In our relativistic society, Christians more than ever are bombarded by tough questions about their faith. Author Paul Copan has observed that many of these questions emerge as "anti-truth claims" that are part of today’s skeptical mind-set. Christians defending their faith often hear slogans and questions such as: It’s all relative; Everything is one with the Divine, all else is illusion; The Gospels contradict each other; Why would a good God create hell? 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 Christians who want to defend 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.

Table of Contents

• • Introduction    9
• Part 1    Challenges Related to Truth and Reality
  • 1    It’s All Relative    25
  • 2    That’s Just Your Interpretation    30
  • 3    That’s Just Your Reality    35
  • 4    Reality Is Shaped by Forces beyond Our Control    41
• Part 2    Challenges Related to Worldviews
  • 5    Everything Is One with the Divine; All Else Is an Illusion    49
  • 6    Why Not Believe in Reincarnation?    60
  • 7    If God Made the Universe, Who Made God?    69
  • 8    If God Knows What We’re Going to Do, Then We Don’t Have Free Will    74
  • 9    If God Predestines Some to Be Saved, What Choice Do I Really Have?    84
  • 10    The Coexistence of God and Evil Is a Logical Contradiction    90
  • 11    Why Would a Good God Send People to Hell?    101
  • 12    Religion Is Nothing More Than the Human Wish for a Father Figure    110
• Part 3    Challenges Related to Christianity
  • 13    How Can God Be Three and One?    121
  • 14    Isn’t the Idea of God Becoming a Man Incoherent?    127
  • 15    If Jesus Is God, How Could He Really Be Tempted?    138
  • 16    The Genesis Creation Account Contradicts Contemporary Science (Part 1)    144
  • 17    The Genesis Creation Account Contradicts Contemporary Science (Part 2)    154
  • 18    How Could a Loving God Command Genocide?    161
  • 19    Doesn’t the Bible Condone Slavery?    171
  • 20    The Gospels Contradict Each Other    179
  • 21    Old Testament "Prophecies" Are Taken out of Context in the New Testament    188
  • Conclusion    197
  • Notes    199