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The Defense Never Rests: A Lawyer's Quest for the Gospel
This powerful critique of American Christianity chronicles the spiritual pilgrimage of one man and provides a defense of the pure Gospel. Believers and skeptics alike will benefit from this book.
160 pages, Paperback
First published June 1, 2003
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Displaying 1 - 11 of 11 reviews
July 2, 2019
Apologetics is the defense of the Christian faith.
Parton was an evangelical who slowly found that there was not much substance to the churches he was attending. Too much focus on the "do" and not enough on Jesus.
He then started attending a Lutheran church, with liturgy, hymns, confirmation classes, and a focus on the gospel.
His background as a lawyer gives him a unique perspective on the Christian faith.
Parton was an evangelical who slowly found that there was not much substance to the churches he was attending. Too much focus on the "do" and not enough on Jesus.
He then started attending a Lutheran church, with liturgy, hymns, confirmation classes, and a focus on the gospel.
His background as a lawyer gives him a unique perspective on the Christian faith.
July 14, 2022
Top Quotes:
"...the smell test [is] what [a] church in fact believes, teaches, and confesses."
"...promises by sinners, who are promise breakers by nature, to be faithful is not a recipe for comfort. Comfort comes from assurance that all is in our Lord Jesus Christ's hands and secure in His promises."
"This confession leads inexorably to the life of prayer as one lives out that confession in a life of gratitude for the total rescue effected by God."
"It is thoroughly biblical to confess publicly what is true and condemn publicly what is false."
"They [confessions] are not true 'in so far' as they reflect what Scripture says. They are true 'because' they reflect what Scripture says."
"Apologetics endeavor to remove intellectual obstacles from the mind of the skeptic...so that an unbeliever can be confronted with the real obstacle: Jesus Christ, the only legitimate 'stumbling block' (1 Corinthians 1:23)."
"...human reason can never generate personal trust in the facts that lie at the heart of the Gospel..."
"Christianity is not, ultimately, a matter of feeling or emotion or social action. Christianity yields feelings and emotion and social action only because it is a faith founded on fact."
"...knowledge based on objective fact must always ground faith, or personal trust."
"God gave us a reason that remains capable of determining if events in history really occurred....this is not yet saving faith. Those same facts carry with them the proper interpretation."
"All religious truth claims must be investigated and verified or falsified."
"...the Gospel writers and witnesses made it their practice to present the case for Jesus Christ initially within the context of the Jewish synagogue - thus effectively subjecting their testimony to the rigorous rebuttal of the hostile religious community who had intimate knowledge of the OT and surely would not have stood idly by while the Gospel witnesses falsely claimed that Jesus had fulfilled numerous prophecies."
"...the objectivity of the Gospel and a Christ who comes to us from outside of us primarily to save as we live lives of daily repentance."
"As Christians we truly 'stand on the shoulder of giants.'" We have the benefit of learning from the greatest intellects who have addressed issues of truth and defended the faith with great ability and clarity through the centuries."
"To that forgiveness faith says, 'Amen,' that is, 'Truth.' Amen is the great word of worship; it indicates that the gift has been received."
"...the smell test [is] what [a] church in fact believes, teaches, and confesses."
"...promises by sinners, who are promise breakers by nature, to be faithful is not a recipe for comfort. Comfort comes from assurance that all is in our Lord Jesus Christ's hands and secure in His promises."
"This confession leads inexorably to the life of prayer as one lives out that confession in a life of gratitude for the total rescue effected by God."
"It is thoroughly biblical to confess publicly what is true and condemn publicly what is false."
"They [confessions] are not true 'in so far' as they reflect what Scripture says. They are true 'because' they reflect what Scripture says."
"Apologetics endeavor to remove intellectual obstacles from the mind of the skeptic...so that an unbeliever can be confronted with the real obstacle: Jesus Christ, the only legitimate 'stumbling block' (1 Corinthians 1:23)."
"...human reason can never generate personal trust in the facts that lie at the heart of the Gospel..."
"Christianity is not, ultimately, a matter of feeling or emotion or social action. Christianity yields feelings and emotion and social action only because it is a faith founded on fact."
"...knowledge based on objective fact must always ground faith, or personal trust."
"God gave us a reason that remains capable of determining if events in history really occurred....this is not yet saving faith. Those same facts carry with them the proper interpretation."
"All religious truth claims must be investigated and verified or falsified."
"...the Gospel writers and witnesses made it their practice to present the case for Jesus Christ initially within the context of the Jewish synagogue - thus effectively subjecting their testimony to the rigorous rebuttal of the hostile religious community who had intimate knowledge of the OT and surely would not have stood idly by while the Gospel witnesses falsely claimed that Jesus had fulfilled numerous prophecies."
"...the objectivity of the Gospel and a Christ who comes to us from outside of us primarily to save as we live lives of daily repentance."
"As Christians we truly 'stand on the shoulder of giants.'" We have the benefit of learning from the greatest intellects who have addressed issues of truth and defended the faith with great ability and clarity through the centuries."
"To that forgiveness faith says, 'Amen,' that is, 'Truth.' Amen is the great word of worship; it indicates that the gift has been received."
June 29, 2023
An outstanding foray into juridical apologetics by a seasoned lawyer and apologist. Parton not only presents the case for Christianity, but he does so while also giving an apology for Reformation Lutheran Christianity. As an Anglican with Lutheran sensitivities, I haven’t seen another book that achieves what Parton does here.
Also, for those interested in and/or engulfed in presuppositions apologetics, Parton offers a gentle critique and encouragement to check out juridical apologetics, which argues inductively (and therefore builds a case that stands trial, if you’ll pardon the pun).
I can’t recommend this highly enough! I look forward to reading it again before too long.
Also, for those interested in and/or engulfed in presuppositions apologetics, Parton offers a gentle critique and encouragement to check out juridical apologetics, which argues inductively (and therefore builds a case that stands trial, if you’ll pardon the pun).
I can’t recommend this highly enough! I look forward to reading it again before too long.
November 27, 2023
Excellent! There’s a lot of good info in this book. He starts with his journey from Evangelicalism to Lutheranism. The most profound concept presented, the Lutheran rhythm of Law-Gospel vs Law-Gospel-Law(Works) so prevalent in other denominations and evangelicalism today, in which every Christian can get caught up. He contrasts contemporary services with reverent traditional services, esp. Good Friday and Easter. He goes into the benefits of Luther’s Small Catechism: it’s clarity and conciseness, use as prayer beyond mere knowledge of God for the sinner saint, and use as a clear and comprehensive tool for teaching. He explains how Lutheranism is a confession, not a denomination, based on how a sinner is made right with God. Goes through the Reformation 1517, Book of Concord 1580, justification, Christocentric Lutheran defense of the Gospel. Then, into apologetics from the perspective of ‘legal standards of proof, preponderance of evidence in civil cases and proof beyond a reasonable doubt in criminal cases.’ He ends with a commentary on the portions of the Divine Service, pretty cool. Suggested readings and authors are scattered throughout, and in the extensive notes and bibliography section.
July 23, 2022
Craig Parton gives practical arguments in defense of the faith and Christ's resurrection from both a logical and an artistic standpoint. It's a short read, and I highly recommend it!
October 18, 2012
Craig Parton's little book that expounds on the Lutheran liturgy and the confessions from an evidential viewpoint. Parton provides a handy layout of apologetics geared for Lutherans. This book is an excellent read for anyone who has come from a background of Evangelicalism. Parton lays out the differences between the popular method of evangelical subjective biblical interpretation (Interpreting scripture via personal feelings, over-emphasized experiences, and cultural attitudes) vs the Authoritative, Inspired and Living word that actually interprets US! Craig Parton has written several concise articles for the converted Lutheran-former evangelical. I highly recommend him, and value his work- although I do warn you to BEWARE- he minces no words!
CLICK TITLES:
The New White Wine Pietists
Funerals from Hell
And an excellent MUST LISTEN MP3 with Rod Rosenblat:The Gospel for those Broken by the Church
***Please note for a more scholarly review of this book, please go to Amazon. My review is actually a statement meant to help me place this book in my garner of theological information and how it impacted my understanding of the faith.
CLICK TITLES:
The New White Wine Pietists
Funerals from Hell
And an excellent MUST LISTEN MP3 with Rod Rosenblat:The Gospel for those Broken by the Church
***Please note for a more scholarly review of this book, please go to Amazon. My review is actually a statement meant to help me place this book in my garner of theological information and how it impacted my understanding of the faith.
July 15, 2008
Parton approaches three major topics in his text. First, he tells his personal story of his evolution from a generic American Christianity that offered little in terms of content to the Lutheran church. He gives a good narrative of his experiences and adequately communicates what was going through his mind during these transitional times.
Second, he advocates two different types of apologetics to the world: a propositional-based argument based on his vocation as a lawyer, and an apologetic for the "sensitive-minded". It is this section where Parton shines, as he argues for the value of institutions like art, music, and architecture as places and things that can point to Christ without relying on a "sterile" list of facts and arguments. He does a good job of describing why the apologetic task is truly a Lutheran concern.
Finally, Parton argues for the traditional purity inherent in Lutheran theology and its value for the rest of the Church as a whole. He uses an argument that is very convincing to me: the Church as a whole needs the things that the Lutherans bring. Lutherans as a whole often spend too much time trying to assimilate to everyone else, but everyone else cannot benefit from the unique Lutheran concerns if they do.
Parton produces a short but informative and entertaining text that is certainly worth your time.
Second, he advocates two different types of apologetics to the world: a propositional-based argument based on his vocation as a lawyer, and an apologetic for the "sensitive-minded". It is this section where Parton shines, as he argues for the value of institutions like art, music, and architecture as places and things that can point to Christ without relying on a "sterile" list of facts and arguments. He does a good job of describing why the apologetic task is truly a Lutheran concern.
Finally, Parton argues for the traditional purity inherent in Lutheran theology and its value for the rest of the Church as a whole. He uses an argument that is very convincing to me: the Church as a whole needs the things that the Lutherans bring. Lutherans as a whole often spend too much time trying to assimilate to everyone else, but everyone else cannot benefit from the unique Lutheran concerns if they do.
Parton produces a short but informative and entertaining text that is certainly worth your time.
April 11, 2013
Excellent! This book is multifaceted. Craig Parton tells of his personal faith journey and relates it to Evangelicalism, Lutheranism, and apologetics. His search for Christ-centered worship is heart-felt. His stressing of the need for apologetics is inspiring. His law perspective on tough-minded (logical) apologetical work hits home. His insights into tender-minded (abstract) apologetics is intriguing. His thoughts on the future direction of Christianity in America keep me thinking. Top this off with a commentary on the divine worship service practices and in-depth meaning, and you have a most excellent Christian read. Highly recommended for Christians diving deeper into their spiritual journey.
March 8, 2015
This short book was more than what I expected. I expected a book primarily about the authors journey into Lutheranism. However, the majority of the book is an apologetic of the Christian faith using the authors background in law. I wasn't looking for an apologetic book but found his insights very interesting. I enjoyed the distinction he made between objective and subjective apologetics. The objective emphasizing facts for the life and resurrection of Christ and the subjective emphasizing gospel themes that all humans resonate with and can be located in the arts such as novels, art, poetry, and music. At the start I was disappointed with the book but having finished it appreciate its wide angle and divers target audience.
March 28, 2013
Parton is clearly gifted at arguing his case. He is at his best in addressing pure apologetics and the key Christian defenses. At times he ventures too much into denominational elitism. That would be fine, of course, but in the process it risks combining two different books into one. Nevertheless, I'd recommend it for Lutherans or those interested in learning more about modern Lutheran apologetics.
June 22, 2016
WOW times 1000! must Must MUST READ
Displaying 1 - 11 of 11 reviews