Synopsis:
A primer on classic Christian apologetics.

Review:
All spring, I’ve been immersed in a series on Renewing Your Mind, RC Sproul’s podcast, that has gone in-depth into the classic philosophical, reason-based arguments for the existence of God. It’s heady stuff, and so I leapt at the chance to review On Guard: Defending Your Faith with Reason and Precision, in the hopes that the information would complement that provided by the learned Dr. Sproul.

I was quite pleased to find that William Lane Craig covers the same ground as Dr. Sproul, training believers to use philosophical reasoning to explain and defend their faith. These notions are a powerful antidote to the prevailing idea that the gospel is all about one’s own personal experience, where the conversion story is held up as the most important proof of the truth claims of Christianity. Craig shows that a Christian can argue for the truth of Christianity without relying on emotional appeals or anecdata. This book is a great addition to any believer’s library.

Many thanks to David C. Cook for the review copy.