Faith Has Its Reasons: An Integrative Approach to Defending Christianity - Hardcover

Boa, Kenneth D.; Bowman, Robert M., Jr.

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 1576831434 ISBN 13: 9781576831434

Publisher: Navpress Pub Group, 2001

Synopsis

Ever since the apostle Paul addressed the Stoic and Epicurean philosophers in Athens, relating the Christian worldview to a nonChristian 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." Even after twenty centuries of accumulated experience, many still feel unprepared to offer a coherent defense of their faith to those who question it, attack it, or just want to know more about it. It doesn't have to be that way! Kenneth Boa and Robert Bowman have embled 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? Using conversations with two hypothetical and vastly different individuals (one a skeptical, nominal Protestant and one a nominal Hindu), Boa and Bowman illustrate how four of the most widely used approaches to Christian apologetics-reason, fact, revelation, and faith-can be used to answer questions of faith. In doing so, they also explain the strengths and weaknesses of these varying approaches. Faith Has Its Reasons is about much more than developing the intellectual discipline to answer abstract questions. Ultimately, its purpose is to help bring people into a relation with the living and true God.

About this title

Review

"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."

Book Description

Despite Peter’s charge to be ‘ready to make a defence to everyone who asks you to give an account for the hope that is in you’, most Christian people have left apologetics to the ‘professionals’. It doesn’t have to be that way!

In order to help Christians present their faith and help bring people into a relationship with God, Kenneth Boa and Robert Bowman have assembled a wealth of information about what Christians believe and why they have good reasons to believe it.

Edition details

• Publisher: Navpress Pub Group
• Publication date: 2001
• Language: English
• ISBN 10: 1576831434
• ISBN 13: 9781576831434
• Binding: Hardcover
• Number of pages: 608