What Am I Reading? - "What Can A Man Believe?"

I am reading a very interesting book, written in 1927 by Bruce Barton, entitled “What Can a Man Believe”.

Bruce Barton was actually a businessman, but as an author he took on the big questions that were burning in his mind. He had two previous, phenomenal bestsellers prior to this book; “The Man Nobody Knows”, based on the life of Jesus and “The Book Nobody Knows” based on the Bible.

This book was written in response to a letter from a businessman, whom Barton described as “President of the largest business of his kind”. The letter implored Barton to write a book which would address the following five questions:

1. Would the world be better or worse off if it should abolish religion?
2. Has the church done more harm than good?
3. Of the various religions now extant which is the best?
4. What few simple things, if any, can a business man believe?
5. If there is to be a ‘faith of the future’ what kind of faith will it be?

I am not very far into the book yet, but I am very enthralled with the book already. I am impressed by Barton’s passion for addressing these topics and I am enjoying his method of writing.

I want to share Barton’s description of “awakening”:

“In every human being, whether emperor or cowboy, prince or pauper, philosopher or slave, there is a mysterious something which he neither understands nor controls. It may lie dormant for so long as to be almost forgotten; it may be so repressed that the man supposes it is dead. But one night he is alone in the desert under the starry sky; one day he stands with bowed head and damp eyes behind an open grave; or there comes an hour when he clings with desperate instinct to the wet rail of a storm-tossed boat, and suddenly out of the forgotten depths of his being this mysterious something leaps forth. It overreaches habit; it pushes aside reason, and with a voice that will not be denied it cries out its questioning and its prayer.” –Page 16

I think this “awakening” (which is my word, not Barton’s) is occurring in record numbers today. We are seeing people walking away from everything, they once held as sacred, to pursue the desires of their hearts. Corporate executives are leaving six figure jobs to become school teachers. Harried commuters are dropping out of the rat race to answer the call within them to make a more meaningful contribution to life.

What an exciting time to be alive.

Stay tuned for more updates as I peruse Barton’s book. He has some very interesting things to say about why man created religion and what religion’s influence has done for/to its participants.