PART 1: WHY APOLOGETICS?

Chapter 1: In Intellectual Neutral

William Lane Craig

This chapter was written by William Lane Craig. The chapter generally talks about the

intellectual engagement of Christians. William Lane Craig contends that Christians must

have a developed mind that helps in the creation and maintenance of cultural surrounding

where the gospel can be understood as an intellectually feasible alternative for judging

women and men. In some of his other writing, such as The Philosophical Foundations for a

Worldview, William made this similar call pointing out that it needed to be accepted among

every Christian from all lifestyles since, as he suggests, the western culture Christians have

severally separated themselves from the arena of the intellectual public.

As you read further, Craig mentions that Christians have not experienced a forceful challenge

to be engaged intellectually than the issuance of a former Lebanese ambassador to the U.S

known as Charles Malik. He insisted that Christians face different evangelical tasks such as

saving the soul and saving the mind as well i.e. converting people both spiritually and

intellectually and the current churches are dangerously lagging behind in converting people

intellectually.

This chapter generally focuses on the intellectual well being of the Christians and the church

in general. William Craig points out that J. Gresham Machem, a Princeton theologian,

admonished on the period of the fundamentalist controversy that in case the intellectual battle

is lost by the church in one generation, the next generation would experience an

immeasurably difficult evangelism.

 Chapter 2: Living Smart

J. P. Moreland

This chapter was written by J. P. Moreland. In this chapter, the author further develops

the call of being intellectually engaged. Moreland creates a relationship between the

development of the mind and the Christian discipleship in a well received and very essential

presentation. In his writings, Moreland insists that it is important for Christians to creatively

think on how they can formulate a Christian worldview that is integrated and is able to

penetrate the common flow of thoughts that determine our culture and that the main objective

of integration is to sustain or grow both the abstract connection and intellectual vindication of

Christian theism.

J. P. Moreland further points out that the five reasons why integration is very important to the

discipleship of a Christian are:

1. The holistic trait and vocation of discipleship.

2. The teachings of the Bible concerning the minds role in the life of a Christian as well

as the value and quality of a surplus of the biblical knowledge.

3. The price of the division of secular-sacred as a result of neglecting the integration.
4. The nature and integration of the spiritual struggle.
5. The integration and spiritual formation.

The author states that the integrative priorities of a Christian disciple is to mainly focus

the integration on areas that are based on the enterprise of the Christian theism; areas that are

presently attacked heavily; and areas or the field of study where such acts are constituted in

relative speaking. To achieve all these priorities, a Christian has to have intellectual aims of

integration which includes:

1. Philosophical Polemics.
2. Direct Defence.
3. Theistic Explanation.
 The models utilized in integration are essential when it comes to fortifying and

reinforcing a rational authority regarding the theism of Christianity and laying it in the

credibility system of the modern-day culture. The author Moreland writes that the different

ways that would emerge when addressing such issues and theology interacts with a field not

related to theology. The ways include:

1. The Presuppositions View.

2. The Direct Interaction View.
3. The Complementarily View.
4. The Two Realms View.
5. The Practical Application View.
 PART 2: GOD

Chapter 3: Why Doesn't God Make His Existence More Obvious To Us?

Michael J. Murray

This is the first chapter of part two and was written by Michael J. Murray. He explains
why God makes his existence hidden to us. The theists are not the only people who have
complained concerning the covertness of God, a late science philosopher at Yale University
known as Norwood Hanson never believed it either. He argued that if God really existed, then
He would have already made his existence known to people. Michael continues further by
discussing several existing arguments that question Gods existence.

Arguing for Atheism: - In this sub-topic, Michael J. Murray mentions that to prove that
something does not exist; one has to show that the described thing is impossible. Another way
for arguing the non existence of something is by illustrating the absence of certain tell-tale
signs.

The argument from hiddenness: - This talks about John Schellenbergs conception on the
hiddenness of God. In one of his works; Divine Hiddenness and Human Reason, he points
out the following arguments;

1. If God exists, his love is impeccable.

2. If there existed a perfectly loving God, then reasonable atheists would not exist.
3. But individuals who are reasonable atheists exist,
4. Thus, a perfectly loving God does not exist.
5. Therefore, there is no God.

Assessing the Argument

In the rest of the essays, Michael tries to show two things; one, that the argument from
hiddenness relies on a particular blemished philosophy; and two, despite everything, Michael
writes that it is true that nothing he mentions bears an explanation concerning the hiddenness
of God.

In the final section of the chapter, Michael explains why Christians propose reasons that
would explain why God does not make his existence known.

Chapter 4: Two Versions of the Cosmological Argument

 R. Douglas Geivett

This chapter starts by Douglas (The chapters author) narrating an experience he once

had while he was travelling by flight. He tells of a certain passenger who was interested in

him since he was a philosopher. This got them engaged in a conversation concerning the

existence of God. The particular individual said that he never believed in God but rather

believed in a higher power.

Further on in the chapter, Douglas samples two cosmological arguments that are influential

concerning Gods existence and explains them in detail. The cosmological arguments he

selected were developed in the 18th century.

As mentioned by the author, the major components of any argument concerning Gods

existence are:

1. Establish the physical universe contingency.

2. Demonstrate how the universes contingency explains the existence of a being.
3. Illustrate and prove that God is this necessary being.

Samuel Clarke's Cosmological Argument

Samuel Clarke was an Anglican minister and an English philosopher as well. He developed

cosmological version that was very influential. His arguments were that:

1. Something must have existed from all eternity.

2. If something has existed from all eternity, then either the existence of an independent

and unchangeable being has always been there, or an infinite succession of dependent

and unchangeable beings has always existed.

3. A never ending series of dependent beings either is caused by something external to

itself, or it contains within itself the reason for its own existence (i.e., it is self-

existent).
4. If an endless series of dependent beings is self-existent, then at least some one thing in

the series must be self-existent.

 5. Every being within an endless series of dependent beings depends for its existence on

some other being in the series.

6. An endless series of dependent beings cannot be self-existent. [4, 5]
7. An endless series of dependent beings must be caused by something external to itself.

The Kalam Cosmological Argument

1. There is an existence of the physical universe.

2. The history of the universe contains several events laid out in a non-eternal

succession.
3. Either the physical universe has always existed or it had a beginning.
4. If the existence of the physical universe was there, then its past comprises of a series

of endless events laid down in a non-eternal succession.

5. The physical universe had a beginning and in case it had a beginning, then the

beginning had a cause.

6. If the cause existed, it would be due to an agent or event.
7. The beginning of the physical universe was due to an agent or an event.
 Chapter 5: The Contemporary Argument for Design: An Overview

Jay W. Richards

In this chapter, Jay Richards has an essentially brief essay which is an overview of the task

of the movement of Intelligent.

The Materialist Legacy

Jay writes that the material legacy prescribes what may be talked about, funded and printed

within official circles. The established conservative semblance on natural science was that:

Science left the nineteenth century with a simple view of the universe. Too simple,

1. The existence of the physical universe has always been there therefore there is no

need to address the question of its birth.

2. Everything in the universe submits to some laws which are deterministic.
3. Initially, the results in life were based on of luck and chemistry.
4. Basically, cells were little blobs of Jell-O.
5. Virtually all those adaptations of organisms which were regarded as complicated were

due to natural selection.

A New Design Argument

In this sub-topic, Jay Richards discusses the arguments he had with Guillermo Gonzalez on

The Privileged Planet. He writes that the necessities for habitableness also render the best

overall circumstances for making scientific breakthroughs. He further on explains this by

mentioning different scientific principles concerning the atmosphere and how it supports life.

He uses these concepts to design different contemporary arguments.

The Design Argument and Apologetics

In this sub-topic, the author establishes an intelligent design for Christians to believe in and

insist that if an individual has an interest in apologetics, they have to acknowledge the

advancement made regarding the design argument.

 Chapter 6: A Moral Argument.

Paul Copan

Paul Copan writes about two opposing views as regards morality. In this essay, Copan

discusses the evolutionary and subjective explanations of morality, which he argues are

ultimately inadequate and unsatisfying. He believes God designed morality for the masses

and that he created human beings in his reflection. The writers thus present the reader is thus

with inescapability of objective moral values, naturalism versus theism, the question of

evolutionary ethics and the Euthyphro dilemma.

Christians and Jews assume that human beings are morally responsible agents who

can differentiate what is right from what is wrong. The question of morality has since

bothered the conscience of human minds. For instance, the eighteenth- century Scottish

philosopher asserted that every person tends to treat others just like they would like others to

handle them. Properly functioning individuals know when theyre being addressed in

kindness or cruelty. Therefore, Copan believes in an inherent sense of morality that the good

Lord designed for us. Naturalists, on the other hand, argue on the premise that the cosmos is

all there is- in other words, no God, no immortality, no miracles. Skeptics like to raise the

Euthyphro dilemma, which questions whether we have a moral standard entirely independent

of God or if Gods commands are arbitrary, that is, is something good because God

commands it? Conan then concludes that the moral argument for God's existence is essential

in two important ways. First, the question of morality cuts to the heart of whom we are as

human beings. We fail morally; we aren't what we know we should be. Thankfully,

recognizing we've fallen short of a moral standard can point us in the direction of God and

His grace.
 PART 3: JESUS

Chapter 7: Revisionist Views about Jesus

Charles L. Quarles

The author observes that several key questions about the historicity of Jesus are major

concerns for Christian faith. Dan Brown attempted to establish Jesus' marriage to Mary

Magdalene by appealing to the cultural norms of first-century Judaism (through a character

called Teabing in his bok). Teabing suggests that many Christian leaders know that Jesus was

married but carefully guard that secret as part of some grand conspiracy, fearing that

admission of Jesus' marriage would destroy the Christian faith. The author thus tries to

provide fulfilling answers to questions such as whether Jesus a son of God or merely just a

prophet, if the early Christians view Jesus as a mortal prophet, and which were recognized by

the start of churches and why. The author asserts that providing sound answers is crucial for

the Christian faith.

One of Brown's most shocking claims is his insistence that the pagan Emperor

invented the Trinitarian theology of the historic Christian church as part of a political ploy. In

addition to this, Teabing claims that if modern truth-seekers want to know the real story about

the true Jesus of history, they must debunk the four New Testament Gospels and instead rely

on gospels preserved among the Nag Hammadi texts and the Dead Sea Scrolls. However, the

author asserts that Although the early church wrestled with questions regarding the authorship

and inclusion of some of the general epistles and Revelation, the question of which gospels to

include was apparently settled very early. He further asserts that Teabing's skepticism

regarding the preservation of the Scripture just does not square with the facts.
 Chapter 8: The Case for Christ

Craig A. Evans

Craig A. Evans explores the debate surrounding the death of Jesus Christ. He

notes that although we cannot know every detail, we can tackle the mentioned topic

with reasonable probability. This chapter talks about the factors that resulted in the

execution of Jesus, the people who killed Jesus; how the killing of Jesus happened

and if after dying he was taken down from the cross, and by whom.

The author states that one of the hotly debated questions concerns the factors

that resulted in the execution of Jesus. According to the Gospel, the Romans execute

Jesus for having claimed the status of King of the Jews. The Jews authorities

conspired against Jesus because the latter implied that the ruling priests had not lived

up to the God given responsibilities. This implication makes other critics argues that

the Jews killed Jesus. However, from the historical evidence presented to us, Evans

believes that the actual execution of Jesus was a Roman affair. It is the Romans who

beat Jesus and mocked him with a purple robe.

That the execution of Jesus happened is hardly disputed as there are

archaeological evidence and illumination on how Christ Himself perished. There is

also no doubt that Jesus died the death of a despised criminal, death usually reserved

for slaves. In hindsight, the discussion of the resurrection of Jesus should assume

proper burial and knowledge of the location and place of burial.

 Chapter 9: Jesus Resurrection and Christian Origins.

N.T. Wright

In this essay, N.T. Wright discusses an important piece of data often

overlooked when evaluating the resurrection theory of Jesus Christ, which is the

origin of the Christian resurrection beliefs in comparison to the Jewish messianic

expectations of the Messiah at that time. Wright then explains the cause of the

resurrection beliefs and how the belief system grew into a religion that is Christianity.

The Christian faith of God and the Messiah was unlike anything else from the

ancient world. The Christians believed that the Messiah was Jesus who died and

resurrected three days later; this was unlike anything the Jews were looking for; they

expected the Messiah who is a conqueror who would break the rule of Rome and

restore the Kingdom of Israel. The pagans, on the other hand, believed that once a

man has died, there is no resurrection. The world of the ancient pagans was pretty

depressing as there was no return from the dead; just a hopeless existence as a

roaming spirit in the underworld. Then came Pinder, Plato, and Cicero who argued

that although the body would die, the soul was immortal. There was thus hope for the

pagans but not a bodily resurrection. In fact, a bodily resurrection would have

disappointed them.

Wright asserts that Christianity is still anomaly of history. Based on what we

know about the Jewish Messianic expectations and movements from that era,

Christianity should have perished upon the death of Jesus or a new Messiah would

have sprung but that was not the case. Instead, a strong movement thrived with the

conviction that their Messiah resurrected on the third day. It is hard to tell whether

the physical resurrection was something made up long after the disciples had passed
away. The historian should therefore not force people into what to believe in; rather

they should weigh, as well, the alternative accounts offered to them.

 PART 4: COMPARATIVE RELIGIONS

Chapter 10: Christianity in a World of Religion

Craig J. Hazen

Craig J. Hazen makes an unabashed claim that any thoughtful person in a religious quest

would probably start the quest by exploring Christianity first. In a world of various religions,

a person eventually has to make a choice about where to start any kind of journey. Hazen

asserts that the said starting point is Christianity and presents four cases to support his claim,

which to his amazement, draws attention of the class.

1. Christianity is testable
Hazen argues that the truth of Christianity is testable in that the core of Christian faith

and tradition are claims about Jesus. The claims about Jesus are such that any rational

person can examine the evidence and reasonably deduce whether the claims are

historically justified. The evidence is clearly highlighted in a passage in the bible.

Here, Paul notes in the book of 1Cor 15:12-19 that If Christ has not been raised, then

your faith is futile. What Paul said here was radical in the context of most religious

tradition. He was saying in essence, that if Jesus had not resurrected, if the

resurrection did not really take place, then Christianity is useless, then our faith is

worthless.
2. In Christianity, Salvation is a free Gift from God.
Hazen further asserts that compared to other religions, Christianity is unique in that it

offers salvation by grace alone. There are a few instances of other religious

movements that considered salvation to be a gift from a deity. However, the devotee

has to work hard to attain the enlightenment, for example, Amida Buddhism and a

certain type of Bhakti Buddhism. Thus, salvation in Christianity is a free gift, and

hence it I equally available to anyone.

3. In Christianity You Get an Amazing World View
Hazen describes Christianity as a religion that makes sense of the world we encounter.

He contrasts Eastern religious traditions with Christianity using the concepts of pain,
 evil and suffering. Devotees of Eastern religious traditions, such as Hinduism and

Buddhism put pain, evil, and suffering in the category of an illusion. Any thoughtful

person can surely debunk this claim as such things are real, like the holocaust. The

scriptures of Christianity however confront this issue of evil from the book of

Genesis. Further, the book of job describes the concept of pain, evil and suffering in

detail. At the outset, the picture Christianity draws to the globe actually resonates,

better than any other religious movement available, the way the world actually is.

4. Christianity has Jesus at the Heart.

Hazen asserts that Christianity has Jesus at the centre and that other religious

movements associate with him. Hinduism for example proclaims Jesus to be one of

the ten avatars of Vishnu alongside Rama and Krishna. Buddhists on the other hand

see Jesus as a preeminent spiritual figure. Buddhists believe that during his day, Jesus

offered them teachings to which his generation was open. Islam too is not left off the

hook. They claim Jesus as a prophet. Since Jesus is by any standard the only universal

religious person, it would be thoughtful that anyone in a religious quest would know

where to start, which is Christianity.

 Chapter 12: The East Comes West.

Harold Netland

At a glance, The East Comes West makes no sense to the reader. However, when

put in the context of religious movements both in the West and The East, then it starts to

make sense. Harold Netland notes that the past century has produced dramatic changes in the

religious landscape of the West. The majority of Christians were initially in Europe and North

America which is not the case today. In fact, most Christians today are in Asia, Latin

America, and Africa. Thanks to immigration patterns thus producing unprecedented

awareness of other religions and traditions. The West has long had a fascination with Eastern

religions and this growing awareness of other religions raises troubling questions for

Christians. In this chapter, England describes the perspective of some Asian religions,

highlights the challenges they present to Christian faith and contrasts between Buddha and

Jesus Christ.

Some Asian Religious Traditions

Eastern religious traditions vary much in attributes among all Asian religions and within

single religion such as Hinduism and Buddhism. Indian traditions include Hinduism,

Buddhism, and Jainism. Hinduism is built on the belief in reincarnation of the soul (atman) in

accordance with Karma. The stereological goal of Hinduism is liberation from rebirth through

breaking the causal conditions of Karma. Hinduism regard Brahman as a personal deity and

insist that liberation comes not through knowledge alone but through devotion to the deity.

Buddhism, based on the teachings of Siddhartha Gautama, rejects the authority of a deity. The

core of Buddhism teachings is expressed in four noble truths. First, all existence is

characterized by suffering, pain and satisfaction. Secondly, the root cause of suffering is
desire which is curable. Lastly, one achieves full enlightenment through following the noble

Eightfold path. Jainism, founded by Mahavira, also denounces the authority of a deity, but

accepts the belief in karma and maintains that the soul is eternal, self-conscious and

indestructible. Netland further highlights the major Chinese religions Confucianism and

Daoism. Confucianism maintains that human nature us inherently good and what corrupts it

are external influences. Daoism on the other hand maintains that the cosmos is a

manifestation of eternal Dao (the Way) and that our lives are to be programmed in accordance

with the Dao.

Christian Theism and Eastern Perspectives

The difference between Christianity and Eastern religious traditions is hugely significant. For

one, Christian faith maintains that an eternal deity called God exists who is the ultimate

creator and that He is a personal being whereas most Hindu traditions do not ascribe to such a

deity. Secondly, Christian faith asserts that God has spoken and revealed himself to human

Kind. It further claims that God revealed himself in the incarnation of Jesus Christ. Hindus on

the other hand are wary of such claims and gain insight not from divine revelation but

through introspective experiences. Thirdly, Christian faith claims that although God is

mysterious in nature, He can be adequately understood through his deeds and self-revelation.

Many Hindus, Buddhists, Daoist traditions however stress the importance of direct intuitive

experiences which cannot be expressed in words.

The author finally addresses the question of Jesus and Gautama. According to the doctrine of

Buddhism, the body of truth is eternal and is independent of historicity of Gautama. The

same cannot be said about Christianity for Christian faith is deeply rooted in the historical

person that is Jesus of Nazareth. Most importantly, Jesus and the Buddha strongly disagree on

the existence of God. The teachings of Gautama completely rule out the existence of God
while Jesus preaches the Gospel of God as his father in heaven, who watches over us and by

His grace we live.

 Chapter 12: Christ in the new Age

L. Russ Bush

L. Russ Bush defines age in the context of religious movements since time immemorial. The

author describes age as the Years of someones life or to an era in history. According to Russ,

new age refers to a supposed consciousness about time, once place in the universe, and the

nature of the reality. This chapter discusses religious doctrines in the old age, the middle age,

the modern age and finally how Jesus Christ is perceived in the New Age. In addition to this,

Russ highlights the concept of new thinking in the new age and how to identify with it.

During the old age, the author classifies the world into two broad categories- those who were

materialistic and those who were spiritualists. The former believed that the ultimate reality

was matter alone, that life was a natural phenomenon. The spiritualists on the other hand

worshipped idols believing in a universal life force that supposedly controlled the entire

cosmos, for example, Jews believed in creation. The middle age saw the growth of Islam and

Christianity as most religious traditions abandoned the notion of idolatry. Finally, the modern

age and the new age, in hindsight, is a hybrid mix of spiritual, social and political forces- it

touches virtually every area of life. It also includes a growing research in the academia about

the origin of life as alternative theory such as evolution is sold.

Russ argues that the new age of the world is confusing for the church as virtually every

church organization has gone through a debate over music and worship styles. Todays

television programs are also replete of science fiction that keeps viewers hooked- it is a

fantasy world, but all seems so real. However, the new age thinking has no substantial impact

on the western society, it is a dead end. While some believe in the wake of new consciousness

and others in reincarnation, it is only in Christ alone that we find the way, the truth, and the

life.
 Chapter 13: Islam and Christianity

Emir Fethi Caner

Emir Fethi Caner writes about the conflicting issues about Christianity and Islam and

further states that the vacuity of general religious knowledge by the current generation is

exceptional in American history. In this chapter, Caner asserts that the past two generations

have grown up functionally illiterate in the realm of religion as most suffer from historical

amnesia. Since 9/11, the largest terrorist attack on American soil, Americans and American

Christians took the initiative, though forcefully, to comprehend Islam. The author thus

highlights the differences between Christian faith and Islam.

The first major difference concerns the doctrine of God. The traditional Christian

points to the doctrine of Christs divinity, that is, the holy trinity. The traditional Muslim on

the other hand concedes that no one is permitted to partner anyone or anything with God and

still regarded to worship the God of Islam. The question of Christology is another huge

divide. The Quran identifies Jesus as the word, meaning, He simply communicated the world

of Allah (Surah 3:45). Christianity on the other hand claims that Jesus is the son of God who

came in the likeness of man.

Discerning the doctrine of redemption, the author asserts that Islam demands more

work to gain heaven compared to all other religions in the world - recitation of the creed

thousands of times, daily prayers, rituals without which Allah will not hear the prayers uttered

by Muslim believers. Christian salvation is rather easy as Jesus Christ died on the cross, for

all the sinners, all that is required is repentance of sins through prayers and asking God to for

strength to overcome temptations. Finally, the ultimate question of epistemology is another

issue, which is, basing beliefs on the revelation of God. The author states that Christians

consider the bible as the true word of God while Muslims consider the Quran as the true word
of Allah. According to Islam, the Quran abrogates the scripture and nullifies any of the

contents or interpretations of the bible which disagree with the Quran. The ultimate question

of where truth lies depends on which divide one finds themselves in, for religious convictions

are based on faith.

 PART 5: POSTMODERNISM AND RELATIVISM

Chapter 14: The Challenge of Postmodernism

J. P. Moreland

J. P. Moreland writes an essay about postmodernism and its challenges in the contemporary

Christian world. Moreland observes that the activities that illustrate how the ideas of

Christians increases and do explanatory work all over the academic fields is at most times

neglected. The author addresses substantial characteristics of postmodernism applicable to

therapy practices as well as counseling and shows how these characteristics of the

postmodern cause serious damages to the mentioned practice.

Postmodernism by definition is a combination of various thinkers from various disciplines in

education, making it hard to classify it in a way that is inclusive of all its diversity. The author

note that postmodernism is both a philosophical, chronological and historical ideology. In

other words, postmodernism is basically reinterpretation of knowledge and what it entails. In

a wider perspective, it represents a cultural body of relativism of things such as reason, truth,

reality, and claims that theres no things as absolutes, all are social constructs.

In this chapter, the author describes impacts counseling, for example, according to

postmodernism, the self is a social construct. The consequence of such claims is that it has

destructive implications for helping individuals separate and individuate in any objective

sense. Therapy is drawn from the premise that the goal of the moral life is the production of

good will, of a person who freely chooses to live a virtual life and obey the moral law. If this

goal is removed from therapy, it becomes difficult for Christian therapists to achieve their

goals. Postmodernism also leads to instituniolization of anger and its relativism of truth has

contributed to the absolutization of desire satisfaction thereby denying truth and reason. The
Christian worldview on the other hand, emphasizes on the existence of truth and goodness

and on the reality of personal identity and responsibility.

 Chapter 15: Is Morality Relative?

Francis J. Beckwith

Francis J. Beckwith is a religious author who tackles the question of moral relativism.

He defines moral relativism as the perspective that when it comes to the aspect of morality,

absolute right or wrong does not exist. He further argues that morality is merely personal

preferences and is subjective to peoples own cultural, sexual, or ethnic orientation. Moral

relativists claim that relativism promotes tolerance, non-judgmentalism, and inclusiveness.

Averse to aforementioned claim, Beckwith asserts that not only do the arguments of

relativism fail but also relativism itself is self refuting.

In the essay, two arguments have been greatly employed to back up moral relativism;

argument from both individual and cultural differences and arguments derived from

tolerance. In the first case, the relativist argues that there exist no moral forms that are

absolute since individuals and cultures constantly disagree on moral issues. However, if the

simple fact of disagreement were enough to develop a conclusion that objective norms never

existed, then the conclusion would be that there exists no objectively right stand on such

issues as terrorism child molestation, rape and slavery, etcetera.

In the second case, most individuals perceive relativism as a vital instrument for the

promotion of tolerance. The author however argues that tolerance promotes objective

morality rather than relativism, for if everyone demonstrates tolerance, then it becomes an

objective moral norm. The author uses various examples to pin point the serious fallacy of

moral relativism using controversial topics such as abortion. Moral relativism is thus a

philosophical failure therefore it seems reasonable to endorse objective morality.

 Chapter 16: Reflections on McLaren and the Emerging Church

R. Scott Smith

This chapter is authored by R. Scott Smith who draws inspiration from the works of Brian

McLaren as far as the emerging church is concerned. The author highlights his research to

give an insight to the subject of the emerging churches in terms of its strengths and

weaknesses. He also responds to critics such as James K Smith, a philosopher at Calvin

College.

In hindsight, McLaren believes that the gospel and the Christian life could be limited to

simple laws, which turned out to be complicated as life is not that simple. He observes that

most Christian faithful are arrogant instead of living as humble servants of Jesus. McLaren

outlines how Christian life should be lived, the traits of the modern age, and how

postmodernism influences the church. Instead of providing a philosophical analysis, he

focuses on the sociological factors that have impacted the emerging church.

Both the author and McLaren, together with the critic, that Christians need to learn a new

way of being a Christian in the emerging, post modern culture. In as much as postmodernism

has corrupted todays church key concepts, Christians ought to develop new ways of thinking

about their faith. Accordingly, embracing new ways of being a Christian in postmodern times

involves accepting at least some insights of postmodernism. However, to emerge from the

destructiveness of postmodernism, Christians need to know the truth, and knowing the truth

will require holding fast to the truth in the word of God (Heb 4: 12-13).
 PART 6: PRACTICAL APPLICATION

Chapter 17: Dealing with emotional doubt

Gary R. Harbemas

Gary is a Christian scholar and thinker who wrote the book Dealing with emotional

doubt. His other related book is The Thomas Factor: Using Your Doubts to Draw Closer to

God. He defines doubt as uncertainty regarding God or our relationship to Him that

frequently manifests itself in our daily lives. He further divides doubt into three types of

species, namely factual or philosophical doubt, emotional doubt and volitional doubt. This

chapter dwells on emotional doubt as the author highlights how to identify it, how to

undertand emotional pain, and outlines strategies for treating emotional doubt. He then

concludes by showing the readers how to apply truth to stubborn conditions.

Harbemas believes that emotional doubt by and large is the only one that really hurts. On

would know that they are having emotional doubt when asking the what if questions and

when anxious. The writer further claims that emotional doubt affects two personalities- the

anxious and the obsessive-compulsive. To overcome emotional doubt, we should change our

anxiety thinking, mediate on such doubts, change our thinking, be firm with ourselves.

Emotional doubt is thus the most confusing and the most painful experience a Christian can

go through. It surely demands our attention and the lies that tag along need to be removed

forcefully while replaced by firm application of truth. Additional help to those undergoing the

process: emotional pain proves true faith, doubts pain are short lived, dont argue factual

evidence when emotional, and meditate on biblical heroes. The key is to practice the truth.
 Chapter 18: Apologetics of an Emerging Generation

Sean McDowell

Sean is a teacher who leads the Bible department in California. He is also a popular national

youth speaker. In his book, Apologetics for a New Generation, McDowell talks about the

beliefs of a protestant youth. This chapter gives out statistics of percentage of protestant

youths who believe God created the world but is not involved today (deism), those who

believe God is impersonal like a cosmic force (Emerging Generation), just like an electric

current that pervades all of reality, those who maybe or definitely believe in reincarnation,

those who are not sure about the existence of miracles, those who are not sure about the

existence of evil spirits, and lastly those who believe many religions would be true. The

consensus is sparkling as new age youth protestors are filled with doubt.

In a new study, atheists scored highest in religious tests. It is because new age protestors do

not care about the truth, they dont care about the knowledge, they only claim that what is

important is a persons faith. However, McDowell argues that Christianity is a knowledge

tradition (1st John 2:21). Christianity is not just based on blind faith. Christians have

knowledge that events described in the bible actually happened and contain definitive truth.

Once the youth realize that there are actually answers to their deepest questions, they will

surely share with their non-Christian colleagues. In other words, when young people find

answers to their disturbing questions, they often develop bolder attitude towards the witness

for Christ. Training their minds, filling their minds with intellectual tools is thus vital.