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Faith Has Its Reasons
paperback
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- Length: 658 pages
- Published: March 01, 2006
- Imprint: IVP
- Item Code: 5648
- ISBN: 9780830856480
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Ever since the apostle Paul addressed the Stoic and Epicurean philosophers in Athens, relating the Christian worldview to a non-Christian world has been a challenge. And despite Peter's charge to be ready to make a defense to everyone who asks you to give an account for the hope that is in you (1 Peter 3:15), most Christian laypeople have left apologetics—the defense of the faith—to the ecclesiastical pros.
Faith Has Its Reasons is a study of four different models of how apologetics should be done, an assessment of their strengths and weaknesses, and a proposal for integrating the best insights of each. Kenneth Boa and Robert Bowman have assembled a wealth of information about what Christians believe and how to present that faith to an unbelieving world. Remarkable both in its depth of content and ease of accessibility, Faith Has Its Reasons gives Christian laypeople the tools to address such critical questions as:
- Why is belief in God rational despite the prevalence of evil in the world?
- What facts support the church's testimony that Jesus rose from the dead?
- Can we be certain Christianity is true?
- How can our faith in Christ be based on something more secure than our own understanding without descending into an irrational emotionalism?
"Applying the principle of 'unity in diversity' to apologetic systems, this book integrates the best insights of each approach. In challenging readers to maximize the stunning reasons for faith in concert with the magnetic power of transformed hearts, Faith Has Its Reasons charts the right course for the future of apologetics."
"Ken Boa is one of the most gifted writers and scholars in the Christain world. This is a brilliantly done apologetics reference. The title tells it all--our faith is not an unreasonable faith."
"I know of no better analysis of Christian apologetic systems than Faith Has Its Reasons. It is comprehensive and rigorous, yet eminently readable. However, the book's greatest virtue is its ability to locate the importance of apologetics in the life of the church as well as in the personal faith of the individual believer."
"An excellent, thorough survey of apologetic approaches."
CONTENTS
Preface
Part One: What Is Apologetics?
1 Defining Apologetics
2 A Brief History of Apologetics
3 Issues and Methods In Apologetics
Part Two: Classical Apologetics: It Stands To Reason
4 Apologists Who Emphasize Reason
5 Classical Apologetics: A Reasonable Faith
6 The Rationality of the Christian Worldview
7 Apologetics and the Limits of Reason
Part Three: Evidentialist Apologetics: Just the Facts
8 Apologists Who Emphasize Fact
9 Evidentialist Apologetics: Faith Founded On Fact
10 Presenting Evidence That Demands A Verdict
11 Apologetics and the Interpretation of Fact
Part Four: Reformed Apologetics: God Said It
12 Apologists Who Emphasize Revelation
13 Reformed Apologetics: Christianity in Conflict
14 Taking Every Thought Captive
15 Apologetics and the Authority of Revelation
Part Five: Fideist Apologetics: By Faith Alone
16 Apologists Who Emphasize Faith
17 Fideist Apologetics: Reasons of the Heart
18 Calling People to Encounter God In Jesus Christ
19 Apologetics and the Subjectivity of Faith
Part Six: Integrative Approaches to Apologetics
20 Apologists Who Favor Integration
21 Contending For the Faith: Apologetics and Human Knowledge
22 Reasons for Hope: Integrating Diverse Arguments in Apologetics
23 Speaking the Truth in Love: Perspectives on Apologetics
Afterword
Appendix: Categorizing Apologetic Methods
Bibliography
Notes
List of Tables and Charts
Name Index
Subject Index
Scripture Index
