Why I Still Believe

Reviewed by:

Anna Molendorp from Fishers, Indiana, a Professional Writing student at Taylor University in Upland, IN.

REVIEW INTRODUCTION

Title:

Why I Still Believe

Author:

Mary Jo Sharp

Publisher:

Zondervan

Publication Date:

2019

Format:

Print book

Length:

226 pages

OVERVIEW

Why I Still Believe provides a much-needed reconciliation between Christ and some of the actions of His followers. The biography unabashedly explores Sharp’s experiences as a new Christian in a church that is less than welcoming as well as her resulting doubts, frustrations, mistakes, and revelations.

Mary Jo Sharp is a new Christian who, after living in the Northwest, finds herself in a Southern Baptist church. Yet upon her arrival, the pastor’s wife greets her with scrutiny and outright disdain, causing Sharp to struggle to see how God’s people could be so unwelcoming. Throughout her book, Sharp shares her thoughts with readers, for better or for worse, as she tackles each uncertainty. The writing takes on an academic touch as she approaches each crisis through the lens of apologetics. She cuts no corners in her arguments and thoroughly addresses each and every doubt or question.

In her journey to finding the truth, Sharp wrestles with her view of the church, concluding that while she may have been too cynical in some of her judgements, there are still many areas where the church must improve. In the end, the reader must acknowledge a divide between the church and Christianity. This separation may at times seem exaggerated within the book’s pages, yet many of Sharp’s points ring true, nonetheless. In telling her story, Sharp creates a safe haven for those who have also been mistreated and harbor doubts. She offers her readers a solid spiritual footing for the logic-oriented mind and for the soul that is caught between belief and distrust.  

ASSESSMENT

Rating:

4

Suggested Audience

This book is an instructional biography written for those who are wary of Christianity as a result of the incongruence that may at times be found between God and the church. The language is less laid-back and more academic, making it better suited for a college student or an adult who desires to see God in a fallen world.  

Christian Impact

Through sharing an experience that is often under-represented in the church, Mary Jo Sharp reaches out to those who are silently struggling through the same issues. There are times at which Sharp characterizes the church solely through her frustrations instead of stepping back and looking at everything objectively, but in later chapters she works through the complexities behind her experiences and impressions.