This InterVarsity Press title was something of a throwback. As I recall, these apologetic discourses being so much at the center of the old Campus Life magazine and the ever-present Evidence That Demands a Verdict. Yet what Rick Mattson offers here is a fresh language, reminiscent of Paul Tillich’s insistence that the old language of Christianity doesn’t speak to modernity, so new language is required. Because of Mattson’s long history and expertise speaking on college campuses, he totes along his ability to parse the Christian faith into easily digested bits, especially for seekers and skeptics.

However, Faith Is Like Skydiving: And Other Memorable Images for Dialogue with Seekers and Skeptics is a book for believers and is something of a faith-sharing manual, a kind of how-to guide for those who desire to do a better job of listening to and addressing the questions. What impressed me most about this book was its humility. In this age of Facebook shouting matches, in-your-face political debates, and debating methods that the church is now gleaning from our polarized culture, it was refreshing to see how Mattson offers a peaceful and respectful alternative to the militant variety of Christianity that is so pervasive in our time.

Mattson, for example, uses his first-person accounts to demonstrate how a laid-back, listening approach to evangelism reaps far greater rewards than conducting shouting matches. At one point, in his chapter on Science and Faith, Mattson reflects on one conversation that soon became a personal assault. As in other places throughout the book, Mattson here offers: “Note to Self: Rick, your manner is just as important as your words. Tone of voice is louder than logic. Resist the temptation to match your opponent’s combative posture with same.”

While insights such as these are at the heart of this book’s appeal, I wish Mattson at times had taken a broader approach to the ways that faith can be shared. For example, he discusses little in the way of service to others, social justice, or the witness of the church working for human rights or to meet basic human needs—all of which may reflect the spirit of Jesus far more than our words—with perhaps a greater pull toward wholeness. The book’s primary use then, is as an apologist’s Bible, an aim which it achieves nicely. There is much to reflect on and learn from it.

I feel that Mattson would be able to address any and all deficiencies in any expression of faith—and eventually would arrive at a way to express it in modern terms or ideas. I’ve never regarded my faith in Christ as a parachute drop, but for those who must leap into belief from great heights of skepticism or brokenness, they might understand the idea of a ripcord.