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Reviews
BOOK REVIEW: Theistic debates through the ages David Mosser, Mar 12, 2010
By David Mosser Special Contributor
A Case for the Existence of God Dean A. Overman Rowman & Littlefield, 2009 264 pages, hardcover
A Case for the Existence of God is not a book for those wanting a painless, relaxed reading excursion. Dean Overman, an attorney and former religion scholar, uses history and philosophy as frameworks for exploring 4,000 years of theistic debates.
Fellow scholars will recognize most of the material here from texts of the past. But Dr. Overman gives us an abundance and brings it all together in a coherent, sustained treatment. (For a quick tour to make the book more functional, researchers should go first to his meticulous, eight-page introduction.)
He grasps a wide range of intellectual disciplines and outlines the contributions of Western Civilization’s greatest minds with some references to other streams of thought such as the Bhagavad Gita, a sacred Hindu text. Dr. Overman’s approach is never heavy-handed and allows readers to draw their own conclusions.
One of the book’s most helpful sections explores epistemology, a branch of philosophy concerned with the origins and nature of knowledge.
In the Introduction to Philosophy course that I teach at a community college, few of my students have ever read anything philosophical or theological on the subject of academic truth-seeking. Armed with this book, I can guide them past merely saying, “As a Christian I believe . . .” or “My preacher said . . .” and move them toward more helpful theistic discussions.
I also recommend the book for pastors, because it addresses many of the questions seekers ask. Many contemporary folks have no investment in the local church or its faith traditions, and they often come to us with questions like, “Why is there something rather than nothing?” or “Does God really exist”?
If ministers themselves will rethink these questions, it can go far in helping people understand a faith that redeems within a community that worships.
The Rev. Mosser is senior minister at First UMC in Arlington, Texas.
Fellow scholars will recognize most of the material here from texts of the past. But Dr. Overman gives us an abundance and brings it all together in a coherent, sustained treatment. (For a quick tour to make the book more functional, researchers should go first to his meticulous, eight-page introduction.) 
