Defence of the Truth: Contending for the Faith Yesterday and Today

by Michael A.G. Haykin

The apostle Peterâ?s words in 1 Peter 3:15 â?" â??In your hearts regard Christ the Lord as holy, always being prepared to make a defence to anyone who asks you for a reason for the hope that is in yo

Genres: Church History

192 pages, Paperback

First published March 1, 2004

About the author

Dr. Michael A.G. Haykin is the Professor of Church History and Biblical Spirituality and Director of The Andrew Fuller Center for Baptist Studies at The Southern Baptist Theological Seminary.

He is also the editor of Eusebeia: The Bulletin of The Andrew Fuller Center for Baptist Studies. His present areas of research include 18th-century British Baptist life and thought, as well as Patristic Trinitarianism and Baptist piety.

Haykin is a prolific writer having authored numerous books, over 250 articles and over 150 book reviews. He is also an accomplished editor with numerous editorial credits.

Reviews

[Tom James · Rating 4 out of 5]

Apologetics is not a new discipline in Christianity. In fact, Christians have been engaged in it from the beginning, as Michael Haykin demonstrates in this short book, which also serves as an introduction to the early church Fathers. Each chapter contains a short biography or historical introduction, introduces an issue of contention, and then gives a summary of the apologist's arguments. If you want to know about Augustine and his writings, but don't have time, at present, to read the Confessions and a thousand pages of The City of God, Haykin's chapter on the great theologian can function as a good substitute until you do. Of particular interest to me was his chapter on the different millennial views in the early church and his sketch of the life of Patrick of Ireland and his defence of Christian missions. In the fifth century, Ireland was thought to be the most western nation--no lands beyond it. The people were despised by Romanized Europeans and were not thought to be worthy of Christian evangelism, yet Patrick, a Roman Briton, returned to the land of his captors and brought the gospel with him. This book whets one's appetite for further research into Christian historical theology.

[Eric Abisror · Rating 5 out of 5]

A very small and helpful treatment of some of our church fathers and their defence of truth in the midst of critique and unstable times. Haykin gives a short biographical sketch of their life and highlights some of their writings. Reading this book was a great encouragement to my own life. Knowing that my faith stands on the giants of faithful men who have believed and defended the faith before me is a motivation to my own faith.