Insight to Witnessing

Book Review: A Friendly Dialogue Between an Atheist and a Christian

Overview: This is an unusual book which relates a conversation between Zhao Qizheng, a renowned Chinese diplomat, and Luis Palau, an American evangelist. It is self-described as a dialogue between an atheist and a theist, between a scientist and a Christian evangelist, between one from the East and one from the West.

From the book: Dr. Palau said, “We came at it from the points of view of an atheist and a believer, but we soon realized that we have a lot in common as human beings, that we respect each other and we enjoy each other’s company.” … Mr. Zhao Qizheng said at the same press conference, “Dr. Palau and I are both rather pure species of our two different cultures. Because both of us were very straightforward during our discussions, we were able to breach the barriers posed by different ideologies and exchange views on a wide range of topics.”

Summary: I found this book to have significant value. It illustrates a very civil and respectful dialogue between individuals with drastically different views. It could be considered a textbook on how to be an effective witness to someone who has very different beliefs and views. The book provides real insight into the mind of a very accomplished self-described atheist. The following is an example of the interchanges:

[Zhao]: For China, Christianity is an imported item. It’s not a local product. Buddhism is also imported from abroad, but it has long been localized so as to make it more compatible with Chinese culture.

[Palau]: I’ve got to say something. Actually, Christianity was imported from heaven to every nation. When Jesus was born of the Virgin Mary, Christ brought in Christianity and it’s an important religion for every culture, not just China.

[Zhao]: Most of the major religions claim that theirs is the only God. I cannot discriminate against anyone of them. So I am left with only two choices. The first: I believe all their claims are correct. In that case, there will be many gods. The second choice is: all the claims are unfounded; there’s no God at all. No religion would agree with me on that, either.

[Palau]: It’s too easy to answer that one. There’s no God? Forget it. You got to get serious and say, “I’m going to find God if it’s the last thing I do.” You’re a scientist, you have to dig, dig, dig,

Full Title: A Friendly Dialogue Between an Atheist and a Christian
Authors: Luis Palau & Zhao Qizheng
Publisher: Zondervan
Date Published: 2006
Number of pages: 140
ISBN: 978-0-310-28533-5