In chapter ten, The Ontological Argument, Groothius states that the ontological argument claims that proper reasoning about the idea of a Perfect Being generates the conclusion that God exists. St. Anselm (c. 1033-1109) created this argument to convince the fool or atheist in Psalm 14:1 as to the existence of God and to lead believers in the worship of the greatest possible being in the following prayer:
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In chapter nine, In Defense of Theistic Arguments, Groothius states that natural theology consists of theistic arguments (sometimes called theistic proofs). They are rational arguments for the existence of a monotheistic God that do not appeal to sacred scriptures for their cogency.
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In chapter eight, Faith, Risk, and Rationality: The Prudential Incentives to Christian Faith, Groothius defines Prudence as that which concerns personal benefit and detriment in matters of belief concerning Christianity. Therefore, Groothius argues, Christian apologetics should commend Christianity on a prudential basis. Groothius uses some of the insights from Blaise Pascal’s famous and much debated wager argument.
Read moreReview of Christians Apologetics: A Comprehensive Case for Biblical Faith by Douglas Groothius
In chapter Seven, Why Truth Matters Most: Searching for Truth in Postmodern Times, Groothius states that this chapter develops a general apologetic for the significance and value of both objective truth and truth seeking.
Truth, Self-Deception and Virtue
The pursuit of truth requires that we must shun sloth---one of the classical vices. Moreover, studiousness should be cultivated instead of mere curiosity. In the pursuit of truth, we must avoid self-deception. “The first principle is that you must not fool yourself---and you are the easiest person to fool. So you have to be very careful about that. After you’ve not fooled yourself, it’s easy not fool other scientists” (Richard Feynman).
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In chapter six, Truth Defined and Defended, Groothius states that evangelicals are abandoning objective truth because as they claim this concept limits Christian witness.
The first evangelical that Groothius critiques is Brian McLaren. McLaren rejects objective truth in favor of postmodernism. Truth must be deconstructed. There is no one “metanarrative” or worldview. Next, Robert Webber rejects the objectivity of Carl F. H. Henry. Stanley Grenz and John Franke also reject objective truth. They claim that there is no “objectivity” understood as “a static reality existing outside of, and cotemporally with, our socially and linguistically constructed reality.”
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In chapter five, Distortions of the Christian Worldview---Or the God I Don’t Believe In, Groothius gives a brief response to objections to the Christian worldview such as anti-intellectualism, an antiscience stance, racism, sexism, homophobia, imperialism, ecological disregard and a boring conception of the afterlife.
Read moreReview of Christians Apologetics: A Comprehensive Case for Biblical Faith by Douglas Groothius
In chapter four, The Christian Worldview, Groothius defines and delimits Christianity in order to properly defend it. Groothius thinks it is best to define Christianity according to its doctrines or its worldview. Groothius states that “a worldview is forged out of beliefs that have the most consequences for a comprehensive vision of reality…Our worldview shapes who we are and what we do. We are driven by our deepest beliefs and interpret the world according to them.”
Read moreReview of Christians Apologetics: A Comprehensive Case for Biblical Faith by Douglas Groothius
In chapter three, Apologetic Method: Evaluating Worldviews, Groothius states that apologetics means philosophical engagement, and philosophy trades on logic. Groothius provides a brief discussion on some basis logical principles. Groothius believes in the laws of logic which are not just good ideas.
Read moreReview of Christian Apologetics: A Comprehensive Case for Biblical Faith by Douglas Groothuis
In chapter two, The Biblical Basis for Apologetics, Groothuis states that “the task in this chapter is to tighten up our understanding of apologetics by explaining its basis in Scripture.”
Christian apologetics is the rational defense of the Christian worldview as objectively true, rationally compelling, and existentially or subjectively engaging. The word apologetics comes from the Greek word apologia…. In the days of the NT “an apologia was a formal courtroom defense of something (2 Timothy 4:16) …. The term is used specifically for a rational defense of the gospel in three texts: Philippians 1:7, 16, and most famously in 1 Peter 3:15-16.”
Read moreReview of Christian Apologetics: A Comprehensive Case for Biblical Faith by Douglas Groothuis
In chapter one, Introduction: Hope, Despair, and Knowing Reality, Groothuis states that “the very concept of objective truth is under fire today.” Yet without a belief in objective truth men die in despair. The late psychiatrist Victor Frankl who was a prisoner in Hitler’s death camps wrote “The gas chambers of Auschwitz, Treblinda, and Maidanek were ultimately prepared….at the desks and in the lecture halls of nihilistic scientists and philosopher.” Frankl noted that those captives with a sense of meaning that reached beyond their immediate experiences maintained hope and dignity, even in the Nazi hell. Those without the benefit of this conviction tended to atrophy and die in the pressure cooker of evil, even if they were spared the gas chambers.
Read moreReview of Reasonable Faith: Christian Truth and Apologetics by William Lane Craig
In chapter eight, Craig answers the question, “How credible, then, is the New Testament witness to the resurrection of Jesus?” Craig argues that the apologetic arguments used against eighteenth century opponents of the resurrection are not effective today against modern biblical critics.
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In chapter seven, The Self-Understanding of Jesus, Craig states that “at the center of any Christian apologetic therefore must stand the person of Christ; and very important for the doctrine of Christ’s person are the personal claims of the historical Jesus. Did he claim to be divine?....Who did Jesus of Nazareth claim to be?”
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In chapter six, The Problem of Miracles, Craig states that some skeptics today consider Biblical miracles a pre-scientific, superstitious worldview belonging to the ancient and middle ages. Some theologians like Rudolf Bultmann sought to demythologize the Bible of miracles and rid it of this stumbling block.
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In chapter five, The Problem of Historical Knowledge, Craig defends the importance of history to Christianity in light of the popular and scholarly rejection of history. Craig traces historiography as a science. Historiography is defined as "the study of the way history has been and is written – the history of historical writing", which means that, "When you study 'historiography' you do not study the events of the past directly, but the changing interpretations of those events in the works of individual historians" (The Methods and Skills of History: A Practical Guide, 1988, p. 223, ISBN 0-88295-982-4). In the Medieval Period (fifth to the eleventh century), historiography waned greatly. Anselm, therefore, defended Christianity largely from the Biblical text itself.
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In chapter four The Existence of God (part 2) Dr. Craig elaborates on the teleological argument, moral argument, and the ontological argument for the existence of God. At the end of the chapter, Dr. Craig states “In my experience, the moral argument is the most effective argument for the existence of God.” I want to summarize Craig’s moral argument for the existence of God.
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In chapter three The Existence of God, Craig states that conventional wisdom says it is impossible to prove the existence of God and that, therefore, if we are going to believe in God, we must except it by faith that God exists.
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In chapter two, The Absurdity of Life without God, Craig grapples with “the human predicament” or the significance of human life in a post-theistic universe. One of the early apologetists dealing with the human predicament was Blaise Pascal (1623-1662). He emphasized both the miserableness and greatness of man. Man is miserable without God for he has no significance or even certainty as to why he exists. Yet man does not seek to know God and thus the meaning of life. Man is also great in that he can recognize his misery and do something about it. This led to Pascal's Wager argument. When the odds that God exists are even, then the prudent man will wager that God exists. “For if you win, you win all; if you lose, you lose nothing” (Pensees, 343).
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In chapter one, How To I Know Christianity Is True? Craig says this question can better be answered by briefly surveying some of the most representative thinkers of the past.
Read moreReview of Reasonable Faith: Christian Truth and Apologetics By William Lane Craig
In the Introduction, Dr. Craig says his book is answering the question, “What rational warrant can be given for Christian faith?” Of course, that question can be answered with apologetics. To opponents of apologetics who say, “Nobody comes to Christ through apologetics because people are not won by arguments” Craig gives three vital roles of apologetics.
Read moreMartin Luther's View of Infant Baptism
This review of Sola Fide Compromised? Martin Luther and the doctrine of Baptism by Patrick Ramsey (in Themelios 34.2, 2009: 179-193) is going to be shocking to some. D. Patrick Ramsey believes it is arguable that “Luther’s own doctrine of justification by faith alone is compromised by or at least in tension with his doctrine of baptism, particularly his understanding of baptismal regeneration.” Ramsey states that “this paper will argue that Luther’s doctrine of baptism is inconsistent with his doctrine of justification by faith alone.” Ramsey, a Presbyterian, is not alone. Southern Baptist theologian John S. Hammett writes, “In fact, Luther, on other issues challenged tradition in the name of Scripture, used tradition to argue for infant baptism against the Anabaptists: “Were child baptism now wrong God would certainly not have permitted it to continue so long, nor let it become so universally and thoroughly established in all Christendom” (Biblical Foundations for Baptist Churches. 267).
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