What do you think?
Rate this book
Thinking Straight in a Crooked World
Gary DeMar shows the power of biblical thinking and the lack thereof among today's Christians. God has supplied the corrective lenses that we need to see the world as He does. Gary DeMar defines what a biblical worldview is and then demonstrates how to acquire it and practice it. This is an indispensable text for college-bound students as well as any one of any age who is engaged in educational pursuits. It is also a wonderful biblical worldview primer. (Paperback, 306 pages)
306 pages, Paperback
First published October 1, 2001
4 people are currently reading
73 people want to read
About the author
Gary DeMar
94 books77 followersGary is a graduate of Western Michigan University (1973) and earned his M.Div. at Reformed Theological Seminary in 1979. In 2007, he earned his Ph.D. in Christian Intellectual History from Whitefield Theological Seminary. Author of countless essays, news articles, and more than 27 book titles, he also hosts The Gary DeMar Show, and History Unwrapped—both broadcasted and podcasted. Gary has lived in the Atlanta area since 1979 with his wife, Carol. They have two married sons and are enjoying being grandparents to their grandson. Gary and Carol are members of Midway Presbyterian Church (PCA).
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 6 of 6 reviews
August 28, 2012
Gary DeMar makes a solid apologetic survey and cultural critique in this book. A popularizer of Cornelius Van Til's pre-suppositional apologetic approach, DeMar spends most of his time debunking unChristian views and asserting that the Bible can be the only solid starting point for truth.
The first half, the apologetic survey, is much better than the second, which describes in detail the cultural degeneration from the 60s. This last half got tedious, too detailed, and he didn't clarify where he was going with it. From knowing my Van Til, I think the point was to show how a society can't hold together, how any error rushes in to fill the worldview vacuum when Christianity is rejected. This could have been more obvious, with less gruesome detail of horror and slasher films. He puts more into this than the far more important postmodern way of thinking, which only gets 5 pages at the very end.
But the first half of the book is excellent. DeMar explains what worldview means, how there is no objective neutrality in our thought, that reason has limits, and exposes the assumptions everyone must make in coming to worldview conclusions.
The first half, the apologetic survey, is much better than the second, which describes in detail the cultural degeneration from the 60s. This last half got tedious, too detailed, and he didn't clarify where he was going with it. From knowing my Van Til, I think the point was to show how a society can't hold together, how any error rushes in to fill the worldview vacuum when Christianity is rejected. This could have been more obvious, with less gruesome detail of horror and slasher films. He puts more into this than the far more important postmodern way of thinking, which only gets 5 pages at the very end.
But the first half of the book is excellent. DeMar explains what worldview means, how there is no objective neutrality in our thought, that reason has limits, and exposes the assumptions everyone must make in coming to worldview conclusions.
Read
July 23, 2011For those who have been growing in their knowledge and application of defending the faith in Presuppositional Apologetics (that emphasize beginning from the Bible first, focus on epistemology[Theory of knowledge], Ultimate Standards and authority, etc) one might find that over time it can be difficult to lay out everything with what Presuppositional Apologetics has to offer in a concise introduction. Several months ago, this writer have begun pondering about what book he can recommend as an introduction for those who might be interested for the interested but non-technical reader.
"Thinking Straight in a Crooked World" would serve as a good book as an introduction to General Apologetics from a Presuppositional Apologetics perspective. Many people who have been intimidated by the works of Van Til and Bahnsen either by the length of their books, the language in their writing, or the philosophical bent to their literature would find that "Thinking Straight in a Crooked WOrld" would help fill this gap for a 'beginner's book'.
The book begins with the Ultimate Authority of the Word of God when we pursue apologetics. Having laid out the Biblical mandate to defend the Christian faith from the Bible, it then goes on to articulate what a worldview is and how everyone has a worldview (whether we call it religion, philosophy or 'the way we explain the world'.)
The Chapter titled "Worldview Building Blocks" laid out what every worldview have as presuppositions about this world: what the reality and nature of the material world is (Physics), the nature of things that exist (Metaphysics), how we know things (epistemology) and how we determine right and wrong (ethics).
Throughout the book it is laced with great illustrations and a good of amount of quotes from atheists and critics. It offers in different chapters in the book a general critique of various worldview such as Eastern Religion, Secular Rationalism, and trends and ideas of pop culture.
In addition, author Gary DeMar devotes several chapters to the post-Rationalism's cultural fad with the occultic, UFO-ology, the para-normal, demonology, etc. This was a rather interesting twist to the flow of the book unlike other Presuppositional Apologetics book that this reviewer have thus read so far. Yet, critiquing the para-normal and the occult has its place given where our culture is heading towards today.
The book concludes with an optimistic chapter of how Post-Modernism (being self-refuting) will eventually collapse as an ideology and Christianity has a chance to fill its void in the battle place of Ideas and ultimate commitment.
A true grasp of this book would assist any reader into further understanding in other apologetics literature.
"Thinking Straight in a Crooked World" would serve as a good book as an introduction to General Apologetics from a Presuppositional Apologetics perspective. Many people who have been intimidated by the works of Van Til and Bahnsen either by the length of their books, the language in their writing, or the philosophical bent to their literature would find that "Thinking Straight in a Crooked WOrld" would help fill this gap for a 'beginner's book'.
The book begins with the Ultimate Authority of the Word of God when we pursue apologetics. Having laid out the Biblical mandate to defend the Christian faith from the Bible, it then goes on to articulate what a worldview is and how everyone has a worldview (whether we call it religion, philosophy or 'the way we explain the world'.)
The Chapter titled "Worldview Building Blocks" laid out what every worldview have as presuppositions about this world: what the reality and nature of the material world is (Physics), the nature of things that exist (Metaphysics), how we know things (epistemology) and how we determine right and wrong (ethics).
Throughout the book it is laced with great illustrations and a good of amount of quotes from atheists and critics. It offers in different chapters in the book a general critique of various worldview such as Eastern Religion, Secular Rationalism, and trends and ideas of pop culture.
In addition, author Gary DeMar devotes several chapters to the post-Rationalism's cultural fad with the occultic, UFO-ology, the para-normal, demonology, etc. This was a rather interesting twist to the flow of the book unlike other Presuppositional Apologetics book that this reviewer have thus read so far. Yet, critiquing the para-normal and the occult has its place given where our culture is heading towards today.
The book concludes with an optimistic chapter of how Post-Modernism (being self-refuting) will eventually collapse as an ideology and Christianity has a chance to fill its void in the battle place of Ideas and ultimate commitment.
A true grasp of this book would assist any reader into further understanding in other apologetics literature.
October 21, 2018
Wow, this book was great! Seriously of the BEST worldview and apologetics books I've read so far!
June 14, 2017
Very good.
June 5, 2025
Good basics on worldview.
June 2, 2008
DeMar has written some good critiques of pre-trib, left behind hysteria, so would his apologetics book be the same? Don't quit your day job, Gary! This is one book the church doesn't need. Another fluffy apologetics book attacking the weakest forms of non-Christian thought by using pithy little rejoinders that would get eaten up and spit out by even a remotely intelligent unbeliever. Save your money. (And I say that even after I saw it on Amazon for 5 bucks!)
Displaying 1 - 6 of 6 reviews