A.S.K. Real World Questions / Real Word Answers by David Robertson

Can Christians be cool? Surely the Bible can’t give me advice about dating? Am I allowed to ask about suicide? Will my pet be in heaven? Am I a Christian just because I was born in Australia? Can Christians be rich and famous? How should I use the internet?

If you have ever asked these questions or if you wonder how they could be answered from the Bible, this is the book for you! David Robertson has compiled 52 questions from teenagers around the world. Completely unfiltered. And then, he goes through each question and answers it from the Bible.

I loved this book. Firstly, David has only given himself three pages to answer each question. His bite-sized answers are super clear and give us confidence in answering our friends when they ask us tricky questions. Secondly, David’s structure for answering questions is simple and clear; a bible verse, a response, some questions to consider and a prayer. Finally, David is warm and conversational but also frank; no question is off limits or silly.

I would recommend this book to any teen, especially those from Year 9 and up to read on their own. As some questions are about trickier topics like suicide, teen pregnancy, pornography, transgender and same sex marriage, I’d recommend that parents or youth leaders read it before or alongside their teens, so they can chat together about it.

Whilst it’s written to teens, I have absolutely loved reading it myself and I would recommend it to any woman who is wanting to grow her confidence in how her faith interacts with culture, and who wants to learn how to answer questions faithfully, biblically and clearly. I’m also thinking that I might choose a question each week to discuss at my youth bible study.

Reviewed by Emma Warren

Emma loves going to the beach, learning to cook something new and reading the Bible with youth and uni students as she completes her ministry traineeship at Campus Bible Study at UNSW. She serves on the EQUIP team by leading EQUIP teens, which is having a training afternoon later this year on prayer.