From Publishers Weekly
It is always interesting when a public figure like Johnson, medical editor for ABC News and frequent medical journalist on shows like Nightline and 20/20, writes about faith from a personal angle. The initial chapter relates much of his life story, outlining the questions that have caused him to question and doubt. The remainder of the book is a pithy discussion of what he has discovered (and what he still doubts) about issues like the origin of the universe, proofs for the existence of God, the identity and teachings of Jesus and the practical difference that religion should make in people's lives. While peppered with gently humorous asides and personal observations, the overall focus of the book is not on Johnson himself but on the questions he explores. Most notable is his excellent discussion of the "intelligent design" arguments that have recently become so widely discussed in academic settings. His brief and very comprehensible discussion will introduce a much wider audience to these ideas. In discussing his faith, Johnson is honest enough to surprise many readers. As he himself states, "some who admire my secular achievements will be turned off by this spiritual explorationâ€"and some who admire my spiritual stance will be disappointed in my conclusions." Although some readers may disagree with Johnson, they will find it difficult not to be stimulated to think much more deeply about their own answers to these questions. Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.


From Booklist
ABC News medical editor Johnson, who is also a practicing physician and an assisting minister at West Peabody (Mass.) Community Covenant Church, here bridges the often huge chasm between science and faith. He admits that he has learned to live with doubt and come to terms with mysteries he cannot fully comprehend. That is, he is content not knowing all the answers. He lives with contradictions, the scientist in him regarding skeptically many religious claims that seem to offer absolute truth. His book addresses three seminal questions: Does God exist? What is God like? What difference does it make? He explores the most fundamental human relationship, a person's relationship with God; examines what it means to be human; and offers observations on how we determine right from wrong. He scrutinizes the Bible on Jesus and Jesus' teachings, and he addresses such obstacles to belief as the problem of what he calls undeserved suffering. His is a helpful and compassionate look at the spiritual questions many have wrestled with and many continue to wrestle with today. June Sawyers
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved


Book Description
Many of us are spiritually searching. We wonder if God is real, if religion is relevant, if faith is possible. We don't know what the answers are, and sometimes we don't even know what questions to ask. Don't shy away from the questions, says Dr. Timothy Johnson, medical editor for ABC News. That's where God meets us--in the midst of honest grappling with heartfelt issues. In this remarkable book, Dr. Johnson discloses his deeply personal journey of faith. With the same keen mind accustomed to medical and scientific examination, he investigates the plausibility of God's existence and explores the significance of Jesus of Nazareth. Despite all the difficulties of faith, he explains what he believes and why. Come join a fellow pilgrim on the journey. Ask the questions--and perhaps find God behind them.


From the Inside Flap
"To all of his colleagues here at ABC News, Timothy Johnson has always been a generous dispenser of medical advice and balm to the soul. To accompany him now on these chapters of his own spiritual journey is to find confirmation of the possibility that great accomplishment and humility can coexist." Ted Koppel, Anchor and Managing Editor, ABC News Nightline "Dr. Tim Johnson, minister and physician, brilliantly analyzes his struggle with religious belief when juxtaposed to emerging scientific discoveries. The result is a deep humanitarian exposition of the significance of the teaching of Jesus, which provides a firm foundation for addressing life's challenges." Dr. Joseph Martin, Dean, Harvard Medical School "Tim Johnson has excelled in two of the most skeptical arenas of American life--media and medicine--while holding on to a strong and intelligent faith. Now America's best-known TV news doctor shares his own questions and his decades-long journey making sense out of the faith that shapes his life." Peggy Wehmeyer, host and managing editor, World Vision Report, and former religion correspondent, ABC News "Dr. Johnson treats the soul as a wise physician treats the body, with honesty, tenderness and compassion. His introspective look at his own spiritual journey helped illuminate my own." Philip Yancey, author of Rumors of Another World and What's So Amazing About Grace? "Dr. Timothy Johnson takes the reader on an exciting and highly informative spiritual journey. He casts a medically trained and critical eye on the evidence for answers to questions that haunt every human being--questions concerning our identity, our purpose in life and our destiny. Both the believer and the unbeliever will find this excellent book so challenging and so absorbing they will find it difficult to put down." Armand Nicholi Jr., M.D., Associate Clinical Professor of Psychiatry, Harvard Medical School, and author of The Question of God


About the Author
Dr. Timothy Johnson (M.D., M.P.H.) is the medical editor for ABC News and has reported on health care issues for Good Morning America since 1975. He also provides on-air analysis of medical news for World News Tonight, Nightline and 20/20. Johnson holds joint positions in medicine at Harvard University and Massachusetts General Hospital in Boston. He is the founding editor of the Harvard Medical School Health Letter and coeditor of the Harvard Medical School Health Letter Book. He is the author of Dr. Timothy Johnson's On Call Guide to Men's Health, as well as coauthor (with former U.S. Surgeon General Dr. C. Everett Koop) of Let's Talk. Johnson lives in the Boston area. Having completed seminary before attending medical school, he serves as assisting minister of the Community Covenant Church in West Peabody, Massachusetts.

FROM THE PUBLISHER

Many of us are spiritually searching. We wonder if God is real, if religion is relevant, if faith is possible. We don't know what the answers are, and sometimes we don't even know what questions to ask. Don't shy away from the questions, says Dr. Timothy Johnson, medical editor for ABC News. That's where God meets us -- in the midst of honest grappling with heartfelt issues. In this remarkable book, Dr. Johnson discloses his deeply personal journey of faith. With the same keen mind accustomed to medical and scientific examination, he investigates the plausibility of God's existence and explores the significance of Jesus of Nazareth. Despite all the difficulties of faith, he explains what he believes and why. Come join a fellow pilgrim on the journey. Ask the questions -- and perhaps find God behind them.

FROM THE CRITICS

Publishers Weekly