Book Review: Tough Topics by Sam Storms

It is no question that there are many things in Christianity that some just cannot get a grasp on. There are many questions to the Christian faith that has caused some pastors to become too scared to address. Some pastors want to teach on the issues of Christianity that are easy and make a good sermon, especially a quick one when they put off studying at the last minute. Yet, it is the job of all Bible teachers, not just preachers, to address this hard issues and study them as best we can.

Sam Storms in Tough Topics talks issues he has encountered over the years he has been in ministry. The goal of this is not to attain knowledge, but to worship God. Storms goes on to say that "we need to wrestle with the hard texts and the tough topics in Scripture. Only then will our thinking skills be honed, our minds expanded, our spirits enriched, and our hearts filled with joy and delight to understand the mysterious ways of our great God and Savior" (pg. 13).

The subtitle of the book says that Storms addresses "Biblical Answers to 25 Challenging Questions." Those 25 questions are:

1. Is the Bible Inerrant?

2. What Is Open Theism?

3. Does God Ever Change His Mind?

4. Could Jesus Have Sinned?

5. What Did Jesus Mean When He Said, “Judge Not, that You Be Not Judged”?

6. What Is Blasphemy of the Holy Spirit?

7. Does the Bible Teach the Doctrine of Original Sin?

8. Are Those Who Die in Infancy Saved?

9. Will People Be Condemned for Not Believing in Jesus though They’ve Never Heard His Name?

10. What Can We Know about Angels?

11. What Can We Know about Satan?

12. What Can We Know about Demons?

13. Can a Christian Be Demonized?

14. Does Satan Assign Demons to Specific Geopolitical Regions? Are There Territorial Spirits?

15. Can Christians Lose Their Salvation?

16. Does Hebrews Teach that Christians Can Apostatize?

17. Will There Be Sex in Heaven?

18. Are Miraculous Gifts for Today?

19. What Is Baptism in the Spirit, and When Does It Happen?

20. Should All Christians Speak in Tongues?

21. What Was Paul’s Thorn in the Flesh?

22. Is There Healing in the Atonement?

23. Why Doesn’t God Always Heal the Sick?

24. What Is Legalism?

25. Are Christians Obligated to Tithe?

Storms goes through each of these issues Biblically in a way that the average church attender will be able to understand. At the end of each chapter, Storms gives a list of books to read that goes deeper in the issues he is addressing. I appreciate Sam Storms writing this book for Christians will be introduced to the subjects that many Christians just do not understand. This is a book also for preachers and teachers to use as a reference in addressing these tough topics.

Thanks Crossway for letting me review this book.