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Christian Apologetics

Because Jesus told us to turn the other cheek and do good to people who treat us badly, many assume Christianity is a passive religion. Even a lot of Christians think this. They try to be tolerant, avoiding hot topics like hell and sin, especially specific sins. The consequent disappearance of conviction and valuable instruction, ironically, becomes in itself offensive; Christianity is reduced to sweet smiles and vapid stares.

Apologetics isn't the art of asking forgiveness. Instead, an apology (from the Greek apologia) of the Christian faith is the exact opposite of saying "I'm sorry." An apology is the active defense of an idea or belief. It is not a simple guard against attack. Paul said, "We destroy arguments and every lofty opinion raised against the knowledge of God, and take every thought captive to obey Christ" (2 Cor. 10:4-5). This is not passive resistance. It is conscious warfare against every philosophy, religion and idea opposed to the revelation of Jesus Christ. Paul didn't wait for attacks on the Gospel to explain his faith in the triune God, he actively tore down opposing arguments with the truth of the Bible.

The Christian philosopher and apologist Gordon Clark identified three main approaches to apologetics. Rationalists, he said, try to prove the existence of God and the truth of Christianity using reason. They formulate elaborate arguments and appeal to the reasonable nature of Biblical truth, trying to convince people to become Christians. Empiricists (evidentialists) try to prove Christianity by accumulating evidence in its favor. Those who use the Turin shroud to prove Jesus' death and burial are empiricists. Presuppositionalists (or dogmatists) make up the third group. They accept the truth of the Bible prior to the apologetic endeavor. The Bible, they say, is its own best defense.

Contrary to a popular stereotype, a dogmatist is not someone whose mind cannot be changed about anything, no matter how unreasonable or false their beliefs may be. Dogmatism (also called presuppositional apologetics) is built on the presupposition that the Bible is the word of God, and that it provides the only viable defense of the Christian faith. Presuppositionalists don't reject reason or evidence, but they don't use either to defend the faith: instead, they presuppose the existence of the triune Christian God and that He has revealed Himself in Scripture, and defend such belief on the authority of the Bible itself.

While material evidence and reason can be useful, they can by no means be the final standards. Humans will always manipulate physical and intellectual arguments to mean whatever they want them to mean. Only the Bible, preserved by the Holy Spirit for God's people, can consistently resist such misuse. Peter says it is the duty of every Christian to be ready to defend the faith (1 Peter 3:15), and we believe the books here and in our worldview section are helpful in preparing such a defense.

Review by C. Hollis Crossman
C. Hollis Crossman used to be a child. Now he's a husband and father who loves church, good food, and weird stuff. He might be a mythical creature, but he's definitely not a centaur. Read more of his reviews here.
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"But Don't All Religions Lead to God?"
by Michael Green
from Baker Books
for 7th-Adult
in Evangelism & Missions (Location: XAP-EVA)
$13.00
Always Ready
by Greg Bahnsen
from Covenant Media Foundation
for 10th-Adult
in Presuppositional Apologetics (Location: XAP-PRE)
$14.95 $10.00 (3 in stock)
Art of Apologetics
by Karen Kovaka
from Institute for Cultural Communicators
for 9th-12th grade
in Speech & Debate (Location: SPEECH)
Battle Belongs to the Lord
by K. Scott Oliphint
from P&R Publishing
for 10th-Adult
in Presuppositional Apologetics (Location: XAP-PRE)
$14.99
Case for Christ
by Lee Strobel
from Zondervan
in Evidential Apologetics (Location: XAP-EVI)
$6.00 (1 in stock)
Christian Apologetics
by Cornelius Van Til
2nd edition from P&R Publishing
in Presuppositional Apologetics (Location: XAP-PRE)
$17.99
Christian Manifesto
by Francis Schaffer
from Crossway Books
for 10th-Adult
in Presuppositional Apologetics (Location: XAP-PRE)
$14.39
Christianity and Liberalism
by J. Gresham Machen
from Eerdmans
Religion/Philosophy for 11th-Adult
in Various Theology (Location: XTH-MISC)
$15.99
Christianity and Liberalism
by J. Gresham Machen
from Canon Press
Religion/Philosophy for 11th-Adult
in Various Theology (Location: XTH-MISC)
$11.95
Christianity on Trial
by Vincent Carroll & David Shiflett
from Encounter Books
for 10th-Adult
in Classical Apologetics (Location: XAP-CLAS)
Common Sense 101
by Dale Ahlquist
from Ignatius Press
for 9th-Adult
in 20th & 21st Century Literature (Location: LIT7-20)
$18.95
Consequences of Ideas
by R. C. Sproul
from Crossway Books
for 11th-Adult
in Worldview Resources (Location: XWV-RES)
$15.99
Cornelius Van Til
by John Frame
from P&R Publishing
for 11th-Adult
in Reformed Theology (Location: XTH-REF)
$16.00 (1 in stock)
Covenantal Apologetics
by K. Scott Oliphint
from Crossway Books
for Adult
in Presuppositional Apologetics (Location: XAP-PRE)
Defense of the Faith
by Cornelius Van Til
4th edition from P&R Publishing
in Presuppositional Apologetics (Location: XAP-PRE)
$22.99
Does Grace Grow Best in Winter?
by J. Ligon Duncan III, Nicholas J. Reid
from P&R Publishing
for Adult
in Suffering & Hope (Location: XCL-SUF)
$6.00 (1 in stock)
Encountering the World of Islam
by Keith E. Swartley, ed.
from Authentic Media
for Adult
in Clearance: Christian Books (Location: XCLE)
$8.00 (1 in stock)
Every Thought Captive
by Richard Pratt
from P&R Publishing
for 9th-Adult
in Presuppositional Apologetics (Location: XAP-PRE)
$9.99 $5.00 (1 in stock)
Evidence for Jesus
by Ralph O. Muncaster
from Harvest House
for 10th-Adult
in Evidential Apologetics (Location: XAP-EVI)
$9.50
Evolution 2.0
by Perry Marshall
First Trade Paper Edition
in Faith & Science (Location: XAP-SCI)
Foolishness to the Greeks
by Lesslie Newbigin
from Eerdmans
for 9th-Adult
in Art & Culture (Location: XCU-ART)
$15.00
Forever People
by Joel H. Nederhood
from CRC Publications
for Adult
in Presuppositional Apologetics (Location: XAP-PRE)
$3.00 (1 in stock)
Francis Schaeffer
by Bruce Little, ed.
from P&R Publishing
for 10th-Adult
in Biographies (Location: BIO)
$12.99
Friendly Dialogue Between an Atheist and a Christian
by Luis Palau, Zhao Qizheng
1st edition from Zondervan
for 5th-Adult
in Faith & Science (Location: XAP-SCI)
$4.00 (1 in stock)
Get Real
by John S. Leonard
1st edition from New Growth Press
for Adult
in Evangelism & Missions (Location: XAP-EVA)
$13.00
Gnostic Empire Strikes Back
by Peter Jones
from P&R Publishing
for Adult
in Presuppositional Apologetics (Location: XAP-PRE)
God Who is There
by Francis A. Schaeffer
from InterVarsity Press
for 10th-Adult
in Philosophy (Location: XWV-PHI)
$4.00 (1 in stock)
God Who Is There
by D. A. Carson
from Baker Books
for 10th-Adult
in Beginning Christian Apologetics (Location: XAP-BEG)
$6.00 (2 in stock)
Handbook of Christian Apologetics
by Peter Kreeft & Ronald Tacelli
from InterVarsity Press
for 9th-Adult
in Beginning Christian Apologetics (Location: XAP-BEG)
$22.00
How Do We Know That Christianity is Really True?
Biq Questions Series
by Chris Morphew, Illustrated by Emma Randall
from Good Book Company
for 3rd-8th grade
in Worldview & Apologetics for Kids (Location: BIBWV-APK)
$12.99
I Don't Have Enough Faith to Be an Atheist
by Norman L. Geisler, Frank Turek
from Crossway Books
for 9th-Adult
in Evidential Apologetics (Location: XAP-EVI)
$17.59
Infallibility and Interpretation
by Rousas John Rushdoony & P. Andrew Sandlin
from Chalcedon / Ross House Books
for Adult
in Scripture & Hermeneutics (Location: XBI-HERM)
$7.00
It's Not Fair
by Wayne A. Mack with Deborah Howard
from P&R Publishing
for Adult
in Suffering & Hope (Location: XCL-SUF)
$11.99
Jesus Among Other Gods
by Ravi Zacharias
from W Publishing Group
for 10th-Adult
in Evidential Apologetics (Location: XAP-EVI)
$9.00 (1 in stock)
Jesus Unmasked
by Todd Friel
from New Leaf Press
for Adult
in Evidential Apologetics (Location: XAP-EVI)
$8.50
Keep Going
by Neil Martin
from P&R Publishing
for Adult
in Clearance: Christian Books (Location: XCLE)
$3.00 (1 in stock)
Know What You Believe
by Paul E. Little
5th edition from InterVarsity Press
for 9th-12th grade
in Beginning Christian Apologetics (Location: XAP-BEG)
Know What You Believe
by Marie Little, Paul E. Little
Revised from David C. Cook
for 9th-Adult
in Clearance: Christian Books (Location: XCLE)
$3.00 (2 in stock)
Know Why You Believe
by Paul E. Little
4th edition from InterVarsity Press
for 9th-Adult
in Beginning Christian Apologetics (Location: XAP-BEG)
$20.00
Letter from a Christian Citizen
by Douglas Wilson
from American Vision Press
for 11th-Adult
in Presuppositional Apologetics (Location: XAP-PRE)
$6.00
Lewis Agonistes
by Louis Markos
from Broadman & Holman
for Adult
in The Inklings (Location: LIR-INK)
Little Primer on Humble Apologetics
by James W. Sire
from InterVarsity Press
for 9th-Adult
in Beginning Christian Apologetics (Location: XAP-BEG)
Lord Foulgrin's Letters
by Randy Alcorn
Revised from Multnomah Books
for 8th-Adult
in Fantasy Fiction (Location: FIC-FAN)
$4.50 (1 in stock)
Many Infallible Proofs
by Henry M. Morris
from Master Books
for Adult
in Evidential Apologetics (Location: XAP-EVI)
$9.00
Mere Christianity
by C. S. Lewis
from HarperCollins
Religion/Philosophy for 8th-Adult
in 20th & 21st Century Literature (Location: LIT7-20)
Mind on Fire: Faith for the Skeptical and Indifferent
by Blaise Pascal
New from David C. Cook
for 9th-Adult
in 17th Century Literature (Location: LIT4-17)
$10.00 (1 in stock)
New Answers Book 1
by Ken Ham, Jonathan Sarfati & Carl Wieland
from Master Books
for 7th-Adult
in Faith & Science (Location: XAP-SCI)
$4.00 (2 in stock)
Persuasions
by Doug Wilson
from Canon Press
for 9th-Adult
in Beginning Christian Apologetics (Location: XAP-BEG)
$12.00
Pilgrim's Regress
by C. S. Lewis
Reissue from Eerdmans
Allegory for 9th-Adult
in 20th & 21st Century Literature (Location: LIT7-20)
$17.99
Popologetics
by Ted Turnau
from P&R Publishing
for 11th-Adult
in Presuppositional Apologetics (Location: XAP-PRE)
$19.99 $10.00 (1 in stock)
Prayer of Jehoshaphat
by Stanley D. Gale
from P&R Publishing
for Adult
in Suffering & Hope (Location: XCL-SUF)
$3.00 (1 in stock)
Principles of War
by Jim Wilson
from Canon Press
for Adult
in Evangelism & Missions (Location: XAP-EVA)
$12.00
Ready Defense
by Josh McDowell
from Thomas Nelson Publishers
for 11th-Adult
in Evidential Apologetics (Location: XAP-EVI)
$14.00
Reason for God
by Timothy Keller
Reprint from Penguin Putnam
for 10th-Adult
in Beginning Christian Apologetics (Location: XAP-BEG)
$18.00
Reason for God - Discussion Guide
by Timothy Keller
Reprint from Zondervan
for 9th-Adult
in Clearance: Christian Books (Location: XCLE)
$2.00 (1 in stock)
Refutation of Moral Relativism
by Peter Kreeft
from Ignatius Press
for 11th-Adult
in Philosophy (Location: XWV-PHI)
Resurrection
by Hank Hanegraaff
from Thomas Nelson Publishers
for Adult
in Evidential Apologetics (Location: XAP-EVI)
$3.00 (1 in stock)
Schaeffer on the Christian Life
Theologians on the Christian Life
by William Edgar
from Crossway Books
for 11th-Adult
in Practical Christian Living (Location: XCL-PRAC)
Shot of Faith (to the Head)
by Mitch Stokes
from Thomas Nelson Publishers
for 11th-Adult
in Beginning Christian Apologetics (Location: XAP-BEG)
$16.99 $9.00 (1 in stock)
Snakebite Letters
by Peter Kreeft
2nd edition from Ignatius Press
for 9th grade-Adult
in Philosophy (Location: XWV-PHI)
Tactics
by Gregory Koukl
10th Anniversary Edition from Zondervan
for 9th-Adult
in Evangelism & Missions (Location: XAP-EVA)
$19.99
Thinking Straight in a Crooked World
by Gary DeMar
from American Vision Press
for 10th-Adult
in Presuppositional Apologetics (Location: XAP-PRE)
Truth with Love
by Bryan A. Follis
from Crossway Books
for 10th-Adult
in Presuppositional Apologetics (Location: XAP-PRE)
$14.39
Ultimate Proof of Creation
by Dr Jason Lisle
from New Leaf Press
for 9th-Adult
in Faith & Science (Location: XAP-SCI)
$4.00 (1 in stock)
Van Til and the Limits of Reason
by R. J. Rushdoony
from Chalcedon / Ross House Books
for Adult
in Presuppositional Apologetics (Location: XAP-PRE)
$10.00
War on Christmas
by Bodie Hodge
from Master Books
for Adult
in Christmas & Advent (Location: HOLIDAY)
$14.39
What Does the Bible Really Teach about Homosexuality?
by Kevin DeYoung
from Crossway Books
for 11th-Adult
in Sexual Sin (Location: XCL-SEX)
What Happens When We Die?
Big Questions Series
by Chris Morphew, Illustrated by Emma Randall
from Good Book Company
for 3rd-8th grade
in Worldview & Apologetics for Kids (Location: BIBWV-APK)
What Is Perseverance of the Saints?
Basics of the Reformed Faith
by Michael A. Milton
from P&R Publishing
for 10th-Adult
in Basics of the Faith (Location: XNC-BAS)
$2.50
What's Your Worldview?
by James N. Anderson
from Crossway Books
for 9th-Adult
in Worldview Resources (Location: XWV-RES)
$8.79
Who Made God?
by Ravi Zacharias
from Zondervan
for 11th-Adult
in Beginning Christian Apologetics (Location: XAP-BEG)
$7.50 (1 in stock)
Why Does God Let Bad Things Happen?
Big Questions Series
by Chris Morphew, Illustrated by Emma Randall
from Good Book Company
for 3rd-8th grade
in Worldview & Apologetics for Kids (Location: BIBWV-APK)
$12.99
Why I Am a Christian
by Kent Philpott
from Evangelical Press
for Adult
in Presuppositional Apologetics (Location: XAP-PRE)
$5.00 (1 in stock)
Why Should Anyone Believe Anything At All?
by James Sire
from InterVarsity Press
for 11th-Adult
in Worldview Resources (Location: XWV-RES)
$16.00 $8.00 (1 in stock)
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