In an increasingly pluralistic culture where one concept of truth is considered as good as another, Christianity is coming under fire for being “intolerant” and “exclusive.” Even those who profess faith in Jesus Christ are sometimes reluctant to declare that their belief contains the “only” truth. They believe that Jesus is the only way to the one true God, but when it comes to sharing this truth with their non-Christian friends and neighbors, they don’t find the old methods of presenting “proof” and logical arguments for the truth claims of Christ—what is traditionally known as “Christian apologetics”—to be as appealing as they once were.

Christians are looking for a new kind of apologetics that present the truth about God in a winsome and attractive way that will appeal to the culture. Dr. Craig Hazen, a Professor of Comparative Religions at Biola University, has done just that by writing Five Sacred Crossings, a groundbreaking book that offers a novel approach (quite literally) to presenting Christian truth.

By using a fiction to present the five reasons why Christianity is true, he has contextualized the timeless truths about God into a compelling story. To put it another way, Dr. Hazen has combined the appeal of personal experience with corresponding truth. And he has done it in a way that relates to—but doesn’t preach
at—the person asking questions about God.

Five Sacred Crossings opens with a bang. Literally. The book’s protagonist, Michael Jernigan, is shaken by the concussion of an explosion just blocks from his home. The origin of the blast is unknown, but the cause will figure into the plot of the story, creating a true page-turner of a novel.

As the book unfolds, we learn that Jernigan is Professor Michael Jernigan. An expert in South Asian and Buddhist history, he teaches world religions, Asian philosophy and cross-cultural theology in the Department of Intercultural Studies at a community college. The title of the book comes from a mysterious book Jernigan brings to class. Over the course of several weeks, Jernigan shares the contents of the book with his class, a diverse group of students who represent various levels of belief and life experience. The discussions are lively and insightful as the Five Sacred Crossings are unveiled one by one:

• Spiritual knowledge springs from within and from without;
• The greatest of gifts must be free;
• Eternal wisdom is with those whose eye is true;
• Knowledge divided invites shadows in the soul; and
• The one who transcends boundaries is he who brings deliverance.

Contained in these Five Sacred Crossings are the characteristics that make Christianity uniquely true: Christianity is testable; salvation is a free gift; Christianity paints a picture of the world that matches the way the world really is; as a Christian, you get to live a non-compartmentalized life; and Christianity has Jesus at the center.

Five Sacred Crossings is a book that will challenge Christians and enlighten non-Christians. The characterizations are vivid, and the plot devices are entertaining, and the message comes through in creative and compelling ways.