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Book Review: Dueling 101

March 22nd, 2010 at 11:17am Albert McIlhenny

On Guard: Defending Your Faith with Reason and Precision – William Lane Craig David C. Cook (March 2010) Topic: General Apologetics Summary: A step-by-step guide to Christian apologetics Rating:

William Lane Craig has been one of the leading defenders of the Christian faith over the last decade. In books, podcasts, and debates, the Christian philosopher has energized a new generation of Christian apologists to take up the defense of Christianity in the public square. It is also perhaps a sign of his success that he has become a target of disdain for the so-called “New Atheists” movement even as he consistently gets the better of them in formal debates.

On Guard marks a shift from the normal William Lane Craig book. It is neither attempting to break new ground in the debate nor is it aimed at those who have been actively engaging in those debates at an academic level. Here the author moves from philosophy to pedagogy as he gives the “how tos” of basic apologetics for Christians who want to be able defend their faith but are not quite sure how it is done. With his extensive experience in such debates, Craig is able to break down the basic arguments for and against God’s existence and the Christian message. He presents a flowchart style design that effectively organize the key points for budding apologists while anticipating the most common objections. While it is impossible to cover every single possible response, he also points out the common classes of objections and how they are often merely variations on a theme.

Beginning with a basic overview of apologetics, Craig then moves on to specific topic and operates from the most general to the more specific. He begins with the implications of the existence or nonexistence of God and then works his way through the questions of why the universe exists, the implications of it having a backwards limit, and it appearing to be fine tuned for life. The author then moves on to questions of moral judgment and suffering. Finally, he gets to the question of Jesus, his resurrection, and his exclusive claims.

With the extensive logical breakdowns of arguments, questions for consideration, and personal interludes from his own life as examples for how apologetics might be employed, Craig has provided an excellent book for individual study or an apologetics class at a church or Christian school. On Guard promises to further aid the ongoing apologetics Renaissance currently underway in the Church.

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