'A timely, often bracing and always highly stimulating book.' Tom Holland, author of Dominion and co-host of The Rest is History

In today's science-driven, rational world, belief is dismissed as an artefact of a bygone era - something absurd at best, harmful at worst. The prevailing narratives paint belief as primitive, weird, even dangerous.

But as life grows ever more confusing and our societies more atomised, contemplating something bigger than ourselves has never been more vital.

Alister McGrath offers a fresh perspective on belief, presenting it not as a weakness of rational thought but as an essential tool for navigating uncertainty. Elegant and thought-provoking, Why We Believe reveals how belief provides meaning in the face of existential despair, how it fosters community and offers solace.

As society moves beyond the dismissive rhetoric surrounding people of faith, here is a powerful manifesto for the re-enchantment of the Western mind.

'Scholarly, compulsively readable and with gems of information on every page... a must read.' Revd Fergus Butler-Gallie, author of A Field Guide to the English Clergy

I believe in God the Father, Almighty, Maker of heaven and earth.

This six-session LifeGuide(R) Bible Study, based on Alister McGrath's book I Believe, introduces us to the Apostles' Creed and the essential truths about God the Father, the person and work of Jesus Christ, and the Holy Spirit. Christians indeed trust in God, and the basics of our faith have remained the same for centuries. These truths are summarized in historic church documents known as creeds. The Apostles' Creed is an ideal starting point for this vital process of consolidating our grasp of the faith.

For over three decades LifeGuide Bible Studies have a provided solid biblical content and raised thought-provoking questions--making for a one-of-a-kind Bible study experience for individuals and groups. This series has more than 130 titles on Old and New Testament books, character studies, and topical studies.

What are the basics of Christian belief?

How can you know the most important elements of the faith?

When you hear people talk about doctrines that seem unfamiliar, how can you know if they are at the core of Christianity or outside the center?

The basics of Christian faith have remained the same for centuries. Affirmed by the church around the world since its earliest years, these truths are summarized in documents known as creeds. Among these, the Apostles' Creed is one of the most important.

In this brief book, Alister McGrath introduces you to the essential truths about God the Father, the person and work of Jesus Christ, and the Holy Spirit.

Divided into six sections with reflection and discussion questions included for each core truth, I Believe is ideal for your personal study or for use in a small group or Sunday school class.

Here is the basic book you need to understand the basics of Christianity.

Alister McGrath and Joanna Collicutt McGrath present a reliable assessment of The God Delusion by Richard Dawkins, famed atheist and scientist, and the many questions this book raises--including, above all, the relevance of faith and the quest for meaning.

Why the Church must defend the truth.

Our ongoing fascination with alternative Christianities is ondisplay every time a never-before-seen gospel text is revealed, an archaeological discovery about Jesus makes front-page news, or anew work of fiction challenges the very foundations of the church.Now, in a timely corrective to this trend, renowned church historianAlister McGrath examines the history of subversive ideas, overturningcommon misconceptions that heresy is somehow more spiritual orliberating than traditional dogma. In so doing, he presents a powerful, compassionate orthodoxy that will equip the church to meet thechallenge from renewed forms of heresy today.

Alister McGrath unpacks the content of the Apostles' Creed and introduces us to the essential truths about God the Father, the person and work of Jesus Christ, and the Holy Spirit.

In the sixteenth century, to attempt to translate the Bible into a common tongue wasn't just difficult, it was dangerous. A Bible in English threatened the power of the monarch and the Church. Early translators like Tyndale, whose work greatly influenced the King James, were hunted down and executed, but the demand for English Bibles continued to grow. Indeed it was the popularity of the Geneva Bible, with its anti-royalist content, that eventually forced James I to sanction his own, pro-monarchy, translation. Errors in early editions--one declared that thou shalt commit adultery--and Puritan preferences for the Geneva Bible initially hampered acceptance of the King James, but it went on to become the definitive English-language Bible. McGrath's history of the King James Bible's creation and influence is a worthy tribute to a great work and a joy to read.

Alister McGrath sets forth the constructive ground on which evangelicalism stands and shows how this revivified school of thought might respond to postmodernism, religious pluralism and postliberalism.

A New Interpretation of Protestantism and Its Impact on the World

The radical idea that individuals could interpret the Bible for themselves spawned a revolution that is still being played out on the world stage today. This innovation lies at the heart of Protestantism's remarkable instability and adaptability. World-renowned scholar Alister McGrath sheds new light on the fascinating figures and movements that continue to inspire debate and division across the full spectrum of Protestant churches and communities worldwide.

In this pithy, entertaining guide to what really matters, Alister McGrath brings together Richard Dawkins and C.S. Lewis, two intriguing and well-known writers, in 'conversation'.

The two men could hardly have more different perspectives; these arguments provide an excellent means of sharpening our own thinking on the meaning of life

Atheism is one of the most important movements in modern Western culture. For the last two hundred years, it seemed to be on the verge of eliminating religion as an outmoded and dangerous superstition. Recent years, however, have witnessed the decline of disbelief and a rise in religious devotion throughout the world. In THE TWILIGHT OF ATHEISM, the distinguished historian and theologian Alister McGrath examines what went wrong with the atheist dream and explains why religion and faith are destined to play a central role in the twenty-first century.

A former atheist who is now one of Christianity's foremost scholars, McGrath traces the history of atheism from its emergence in eighteenth-century Europe as a revolutionary worldview that offered liberation from the rigidity of traditional religion and the oppression of tyrannical monarchs, to its golden age in the first half of the twentieth century. Blending thoughtful, authoritative historical analysis with incisive portraits of such leading and influential atheists as Sigmund Freud and Richard Dawkins, McGrath exposes the flaws at the heart of atheism, and argues that the renewal of faith is a natural, inevitable, and necessary response to its failures.

THE TWILIGHT OF ATHEISM will unsettle believers and nonbelievers alike. A powerful rebuttal of the philosophy that, for better and for worse, has exerted tremendous influence on Western history, it carries major implications for the future of both religion and unbelief in our society.

We are taught to doubt but commanded to believe. Somehow we think that admitting to doubt is tantamount to insulting God. But doubt is not a sign of spiritual weakness--rather it's an indication of spiritual growing pains, says Alister McGrath. He explores the origin and nature of doubt and the specific doubts that often plague Christians in a postmodern culture.

Alister McGrath explains how he returned to Christianity from the distant country of Marxism and scientific atheism and became a Christian theologian. The work offers a summary of McGrath's vision of Christian theology, focusing on the distinct role of historical theology, the importance of engaging the relation of science and faith, the need for theologians to participate in major public debates, and the significance of theological education.

In the My Theology series, the world's leading Christian thinkers explain some of the principal tenets of their theological beliefs in concise, pocket-sized books.

This book argues for the retrieval of 'natural philosophy', a concept that faded into comparative obscurity as individual scientific disciplines became established and institutionalized. Natural philosophy was understood in the early modern period as a way of exploring the human relationship with the natural world, encompassing what would now be seen as the distinct disciplines of the natural sciences, mathematics, music, philosophy, and theology.

The first part of the work represents a critical conversation with the tradition, identifying the essential characteristics of natural philosophy, particularly its emphasis on both learning about and learning from nature. After noting the factors which led to the disintegration of natural philosophy during the nineteenth century, the second part of the work sets out the reasons why natural philosophy should be retrieved, and a creative and innovative proposal for how this might be done. This draws on Karl Popper's 'Three Worlds' and Mary Midgley's notion of using multiple maps in bringing together the many aspects of the human encounter with the natural world. Such a retrieved or 're-imagined' natural philosophy is able to encourage both human attentiveness and respectfulness towards Nature, while enfolding both the desire to understand the natural world, and the need to preserve the affective, imaginative, and aesthetic aspects of the human response to nature.

Alister McGrath argues that Christian thought has a vital role to play in the survival of the Christian vision of reality. By setting the gospel in the great tradition of Christian theological reflection, we have the makings of a robust engagement in the public sphere of ideas.

In this volume, the fourth in the Heart of Christian Faith series, Alister E. McGrath looks at the Holy Spirit, human nature, the doctrine of grace, and the place of the church in the Christian life. Full of stories and helpful illustrations, these easy-to-read devotional books offer spiritual consideration of the difference that our belief in God makes to the way in which we think about ourselves and the world. With one volume remaining, McGrath's series will define mere Christianity to a new generation for many years to come.

Spirit of Grace by Lister McGrath is the fourth volume in this highly engaging series of study guides to the basics of Christian belief.

Alister looks at the Holy Spirit, human nature, the doctrine of grace, and the place of the church in the Christian life. This easily readable and informative book is full of stories and helpful illustrations. His material has been tested out on congregations to ensure that it is enjoyable, useful, and easy to read and understand.

Spirit of Grace follows on the author's well-received 'Faith and the Creeds' (February 2013), 'The Living God' (September 2013) and 'Lord and Saviour: Jesus of Nazareth' (April 2014). Next in the series, 'The Christian Life and Hope' is expected in April 2015.