Dr Don Bierle’s Surprised by Faith seems to have been around for sometime – the front matter pins the original publication to 1992 and includes prefaces for first, second and third editions – although I don’t recall having come across it before. The content is a solid, evangelical apologetic. Dr Bierle presents a series of areas of consideration which lay out a reasonable basis for Christian faith. If anything, what surprises me most is that I haven’t come across it before.

Experienced Christians will probably get a fair glimpse of the content from the chapter headings: why am I here, is the Bible true, is Jesus really God, can faith be reasonable, where am I, how can I know God – and the final chapter, taking the next step. I see from some reviews of the book that the arguments are infallibly efficacious but, next time I meet someone wondering what life is about and entertaining the notion that maybe Jesus has something to do with it, Dr Bierle will join my list of recommendations.