Uncertain Belief: Is it Rational to be a Christian? - Tapa dura

Commended (The Tablet)

The author has a gift of clarity, and explains the principles of his investigation in a way that should be accessible to most readers. Professor Bartholomew considers in some detail and with great fairness such topics as miracles, the mind-brain relationship, the existence of God. (John Macquarrrie, Church Times)

The style of the book is careful and much of its detailed considerations conduct the reader over well-trodden ground. There are also some interesting side excursions. (The Times Education Supplement)

David Bartholomew offers a new perspective on the discussion of probability in relation to religious belief. Given its somewhat dry subject matter, it is pleasing to note the accessibility of Bartholomew's style. (Beverley Clack, Roehampton Institute, Theology)

a well argued discussion of the question expressed in its subtitle ... I found this an encouraging study that deserves to be widely read. It is a pleasure to read such a well-ordered and clearly presented argument. (The Expository Times, August 1996, Volume 107, Number 11)

Introduces his readers (in a commendably clear, non-technical way) to the logic of uncertainty ... this is an interesting, judicious and perceptive work that will repay careful study by those who seek to understand the claims of theistic faith in a world where increasingly the natural sciences are considered to set the standards for truth-claims. (Epworth Review)

The certainties which underpinned Christian belief have crumbled in a world where science sets the standard of what is true. A rational case for belief must therefore be constructed out of uncertainties. Probability theory provides the tools for measuring and combining uncertainties and is thus the key to progress. This book examines four much debated topics where the logic of uncertain reference can be brought to bear. These are: miracles, the paranormal, God's existence, and the Bible. Given the great diversity of evidence, it is not surprising that opposite conclusions have been drawn by supposedly rational people. An assessment of the state of the argument from a probabilistic perspective is overdue. In this book Professor Bartholomew examines and refutes some of the more extravagant claims, evaluates the weight of some of the quantitative evidence, and provides an answer to the fundamental question: can a rational person be a Christian?