This updated edition by one of the world's leading apologists presents a systematic, positive case for Christianity that reflects the latest work in the contemporary hard sciences and humanities. Brilliant and accessible.
Followers of Jesus need not fear hard questions or objections against Christian belief. In A Reasonable Response, renowned Christian philosopher and apologist William Lane Craig offers dozens of examples of how some of the most common challenges to Christian thought can be addressed, including: Why does God allow evil? How can I be sure God exists? Why should I believe that the Bible is trustworthy? How does modern science relate to the Christian worldview? What evidence do we have that Jesus rose from the dead? Utilizing real questions submitted to his popular website ReasonableFaith.org, Dr. Craig models well-reasoned, skillful, and biblically informed interaction with his inquirers. A Reasonable Response goes beyond merely talking about apologetics; it shows it in action. With cowriter Joseph E. Gorra, this book also offers advice about envisioning and practicing the ministry of answering people’s questions through the local church, workplace, and in online environments. Whether you're struggling to respond to tough objections or looking for answers to your own intellectual questions, A Reasonable Response will equip you with sound reasoning and biblical truth.
The Christian must have an intellectual handle on everything that comes up against the Christian faith in order to glorify Jesus Christ as a faithful witness to the truth. The Christian must be able, as St. Peter exhorts, to give an answer for the faith which lies within him. That means he must be aware of arguments against the Christian faith (to some extent), and have some knowledge on everything that comes against Christian truth. So, how ready are you? The goal of this apologetical work by Henry Hammond is very simple. It was written to show the rationality of the Christian religion against the accusations that Christianity is irrational. Atheists in every age believe that Christianity is irrational, and that Christians just believe things on blind faith. To the atheist, blind faith believes in fairy tales for the sake of believing in fairy tales. Here is where Hammond’s arguments are astoundingly helpful, and will allow the Christian to arm themselves with some of the best Biblical material in print to overthrow atheism. This is not a scan or facsimile, has been updated in modern English for easy reading and has an active table of contents for electronic versions.
"Gregg's book is the closet thing I've encountered in a long time to a one-volume user's manual for operating Western Civilization." —The Stream "Reason, Faith, and the Struggle for Western Civilization offers a concise intellectual history of the West through the prism of the relationship between faith and reason." —Free Beacon The genius of Western civilization is its unique synthesis of reason and faith. But today that synthesis is under attack—from the East by radical Islam (faith without reason) and from within the West itself by aggressive secularism (reason without faith). The stakes are incalculably high. The naïve and increasingly common assumption that reason and faith are incompatible is simply at odds with the facts of history. The revelation in the Hebrew Scriptures of a reasonable Creator imbued Judaism and Christianity with a conviction that the world is intelligible, leading to the flowering of reason and the invention of science in the West. It was no accident that the Enlightenment took place in the culture formed by the Jewish and Christian faiths. We can all see that faith without reason is benighted at best, fanatical and violent at worst. But too many forget that reason, stripped of faith, is subject to its own pathologies. A supposedly autonomous reason easily sinks into fanaticism, stifling dissent as bigoted and irrational and devouring the humane civilization fostered by the integration of reason and faith. The blood-soaked history of the twentieth century attests to the totalitarian forces unleashed by corrupted reason. But Samuel Gregg does more than lament the intellectual and spiritual ruin caused by the divorce of reason and faith. He shows that each of these foundational principles corrects the other’s excesses and enhances our comprehension of the truth in a continuous renewal of civilization. By recovering this balance, we can avoid a suicidal winner-take-all conflict between reason and faith and a future that will respect neither.
The book consists primarily of interviews between Strobel (a former legal editor at the Chicago Tribune) and biblical scholars such as Bruce Metzger. Each interview is based on a simple question, concerning historical evidence (for example, "Can the Biographies of Jesus Be Trusted?"), scientific evidence, ("Does Archaeology Confirm or Contradict Jesus' Biographies?"), and "psychiatric evidence" ("Was Jesus Crazy When He Claimed to Be the Son of God?"). Together, these interviews compose a case brief defending Jesus' divinity, and urging readers to reach a verdict of their own.
In this awaited follow up to his book Faithful Reason, the well-known philosopher and Catholic thinker John Haldane brings his unrivalled insight to bear on questions of the existence of God and the nature and destiny of the human soul. His arguments weave elements drawn from philosophy of mind, epistemology and aesthetics, together with recurrent features of human experience to create a structure that simultaneously frames and supports ideas such as that the cosmos is a creation, human beings transcend their material composition, and that human fulfilment lies beyond death. As in many of his other writings this volume blends themes from Aquinas with insights drawn from analytical philosophy and further establishes John Haldane as the leading 'analytical thomist'.
The question of whether faith in God is reasonable is of renewed interest in today’s academy. In light of this interest, as well as the rise of militant religion and terrorism and the emergent reaction by neo-atheism, this volume considers this important question from the views of contemporary scientists, philosophers, and in a more novel fashion, of rhetoricians. It is comprised of a public debate between William Lane Craig, supporting the position that faith in God is reasonable and Alex Rosenberg, arguing against that position. Scholars in the aforementioned fields then respond to the debate, representing both theistic and atheistic positions. The book concludes with rejoinders from Craig and Rosenberg.
Passionate and compelling, Greg Sheridan, bestselling author of God is Good For You, examines the role of Christianity in our modern world. 'Vividly written, compellingly argued, [Christians] will captivate believers and non-believers alike ... Jesus jumps from the pages of this book.' Richard Glover, ABC broadcaster 'You feel like you have met Jesus. I wholeheartedly endorse this book as a must read.' Russell Evans, Senior Pastor, Planetshakers International Church 'Greg Sheridan cuts through the thicket of scholars and skeptics to reclaim the New Testament and return us to the Word, as it was in the beginning.' Chris Uhlmann, political editor and columnist 'I love reading what Greg Sheridan has to say about faith. He is consistently interesting and challenging.' Nicky Gumbel, pioneer of the Alpha course on Christianity From the historical Jesus and his disciples through to the present day, Greg Sheridan has written an impassioned, informed and utterly compelling case for the truth and importance of Christianity in our lives. He presents a strong argument for the historical reliability of the New Testament, meets the living Jesus there, explores the extraordinary personality of Paul, celebrates Mary's activism and examines the magnificent richness of John. Filled with insights, intelligence, warmth and humour, Greg also introduces us to a range of fascinating Christians today, among them political leaders, and young activists offering the radical Christian interpretation of love to their generation. His book explores the journey of those who have been guided by faith, such as Gemma Sisia, whose school in Tanzania has transformed the lives of thousands of children, and the dynamic Chinese Christians pursuing their beliefs under harsh restrictions. He examines where Jesus can be found in popular culture and talks to Christian leaders - Pentecostal, Catholic, Evangelical and others - in Australia, the US and Britain. At a time when the chasm of understanding between secularism and faith has never seemed wider, Christians is timely, relevant and convincing. 'At the heart of the Christian story is the truth about the life of Jesus ... Greg Sheridan's book is a good read about Good News.' Peter Comensoli, Catholic Archbishop of Melbourne 'If there is ever going to be a Renaissance of Christian belief to save us from the dreariness of much secular humanism, it will come from a book like Christians. I will be buying it and giving it away to believers and sceptics alike.' John Dickson, author and historian