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Writing on Behalf of Belief or Making the Case for Faith
William Lane Craig (Crossway Books; 3 edition : June 30, 2008), 416pp.
An especially glowing review: “The third edition of William Lane Craig’s Reasonable Faith is simply a masterpiece. It combines clarity and applicability without sacrificing depth. Each chapter has three major parts. First, the topic is introduced with an extensive discussion of the historical development of the arguments and objections to the arguments. Second, Bill leads the reader into the depths of the most contemporary discussion. He treats the leading versions of the arguments for Christianity as well as the best of the objections. He has taken great care to achieve a thoroughness that is rarely found in apologetics texts.” ~ Gregory E Ganssle, Lecturer, Department of Philosophy, Yale University, Rivendell Institute
Pledger Family Chair of Philosophy and Ethics at Palm Beach Atlantic University
Paul Copan is Pledger Family Chair of Philosophy and Ethics at Palm Beach Atlantic University in West Palm Beach, Florida. He has authored and edited a variety of books including Loving Wisdom: Christian Philosophy of Religion (2007), The Rationality of Theism (with Paul Moser, 2003), and Creation out of Nothing (with William Lane Craig, 2004).
Norman Geisler & Thomas Howe (Baker Books : June 1, 2008), 624 pages.
Your most difficult Bible questions — answered. The Bible is full of difficult passages that are hard for believers to understand, let alone those who doubt Scripture. Where can you turn for solid answers on the thorny and complex parts of God's Word? This comprehensive volume offers clear and concise answers to every major Bible difficulty from Genesis to Revelation, staunchly defending the authority and inspiration of Scripture. Written in a problem/solution format, the book covers over eight hundred questions that critics and doubters raise about the Bible. Three extensive indexes — topical, Scripture, and unorthodox doctrines — offer quick and easy access to the answers you need. Multipurpose in scope and user-friendly in format, The Big Book of Bible Difficulties offers the resources of five books in one: a critical commentary on the whole Bible, » an apologetics text, a Bible difficulties reference, a theology manual treating important doctrines, » and a handbook on verses misused by cults. Norman L. Geisler is cofounder and former dean of Southern Evangelical Seminary. He is the author of more than seventy books, including the Baker Encyclopedia of Christian Apologetics. Thomas Howe is professor of Bible and biblical languages and director of apologetics at the Southern Evangelical Seminary and Bible College. ~ from the Back Cover
Timothy Keller (Dutton: Feb 14, 2008), 293 pages.
In this apologia for Christian faith, Keller mines material from
literary classics, philosophy, anthropology and a multitude of other
disciplines to make an intellectually compelling case for God. Written
for skeptics and the believers who love them, the book draws on the
author's encounters as founding pastor of New York's booming Redeemer
Presbyterian Church. One of Keller's most provocative arguments is that
all doubts, however skeptical and cynical they may seem, are really a
set of alternate beliefs. Drawing on sources as diverse as 19th-century
author Robert Louis Stevenson and contemporary New Testament theologian
N.T. Wright, Keller attempts to deconstruct everyone he finds in his
way, from the evolutionary psychologist Richard Dawkins to popular
author Dan Brown. The first, shorter part of the book looks at popular
arguments against God's existence, while the second builds on general
arguments for God to culminate in a sharp focus on the redemptive work
of God in Christ. Keller's condensed summaries of arguments for and
against theism make the scope of the book overwhelming at times.
Nonetheless, it should serve both as testimony to the author's
encyclopedic learning and as a compelling overview of the current
debate on faith for those who doubt and for those who want to
re-evaluate what they believe, and why. ~ Publishers Weekly
J.P. Moreland and Tim Muehlhoff (IVP Books: Nov 30, 2007), 158 pages.
In The God Conversation veteran apologists and communicators J.P. Moreland and Tim Muehlhoff say that often the best way to win over others is with a good story. Stories have the ability to get behind our preconceptions and defenses. They can connect both emotionally and intellectually, appealing to the whole person rather than just to the mind. The authors offer a wealth of penetrating illustrations, examples and quotes that respond to these issues and more. In these pages they enhance the logic and evidence found in other books defending the faith, with things your friends, relatives or coworkers will ponder long after a conversation is over. "This book is a well crafted intro into many of the most famous arguments for the existence of God, and other pressing problems that confound Christians in all ages. It's divided into Seven Section over 11 chapters and an afterthougt. What seperates this book from many other apologetics works is it's heavy reliance upon illustration. In dealing with ehtics it has a sidebar on the movie Munich and how it might be used as an illustration on dealing with that we intuitively know that somethings are morally wrong, etc... The use of a vertical line next to the illustrations makes them easy to find. The book covers The Problem of Evil, Pluralism, The Ressurection, Ethics and Moral Relativism, and the Design Argument, as well as an exceptional 2 pg afterword about listening before you speak with all your new found knowledge." ~ D. Westfall
Gregory A. Boyd, Edward K. Boyd (FaithWorks: March 25, 2004), 192 pages.
Edward Boyd's agnosticism rested "not ... too much on any positive position ... but rather on a host of negative ones" about Christianity. In an attempt to address these negative issues, his son Greg, a professor of theology, asked his father, a strong-willed, highly intelligent, and stubborn 70-year-old, to enter into a correspondence in which "all of their cards would be laid on the table." Greg would give his father the opportunity to raise all his objections to the veracity of Christianity, and Greg would "answer these objections as well as give positive grounds for holding to the Christian faith." Three years and more than 30 letters later, Letters from a Skeptic was published and Edward Boyd came to accept Christ. During his journey, he and his son hash through such topics as why the world is so full of suffering; why an all-powerful God needs prayer; how you can believe in someone who rose from the dead; and how another man's death can pardon others. Despite their brutal honesty, both men exhibit respect and love toward one another as they address these volatile subjects.
Lee Strobel (Zondervan: Feb 2004)
Strobel, a former journalist for the Chicago Tribune, affirms that Christ really did die on the cross, and not just faint from exhaustion; that he experienced a bodily, and not just a spiritual, resurrection; and that he was seen alive after his death. In journalistic style, he interviews several experts like Gary Habermas, corrects inaccuracies (the nails would have been driven through Jesus' wrists, we learn, and not his palms) and tells stories. But at its heart, this is an editorial rather than a journalistic account, as Strobel most definitely has an opinion and wants readers to share his own pilgrimage from doubt to rock-solid faith. ~ Publishers Weekly
Paul Copan (Baker Books: Nov 1, 2001)
This book provides incisive answers to slogans related to truth and reality; theism, pantheism/Eastern religion, and naturalism; and doctrinal issues such as the incarnation and truth of Scripture. Each of the twenty-two chapters provides succinct answers and summary points for countering the arguments. Copan's book is accessible for all who want to consider the plausibility of Christianity in the marketplace of ideas. It also includes helpful summary sections, additional resources, and additional documentation in the endnotes for review and discussion.
CS Lewis (Harper SanFrancisco: Feb 2001)
"The central miracle asserted by Christians is the Incarnation. They say that God became Man. Every other miracle prepares the way for this, or results from this." This is the key statement of Miracles, in which C. S. Lewis shows that a Christian must not only accept but rejoice in miracles as a testimony of the unique personal involvement of God in his creation. Using his characteristic lucidity and wit to develop his argument, Lewis challenges the rationalists, agnostics, and deists on their own grounds and makes out an impressive case for the irrationality of their assumptions.
Lee Strobel (Zondervan: Oct 1, 2000)
1 If there's a loving God, why does this pain-wracked world groan under so much suffering and evil? 2) If the miracles of God contradict science, then how can any rational person believe that they're true? 3) If God is morally pure, how can he sanction the slaughter of innocent children as the Old Testament says he did? 4) If God cares about the people he created, how could he consign so many of them to an eternity of torture in hell just because they didn't believe the right things about him? 5) If Jesus is the only way to heaven, then what about the millions of people who have never heard of him? 6) If God really created the universe, why does the evidence of science compel so many to conclude that the unguided process of evolution accounts for life? 7) If God is the ultimate overseer of the church, why has it been rife with hypocrisy and brutality throughout the ages? 8) If I'm still plagued by doubts, then is it still possible to be a Christian? These are mighty tough questions, and Strobel fields them well. ~ Gail Hudson
