Full Description
Everyone believes something. But how and why do people believe? What counts as evidence? How much can be assumed or believed by faith alone?
When it comes to religious faith, the questions become at once more difficult and more important. Over the centuries, Christians have offered different approaches to explaining or defending the Christian faith, a discipline known as apologetics. But it has not always been clear how different apologetic methods work, or what each approach has to offer.
In this comprehensive survey, Brian Morley provides an overview of Christian apologetic approaches and how they differ. He explores the historical and philosophical underpinnings of key figures and major schools of thought, from the presuppositionalism of Cornelius Van Til to the evidentialism of Gary Habermas. Moving beyond theory, Morley also covers apologetic application, demonstrating how each view works out in practical terms.
This guide covers the complexities of apologetics in a way that is accessible to the nonspecialist. Even-handed and respectful of each apologist and their contribution, this book provides the reader with a formidable array of defenses for the faith.
Contents
Introduction
Chart
Part I: Foundational Issues
1. Apologetics in the Bible
2. Apologetics in History: A Survey
Part II: Apologetic Methodologies
Presuppositionalism
3. Cornelius Van Til: Christianity Is an Intellectual Commitment We Cannot Do Without
4. John Frame: We See Ultimate Truth from More Than One Perspective
Reformed Epistemology
5. Alvin Plantinga: Belief in God Is an Immediate Awareness, and Belief in Christianity Is a Gift of God
Combinationalism
6. E. J. Carnell, Gordon Lewis and Francis Schaeffer: Christianity Is Logical, Factual and Viable
Classical Apologetics
7. Introduction to Classical Apologetics
8. Richard Swinburne: Theism and Christianity Are Highly Probable
9. William Lane Craig: God Is Proved by Theistic Arguments, and Christianity by Evidences
10. Norman Geisler: Theism Is Proved by What Is Undeniable, and Christianity Is Known from Evidences
Evidentialism
11. John Warwick Montgomery
12. Gary Habermas
Conclusion
Author Index
Subject Index
Scripture Index
