Mere Apologetics: How to Help Seekers & Skeptics Find Faith

Alister E. McGrath (DPhil and DD, University of Oxford; Fellow of the Royal Society of Arts) is professor of theology, ministry, and education, and head of the Centre for Theology, Religion, and Culture at King's College, London, and president for the Oxford Center for Christian Apologetics. He is the author and editor of numerous books, including the award-winning The Passionate Intellect: Christian Faith and the Discipleship of the Mind. A former atheist, he is respectful yet critical of the new atheist movement and regularly engages in debate and dialogue with its leaders.

In this easy-to-read book, McGrath (The Dawkins Delusion), a former atheist and president of the Oxford Center for Christian Apologetics, offers a guide to help readers develop their own approach to apologetics in a postmodern world. He provides insight into the history of apologetics, offers a theological basis for apologetics, and helpfully distinguishes the task of the apologist from that of the evangelist. He also supplies information on apologetic methods and furnishes two “case studies” of common queries seekers and skeptics may pose. In an attempt, however, to make the book useful to members of all denominations, McGrath does not provide theologically derived responses to the questions apologists will need to answer. Additionally, he frequently deviates into his own apologetic critique of the New Atheism. While many readers may not be interested in this critique and may desire more in-depth guidance for answering common challenges to the Christian faith, McGrath’s book is an accessible manual for those interested in understanding the field of apologetics more broadly. (Jan.)Copyright 2011 Reed Business Information.