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How Do We Know There Is a God?
Troubling questions, with answers derived from the ultimate answer book, the what is God really like? can we scientifically explain miracles? isn't the story of creation really a myth? don't all religions lead us to heaven?
96 pages, Paperback
First published June 1, 1973
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About the author
John Warwick Montgomery
173 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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September 6, 2024
THE FAMED LAWYER/APOLOGIST ANSWERS MANY COMMON QUESTIONS
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,' 'Faith Founded on Fact,' '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'); with "Death of God" theologian Thomas Altizer [reprinted in 'The Suicide of Christian Theology]'.
He wrote in the Preface to this 1973 book, "ultimate questions continue to be asked whether society likes them or not. To repress questions about the meaning of life is simply to drive them deeper into the unconscious where they will trouble our spirit... Why are religious questions frowned upon? Because they seem unanswerable, and thus productive of conflicts of opinion... But suppose ... God once really came to earth to answer man's deepest religious longings?... Then religious questions would be not only the most significant of all, but in fact the most answerable of all. This little book is predicated on that assumption." (Pg. 2)
Regarding the question about the various interpretations of the Bible, he commented, "Someone has said that you can get anything out of the Bible. This is true, IF you are allowed to bring anything you want TO the Bible. The many interpretations of the Bible are the result of our bringing our own ideas to the Bible and forcing the Bible to say what we want it to say. All branches of Christendom... find exactly the same central teachings in the Bible, for they all accept the same ecumenical creeds." (Pg. 28-29)
About those who have never heard of Christ, he says, "The Bible makes perfectly plain the condition of those who have ACCEPTED Christ and the condition of those who have REJECTED Him. Those who have accepted receive eternal life; those who have rejected must pay the penalty of their own sins, for they have refused the only remedy for their disease. But the Bible leaves to God's mercy those who have never heard of Christ... we do not know whether God may not have means of bringing Christ to people whom we have not been able to reach." (Pg. 48-49)
About birth control, he suggests, "Scripture says we should be as responsible about bringing another human being into the world as we are about our own lives. We should not be like the secularists, who consider children a matter of indifference to marriage... On the other hand, the Bible does not remove responsible birth control from the decision of the married couple. They... should not permit the number of children to reach a point where they cannot be taken care of properly." (Pg. 70-71)
He asserts that "Liberal Protestantism is the bane of theological existence, for it commits the worst sin of all: it stands in judgment on God's Word instead of letting God's Word proclaim judgment and grace to it." About Roman Catholicism, he says, "I cannot accept the so-called 'Petrine theory': the theory that the true Church is that body maintaining a ... succession of persons... back to Peter as the first pope.... Therefore I cannot accept the claims of the Roman Church... However, in practice, Roman Catholics in great numbers through the centuries have relied solely on the Christ of Scripture for salvation... Today Protestant liberalism and theological radicalism pose a far greater threat to historic Christian truth than does Rome." (Pg. 86-87)
Montgomery deals with a number of questions that aren't dealt with in most such "answers" books by Christians; this book will be of definite interest to anyone interested in Christian apologetics.
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,' 'Faith Founded on Fact,' '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'); with "Death of God" theologian Thomas Altizer [reprinted in 'The Suicide of Christian Theology]'.
He wrote in the Preface to this 1973 book, "ultimate questions continue to be asked whether society likes them or not. To repress questions about the meaning of life is simply to drive them deeper into the unconscious where they will trouble our spirit... Why are religious questions frowned upon? Because they seem unanswerable, and thus productive of conflicts of opinion... But suppose ... God once really came to earth to answer man's deepest religious longings?... Then religious questions would be not only the most significant of all, but in fact the most answerable of all. This little book is predicated on that assumption." (Pg. 2)
Regarding the question about the various interpretations of the Bible, he commented, "Someone has said that you can get anything out of the Bible. This is true, IF you are allowed to bring anything you want TO the Bible. The many interpretations of the Bible are the result of our bringing our own ideas to the Bible and forcing the Bible to say what we want it to say. All branches of Christendom... find exactly the same central teachings in the Bible, for they all accept the same ecumenical creeds." (Pg. 28-29)
About those who have never heard of Christ, he says, "The Bible makes perfectly plain the condition of those who have ACCEPTED Christ and the condition of those who have REJECTED Him. Those who have accepted receive eternal life; those who have rejected must pay the penalty of their own sins, for they have refused the only remedy for their disease. But the Bible leaves to God's mercy those who have never heard of Christ... we do not know whether God may not have means of bringing Christ to people whom we have not been able to reach." (Pg. 48-49)
About birth control, he suggests, "Scripture says we should be as responsible about bringing another human being into the world as we are about our own lives. We should not be like the secularists, who consider children a matter of indifference to marriage... On the other hand, the Bible does not remove responsible birth control from the decision of the married couple. They... should not permit the number of children to reach a point where they cannot be taken care of properly." (Pg. 70-71)
He asserts that "Liberal Protestantism is the bane of theological existence, for it commits the worst sin of all: it stands in judgment on God's Word instead of letting God's Word proclaim judgment and grace to it." About Roman Catholicism, he says, "I cannot accept the so-called 'Petrine theory': the theory that the true Church is that body maintaining a ... succession of persons... back to Peter as the first pope.... Therefore I cannot accept the claims of the Roman Church... However, in practice, Roman Catholics in great numbers through the centuries have relied solely on the Christ of Scripture for salvation... Today Protestant liberalism and theological radicalism pose a far greater threat to historic Christian truth than does Rome." (Pg. 86-87)
Montgomery deals with a number of questions that aren't dealt with in most such "answers" books by Christians; this book will be of definite interest to anyone interested in Christian apologetics.
April 12, 2017
Written by one of the 20th century's outstanding defenders of the Christian faith.
Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews