A Question of Faith

Today I interview Tor Constantino of The Daily Retort on his excellent book A Question of Faith.

Why did you decide to write this book?

Tor Constantino: I was raised in a strict, conservative, Christian household. Even though I had loving parents, I was not allowed to satisfy my curiosity about other religious beliefs and faith traditions. When I got to college, I was unprepared and ill-equipped to adequately defend my own faith, let alone address the truth claims or tenets of other belief systems. Needless to say my faith was shaken; however, through years of study, I was able to honestly re-affirm my own beliefs. One of the reasons I wrote this book was because I didn’t have this type of resource back then when I needed it. At the time, my parents, youth group and church leaders all told me to just “pray about it” which was well intended but not especially helful. I knew I wasn’t alone in that experience, which was validated when I saw a Barna Group study in 2009 that found two-thirds of Christian teens/20-somethings left the faith when they left their parents’ home. This book was written for them and their parents to help spur a lifelong discussion surrounding this important issue of belief.

What will readers gain after reading it?

Tor Constantino: I’ve come to learn that faith is not simply a function of reckless abandon and mindlessly following a random cause – rather, faith requires mental engagement in the face of incomplete information, toward a decision of belief. It’s foolish to ignore that every human culture has a tradition of faith, and I believe it’s equally foolish if parents do not pressure test those beliefs with their kids and teens. The family is where we first practice all the life skills we’ll need to succeed in life (i.e. social skills, basic hygiene, communication ability, problem-solving, manners…etc.) and basic comparative religious study should be part of that mix. This book exposes teens and parents to the basic beliefs of the six major religions of the world – which more than 75% of the global population believe. My hope is that families can pressure test their faith together, making their individual and collective faith stronger.

What aspect of writing the book did you find particularly challenging?

Tor Constantino: The toughest part was establishing the premise of the book, which really is an introduction to comparative religion with a unique twist of compressing the six major faith traditions into a single multiple-choice question and then explaining why I took that seemingly counter-intuitive approach toward the issue of considering a faith to believe in. The intent was to simplify and make accessible the vastly complex question of religious belief.

Did you have any favorite experiences when writing your book?

Tor Constantino: Once it was finished, I shared it with about three dozen people whose opinion I trusted for their suggestions and input. Their collective feedback (both positive and negative) was very rewarding and a validating experience.

What do you hope your readers will gain from reading your book?

Tor Constantino: Every society has a belief system that extends beyond the natural world. Faith is core to the human experience and getting the most out of this life. My hope is that this book will spur individuals to consider the benefits of faith and religion in a positive, relevant light. At the very least, prompt a discussion and desire to seek more information about religion(s) in general.

How did you come up with your title?

Tor Constantino: What makes this book unique is that it serves as an introduction to comparative religion with a unique twist of compressing the six major faith traditions into a single multiple-choice question. The book’s title is a play on words regarding this single multiple-choice question regarding faith.

What books have influenced you the most?

Tor Constantino: Huston Smith’s Religions of the World; Philip Yancey’s A Skeptic’s Guide to Faith; Timothy Keller’s The Reason for God; as well as numerous writings and essays by C.S. Lewis and C.K. Chesterton.

TOR CONSTANTINO is a communications professional with more than twenty-four-plus years combined experience as a print/broadcast journalist and a Fortune 500 corporate public relations professional, working for companies including ABC, CBS, and NBC affiliates, Global Crossing, AstraZeneca and Bausch & Lomb. He holds an MBA degree, is a bestselling nonfiction author, a frequent speaker, and avid runner who has completed several full marathons. You can connect with Tor at his blog, on Twitter or Facebook.