H. M. Rasi, and Nancy J. Vyhmeister, eds. Always Prepared: Answers to Questions About Our Faith. Nampa, ID: Pacific Press, 2012, 219pp. US$19.99.

A select team of Adventist scholars has been selected to produce this important work dealing with a variety of topics related to the Adventist Christian faith. Its twenty chapters cover topics such as the reliability and inspiration of the Bible, the contribution of archaeology to understanding the Scriptures, God, the Trinity, the uniqueness of Jesus, miracles, the problem of evil, Sabbath, salvation, the prophetic ministry of Ellen White, etc. Although some of the topics are philosophically and theologically complex, the authors succeeded in offering the reader a clear, concise, and easy presentation of difficult subjects.

Each chapter is titled as a question―“How Reliable is the Bible?”; “Why do I Believe in God?” “Are There Moral Absolutes?” “If God is Good and All-powerfull, How Can He Allow Suffering?” etc.―which is answered from within a framework of Biblical truth and explained from an Adventist perspective. Through this work the Bible is taken seriously and its authority emerges as relevant for tackling some crucial intellectual challenges to the Christian faith. A few considerations give the reader an idea of the value of this work. The chapter “How reliable is the Bible?” by Richard Davidson lays the foundation for the entire work. Davidson tackles important issues such as the textual, historical, prophetic, and scientific reliability of the Bible. In the chapter “To What Extent Do Archaeology Discoveries Confirm the Bible?” Randall Younker clarifies that although archaeology does not function to “prove the Bible” archaeology does make a very positive a contribution inasmuch as it can help us understand better the historical, linguistic and cultural context of the Bible. Furthermore, Younker also argues that archaeology may be very helpful in refuting criticisms against the Bible’s historicity.

This book will be useful to college/university students, pastors concerned on addressing important issues pertaining to the Bible and our self-understanding as Seventh-day Adventists. Furthermore, it can be used in study groups, given as a gift to non-cristian/non-Adventist friends, and mined for topics and ideas to be addressed in preaching and personal/interpersonal Bible study. The editors are to be commended for organizing such a timely collection of articles with serious and accessible answers to some of the most important questions currently being asked.