Making the case for the Christian faith—apologetics—has always been part of the Church's mission. Yet Christians sometimes have had different approaches to defending the faith, responding to the needs of their respective times and framing their arguments to address the particular issues of their day. Cardinal Avery Dulles's A History of Apologetics provides a masterful overview of Christian apologetics, from its beginning in the New Testament through the Middle Ages and on to the present resurgence of apologetics among Catholics and Protestants. Dulles shows how Christian apologists have at times both criticized and drawn from their intellectual surroundings to present the reasonableness of Christian belief. Written by one of Catholicism's leading American theologians, A History of Apologetics also examines apologetics in the 20th and early 21st centuries including its decline among Catholics following Vatican II and its recent revival, as well as the contributions of contemporary Evangelical Protestant apologists. Dulles also considers the growing Catholic-Protestant convergence in apologetics. No student of apologetics and contemporary theology should be without this superb and masterful work.

ECPA Christian Book Award 2021 Finalist: Biography & Memoir Explore Apologetics through the Lives of History's Great Apologists The History of Apologetics follows the great apologists in the history of the church to understand how they approached the task of apologetics in their own cultural and theological context. Each chapter looks at the life of a well-known apologist from history, unpacks their methodology, and details how they approached the task of defending the faith. By better understanding how apologetics has been done, readers will be better able to grasp the contextualized nature of apologetics and apply those insights to today's context. The History of Apologetics covers forty-four apologists including: Part One: Patristic Apologists Part Two: Medieval Apologists Part Three: Early Modern Apologists Part Four: 19th C. Apologists Part Five: 20th C. American Apologists Part Six: 20th C. European Apologists Part Seven: Contemporary Apologists

An authoritative reference for key persons, concepts, issues, and approaches in the history of Christian apologetics—allowing you to read the great apologists and thinkers in their own words and understand their arguments in historical and cultural context. Christian Apologetics: An Anthology of Primary Sources makes available over fifty primary source selections that address various challenges to the Christian faith in the history of apologetics. The compilation represents a broad Christian spectrum, ranging from early writers like Saint Paul and Saint Augustine, to Saint Teresa of Avila and Blaise Pascal, to more recent apologists such as C. S. Lewis, Alvin Plantinga, William Lane Craig, Richard Swinburne and Pope Benedict XVI. Insightful introductions, black-and-white images, concise section headings and discussion questions will guide you toward a clearer understanding of classical defenses of Christianity. Sources are organized thematically and include topics such as: Arguments for the existence of God. Defenses of the doctrine of the Trinity. Discussions on the authority and credibility of canonized Scripture. Questions regarding the problem of evil and free will. Discourses on Christianity and science. Annotated reading lists, a bibliography, and author and subject indices make this anthology a useful textbook or supplemental reader.

Throughout history there have been great and articulate defenders of the faith, from Augustine and Aquinas to Jonathan Edwards, G. K. Chesterton, Francis Schaeffer, and C. S. Lewis. But with new challenges comes the need for a fresh apologetic that specifically addresses the arguments levied against faith in our time of scientific atheism and skepticism. In the spirit of C. S. Lewis's Mere Christianity, Alister McGrath's Mere Apologetics seeks to equip readers to engage gracefully and intelligently with the challenges facing the faith today while drawing appropriately on the wisdom of the past. Rather than supplying the fine detail of every apologetic issue in order to win arguments, Mere Apologetics teaches a method that appeals not only to the mind but also to the heart and the imagination. This highly accessible, easy-to-read book is perfect for pastors, teachers, students, and lay people who want to speak clearly and lovingly to the issues that confront people of faith today.

The Christian faith offers people hope. But how can we know that Christianity is true? How can Christians confidently present their beliefs in the face of doubts and competing views? In this second edition of a landmark apologetics text, Douglas Groothuis makes a clear and rigorous case for Christian theism, addressing the most common questions and objections raised regarding Christianity.

Most introductions to apologetics begin with the "how to" of defending the faith, diving right into the major apologetic arguments and the body of evidence. For those who want a more foundational look at this contested theological discipline, this book examines Christian apologetics in its nature, history, approaches, objections and practice.

Amid a revival of apologetics, "few things could be more useful than an acquaintance with how Christian faith was defended down through the ages," say the editors in their introduction to this two-part anthology. "Access to both historical and contemporary texts gives us fresh insight into how our fathers in the faith responded to the questions facing them." Volume 2 in this one-of-a-kind resource takes a sweeping look at apologetics from the Reformation to the present. Readings from twenty-six apologists, including Martin Luther, John Calvin, Blaise Pascal, Jonathan Edwards, Søren Kierkegaard, Francis Schaeffer, Alvin Plantinga, and William Lane Craig are included. With editorial commentary and questions for reflection, Christian Apologetics Past and Present will prove a valuable text for students as well as a unique resource for those interested in defending the faith.