Mapping Apologetics

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.

IntroductionChartPart I: Foundational Issues1. Apologetics in the Bible2. Apologetics in History: A SurveyPart II: Apologetic MethodologiesPresuppositionalism3. Cornelius Van Til: Christianity Is an Intellectual Commitment We Cannot Do Without4. John Frame: We See Ultimate Truth from More Than One PerspectiveReformed Epistemology5. Alvin Plantinga: Belief in God Is an Immediate Awareness, and Belief in Christianity Is a Gift of GodCombinationalism6. E. J. Carnell, Gordon Lewis and Francis Schaeffer: Christianity Is Logical, Factual and ViableClassical Apologetics7. Introduction to Classical Apologetics8. Richard Swinburne: Theism and Christianity Are Highly Probable9. William Lane Craig: God Is Proved by Theistic Arguments, and Christianity by Evidences10. Norman Geisler: Theism Is Proved by What Is Undeniable, and Christianity Is Known from EvidencesEvidentialism11. John Warwick Montgomery12. Gary HabermasConclusionAuthor IndexSubject IndexScripture Index