A friend and colleague of mine is Moslem. He is very intelligent, very humble and a true lover of God. During a recent chat at the airport waiting lounge, we engaged in a discussion of apologetics including theology, doctrine, epistimology, etc. He confessed that most of what he hears and sees of theology doesn’t really change what he does. In direct contrast, I explained that my Christian theology – based upon objective analysis of the evidence – causes me to take very specific actions as a result of what I know to be true. As a Christian (Roman Catholic), I engage in - or refrain from – certain activities, beliefs, etc. based upon the contents of the Bible, supported by archaeological, historical, literary and anthropological evidence (among other sources). For instance, I shared with him my conviction that we are to receive Holy Eucharist as often as possible and that, as difficult as it may be to believe in the real presence of Jesus in the Eucharist, the evidence to support its validity is overwhelming. (That was just one example of what we discussed.)
OK, here’s the question:
He’s finally asked me if I would please give him one book to read that would (a) explain why Christianity is true and (b) enlighten him about any actions that God asks him to take as a result (beginning, of course, with accepting Christ as his Savior – but I didn’t go there yet). If you could recommend *a single book* that I could give to this person (since I may only have this one chance to get him to look into Christianity more seriously), what would it be?
Of course, I’ve considered some of C.S. Lewis’ works; however, although they prove the validity of Christianity, they don’t specifically prescribe action (he wants something to show that he should live his life differently before he’ll even bother to engage Christianity). I’ve considered Dave Armstrong's *A Biblical Defense of Catholicism* but, as Lewis observes in *Mere Christianity*, for those not already in the Christian faith, defending one sect over another may be more dangerous than helpful. I’ve considered works of Josh McDowell, Ralph Muncaster, Ravi Zacharias and even Rick Warren but don’t have one that seems just right yet.
Thank you in advance for any suggestions that you may have.