Ever since the apostle Paul addressed the Stoic and Epicurean philosophers in Athens, relating the Christian worldview to a nonChristian world has been a challenge. And despite Peter's charge to be "ready to make a defense to everyone who asks you to give an account for the hope that is in you" (1 Peter 3:15), most Christian laypeople have left apologetics-the defense of the faith-to the ecclesiastical "pros." Even after twenty centuries of accumulated experience, many still feel unprepared to offer a coherent defense of their faith to those who question it, attack it, or just want to know more about it. It doesn't have to be that way!
Kenneth Boa and Robert Bowman have assembled a wealth of information about what Christians believe and how to present that faith to an unbelieving world. Remarkable, both in its depth of content and ease of accessibility, Faith Has Its Reasons gives Christian laypeople the tools to address such critical questions as:
\225 Why is belief in God rational despite the prevalence of evil in the world?
\225 What facts support the church's testimony that Jesus rose from the dead?
\225 Can we be certain Christianity is true?
\225 How can our faith in Christ be based on something more secure than our own understanding without descending into an irrational emotionalism?
Using conversations with two hypothetical and vastly different individuals (one a skeptical, nominal Protestant and one a nominal Hindu), Boa and Bowman illustrate how four of the most widely used approaches to Christian apologetics-reason, fact, revelation, and faith-can be used to answer questions of faith. In doing so, they also explain the strengths and weaknesses of these varying approaches.
Faith Has Its Reasons is about much more than developing the intellectual discipline to answer abstract questions. Ultimately, its purpose is to help bring people into a relationship with the living and true God.
Dr. Kenneth Boa is the president of Reflections Ministries. He has authored numerous books including Pursuing Wisdom and The Art of Living Well (both NavPress) and is a contributing editor to the Open Bible, the Promise Keeper's Men's Study Bible, and the Leadership Bible. Dr. Boa earned a bachelor's degree from Case Institute of Technology, a master's degree in theology from Dallas Theological Seminary, and doctoral degrees from both New York University and the University of Oxford. He resides in Atlanta, Georgia.
Robert M. Bowman, Jr., is the director of research for Watchman Fellowship, an apologetics ministry specializing in cults and new age religions, in Birmingham, Alabama. He is the author of six other books including Why You Should Believe in the Trinity (Baker Book House) and coauthor with Kenneth D. Boa of the Gold Medallion winner An Unchanging Faith in a Changing World (Thomas Nelson). Rob taught apologetics and biblical studies at Luther Rice Seminary for five years and is a Ph.D. candidate at Westminster Theological Seminary.
