Confessions of a French Atheist: How God Hijacked My Quest to Disprove the Christian Faith
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- Author：Guillaume Bignon
- ISBN：1496443020
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Summary
“A compelling spiritual memoir that traces Bignon’s fascinating quest for answers to life’s most profound questions。” —Lee Strobel
God Wasn’t In His Plans Until 。 。 。
Guillaume Bignon was a French atheist 。 。 。 and he was perfectly happy。 He was very successful as a software engineer in finance， a musician， and a volleyball player。 Yet a chance encounter with a beautiful woman would change the way he thought about his life and beliefs forever。
Confessions of a French Atheist is the unusual story of Guillaume Bignon， a man who didn’t need God but who grew to believe in God after he thought through the nature of morality， the relationship between science and faith， the supernatural， and the reliability of the Bible。 With rigorous reasoning， remarkable authenticity， and a sense of humor， Guillaume takes the reader on a journey of his innermost questions and surprising discoveries。
God Wasn’t In His Plans Until 。 。 。
Guillaume Bignon was a French atheist 。 。 。 and he was perfectly happy。 He was very successful as a software engineer in finance， a musician， and a volleyball player。 Yet a chance encounter with a beautiful woman would change the way he thought about his life and beliefs forever。
Confessions of a French Atheist is the unusual story of Guillaume Bignon， a man who didn’t need God but who grew to believe in God after he thought through the nature of morality， the relationship between science and faith， the supernatural， and the reliability of the Bible。 With rigorous reasoning， remarkable authenticity， and a sense of humor， Guillaume takes the reader on a journey of his innermost questions and surprising discoveries。
Reviews
Baron Carson
，
An insightful look at institutionalized atheismAs a Christian American living in Paris， this book was very insightful。 It revealed both the cultural and academic sources of institutionalized atheism and provided a hopeful discourse for breaking through the intellectual fog。 Thanks for this insightful read！
Daniel
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This is a thoughtful journey to faith。 Guillaume Bignon is upfront about his doubts， his faults， his stumbling blocks。 And does an interesting job of citing his step forward， and a step back to a “but the French agnostic （or atheist） intellectual says this cannot be because xyz 。 。 。 “。 He takes these counter arguments into account。 And does a nice job of giving his own thoughts & experiences， in direct response。 I particularly liked his grandfather’s thoughts along the way。 The old man had made This is a thoughtful journey to faith。 Guillaume Bignon is upfront about his doubts， his faults， his stumbling blocks。 And does an interesting job of citing his step forward， and a step back to a “but the French agnostic （or atheist） intellectual says this cannot be because xyz 。 。 。 “。 He takes these counter arguments into account。 And does a nice job of giving his own thoughts & experiences， in direct response。 I particularly liked his grandfather’s thoughts along the way。 The old man had made a mark on the world， was thoughtful and wise， and wrote some things that made Bignon think。 As I read the book， I was thinking about the stat showing growing atheism and agnosticism in America （faith in God fallen to 92 pct cons， 72pct progs， 68pct young）， and some I care about losing their “childhood’s faith” （calling to mind the well known poem）。 I was also thinking about my own walk towards — and stumbles from — the character I hope for before I am done。 But hope is not enough。 I found the book not dispositive， but allowing room for one’s own thoughts。 It avoids the aridity of some intellectual approaches。 And yet is thoughtful and worth going on the trip w Guillaume Bignon。 If just to think and strive again。 And maybe reach that grace Guillaume does。 。。。more
Jake Johnson
，
For both the skeptic and the seasoned believer， Dr。 Bignon’s story will keep you interested from cover to cover。 His combination of narrative and academic writing equally engage the brain and the heart。 I loved the transparency of his testimony and appreciated hearing him elaborate on motivations of the heart （and flesh） most writers will avoid discussing。 I could not more strongly recommend this book to both churched and un-churched readers who want to hear an authentic account of what conversi For both the skeptic and the seasoned believer， Dr。 Bignon’s story will keep you interested from cover to cover。 His combination of narrative and academic writing equally engage the brain and the heart。 I loved the transparency of his testimony and appreciated hearing him elaborate on motivations of the heart （and flesh） most writers will avoid discussing。 I could not more strongly recommend this book to both churched and un-churched readers who want to hear an authentic account of what conversion looks like。 I also have the privilege of knowing Dr。 Bignon personally and was generally familiar with the circumstances of his conversion prior to reading his book。 What stands out to me most is that the character of the man in the first several chapters of this book bear very little resemblance to the man I know。 As much as his book illuminates a conversion process， his life even more so reflects the grace of God imparted as a result of that conversion。 He is a great father， devoted husband， and committed follower of Jesus。 Thank you for sharing your story with us Guillaume。 。。。more
Josh Yerkes
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You gotta read this！ Riveting and helpful。
Bob
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Summary: The story of a software engineer， volleyball player， and musician who thought he had it all until his encounter with a fashion model who was a Christian。Augustine was a gifted teacher， skilled rhetorician， a natural leader and a ladies man。 The subject of this memoir sounds very like him。 A software engineer for a Wall Street financial firm， a competitive volleyball player， a musician–and also a ladies man。 And like Augustine， Guillaume Bignon titles the account of his turning to faith Summary: The story of a software engineer， volleyball player， and musician who thought he had it all until his encounter with a fashion model who was a Christian。Augustine was a gifted teacher， skilled rhetorician， a natural leader and a ladies man。 The subject of this memoir sounds very like him。 A software engineer for a Wall Street financial firm， a competitive volleyball player， a musician–and also a ladies man。 And like Augustine， Guillaume Bignon titles the account of his turning to faith Confessions。It all began on a Caribbean vacation when he encounters a beautiful fashion model， Vanessa， from New York （he was living in France at the time）。 They were romantically drawn to each other but she will not sleep with him and insists on going to church。 These are deal breakers for him and he determines that he has to argue her out of her faith， to embrace the atheism that is his own persuasion。 All is going well until she says， “But you haven’t even asked me what I believe！” So he listens to her compelling， even miraculous story， but concludes that he has to investigate for himself。 He starts reading the Bible…and likes it。 When shoulder injuries sideline him， he visits the church in Paris she attended on a visit with him。 When he attempts to leave， he is overcome with chills， goes back to meet the pastor and begins a series of conversations。Like Bishop Ambrose with Augustine， Robert Baxter patiently walks through all Guillaume’s questions from the Bible and then comes to the big issue in his life–sexual morality。 He works through intellectual issues like faith and science。 He wrestles with the possibility of miracles， including the greatest miracle， the resurrection。 He begins to recognize that he believes many things because they are reasonable but not certain and that Christian faith could be like that。He moved to New York， taking a Wall Street job to be closer to Vanessa， even as he is drawing closer to Christ。 He comes to understand why Jesus died and why he died for him–the weight of his own sin。 He came to terms with the many women he’d hurt。 He confesses his sins， and is baptized by Vanessa’s pastor。 His faith survives the end of his relationship with Vanessa and， alone in New York， he studies apologetics every chance he gets as he writes his friends about his newfound faith and answers their questions。 As in his journey to faith， he relates in the book the insights he was gaining。 One thing led to another–a divinity degree， a Ph。D in philosophy， opportunities to speak about his faith， and an encounter with an au pair in Paris， who became his wife。I enjoyed two aspects of this account。 One was his own journey to faith， the questions he asked， the insights that were convincing， and the ways God moved in his life from head to heart and back again， bringing heart and mind together in his apologetic witness。 The other thing I liked was the portrayal of the spiritual friends， Robert and Vinny who walked alongside him on his journey， never forcing， but waiting for the Spirit of God to break through。 Even Vanessa’s story and the witness of her chaste life was significant， but it was God who broke through。There is much to be learned here about adult conversion in a post-Christian era in Guillaume’s questions and doubts and the patient witness of those who were alongside in his search。 There is much here we can learn as we ask what it might mean to be friend like these friends to someone who seemed to have it all but is being pursued by God。____________________________Disclosure of Material Connection: I received a complimentary review copy of this book from the publisher in exchange for an honest review。 The opinions I have expressed are my own。 。。。more
Tracey
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Outstanding。 For everyone， atheists or not。 A wealth of information。
Elisha Alvarez
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Vraiment très interessant
Joy Adewumi
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An insightful read on the journey of a French atheist from a life of total disregard for any Higher Being， to one transformed by the grace of the only living God。 Written in a biographical form， Confessions of a French Atheist: How God Hijacked My Quest to Disprove the Christian Faith， not only intrigues the reader with its stories and humour， but also places a great onus on the reader to reason out the facts for the existence of God， and to see why the claims that no God exists are of themselve An insightful read on the journey of a French atheist from a life of total disregard for any Higher Being， to one transformed by the grace of the only living God。 Written in a biographical form， Confessions of a French Atheist: How God Hijacked My Quest to Disprove the Christian Faith， not only intrigues the reader with its stories and humour， but also places a great onus on the reader to reason out the facts for the existence of God， and to see why the claims that no God exists are of themselves， invalid。 Reading Confessions of a French Atheist， reminded me of a similar book I read last year， The Case for Christ by Lee Strobel。 In both books， the authors started off as adamant atheists， although from different backgrounds。 Guillaume Bignon grew up in a Catholic family but abandoned his faith in his teen years after concluding that there was no God。 The road to his discovery that the opposite was true was unique in every way。 Mr Bignon's explanation of how he came to the faith reminds me firstly of the power of reason， and secondly of the power of intercessory prayer。 So often， we as Christians are told that a disregard for reason is a sign of great faith， but Confessions of a French Atheist brings to death that idea。 It is implied in the book that reasoning can help to bring about faith， and throughout the book， Guillaume Bignon wrestles with different arguments against the existence of God and disproves them wittingly。This book was a great and encouraging read。 I will recommend it for those contemplating their faith or seeking to know the truth—whether or not there is a God。I received an advanced reader’s copy from the publishers of Confessions of a French Atheist: How God Hijacked My Quest to Disprove the Christian Faith in exchange for an honest review。 All things stated in this review are my own opinions。 。。。more
Cheryl
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In Confessions of a French Atheist， Guillaume Bignon tells us the story of his journey to God from atheism while equipping us with an amazing defence of the Christian faith。Most apologetic books are written in an informational format。 the author would present his arguments in a straightforward manner—chapter by chapter—however， Confessions of a French Atheist is not this way。One major reason I enjoyed this book so much is the combination of essential apologetics and engaging storytelling that th In Confessions of a French Atheist， Guillaume Bignon tells us the story of his journey to God from atheism while equipping us with an amazing defence of the Christian faith。Most apologetic books are written in an informational format。 the author would present his arguments in a straightforward manner—chapter by chapter—however， Confessions of a French Atheist is not this way。One major reason I enjoyed this book so much is the combination of essential apologetics and engaging storytelling that the author used to convey his message。I also appreciated the fact that Guillaume’s arguments were convincing and easy to follow and understand。 If you’re looking for a great recourse for apologetics and an absolute delight to read then check out this book！ I know already that it will be extremely beneficial in defending the faith。I received this book from NetGalley and Tyndale House Publishers in exchange for an honest review* 。。。more
Josh Olds
，
Ever since Lee Strobel’s now-classic The Case for Christ， the atheist-turned-Christian apologetics-themed memoir has popped up from time to time to varying levels of success。 Confessions of a French Atheist by Guillaume Bignon is the latest， with the primary hook being Bignon’s French background and Christian by philosophers and theologians outside the American milieu。 As such， Bignon offers a sometimes compelling， sometimes dry spiritual memoir that does sufficiently the job it sets out to do。I Ever since Lee Strobel’s now-classic The Case for Christ， the atheist-turned-Christian apologetics-themed memoir has popped up from time to time to varying levels of success。 Confessions of a French Atheist by Guillaume Bignon is the latest， with the primary hook being Bignon’s French background and Christian by philosophers and theologians outside the American milieu。 As such， Bignon offers a sometimes compelling， sometimes dry spiritual memoir that does sufficiently the job it sets out to do。It's difficult to critique memoir because you are talking about the content of someone’s life， usually a subsection of their life which holds great meaning or value to them。 Far be it from me to criticize anyone’s story; however， it is also true that not all stories need be told via a published memoir。 The question that must be answer is “Is this story valuable to enough strangers to be published。” It’s not whether the story has value。 It does。 It’s whether that story’s value can be transposed into a larger context。This is where Confessions of a French Atheist fell rather flat for me。 Bignon’s narrative comes across as stilted and detached from the story he is telling。 Maybe it is because Bignon’s first language is not English， maybe it is because his style and tone are more suited to academia， but he often comes across as a third-person narrator to his own story。 I always felt like there was an intellectual distance between me and the story。This feeling was exacerbated by the way in which Bignon interwove the thread of apologetics。 The book’s strength was its use of thinkers and writers less-quoted in American evangelical apologetics; however， the way in which Bignon inserted his didactic material further drew me away from the personalness of the story。 I was reading half a stilted memoir and half a decent book on apologetics。It's not that Confessions of French Atheist is bad， but simply that it doesn’t break any new ground or offer a compelling reason to retread the old ground。 As a story of conversion， it deserves to be celebrated。 As a memoir， it’s only mildly interesting。 As apologetics， it doesn’t say much new or appeal to a wide enough audience。 I think Bignon would have done better （though perhaps sold fewer books） had he gone all out with the intellectual memoir and not attempted to write it for the popular level。 As is， the bar set by guys like Lee Strobel （who wrote the foreword to the book） and J。 Warner Wallace just isn’t matched here by Guillaume Bignon and Confessions of a French Atheist。 。。。more
Cams
，
J'ai besoin d'y réfléchir à nouveau mais si je fais une critique très rapide， j'ai tout simplement adoré ！ J'ai besoin d'y réfléchir à nouveau mais si je fais une critique très rapide， j'ai tout simplement adoré ！ 。。。more
Lynne Modranski
，
I love Christian apologetics。 I wish I was better at it， but when I need help， I turn to Lee Strobel's A Case for Christ or Tim LaHaye's Jesus: Why the World is Still Fascinated with Him。 I now have a third reference， Guillaume Bignon's Confessions of a French Atheist。Mr。 Bignon weaves his story into his apologetics so seamlessly， you aren't even aware it is apologetics until you're two-thirds through the book。 He wasn't an athiest on a whim or because he didn't like God， Guillaume obviously spe I love Christian apologetics。 I wish I was better at it， but when I need help， I turn to Lee Strobel's A Case for Christ or Tim LaHaye's Jesus: Why the World is Still Fascinated with Him。 I now have a third reference， Guillaume Bignon's Confessions of a French Atheist。Mr。 Bignon weaves his story into his apologetics so seamlessly， you aren't even aware it is apologetics until you're two-thirds through the book。 He wasn't an athiest on a whim or because he didn't like God， Guillaume obviously spent a good deal of time developing his anti-diety beliefs。 I love his honesty in sharing his life and the lengths he went to ensure he didn't give up or adhere to any beliefs to please others or fill his own agenda。 I believe this is a must read for those who want a balanced view of atheism and Christianity as well as someone who thinks they might want to be an apologist。 。。。more
Sylvain
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Très bonne réflexion concernant la pensée d'un athée dans une réflexion sur le christianisme le menant à la repentance。 Très bonne réflexion concernant la pensée d'un athée dans une réflexion sur le christianisme le menant à la repentance。 。。。more
Etienne OMNES
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Ce livre est quelque chose d'unique dans la littérature chrétienne francophone: un témoignage （grand classique） et un livre d'apologétique à la fois。Je connaissais et suivais déjà Guillaume Bignon avant même qu'il ne commence à l'écrire et je connaissais ses aptitudes de philosophe， mais pas encore celles d'écrivain。 L'idée me semblait bonne mais sa réalisation promettait d'être acrobatique， car il n'est pas simple de mélanger l'autobiographie et l'essai apologétique。 Mon verdict final est qu'il Ce livre est quelque chose d'unique dans la littérature chrétienne francophone: un témoignage （grand classique） et un livre d'apologétique à la fois。Je connaissais et suivais déjà Guillaume Bignon avant même qu'il ne commence à l'écrire et je connaissais ses aptitudes de philosophe， mais pas encore celles d'écrivain。 L'idée me semblait bonne mais sa réalisation promettait d'être acrobatique， car il n'est pas simple de mélanger l'autobiographie et l'essai apologétique。 Mon verdict final est qu'il a très bien réussi cette synthèse。Pour ce qui est du témoignage， je l'ai trouvé bien écrit， et intéressant parce que pour une fois nous n'avons pas une histoire à base de drogue/prison/tentative de suicide à partir duquel Jésus est venu sauver la personne。 Guillaume Bignon avait une vie remplie de succès， il en était globalement satisfait et s'il a connu des souffrances， son genre de crise existentielle est atypique。 Rien que pour cela， le témoignage vaut la peine d'être lu， même s'il est moins spectaculaire que d'autres。 Il montre bien que Jésus n'est pas que pour les taulards， mais aussi pour les bourgeois。 Pour ce qui est de l'apologétique （car oui， ce livre est avant tout de l'apologétique）， c'est réussi aussi: les arguments sont bien décrits et surtout très accessibles。 Je remarque par ailleurs， que Guillaume Bignon a volontairement adapté le niveau de ses arguments à un lecteur novice en apologétique ou un athée disposé à l'écouter: les objections qu'il réfute sont les plus courantes， les arguments qu'il présente sont les plus répandus。 C'est une très bonne chose， même si cela signifie qu'il n'y a rien de nouveau pour le lecteur chevronné en apologétique （pourquoi faire en même temps？） L'ordre et la présentation des arguments est bien réalisé， bref un exploit pédagogique。Pour le lecteur chevronné en apologétique， il n'y aura rien de bien nouveau， en revanche c'est une excellente référence pour toute personne nouvelle en apologétique， ou pour un athée disposé à lire une défense chrétienne。 Le format témoignage fait que c'est accessible au plus grand nombre， tout en gardant une rigueur logique et philosophique qui garantit le sérieux et la clarté de la démarche apologétique。 A recommander pour les bonnes personnes。 。。。more
Pierre
，
Très bon livre ！ Ce livre est la preuve qu'un livre peut être à la fois agréable à lire et à la fois riche en enseignements。 À partager avec nos amis chrétient ou non。 Très bon livre ！ Ce livre est la preuve qu'un livre peut être à la fois agréable à lire et à la fois riche en enseignements。 À partager avec nos amis chrétient ou non。 。。。more
Jo Ksly
，
Un livre qui se lit très facilement。 Guillaume mêle témoignage personnel tout en passant en revue la plupart des questions apologétiques。 J'ai particulièrement aimé la façon dont l'auteur documente son récit par les principaux auteurs athées et interagît avec leurs arguments。Les exemples sont pertinents et les arguments apologétiques présentés simplement。 Un livre à conseiller pour les chrétiens dont la foi est remise en question， mais aussi à toute personne se questionnant sur la pertinence et Un livre qui se lit très facilement。 Guillaume mêle témoignage personnel tout en passant en revue la plupart des questions apologétiques。 J'ai particulièrement aimé la façon dont l'auteur documente son récit par les principaux auteurs athées et interagît avec leurs arguments。Les exemples sont pertinents et les arguments apologétiques présentés simplement。 Un livre à conseiller pour les chrétiens dont la foi est remise en question， mais aussi à toute personne se questionnant sur la pertinence et la véracité du christianisme。 。。。more
Laurent Dv
，
Excellent livre où Guillaume， un ancien athée raconte son parcours de conversion vers le christianisme。 On y trouve principalement deux choses， une biographie （honnête avec des anecdotes marquantes et marrantes parfois） et un plaidoyer pour la foi chrétienne qui comporte réponses aux objections et attaque de la vision du monde occidentale classique， athée et matérialiste。La biographie est très bien écrite， on se plonge profondément dans la vie de l'homme en question。 Les périodes sont bien chois Excellent livre où Guillaume， un ancien athée raconte son parcours de conversion vers le christianisme。 On y trouve principalement deux choses， une biographie （honnête avec des anecdotes marquantes et marrantes parfois） et un plaidoyer pour la foi chrétienne qui comporte réponses aux objections et attaque de la vision du monde occidentale classique， athée et matérialiste。La biographie est très bien écrite， on se plonge profondément dans la vie de l'homme en question。 Les périodes sont bien choisies。 Pour ce qui est du contenu rhétorique， on trouve ce qui relève d'une très haute précision。 Guillaume soulève des problématiques clés actuelles （la science， les miracles， la foi et la superstition， la fiabilité de la Bible， l'existence de Dieu， le bien et le mal， la résurrection de Jésus）， montre comment l'athéisme matérialiste peine à les résoudre et comment seul le christianisme propose une réponse pertinente， à la fois en théorie et en pratique。 Et tout cela bien expliqué par l'auteur ！On retrouve du contenu philosophique de première qualité comme l'on rencontre par exemple les arguments de William Lane Craig， d'Alvin Plantinga， de Josh McDowell et une interaction constante avec des auteurs sceptiques actuels （Michel Onfray， André-Comte Sponville， Richard Dawkins） et d'autres moins actuels （le baron d'Holbach）。Donc à lire et à partager avec tous ！ 。。。more
Benjamin
，