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Faith Founded on Fact: Essays in Evidential Apologetics
A provocative and controversial book intended to encourage Christian to make the case for the truthfulness of Christianity based on factual evidence. Included are chapters on "The Place of Reason in Christian Witness", "Science, Theology, and the Miraculous", "How Muslims Do Apologetics", and "Dr. Johnson as Apologist". Contains the most sophisticated refutation available anywhere of the arguments of David Hume and Anthony Flew against miracles in general and the resurrection of Christ in particular.
240 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 1978
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About the author
John Warwick Montgomery
171 books51 followersJohn Warwick Montgomery was an American-born lawyer, academic, Lutheran theologian, and author. He was born in Warsaw, New York, United States. Montgomery maintained multiple citizenship in the United States, United Kingdom, and France. From 2014 to 2017, he was Distinguished Research Professor of Philosophy at Concordia University, Wisconsin. He was Professor-At-Large, 1517: The Legacy Project. He was named Avocat honoraire, Barreau de Paris (2023), after 20 years in French legal practice. He continued to work as a barrister specializing in religious freedom cases in international Human Rights law until his death.
Montgomery was chiefly noted for his major contributions as a writer, lecturer, and public debater in the field of Christian apologetics.
From 1995 to 2007 he was a Professor in Law and Humanities at the University of Bedfordshire, England; and from 2007 to 2014, the Distinguished Research Professor of Philosophy and Christian Thought at Patrick Henry College in Virginia, United States. He later became Emeritus Professor at the University of Bedfordshire. He was also the director of the International Academy of Apologetics, Evangelism & Human Rights in Strasbourg, France, and was the editor of the theological online journal Global Journal of Classical Theology.
Montgomery was chiefly noted for his major contributions as a writer, lecturer, and public debater in the field of Christian apologetics.
From 1995 to 2007 he was a Professor in Law and Humanities at the University of Bedfordshire, England; and from 2007 to 2014, the Distinguished Research Professor of Philosophy and Christian Thought at Patrick Henry College in Virginia, United States. He later became Emeritus Professor at the University of Bedfordshire. He was also the director of the International Academy of Apologetics, Evangelism & Human Rights in Strasbourg, France, and was the editor of the theological online journal Global Journal of Classical Theology.
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Displaying 1 - 4 of 4 reviews
August 31, 2025
ESSAYS ON APOLOGETIC METHOD FROM THE FAMED LAWYER/APOLOGIST
John Warwick Montgomery (b. 1931) is one of the major philosophical apologists of the 20th century. He is also a trained lawyer, which influenced his "historical/legal" approach to Christian apologetics. He is perhaps best known as a writer for his books 'History and Christianity,' 'How Do We Know There is a God?,' 'Evidence for Faith,' 'Where is History Going?,' 'The Shape of the Past,' 'The Quest for Noah's Ark,' 'God's Inerrant Word,' as well as for his debates with the infamous atheist Madalyn Murray O'Hair (1967); with Joseph Fletcher [reprinted in 'Situation Ethics: True or False'); and with "Death of God" theologian Thomas Altizer [reprinted in 'The Suicide of Christian Theology'].
He wrote in the Preface to this 1978 book, "Today... there is not a theological seminary in the world ... that gives the same stress to apologetics as it does to dogmatics or ethics... The lack of emphasis on the defense of Christian faith in our time is especially unfortunate... when one reflects that ours is a time of secularism demanding that Christians 'be ready always to give an answer [Greek: 'apologia'] to every man that asks you a reason for the hope that is in you' [1 Pet 3:15]... The present book of essays endeavors... to offer just such answers." (Pg. ix)
He adds, "But why speak of 'EVIDENTIAL apologetics'?... influential attempts are being made to create systems of apologetics that supposedly do not depend on factual evidence but instead rely on 'assertively true' presuppositions or 'faith-informed' starting points. Such positions are either unabashedly 'presuppositionalist' (arguing that the Christian has every right to start from his unprovable first principles, for the non-Christian is doing the same thing...) or more subtly metaphysical (stating that the Christian's world-view... cannot be proven by any particular evidential considerations...)...
"The author rejects all such presuppositionalisms. The flight from 'verification' shared both by theological liberals ... and by metaphysically inclined evangelicals ... is a retreat from the apologetic task." (Pg. x-xi) He adds, "Christian faith is founded on fact. The message of this book is simply that the time is now more than ripe for the church to present that faith evidentially and courageously." (Pg. xiv)
He points out, "The twentieth-century world... displays a religious pluralism... Sects and cults proliferate; philosophies of life... vie for our attention... All about us ultimate concerns spring up, each claiming to be more ultimate, more worthy of our total commitment, than the other. In the university world the pluralistic cacophony is louder than perhaps anywhere else... What is the non-Christian to do, when amid this din he hears the Christian message? Are we Christians so naive as to think that he will automatically... accept Christianity as true and put away world-views contradicting it?... do we really think he will not at the same time hear precisely the same subjective-pragmatic appeal from numerous other quarters?" (Pg. 38-39)
His article, "Once Upon an a Priori" [which was reprinted in 'Jerusalem & Athens: Critical Discussions on the Philosophy and Apologetics of Cornelius Van Til'] is included, in which he criticizes Van Til's approach using a parable from French television, with contradictory views, where "Neither viewpoint can prevail, since BY DEFINITION all appeal to neutral evidence is eliminated.... correct INTERPRETATION of the facts... rests only with the one who has seen the total picture by revelation... Thus the irresistible force meets the immovable object... Without prior commitment to the TRULY 'meaningful context' of fact, facts are not compelling. But which 'context'---the Christian or the Marcusean?" (Pg. 114-117)
He notes that "We are warned that to press a consistent view of biblical inerrancy may divide evangelicalism... The question is, of course, whether entire scriptural reliability is all that important. I believe it is... Biblical inerrancy, though the expression does not appear in Scripture, is nevertheless Christ's view... Make no mistake. God will not let falter those who are consistently faithful to His Word.... for faith comes by hearing and hearing by the Word of God, and only the Word of God remains forever." (Pg. 227-228)
For all Christians interested in the METHODOLOGY and PHILOSOPHY of apologetics (rather than just specific apologetic arguments), this book will be of great interest.
John Warwick Montgomery (b. 1931) is one of the major philosophical apologists of the 20th century. He is also a trained lawyer, which influenced his "historical/legal" approach to Christian apologetics. He is perhaps best known as a writer for his books 'History and Christianity,' 'How Do We Know There is a God?,' 'Evidence for Faith,' 'Where is History Going?,' 'The Shape of the Past,' 'The Quest for Noah's Ark,' 'God's Inerrant Word,' as well as for his debates with the infamous atheist Madalyn Murray O'Hair (1967); with Joseph Fletcher [reprinted in 'Situation Ethics: True or False'); and with "Death of God" theologian Thomas Altizer [reprinted in 'The Suicide of Christian Theology'].
He wrote in the Preface to this 1978 book, "Today... there is not a theological seminary in the world ... that gives the same stress to apologetics as it does to dogmatics or ethics... The lack of emphasis on the defense of Christian faith in our time is especially unfortunate... when one reflects that ours is a time of secularism demanding that Christians 'be ready always to give an answer [Greek: 'apologia'] to every man that asks you a reason for the hope that is in you' [1 Pet 3:15]... The present book of essays endeavors... to offer just such answers." (Pg. ix)
He adds, "But why speak of 'EVIDENTIAL apologetics'?... influential attempts are being made to create systems of apologetics that supposedly do not depend on factual evidence but instead rely on 'assertively true' presuppositions or 'faith-informed' starting points. Such positions are either unabashedly 'presuppositionalist' (arguing that the Christian has every right to start from his unprovable first principles, for the non-Christian is doing the same thing...) or more subtly metaphysical (stating that the Christian's world-view... cannot be proven by any particular evidential considerations...)...
"The author rejects all such presuppositionalisms. The flight from 'verification' shared both by theological liberals ... and by metaphysically inclined evangelicals ... is a retreat from the apologetic task." (Pg. x-xi) He adds, "Christian faith is founded on fact. The message of this book is simply that the time is now more than ripe for the church to present that faith evidentially and courageously." (Pg. xiv)
He points out, "The twentieth-century world... displays a religious pluralism... Sects and cults proliferate; philosophies of life... vie for our attention... All about us ultimate concerns spring up, each claiming to be more ultimate, more worthy of our total commitment, than the other. In the university world the pluralistic cacophony is louder than perhaps anywhere else... What is the non-Christian to do, when amid this din he hears the Christian message? Are we Christians so naive as to think that he will automatically... accept Christianity as true and put away world-views contradicting it?... do we really think he will not at the same time hear precisely the same subjective-pragmatic appeal from numerous other quarters?" (Pg. 38-39)
His article, "Once Upon an a Priori" [which was reprinted in 'Jerusalem & Athens: Critical Discussions on the Philosophy and Apologetics of Cornelius Van Til'] is included, in which he criticizes Van Til's approach using a parable from French television, with contradictory views, where "Neither viewpoint can prevail, since BY DEFINITION all appeal to neutral evidence is eliminated.... correct INTERPRETATION of the facts... rests only with the one who has seen the total picture by revelation... Thus the irresistible force meets the immovable object... Without prior commitment to the TRULY 'meaningful context' of fact, facts are not compelling. But which 'context'---the Christian or the Marcusean?" (Pg. 114-117)
He notes that "We are warned that to press a consistent view of biblical inerrancy may divide evangelicalism... The question is, of course, whether entire scriptural reliability is all that important. I believe it is... Biblical inerrancy, though the expression does not appear in Scripture, is nevertheless Christ's view... Make no mistake. God will not let falter those who are consistently faithful to His Word.... for faith comes by hearing and hearing by the Word of God, and only the Word of God remains forever." (Pg. 227-228)
For all Christians interested in the METHODOLOGY and PHILOSOPHY of apologetics (rather than just specific apologetic arguments), this book will be of great interest.
January 19, 2018
Montgomery was an erudite professor at the University of Strasbourg, France who spent his life crafting a historical and philosophical defense of the Christian faith. Any of his works is well worth searching for and studying.
July 21, 2018
Par excellance
A GREAT work on how Christianity is founded on facts. Excellent chapter on weaknesses of presuppositional apologetics and how it doesn't work in the real world.
A GREAT work on how Christianity is founded on facts. Excellent chapter on weaknesses of presuppositional apologetics and how it doesn't work in the real world.
June 28, 2013
Like any book that is a collection of different topics/essays, etc. there will be some that the reader likes more than others. Overall I gave this book three star. There were some chapters that were tough reading but others that were 4 & 5 stars.
Chapters 1,6,9 were of particular interest to me and then JWM ended on a high note with chapter 10: "The Fuzzification of Biblical Inerrancy."
Bottom line, JWM is a great apologist and am I glad to sit at his feet and learn from him on any subject.
Chapters 1,6,9 were of particular interest to me and then JWM ended on a high note with chapter 10: "The Fuzzification of Biblical Inerrancy."
Bottom line, JWM is a great apologist and am I glad to sit at his feet and learn from him on any subject.
Displaying 1 - 4 of 4 reviews