Reason and Belief

As I began to scribble out the thoughts for this book on the back of an envelope, I knew it could not be written in a conventional way. The book is aimed at helping readers come to grips with the fundamental questions of life, based on the Gospel of Mark from the Bible: Who is God? What is life? What is truth? Is eternal life possible? The Gospel of Mark addresses these questions, provides reason for belief, and assumes that most rational people will, in fact, believe that Jesus of...
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As I began to scribble out the thoughts for this book on the back of an envelope, I knew it could not be written in a conventional way. The book is aimed at helping readers come to grips with the fundamental questions of life, based on the Gospel of Mark from the Bible: Who is God? What is life? What is truth? Is eternal life possible? The Gospel of Mark addresses these questions, provides reason for belief, and assumes that most rational people will, in fact, believe that Jesus of Nazareth was God Incarnate.The tension between reason and belief has never been greater in our world. Especially at universities, professors and students often see the two concepts as opposed to one another. I hope to convince the reader that this need not be the case and that reason can indeed be used to support belief. Perhaps the book's unconventional format will help the reader reach this conclusion.The book presents the Gospel of Mark in the World English Bible (WEB) translation. The text is based on the American Standard Version with critical comparison to the Greek Majority Text and to scripture fragments that archeologists recently have found. The translators took great care to ensure the accuracy and dependability of the text at the occasional expense of smooth readability. I am pleased with the translation's accuracy and think little is sacrificed in readability. In fact, the author of the Gospel, John Mark, wrote with little regard to smoothness. His brusque style is to hit hard with the facts and nothing but the facts. I have tried to follow the same spare pattern in my commentary, with occasional elaborations for readers unfamiliar with Mark's context and era.In some cases I explain the meaning of John Mark's text by drawing on other scriptures, contemporary texts, and cultural setting. However, I have attempted to minimize speculation. If we can only guess at motives or outcomes, I have tried to indicate that in an appropriate way.I hope you enjoy reading one of the greatest masterpieces of all time -- the Gospel of Mark.Stanley D. Rasberry