Faith Wins: Overcoming a Crisis of Belief

Reviewed by:

G. Connor Salter, Professional Writing alumnus from Taylor University, Upland, IN.

Title:

Faith Wins: Overcoming a Crisis of Belief

Author:

Adam Groza

Publisher:

New Hope Publishers (an imprint of Iron Steam Media)

Publication Date:

September 21, 2020

Length:

208 pages

OVERVIEW

“At some point,” Adam Groza writes, “everyone goes through a crisis of faith.” Throughout Faith Wins he argues that doubt is normal, and that having doubts does not equal a lack of faith. He illustrates this point by looking at Biblical figures, famous and more obscure, who experienced doubt and shows what modern-day Christians can learn from their stories. En route, he uses psychology and philosophy to discuss tactics for handling doubt and buildibg up one’s faith.

As noted above, Groza builds most of the book around Biblical figures who experienced doubt, drawing out lessons from their stories. This is a good idea, but not a particularly new one, which means the writing or the insights need to especially good in order for Faith Wins to rise above the many similar books. Unfortunately, Groza’s writing style is only fair to middling and the examples he uses are sometimes good, sometimes not so great. For example, in the first chapter he connects the idea of remembering past spiritual victories and God’s promises to what experts call “synthetic happiness,” becoming happy by thinking about it would be like to be around something that usually makes us feel good. While one can understand the connection that Groza is making, the term “synthetic happiness” sounds fake and there’s an essential amount of illusion to the idea (focusing on what would be like to be around something good even though it’s not here). Given that God is always around even if we don’t particularly feel close to him, the two concepts are not as similar as they sound; the illustration breaks down or becomes confusing rather quickly.

In the end, despite good intentions and some good ideas, this book comes out as decent rather than good or great. There are many better books on the subject which are more worth reading.

A well-intentioned book, but a bit of a mixed bag.

ASSESSMENT

Rating (1 to 5 stars)

2.5 stars

Suggested Audience

Christians interested in how faith and doubt intermingle in people’s spiritual lives, methods for building up one’s faith in spite of doubts or for seeing doubts in a new light.

Christian Impact

The author pushes readers to reconsider how they view doubt, aiming for a faith that acknowledges there will be times of doubt while strengthening one’s relationship with God.