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151 pages

English

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A New Kind of Apologist, edited by Sean McDowell and with contributions from more than 20 leading apologists, is the go-to resource for effectively defending the Christian faith in our changing culture. In it you'll discover:important topics often ignored by apologists, such as transgender issues, religious freedom, and the intersection of economics and apologeticsa new kind of apologetics that is relational, gracious, and holisticinterviews with both seasoned apologists and skeptics, providing insights into how to do apologetics effectively in today's cultureA New Kind of Apologist addresses the latest issues, including"Connecting Apologetics to the Heart""Teaching Apologetics to the Next Generation""Apologetics in our Sexually Broken Culture""Apologetics and Islam""Apologetics and Religious Freedom"and adopts fresh strategies for reaching those who are outside the church with the truth of the gospel.

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Christianity

Christian theology

Philosophie et théologie

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Publié par	Harvest House Publishers
Date de parution	01 mars 2016
Nombre de lectures	0
EAN13	9780736966061
Langue	English

Informations légales : prix de location à la page 0,0850€. Cette information est donnée uniquement à titre indicatif conformément à la législation en vigueur.

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HARVEST HOUSE PUBLISHERS
EUGENE, OREGON
Unless otherwise indicated, all Scripture quotations are from the ESV Bible (The Holy Bible, English Standard Version ), copyright 2001 by Crossway, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
Verses marked NIV are from the Holy Bible, New International Version , NIV . Copyright 1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc. Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide.
Verses marked NASB are from the New American Standard Bible , 1960, 1962, 1963, 1968, 1971, 1972, 1973, 1975, 1977, 1995 by The Lockman Foundation. Used by permission. ( www.Lockman.org )
Verses marked NLT are from the Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright 1996, 2004, 2007, 2013 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Inc., Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.
Cover by Dual Identity, Inc,
Cover photo Brayden Heath / Lightstock
A NEW KIND OF APOLOGIST
Copyright 2016 Sean McDowell
Published by Harvest House Publishers
Eugene, Oregon 97402
www.harvesthousepublishers.com
Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data
A new kind of apologist / Sean McDowell, PhD, general editor.
pages cm
ISBN 978-0-7369-6605-4 (pbk.)
ISBN 978-0-7369-6606-1 (eBook)
1. Apologetics. 2. Christianity and culture. I. McDowell, Sean, editor.
BT1103.N484 2016
239-dc23
2015021781
All rights reserved. No part of this electronic publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, distributed, or transmitted in any form or by any means-electronic, mechanical, digital, photocopy, recording, or any other-without the prior written permission of the publisher. The authorized purchaser has been granted a nontransferable, nonexclusive, and noncommercial right to access and view this electronic publication, and purchaser agrees to do so only in accordance with the terms of use under which it was purchased or transmitted. Participation in or encouragement of piracy of copyrighted materials in violation of author s and publisher s rights is strictly prohibited.
Dedication
To my son, Shane.
I pray that you will be the kind of apologist that your generation needs.
I love you and am so proud of you.
Contents
Dedication
Introduction: A New Kind of Apologist
SEAN MCDOWELL
PART 1 A New Approach to Apologetics

1 Christians in the Argument Culture: Apologetics as Conversation
TIM MUEHLHOFF
2 Apologetics and New Technologies
BRIAN AUTEN
Interview with Bart Campolo
3 Servant Apologetics
TOM GILSON
4 Motivating Others to Give an Answer
MARK MITTELBERG
5 Social Justice and a New Kind of Apologist
KEN WYTSMA AND RICK GERHARDT
Interview with J.P. Moreland
6 Don t Blame Us, It s in the Bible : Understanding New Strategies for Shaking Up the Faith of New Generations
DAN KIMBALL
PART 2 New Methods in Apologetics

7 Shepherd Is a Verb: The Role of Relational Mentoring in Communicating Truth
JEFF MYERS
8 A Practical Plan to Raise Up the Next Generation
BRETT KUNKLE
Interview with Dennis Rainey
9 The Multiethnic Church: God s Living Apologetic
DERWIN L. GRAY
10 Come and See: The Value of Storytelling for Apologetics
HOLLY ORDWAY
11 Using Hollywood Blockbusters to Share Your Faith
LENNY ESPOSITO
12 The Urban Apologist
CHRISTOPHER BROOKS
13 Intuitional Apologetics: Using Our Deepest Intuitions to Point Toward God
TERRY GLASPEY
Interview with Gavin MacFarland
14 Why We Should Love Questions More than Answers
MATTHEW ANDERSON
15 Why More Women Should Study Apologetics
MARY JO SHARP
PART 3 New Issues in Apologetics

16 A Christian Political Apologetic: Why, What, and How
JENNIFER A. MARSHALL
17 An Assessment of the Present State of Historical Jesus Studies
MICHAEL LICONA
18 How to Question the Bible in a Post-Christian Culture
JONATHAN MORROW
Interview with Hemant Mehta
19 Entrepreneurs: An Economic Apologetic for the Faith
JAY W. RICHARDS
20 Telling the Truth About Sex in a Broken Culture
JOHN STONESTREET
21 Being Authentically Christian on the LGBT Issue
GLENN T. STANTON
22 Transgender: Truth and Compassion
ALAN SHLEMON
23 An Apologetic for Religious Liberty
JAMES TONKOWICH
Interview with John Njoroge
24 Advocating Intelligent Design with Integrity, Grace, and Effectiveness
CASEY LUSKIN
25 The Scientific Naturalist Juggernaut and What to Do About It
SCOTT SMITH
26 Water that Satisfies the Muslim s Thirst
ABDU MURRAY
27 But What About Other Religions?
TANYA WALKER
Notes
- Introduction -
A New Kind of Apologist
SEAN MCDOWELL
D uring a trip to Breckenridge, a beautiful ski town in the mountains of Colorado, a friend and I decided to get our hair cut at one of the little shops downtown. As we waited our turn, I read another chapter of the book I had brought along with me, a book whose title clearly indicated my interest in spiritual things.
When my turn came and I settled into the chair, the young hairstylist noted that I was reading a Christian book and wondered if it would be okay for her to ask me a question about God that had been on her mind. Of course I said yes, relishing the opportunity to talk about theology. After all, I had been studying apologetics and was ready with all the right answers. Bring it on , I thought, smiling to myself.
Well, she started, with just a hint of hesitation, why does God allow so much evil and suffering in the world?
Really, that s all you got? raced through my mind. Why is this such a big problem? It s one of the most oft-asked questions in apologetics, and I was ready with the classical free-will defense-emphasizing that God desires a relationship with us, which is possible only if we have free will. I made the point that evil can exist only if there is first a standard of objective good and there can be good only if there is a God. In other words, her very question, I pointed out, presupposes the existence of God.
This led to more questions, and I found I could answer each one pretty easily. She d ask a question, and I had an answer ready at hand.
Things were going extraordinarily well, I thought, until she paused for a long moment, lifted the scissors away from my head, and then began to cry. She stepped back from cutting my hair and said in a quavering voice, This is a bunch of bs! You ve got an answer for everything. It can t be that easy. You just don t understand.
I was speechless (and a bit nervous, since she was clearly upset and had very sharp scissors poised not far from my head).
What had just happened? It seemed like we were having a great conversation and now this. Well, I quickly changed the topic and made sure to give her a big tip on the way out. Outside the shop, I turned to my friend and asked him why he thought she had been so defensive. He took a deep breath and looked me in the eyes, probably trying to determine if I was ready to hear the truth.
Well, he said, as gently as he could manage, do you have any idea how arrogant you were toward her?
I was taken aback. But as we walked along the streets of Breckenridge, I thought about the encounter and realized he was absolutely right. Rather than really listening to her, asking questions, and trying to learn from her, I was more interested in scoring points and winning the argument. My replies had come across as prepackaged sound bites rather than compassionate and respectful responses. What I saw, maybe for the first time, is that truth must be wedded to grace, and that what we say is important but how we say it is equally critical.
If we have the best arguments but not love, our arguments will often fall on deaf ears (1 Corinthians 13:1-3). A new kind of apologist must have both truth and love. This is why the apostle Paul said,
And the Lord s servant must not be quarrelsome but kind to everyone, able to teach, patiently enduring evil, correcting his opponents with gentleness. God may perhaps grant them repentance leading to a knowledge of the truth, and they may come to their senses and escape from the snare of the devil, after being captured by him to do his will (2 Timothy 2:24-26).
Whenever the problem of suffering and evil come up, I try to avoid simple answers. I typically respond with a question: Of all the things you can ask about God, why that one? Occasionally people have a genuine intellectual issue they want to wrestle with, and I am more than happy to help. But more often than not, the intellectual question masks a deep personal wound. When I ask this question, I often hear painful stories of sickness, broken relationships, and abuse. The Christian response is not to simply give a reason, although there may come a time for that, but to weep with those who weep (Romans 12:15) and to show comfort and care to the afflicted (Psalm 82:3).
Caught Off Guard
Not long ago I attended a conference put on by the Reformation Project, which is part of a larger movement committed to reforming the church s traditional views on homosexuality. 1 My goal was simply to meet people and learn about the movement from the inside. Along with worship, testimonies, and lectures, there were multiple ninety-minute sessions focused on helping people rebut biblical arguments against homosexuality and to make the most compelling case for the compatibility of Christianity and same-sex relationships. These sessions were led by Matthew Vines ( God and the Gay Christian ) and James Brownson ( Bible, Gender, Sexuality ).
Afterward the leaders broke us up into small groups and sent us to classrooms to practice role-playing what we had learned. As the group session started, the teacher went to the front of the class and said, Before we begin the role-play, it would be great if each of you could share your story of why you are here and why you care so much about this movement. Inside I was thinking, You ve got to be kidding me. How did I get myself into this situa