Faith Has Its Reasons: Integrative Approaches to Defending the Christian Faith
658
Faith Has Its Reasons: Integrative Approaches to Defending the Christian Faith
658eBook
Available on Compatible NOOK devices, the free NOOK App and in My Digital Library.
Related collections and offers
Overview
Ever since the apostle Paul addressed the Stoic and Epicurean philosophers in Athens, relating the Christian worldview to a non-Christian world has been a challenge. And despite Peter's charge to be ready to make a defense to everyone who asks you to give an account for the hope that is in you (1 Peter 3:15), most Christian laypeople have left apologetics—the defense of the faith—to the ecclesiastical pros. Faith Has Its Reasons is a study of four different models of how apologetics should be done, an assessment of their strengths and weaknesses, and a proposal for integrating the best insights of each. Kenneth Boa and Robert Bowman have assembled a wealth of information about what Christians believe and how to present that faith to an unbelieving world. Remarkable both in its depth of content and ease of accessibility, Faith Has Its Reasons gives Christian laypeople the tools to address such critical questions as:
- Why is belief in God rational despite the prevalence of evil in the world?
- What facts support the church's testimony that Jesus rose from the dead?
- Can we be certain Christianity is true?
- How can our faith in Christ be based on something more secure than our own understanding without descending into an irrational emotionalism?
Product Details
| ISBN-13: | 9780830858910 |
|---|---|
| Publisher: | IVP |
| Publication date: | 02/05/2012 |
| Sold by: | Bookwire |
| Format: | eBook |
| Pages: | 658 |
| File size: | 2 MB |
About the Author
Robert M. Bowman Jr. (M.A., Fuller Theological Seminary; Ph.D. candidate, South African Theological Seminary) is the director of research for the Institute for Religious Research. His books include Jehovah's Witnesses, The Word-Faith Controversy, Putting Jesus in His Place: The Case for the Deity of Christ (with J. Ed Komoszewski), and Faith Has Its Reasons (with Kenneth D. Boa). Bowman taught apologetics and biblical studies at Luther Rice Seminary for five years.
Kenneth Boa is an author, speaker and the president of Reflections Ministries. He is the author of over fifty books including Conformed to His Image, 20 Compelling Evidences That God Exists, Face to Face and Faith Has Its Reasons. He is a contributing editor to the Open Bible, the Promise Keepers Men's Study Bible and the Leadership Bible, and is the consulting editor of the Zondervan NASB Study Bible. Boa earned a BS from Case Institute of Technology, a ThM from Dallas Theological Seminary, a PhD from New York University and a DPhil from the University of Oxford. Boa teaches a weekly Bible and Faith study at Peachtree Presbyterian Church in Atlanta, Georgia, where he resides with his wife.
Kenneth Boa is the president of Reflections Ministries, Omnibus Media Ministries, and Trinity House Publishers. His many books include Faith Has Its Reasons, Rewriting Your Broken Story, Life in the Presence of God, and Shaped by Suffering. He resides in Atlanta.
Robert M. Bowman Jr. (M.A., Fuller Theological Seminary; Ph.D. candidate, South African Theological Seminary) is the director of research for the Institute for Religious Research. His books include Jehovah's Witnesses, The Word-Faith Controversy, Putting Jesus in His Place: The Case for the Deity of Christ (with J. Ed Komoszewski), and Faith Has Its Reasons (with Kenneth D. Boa). Bowman taught apologetics and biblical studies at Luther Rice Seminary for five years.
Table of Contents
| Preface | 9 | |
| Part 1 | What Is Apologetics? | |
| 1 | Defining Apologetics | 17 |
| From Apologia to Apologetics | ||
| Apologetics and Related Terms | ||
| The Functions of Apologetics | ||
| 2 | A Brief History of Apologetics | 25 |
| Apologetics in the New Testament | ||
| The Early Church Fathers | ||
| The Reformation | ||
| Apologetics Faces Skepticism | ||
| The Rise of Modern Apologetics | ||
| 3 | Issues and Methods in Apologetics | 55 |
| Four Types of Apologetic Systems | ||
| Issues in Apologetics | ||
| Part 2 | Apologetics as Proof | |
| 4 | Apologists Who Emphasize Reason | 71 |
| Historical Roots of Classical Apologetics | ||
| B. B. Warfield | ||
| C. S. Lewis | ||
| Norman L. Geisler | ||
| Peter Kreeft | ||
| William Lane Craig | ||
| 5 | Classical Apologetics: A Reasonable Faith | 91 |
| Rational Tests for Determining Truth | ||
| The Foundation of Theology | ||
| The Constructive Use of Philosophy | ||
| Christianity Consistent with Science | ||
| Revelation Confirmed in History | ||
| Proof from Experience | ||
| 6 | Proving the Christian Worldview | 109 |
| Scripture as Conclusion | ||
| Disproving Other Worldviews | ||
| Proving God's Existence | ||
| The Deductive Problem of Evil | ||
| Miracles as the Credentials of Revelation | ||
| Jesus: The Alternatives | ||
| 7 | Apologetics and the Limits of Reason | 135 |
| The Classical Apologetics Model | ||
| Classical Apologetics Illustrated | ||
| The Strengths of Classical Apologetics | ||
| The Weaknesses of Classical Apologetics | ||
| Part 3 | Apologetics as Defense | |
| 8 | Apologists Who Emphasize Fact | 159 |
| Historical Roots of Evidentialism | ||
| Joseph Butler | ||
| James Orr | ||
| Clark H. Pinnock | ||
| John Warwick Montgomery | ||
| Richard Swinburne | ||
| 9 | Evidentialist Apologetics: Faith Founded on Fact | 177 |
| Methods for Discovering Truth | ||
| The Defense of Theology | ||
| Critical Use of Philosophy | ||
| Christianity Vindicated by Science | ||
| History as the Medium of Revelation | ||
| Experience Founded on Evidence | ||
| 10 | Presenting Evidence That Demands a Verdict | 203 |
| Scripture as Source | ||
| The Uniqueness of Christianity | ||
| The Case for God | ||
| The Inductive Problem of Evil | ||
| Miracles as Evidence for God | ||
| Jesus: The Evidence | ||
| 11 | Apologetics and the Interpretation of Fact | 227 |
| The Evidentialist Model | ||
| Evidentialism Illustrated | ||
| The Strengths of Evidentialist Apologetics | ||
| The Weaknesses of Evidentialist Apologetics | ||
| Part 4 | Apologetics as Offense | |
| 12 | Apologists Who Emphasize Revelation | 249 |
| John Calvin | ||
| Modern Roots of the Reformed Approach | ||
| Herman Dooyeweerd | ||
| Cornelius Van Til | ||
| Gordon H. Clark | ||
| Alvin Plantinga | ||
| 13 | Reformed Apologetics: Christianity in Conflict | 287 |
| Biblical Standard for Defining Truth | ||
| The Vindication of Reformed Theology | ||
| Toward a Christian Philosophy | ||
| Christianity Against False Science | ||
| Revelation as Interpreting History | ||
| The Problem with Experience | ||
| 14 | Taking Every Thought Captive | 315 |
| Scripture as Foundation | ||
| Antithesis Between Christian and Non-Christian Religion | ||
| Belief in God as Basic | ||
| The Theological Problem of Evil | ||
| Miracles as Revealed by God | ||
| Jesus: The Self-Attesting Christ of Scripture | ||
| 15 | Apologetics and the Authority of Revelation | 341 |
| The Reformed Apologetics Model | ||
| Reformed Apologetics Illustrated | ||
| The Strengths of Reformed Apologetics | ||
| The Weaknesses of Reformed Apologetics | ||
| Part 5 | Apologetics as Persuasion | |
| 16 | Apologists Who Emphasize Faith | 363 |
| Historical Roots of Fideism | ||
| Martin Luther | ||
| Blaise Pascal | ||
| Soren Kierkegaard | ||
| Karl Barth | ||
| Donald G. Bloesch | ||
| 17 | Fideist Apologetics: Reasons of The Heart | 393 |
| Divine Call to Obey the Truth | ||
| Making Theology Personal | ||
| Critiquing the God of the Philosophers | ||
| Christianity and the Reality Beyond Science | ||
| Revelation as Transcending History | ||
| Faith Is Experience | ||
| 18 | Calling People to Encounter God in Jesus Christ | 417 |
| Scripture as Witness | ||
| Christian Faith: Not Another Religion | ||
| To Know God Is to Know God Exists | ||
| The Personal Problem of Evil | ||
| Miracles as God Revealing Himself | ||
| Jesus: The Christ of Faith | ||
| 19 | Apologetics and the Subjectivity of Faith | 435 |
| The Fideist Model | ||
| Fideism Illustrated | ||
| The Strengths of Fideism | ||
| The Weaknesses of Fideism | ||
| Part 6 | An Integrative Approach | |
| 20 | Apologists Who Favor Integration | 451 |
| Precursors of Integrative Approaches | ||
| Edward John Carnell | ||
| Francis A. Schaeffer | ||
| David K. Clark | ||
| C. Stephen Evans | ||
| John M. Frame | ||
| 21 | Contending for the Faith: Apologetics and Human Knowledge | 509 |
| Perspectival Approaches to Defending Truth | ||
| Apologetics and Theology | ||
| Apologetics and Philosophy | ||
| Christianity and Science | ||
| Revelation and History | ||
| Apologetics and Experience | ||
| 22 | Reasons for Hope: Integrating Diverse Arguments in Apologetics | 523 |
| Scripture as Truth | ||
| Myth, Truth, and Religion | ||
| God Who Makes Himself Known | ||
| Solutions to the Problems of Evil | ||
| Miracles as Signs | ||
| Jesus: The Answer | ||
| 23 | Speaking the Truth in Love: Perspectives on Apologetics | 535 |
| One Body, Many Gifts: How Apologists Differ | ||
| One World, Many Individuals: How People Differ | ||
| One Process, Many Stages: How Apologetic Needs Differ | ||
| One Faith, Many Questions: How Apologetic Problems Differ | ||
| Metapologetics: Four Approaches | ||
| Apologetics: Four Approaches | ||
| Appendix A | Categorizing Apologetic Methods | 547 |
| Appendix B | Apologetics Web Sites | 553 |
| For Further Study | 555 | |
| List of Tables and Charts | 593 | |
| Name Index | 594 | |
| Subject Index | 599 | |
| Scripture Index | 608 |
What People are Saying About This
"Applying the principle of 'unity in diversity' to apologetic systems, this book integrates the best insights of each approach. In challenging readers to maximize the stunning reasons for faith in concert with the magnetic power of transformed hearts, Faith Has Its Reasons charts the right course for the future of apologetics."
"I know of no better analysis of Christian apologetic systems than Faith Has Its Reasons. It is comprehensive and rigorous, yet eminently readable. However, the book's greatest virtue is its ability to locate the importance of apologetics in the life of the church as well as in the personal faith of the individual believer."
"An excellent, thorough survey of apologetic approaches."
"Ken Boa is one of the most gifted writers and scholars in the Christain world. This is a brilliantly done apologetics reference. The title tells it all—our faith is not an unreasonable faith."