reasonable faith christian truth and apologetics

This does not mean that classical apologists are pure rationalists in their epistemology. To show this reasonableness, classical apologists stress the need to compare and evaluate conflicting worldviews by means of certain epistemological criteria, chief among which is logical consistency or rationality. The Christian worldview is a reasonable faith, a step into the light of reason and truth rather than a leap into the darkness of irrationality and subjectivity. In the classical approach, there is no substantive conflict between faith and reason. In this chapter we consider how this principle is related to various crucial areas of human knowledge that have an important bearing on the truth claims of Christianity. It is this methodological principle, however differently understood and applied, that typifies the classical apologetic approach.

Although they vary among themselves especially on the extent to which they use deductive or inductive arguments to formulate their apologetic as a whole, all emphasize the importance of showing the theistic worldview to be reasonable in order to present the evidences for the facts of Christianity effectively to nontheists. A positive justification of the Christian faith automatically overwhelms all competing world views lacking an equally strong case.In the previous chapter we surveyed a number of apologists working in the classical tradition. As Craig says, 'If you have a sound and persuasive case for Christianity, you don't have to become an expert in comparative religions and Christian cults. He shows that there is good reason to think Christianity is true. His approach-that of positive apologetics-gives careful attention to crucial questions and concerns, including: the relationship of faith and reason, the existence of God, the problems of historical knowledge and miracles, the personal claims of Christ, and the historicity of the resurrection of Jesus. Wanting to engage not just academics and pastors but Christian laypeople and seekers, William Lane Craig has revised and updated key sections in this third edition of his classic text to reflect the latest work in astrophysics, philosophy, probability calculus, the arguments for the existence of God, and Reformed epistemology. Gresham Machen once said, 'False ideas are the greatest obstacles to the reception of the gospel'-which makes apologetics that much more important. Perfect as a textbook yet excellent for lay readers, this updated edition builds a positive case for Christianity by applying the latest thought to core theological themes.

Reasonable faith christian truth and apologetics