These two collections contain personal statements of contemporary philosophers' religious beliefs, and the chapters are no less serious than their academic works. Jerry's article expands on these philosophers' rejection of secularize religious systems. Jerry deals with the idea that a theory can be worth believing or disbelieving. Presumably there is a price to be paid for believing an idea or a theology.
Different beliefs demand different costs and yield different benefits.
Jerry insists that not all beliefs are worth the price they exact. He makes the point that to accept a belief one must give up incompatible beliefs. And when it comes to the doctrine of God the costs of accepting or rejecting a belief system are very high indeed. It makes a big difference what sort of God one believes in. He contends that the benefits of secularized religious belief are not great, but neither is the cost.