In this fifth book of the logos apologetics series, we will examine practical insights for continuous development of the apologist’s ministry. In addition, we will revisit the foundational creeds which should fortify the apologist’s ministry. We will also explore modern considerations for engaging in apologetic ministry presently.
Making the case for the Christian faith—apologetics—has always been part of the Church's mission. Yet Christians sometimes have had different approaches to defending the faith, responding to the needs of their respective times and framing their arguments to address the particular issues of their day. Cardinal Avery Dulles's A History of Apologetics provides a masterful overview of Christian apologetics, from its beginning in the New Testament through the Middle Ages and on to the present resurgence of apologetics among Catholics and Protestants. Dulles shows how Christian apologists have at times both criticized and drawn from their intellectual surroundings to present the reasonableness of Christian belief. Written by one of Catholicism's leading American theologians, A History of Apologetics also examines apologetics in the 20th and early 21st centuries including its decline among Catholics following Vatican II and its recent revival, as well as the contributions of contemporary Evangelical Protestant apologists. Dulles also considers the growing Catholic-Protestant convergence in apologetics. No student of apologetics and contemporary theology should be without this superb and masterful work.
ECPA Christian Book Award 2021 Finalist: Biography & Memoir Explore Apologetics through the Lives of History's Great Apologists The History of Apologetics follows the great apologists in the history of the church to understand how they approached the task of apologetics in their own cultural and theological context. Each chapter looks at the life of a well-known apologist from history, unpacks their methodology, and details how they approached the task of defending the faith. By better understanding how apologetics has been done, readers will be better able to grasp the contextualized nature of apologetics and apply those insights to today's context. The History of Apologetics covers forty-four apologists including: Part One: Patristic Apologists Part Two: Medieval Apologists Part Three: Early Modern Apologists Part Four: 19th C. Apologists Part Five: 20th C. American Apologists Part Six: 20th C. European Apologists Part Seven: Contemporary Apologists
In this second book of the logos apologetics series, we will examine the institution of apologetics in New Testament Christianity. We will investigate the biblical roots of apologetics beginning with Jesus. Moreover, we will explore how apologetic ministry manifested in the lives of the apostles. It is our prayer that you will appreciate the heritage of apologetics in the New Testament Church.
Amid a revival of apologetics, "few things could be more useful than an acquaintance with how Christian faith was defended down through the ages," say the editors in their introduction to this two-part anthology. "Access to both historical and contemporary texts gives us fresh insight into how our fathers in the faith responded to the questions facing them." Volume 2 in this one-of-a-kind resource takes a sweeping look at apologetics from the Reformation to the present. Readings from twenty-six apologists, including Martin Luther, John Calvin, Blaise Pascal, Jonathan Edwards, Søren Kierkegaard, Francis Schaeffer, Alvin Plantinga, and William Lane Craig are included. With editorial commentary and questions for reflection, Christian Apologetics Past and Present will prove a valuable text for students as well as a unique resource for those interested in defending the faith.
The work of French philosopher Maurice Blondel lies behind most of the controversies in twentieth-century French Catholic thought, and bore its fruit in the Second Vatican Council. Recognized in Europe as one of the outstanding figures in the Catholic revival that began at the turn of the century, Blondel was described by Pope John Paul II as "one of the first to discern what was at stake in the Modernist crisis." Published together here are two of Blondel's most significant texts. The Letter on Apologetics (1896) is a key statement on the possibility and meaning of Christian philosophy. History and Dogma (1904), written in response to the Modernist crisis, is an important contribution to the notion of tradition, seeing it neither in terms of historicism nor as something mechanical, but as a living synthesis. Introductory essays by Alexander Dru and Illtyd Trethowan provide essential historical and biographical background as well as an account of the philosophical and theological principles of Blondel's thought. -- Back cover
Many are expressing concern about the future of Christian youth today. What can we do to help ensure they will keep their evangelical faith once they graduate from high school? Can Christian apologetics provide an educational solution? Developing A Christian Apologetics Educational Program explores issues certain to be encountered by secondary school educators who want to teach apologetics as a distinct subject of study either as a part of a Christian institutional or home school curriculum. This book helps the apologist and educator blend their skills to soundly integrate the two subjects. A solution is sought by providing a background and rational for implementing an age-level appropriate apologetics course at this critical level of Christian education. This book is designed as a text to supplement those used in Christian education or applied apologetics courses; each chapter successively builds upon the other to help develop an educational philosophy that supports the inclusion of apologetics in the curriculum. A model is explained and materials are given to support the development of a curriculum in Christian Apologetics Education at the secondary level. Practical ideas are explored and a sample unit of instruction is supplied to help the educator develop an evangelical approach to education that is in the classical apologetic tradition.
The Historical Development of Legal Apologetics This book will indicate that legal apologetics has a history that is co-extensive with Christianity itself. It is unified by faith and reason and requires a fact-based defense that seeks probable judgment rather than absolute certainty but nevertheless would be conclusive in a court of law. It will provide a comparative examination of the legal model as a form of evidentialism and alternative models or "schools". There are many clear contrasts among apologetic approaches, for example evidentialism is definitely J.W.Montgomery's approach and presuppositionalism is definitely the approach of Cornelius Van Til. However this book is not only about the differences between evidentialism and presuppositionalism since there are other models to consider, each of which adopts a model different from both the evidentialist approach and the presuppositional approach. This work concludes with an assessment of how closely a Montgomery-type legal apologetic accords with the specific needs of the historical era in which it has emerged and ascended from the 1960's to the present. Apologetics is the response to the central claims that the faith faces from inside and outside the Christian religion. The resurrection of Jesus' is assaulted from many quarters. Furthermore large scale secularism and pluralism has resulted with the development of large scale multi-culturism in our society. Legal apologetics focuses squarely on proving the factual reality of Jesus resurrection and is an apologetic which is particularly well suited to our times with its emphasis on factual evidence. BILL BROUGHTON received his B.A. from Concordia University in Montreal Canada, his M.Div. from McMaster Divinity College in Hamilton, Ontario, Canada, and his D.Min from Trinity Seminary in Newburgh, Indiana. He is a retired pastor in the United Church of Canada and lives in Arnstein Ontario with his wife Bonnie.