Meet Stephen: the 17-Year-Old Who Wrote a Book About Christianity

When Stephen Sureshkanna says he’s 17 and has “just recently finished high school,” the obvious next line isn’t, “And you’ve written a book?”

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Yet that’s exactly what happened.

“I spent three months walking around and asking people questions, preparing for it and three months of actual writing,” he explains. A 150-page book in Year 12? “I had some [challenges], but I think it was worth it.”

Stephen says the spark was everyday conversations with friends. “There’s a lot of non-Christian friends that I have and they would ask me questions about my faith.” He wanted to answer in a way that was both thoughtful and warm: “I wanted to… blend reason and the emotional aspect of our faith and the heart of God for people.” His aim is simple and stretching: “Christianity… is really accessible… but it’s also very deep… very defensible.”

“I wanted to… blend reason and the emotional aspect of our faith and the heart of God for people,” Stephen said of his book.

The big questions teens (and adults) ask

Across his surveys and chats, two themes kept coming up: “other religions and the problem of evil. That came up like seven or eight times.” So, he set out to present “the Christian explanation.” On suffering, Stephen writes and believes that Christianity uniquely brings hope: “Yes, there’s evil in this world… but… it provides hope to the suffering person… that in the end, every sorrow will be like dust in the wind… every tear will be wiped from every eye because Jesus Christ will come again.”

Is his work grounded in Scripture? “I should like to think that it’s anchored in the Bible… the first place that I go to.” When asked, “How can we trust the Bible in 2025?” Stephen calls Scripture “a moral authority that’s unchanging,” noting it has always challenged its times: “The Bible certainly didn’t fit into the cultural context of Rome either… it challenged slavery… The Bible will never remain consistent with society… The Bible is a moral anchor.”

Stephen says Scripture is “a moral authority that’s unchanging,” noting it has always challenged its times.

When a question stumped him

Not every question was straightforward. One friend asked, “Is Christianity [a] cult?” Stephen admits, “I’ve never heard that before… I’ve got to do research… without being offensive.” Wrestling with the questions in an honest way mattered to him: “It has certainly strengthened [my faith]… we have a God who’s willing to answer our questions… He says to us, I want to help you… It’s okay to have questions.”

Although he’s 17, Stephen isn’t aiming only at his peers. “I think it’s for everyone who’s seeking Christianity… and for Christians as well, to equip them to minister and evangelise to their friends.” And if people dismiss him because of his age? “Even if everyone laughs at me… if even one person gets saved, if even one person gets brought an inch closer to Christ, then… it’s all worth it.”

Listen to the full conversation in the player above.

A unique voice from an Australian classroom

What sets his work apart in a crowded field? “I can provide a unique perspective.” He links that to where he’s grown up and who he’s walked with: “I’ve been blessed enough to have non-Christian friends… to go to a Catholic school… and obviously I’m younger than the average author… I hope that people would be more receptive because of that.”

Stephen’s next steps flow from the same heart. He loves writing, but he’s also thinking about service: “We need a Christian voice in Parliament… fighting for truth and… the Christian values… I care about my country.” Above all, he wants people to know questions are welcomed by God: “He doesn’t say to us, why do you have questions?… He says… I want to strengthen your faith.”

Listen to the full conversation in the player above.

This article was prepared with AI assistance and carefully reviewed by our Digital team.

Feature image: CanvaPro