument—into digestible prose. He doesn’t shy away from the math of the universe’s “fine-tuning,” but he keeps the focus on the implications rather than getting bogged down in dense academic theory.

2. The “Honest Skeptic” Persona

Perhaps the book’s greatest strength is its tone. Clark treats the skeptic not as an opponent to be defeated, but as a peer with valid questions. He admits where the Church has failed and acknowledges that some mysteries (like the problem of suffering) don’t have a “tidy” five-minute solution.

3. Integration of Modern Science

Unlike some apologetic works that view science as a threat, Clark embraces it as a tool. He argues that the laws of physics and the complexity of DNA aren’t roadblocks to faith but are, in fact, “fingerprints” of a Creator.

Critical Considerations

While the book is comprehensive, it moves at a brisk pace. Readers looking for an 800-page exhaustive treatise on a single subject (like the manuscript evidence of the New Testament) might find the chapters brief. Clark’s goal is breadth over depth—providing a robust “starter kit” for a much larger conversation.

Additionally, while he addresses the “Problem of Sex” and “The Problem of Hell” with cultural sensitivity, these remain the most polarizing chapters for a modern secular audience, as they deal with objective morality in a relativistic age.

Final Verdict

The Problem of God is a rare find in the world of religious literature. It is intellectually sharp enough to challenge the academic, yet relatable enough for the casual reader.

“Faith isn’t the absence of doubt; it’s the presence of a person worth trusting despite it.”

Mark Clark doesn’t claim to “prove” God like a mathematical equation; instead, he builds a cumulative case that suggests the Christian worldview is the most coherent explanation for the reality we inhabit. For anyone standing on the edge of faith—or for the believer looking to understand their neighbor’s doubts—this is essential reading.

Rating: 4.5 / 5 Stars

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