Christian Apologetics: A Comprehensive Case for Biblical Faith

by Douglas Groothuis

People are hungry for hope. They want to understand our human condition—its origin, nature, purpose, and destiny. The Christian faith offers hope for individuals and the entire universe, grounded in absolute truth. But how can we know that Christianity is true? And how can Christians confidently present their beliefs in the face of doubts and competing views?

In this comprehensive text, Douglas Groothuis makes a clear and rigorous case for Christian theism. Demonstrating how apologetics must be both rational and winsome, he addresses the most common questions and objections people raise regarding Christianity. After laying a foundation with the biblical basis for apologetics, apologetic method, and a defense of objective truth, he presents key arguments for the reality of God, a case for the credibility of Jesus, and evidence for the resurrection. Groothuis also evaluates alternative views and responds to challenges such as religious pluralism and the problem of evil.

The second edition of this landmark work has been updated throughout to address current issues and sources. It includes new chapters on topics such as doubt and the hiddenness of God, the atonement, the church, and lament as a Christian apologetic. To know God in Christ, Groothuis argues, means that we desire to make Christian truth available to others in the most compelling form possible. Students, ordinary Christians, and seasoned philosophers will all find a wise guide for this endeavor in Christian Apologetics.

Genres: Theology, Christian, Christianity, Philosophy, Religion, Nonfiction, Science

839 pages, Kindle Edition

First published July 27, 2011

About the author

Douglas Groothuis (PhD, University of Oregon) is professor of philosophy at Denver Seminary in Denver, Colorado, where he heads the Apologetics and Ethics masters degree program. His articles have been published in professional journals such as Religious Studies, Philosophia Christi, Themelios, Christian Scholar's Review, Inquiry, and Journal of the Evangelical Theological Society. He has written numerous books, including Christian Apologetics and, most recently Philosophy in Seven Sentences.

Reviews

[Justin Bailey · Rating 3 out of 5]

In his Christian Apologetics, philosopher Douglas Groothuis offers his “magnum opus”, a cumulative case argument for the explanatory power and persuasive truth of the Christian faith. In his own words: “Christianity alone makes the most sense of the things that matter most.” (72) Weighing in at around 700 pages, the volume is not particularly innovative; nor is it trying to be. Rather, Groothuis is hoping to update the apologetic conversation to account for recent developments (scientific discussions, new atheism, the spread of Islam) and to give a succinct and substantive presentation of the best apologetic arguments for Christianity.

The book is composed of 26 chapters plus two appendices and is divided into three sections. Part one (chs. 1-8) is concerned with methodological preliminaries; part two (chs. 9-22) is a constructive case for Christian Theism; part three (chs. 23-26) addressees three of the most pressing objections in contemporary times: religious pluralism, the claims of Islam and the problem of evil. Included are a chapter by Craig Blomberg on the historicity of Jesus and an appendix by Richard Hess on Old Testament apologetic issues.

Groothuis summarizes the Christian worldview he aims to defend in this “touchstone proposition”: “The universe (originally good, now fallen and awaiting its divine judgment and restoration) was created by and is sustained by the Triune God, who has revealed himself in nature, humanity, conscience, Scripture, and supremely through the Incarnation, that God may be glorified in all things.” (92) His methodology to establish this worldview is abductive: to look at multiple lines of evidence and make an inference to the best explanation. As he puts it: “[t]he best method of apologetic reasoning is hypothesis evaluation and verification.” For Groothuis this entails thinking in terms of worldview, which is “a large-scale hypothesis (or meta-narrative) that attempts to explain what matters most” (49). Accordingly, Groothuis gives eight criteria for evaluating worldviews: explanatory scope, internal consistency, coherency, factual adequacy, existential viability, cultural fecundity, historical consistency, and lack of unnecessary complexity (45-60). As mentioned above, Groothuis is attempting to provide a cumulative case that is broadly applicable to those who may not find particular arguments for Christianity compelling. He admits that people often hold a smorgasbord of beliefs that do not easily fit into any unified worldview; thus practical wisdom is needed to discern when and how to present the arguments for Christian faith.

Groothuis argues for a modified foundationalist, correspondence theory of truth, stating that truth is “part of the intellectual oxygen we breathe” (139) He avers that people have the responsibility to try to “get reality right” lest they “forfeit the humility of being beholden to a reality outside of themselves – a reality that may prove right or wrong, but which they do not command.” (137) Groothuis contrasts the virtue of truth-seeking with intellectual vices of self-deception, willful disbelief, arrogance, intellectual apathy (“apatheism”) and diversion (he has harsh things to say about television which might be extended to other technological distractions). Groothuis rejects postmodern insights about truth, arguing that it is common sense that some things are simply wrong, and that others things are simply true. Furthermore, within the Christian worldview, the final authority is Scripture, which “repeatedly promises that confident knowledge of God is possible… We may have justified certainty apart from absolute proof.” (148)

Despite the appeal to Scripture, Groothuis claims that his cumulative case method neither presupposes Christianity nor attempts to marshal a mountain of irrefutable evidence. While he ably defends each of the arguments he presents, the arguments seem to be arranged in order of Groothuis’ estimation of their persuasive force. He begins with the classic theistic arguments: ontological (ch. 10), cosmological (ch. 11), teleological (chs. 12-14), moral arguments (ch. 15), and the argument from religious experience (ch. 16). Groothuis is aware of the pitfalls of natural theology, but he is more concerned that to reject natural theology is to run the risk of divorcing “Scripture from nature and faith from reason” (182), leading to fideism or irrationalism. Again, these theistic proofs are not ends in themselves, but are a prelude to moving deeper into faith. To these classic arguments he adds two other arguments: an argument from human consciousness and rationality (ch. 17) and Pascal’s anthropological argument (the Christian narrative best explains the human capacity for greatness and misery, ch. 18). This anthropological argument signals a shift to arguing for Christian theism specifically. Groothuis grants that while the classic arguments may rule out certain worldviews (like atheism or pantheism) they do not bring us all the way to the God of the Bible. Thus the capstone of part two is found in chapters 19-22, in which Groothuis argues for the historicity and ultimate importance of the Incarnation, redemptive work and resurrection of Jesus Christ.

Groothuis fits well within and frequently cites the “Biola School” of apologetics (e.g. William Lane Craig and J.P. Moreland), and thus is relatively optimistic about the power of reason in guiding us to the truth when presented with clearly articulated reasons to believe. Groothuis’s evidentialist tendencies are moderated, however, by his most frequent conversation partner, Pascal. Indeed, among the greatest contributions of this volume is that it puts many of Pascal’s elegant, lesser-known arguments into wider circulation (the anthropological argument in ch. 18 is particularly well-presented).

While even a volume that claims to be comprehensive cannot include every argument, there are a few glaring omissions. There is no mention of the argument from beauty, an argument that has particular relevance in contemporary times, and one that would helpfully balance out Groothuis’s heavy reliance on reason. While Groothuis attempts to engage the global context, his analysis is an idea-based approach that is limited to Buddhism, nondualistic Hinduism and Islam. Supernatural manifestations of God’s presence get a mere mention in the second to last paragraph of the book, thus muting a significant apologetic source for believers living in the Majority world. These weaknesses notwithstanding, Groothuis’s work is a substantial achievement, a thorough and formidable demonstration of the cumulative case approach.

[Todd Miles · Rating 5 out of 5]

A textbook of this magnitude cannot be concisely summarized nor reviewed. Let me commend the book in this way: Christian Apologetics is solidly evangelical and Christ-honoring. Groothuis writes in a clear and concise way. The author exhibits a strong commitment to the authority and sufficiency of Scripture throughout. Christians will be encouraged and strengthened in their faith as they become convinced that there is strong philosophical and intellectual justification for their commitment to Christ. Christians will also be given ample arguments to engage our pluralistic culture for Christ. On a more personal and technical level, I was pleased that although Groothuis was supportive of evidentialism, he was not dismissive of presuppositionalism. He also held to the exclusivity of Christ, the orthodox doctrine of hell, and was compatibilistic his understanding of human freedom. This is a great summary text of apologetics that will benefit the college student, seminarian, pastor, and layman.

[Marc Anderson]

Defintely a book I will reflect upon for further study.

[Cindy · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was part of my assigned reading for my Apologetics class at Liberty University.
This was a wonderful book about defending the Christian faith! Many discussions I was well aware of where the author brought additional comprehensible data to, and many arguments I wasn't aware of until this book! A few things I disagree with, but for the most part, I found this book extremely sane and a wonderful source for all Christians! It will help build your faith in the why of your belief, give you strength against the many worldviews of modern society and help you answer questions for fellow believers! An excellent resource!

[Brent · Rating 5 out of 5]

Groothuis has written simply an excellent handbook on Apologetics that makes for a fantastic read and an even better resource. Groothuis denies that he is an evidentialist in the strict sense, albeit he pretty much takes up all the classicalal apologetic arguments, plus divers new ones of his own. From positive arguments for the existence of God, to defending the reliability of the New Testament, this is a seminal work.

Brent

[Maryann Spikes · Rating 5 out of 5]

Favorite quotes, summaries and questions:
http://ichthus77.com/2012/11/02/blog-...

[Craig Hurst · Rating 5 out of 5]

It is probably not a stretch to say that the task of Christian apologetics has been necessary since the Fall. Fallen man rejects God and in his rejection casts doubt on the validity of Christianity. If you need evidence for this then just pick up a recently published book by the dubbed New Atheists Richard Dawkins, Christopher Hitchens, Daniel Dennett or Sam Harris. If reading any one of these authors does not impress upon you the necessity of apologetics then not much will.

Throughout the history of apologeitcs, and more so within the last 50 years, there have been many formidable Christian apologists. These defenders of the Christian faith have serviced the church and any inquiring unsaved minds with many written apologetic works. Many of these works deal with single issues within the field of apologetics such as methodology, defending its importance or necessity, dealing with specific issues like the resurrection of Christ or the five theistic arguments from natural theology, addressing and answering Old and New testament issues and a host of other related subjects.

Douglas Groothius is a long time Christian apologist, author and professor of philosophy at Denver Seminary and Metropolitan State College of Denver. He has recently written a new book on Christian apologetics titled Christian Apologetics: A Comprehensive Case for Biblical Faith. Groothius does something that few if any other apologetic works have ever done. As the sub title indicates, Groothius has written a comprehensive book on apologetics within the scope of 730 plus pages. Granted, given the vast field of apologetics, what is covered in this book is not exhaustive nor is it intended to be. However, Groothius has provided us with a magnificent introductory work on Christian apologetics that will serve the laymen, pastor and student alike. Christian Apologetics is a go to guide for not only the beginning student of apologetics but the more seasoned apologists among us.

Part One: Apologetics Preliminaries

Part one deals with a number of preliminary issues. "Christian apologetics is the rational defense of the Christian worldview as objectively true, rationally compelling and existentially or subjectively engaging (p. 24)." The basis for the task of Christian apologetics is found in I Peter 3:15-16 where Peter tells us to be "prepared to make a defense to anyone who asks you for a reason for the hope that is in you (ESV)." Therefore, the task of apologetics is for every believer.

Groothius utilizes the cumulative case method of apologetics. Distancing himself from fideism, presuppositionalism and evidentialism Groothius states his methodology "is to verify the Christian worldview by arguing for its essential elements one by one (p. 60)." He further defends his method by stating, "I will offer a variety of arguments that verify or confirm the Christian worldview as superior to its rivals, this showing that Christianity alone makes the most sense of the things that matter most (p. 72)."

Groothius explains the eight criteria that every worldview should be evaluated on (p. 52-59). In chapter four he defines and explains the Christian worldview and addresses issues such as Christian epistemology, reality, mankind, salvation, a Christian approach to history and the afterlife. On the heels of defining the Christian worldview Groothius addresses a number of distortions of the Christian worldview. In chapter six and seven the nature of truth is discussed. Groothius evaluates various forms of relativism showing them to be theologically, philosophically and practically wanting.

Part Two: The Case for Christian Theism

Part two gets to the heart of the book as thirteen separate arguments are made in favor of the Christian worldview. These arguments center around the five theistic arguments for God's existence, the Christian view of origins, the Christian view or morality, the place of religious experience and the Christian view of man and Jesus Christ as seen through his person, work, incarnation and resurrection.

In defining the theistic proofs for the existence of God Groothius lends himself heavily towards their explanatory power. This is consistent with the cumulative case method. The cumulative case method relies heavily on natural revelation (deducing truths from what can be observed) as opposed to revealed revelation (revelation from God about what is true as found in Scripture) (p. 172). Groothius is careful to distinguish between general revelation and natural theology:

"General revelation means that God has revealed himself in nature and conscience. Natural theology engages in logic in order to derive rational argument's for God's existence (p. 174)."

Though the theistic proofs for the existence of God can be overly technical, Groothius manages to clearly state, defend and explain them such that the average reader can comprehend and in turn defend them for themselves. Groothius does not necessarily say anything new but he does have his own style of articulating what they are.

Once the theistic proofs for the existence of God have been established the move is then made to how does the God of Christian theism best explain the origins of everything. Groothius engages the atheist arguments against God and marshals the counter support of scientists like Michael Behe, Phillip Johnson, Jonathan Wells and Stephen Meyer. A good presentation of Behe's contribution to the Intelligent Design argument is set forth here. Throughout Groothius critiques many of the classic and contemporary arguments made by atheists against a creator.
In regards to the moral argument for God's existence Groothius provides a thorough and convincing case against ethical relativism as expressed in its cultural and individualistic forms (chapter 15). He concludes that the heart of the source of all that is good is God himself in his character and will. "God's moral will is based on God's changeless character. Objective moral values have their source in the eternal character, nature and substance of a loving, just and self-sufficient God (p. 356)."

The argument for the existence of God from man could be said to center on three truths that distinguish man from the rest of creation. First, mankind is conscious of himself and the world around him including God. Second, mankind possesses cognition and can therefore, as a consciously self-aware being, relate to concepts rationally. Finally, mankind possesses language and "can communicate their rational awareness through signs, both written and spoken (p. 389)." Chapter seventeen essentially fleshes out these three aspects of humanity as an argument for Christian theism over against naturalism. Groothius also discusses man as created in the image and likeness of God and that he has fallen into sin. The essence of Groothius' discussion here centers on the belief that Christian theism best explains the existence (as opposed to non-existence of) and present condition of man (as in a fallen state of sin).

The final section of chapters on part two deal with many apologetical issues surrounding Jesus Christ. In chapter nineteen Groothius has scholar Craig Blomberg discuss how a person can know Jesus and why it matters (subtitle, p. 438). Blomberg provides a general overview of the historical information concerning the historical presence of Christ in both biblical and extra-biblical sources.

Following Blomberg, Groothius discusses many of the events in the life of Jesus, his worldview, miracles, uniqueness and death. Separate chapters are dedicated to the incarnation and resurrection of Christ. A defense is made for the rationality of the incarnation (p. 518-20) as well as the incarnation as paradox as opposed to logical contradiction (p. 520-23). Perhaps one of the best parts of the entire book is the discussion of metaphysics of the incarnation in which Groothius tackles the reality of both the divine and human nature of Jesus co-existing fully and harmoniously within the same person (p. 523-26). Concerning miracles, "a biblical miracle is an act of divine agency whereby a supernatural effect is produced for the purpose of manifesting God's kingdom on earth (p. 532)." Interaction is made with Hume's denial of the possible existence of miracles. A careful walk through the Gospel account(s) of the death, burial and resurrection of Jesus are made in addition to his numerous postmortem appearances. Groothius concludes his discussion of Jesus' resurrection by stating that "the alternative naturalistic theories of the resurrection fail to account for commonly agreed-on facts relating to Jesus and the early church (p. 563)."

Part Three: Objections to Christian Theism

The final section of the book deals with three main objections to Christian theism. First, is the objection of religious pluralism. Here Groothius compares the teaching of Christianity, Hinduism and Buddhism to show how they contradict each other in order to demonstrate the absurdity of believing that all religions speak truth of the same God. Groothius spends several pages interacting with John Hick’s religious pluralism and concludes that “Hick creates a new religious (and ultimately irreligious) category in order to harmonize religions (p. 585).” In dealing with the issue of the unevangelized Groothius lands on the side of particularism and believes that one must hear the gospel and respond to it in faith in order to be saved (p. 589-92). The second major objection to Christian theism is that of Islam. Here a basic overview is provided on Islamic doctrine and the major areas in which it conflicts with Christianity.

The final chapter deals with the problem or challenge of evil. Groothius discusses the nature of evil as something that exists not of itself but rather in the absence of good. The deductive and evidential problem of evil are defined and explained. A defense as opposed to a theodicy of evil is presented and argued for (p. 631). Groothius takes a compatibilist view of freedom and sovereignty in regards to the problem of evil and he makes a compelling case for “the greater-good defense” in regards to the reason evil exists (p. 637-44). He concludes on the subject by saying:

"Evil in the world is a possible defeater to theism and Christian theism; it is a prima facie problem. But given the wide array of reasons to believe in Christian theism – the varied arguments for God, the reliability of the Bible, the person and achievements of Christ, and so on – the claim that God does not exist loses much of its sting philosophically (p. 641)."

Whether or not this is the best way to conclude the discussion of the problem of evil is up to the reader but it does fit with the cumulative case method. Regardless of how strong the problem of evil is against Christian theism, there is so much evidence in its favor that it outweighs anything to the contrary. Though God has defeated Satan and evil in Christ on the cross, he will one day come again and destroy it and remove it from his creation and his image bearing creatures.

Some Concerns

With a book that has so much that is commendable it is hard to criticize anything but there are a few concerns I have. First, as a presuppositionalist, the biggest issue I have with the book is the method of apologetics used – that of the cumulative case method. The cumulative case method relies heavily on the convincing power of arguments for or in favor of the existence of God. While I believe they do in fact support a basis that God exists I feel the cumulative case method has limits exactly because it relies on natural revelation almost solely. The result is that not enough consideration is given to the necessary and saving power of special revelation through Christ and Scripture. Natural revelation is limited because through the knowledge it gives us about God it still cannot bring salvation. “Faith comes from hearing, and hearing through the word of Christ (Rom. 10:17, ESV).” Second, in addition to other apologetic methods, Groothius too easily dismisses presuppositionalism in the span of two pages. For a book as thorough and introductory as Christian Apologetics, it would have been more helpful (and I feel it is necessary) to have a separate chapter explaining these other methods along with pros and cons. This is a glaring omission. As a result, much good presuppositional material is absent and its defenders are rarely cited (consider John Frame who I believe makes a solid case for a reasonable blend between presuppositionalism and evidentialist arguments). Third, in the introduction, Groothius states that “the book does not presuppose the truth of Christianity, nor does it want to beg any theological questions (p. 21).” As a presuppositionalist this statement is very interesting. When one makes an argument for something they presuppose that the argument is convincing and that the thing in which they are arguing for is indeed true. If Groothius did not believe Christian theism to be true then he would not have written an over 700 page defense for it. The fact that he wrote this great book is evidence that he presupposes its contents to be true. Following this quoted statement is an uncanny presence of irony: “My approach is that of Francis Schaeffer, who said, ‘I try to approach every problem as though I were not a Christian and see what the answer would be’ (p. 21).” Schaeffer came to Christianity through a dark period in his life and he later sought to write his book with the unbeliever in mind. But Schaeffer was undoubtedly a presuppositionalist and one of the best that Christianity has ever been blessed to see. Finally, in his discussion of origins in chapter thirteen, Groothius argues for progressive creationism as the best explanation for Gen. 1. While my contention here is not over his view it is for how he supports it. He does give a list of six nonnegotiable biblical and theological statements in favor of this view he does not define what he believes progressive creation to be (p. 274-75). Groothius does not believe in macroevolution yet he does not explain his view of how the creation of the earth and animals happened. He does believe a lot of time elapsed between the creation of animals and man (who is not the process of naturalistic evolution). But does he believe that God got all of the “kinds” of animals started with on “species” and then they all evolved from there through microevolution? He does not explain and thus leaves the reader confused.

Some Commendations

Despite some concerns, Christian Apologetics is a solid book that will give defenders of any apologetic method. Its arguments and logic are true and its case is sure. There is nothing like it under one roof. This book will be well suited for the classroom of an introductory course on Christian apologetics in a college setting. It would also be useful as a course book for churches to use to equip their members to be better apologists and as a book to refer to and even go through with unbelievers in helping answer their objections and struggles with Christianity. Groothius’ conclusion is a fitting close to this review: “God is an apologetical God, the Bible in an apologetical book, and Christ is an apologetical Christ. Therefore, it is imperative for the Christian to defend and commend Christianity ardently, knowledgeably and wisely.” Thus, “Christians must offer a genuinely Christian worldview so that unbelievers can discern just what is being defended and how it differs from their own worldviews (p.647).” That being the case, Christian Apologetics is a solid tool in aiding the believer to accomplish this goal.

[Michael Boling · Rating 4 out of 5]

The field of apologetics and the subject contained therein seems to be an ever expanding array of subjects. Thus a work that is intended to be a comprehensive treatise on the subject of apologetics will inherently be a rather large tome covering a number of key topics that fall under the umbrella of apologetical discussion. Christian Apologetics: A Comprehensive Case for Biblical Faith by author and Denver Seminary Professor of Philosophy Dr. Douglas Groothuis is a compendium of information on the topic of apologetics, covering the major issues found within this particular discipline.

In the acknowledgements section of this book, Groothuis described it as “close to a magnum opus as I will ever have." At over 700 pages in length to include numerous footnotes, an extensive bibliography, and interaction with some of the most demanding aspects of apologetics, this book can truly be counted as one of the more comprehensive treatments of apologetics to hit the market in a number of years. Groothuis utilizes his extensive experience as a professor and author to bring to the forefront issues such as how to define and examine worldviews, the reason why all believers should be involved in apologetics, a reasoned defense for Christian theism, and a response to objections to that Christian theism approach.

At the outset, it must be noted that Groothuis presents an evidentialist approach to apologetics as opposed to a presuppositionalist approach. Those not familiar with those terms may not see or understand the difference in how these two apologetical methods engage certain issues differently. Groothuis does provide a few paragraphs to critique the presuppositionalist methodology, presenting that approach as the product of Reformed theology under the guise of individuals such as Cornelius Van Til, Gordon Clark, and Carl F. H. Henry. So while Groothuis is certainly guided in his outlook on apologetics from the evidentialist position, it can be argued that his efforts in that regard still affirm that all truth is grounded in God and His Word as the point to which all apologetics discussions should be rooted. As Groothius rightly notes, “Classical apologists argue first for the existence of a monotheistic God and then argue for the particulars of Christianity.” To that degree, both presuppositionalism and evidentialism seem to point back to a common point of departure, namely the existence of God with both positions from that point arguably diverging on how they go about proving that original assertion.

The section by Groothuis on the Christian worldview is quite excellent to include the follow on chapters where he further examines this topic. He aptly notes that Christianity is indeed a worldview, one grounded in God and that “shapes who we are and what we do. We are driven by our deepest beliefs and interpret the world according to them, often almost automatically.” How apologetics impacts our worldview is of great importance and it is comforting not only to see such a substantial effort being given to this subject matter by Groothuis in this particular book, it is also encouraging to note the resurgence of discussion in recent years across the board in both apologetics blogs and recent apologetics books. As Groothuis comments, “a Christian worldview, at its deepest level, is a system of truth claims or assertions about reality.” For the believer, those claims are necessarily rooted in our ultimate authority, namely the Word of God. Ultimately, according to Groothuis, the Christian worldview can be summarized “into three broad categories: creation, fall, and redemption.” All elements of Scripture and truth claims can and must flow back into those categories.

After covering what he calls the “Apologetic Preliminaries”, Groothuis next engages the case for Christian Theism or the Christian worldview. This section comprises the vast majority of this book and rightly so as the defense of a biblical worldview is at the heart of apologetics. Groothuis avers that theistic arguments can be divided into two main categories, posteriori or empirical arguments that “depend on some evidence in the world as a basis from which to infer God’s existence.” The other category is a prior arguments or those arguments that “rely on what is rationally known apart from the empirical world.” Underneath both umbrellas fall a number of arguments that can be utilized to argue for the existence of God and thus for the Christian worldview. Groothuis examines in great detail the ontological argument, the cosmological argument, the design argument, issues concerning origins, the moral argument, arguments from religious experience, and the uniqueness of humanity.

Groothuis is a clear proponent of the Intelligent Design (ID) movement, pointing to recent works provided by authors such as Michael Behe and the argument for irreducible complexity that points to the clear design inherent in the created order. In short, ID presents for apologists such as Groothuis a strong point of argumentation against Darwinism and “the reigning naturalism in the realm of biology, as well as some support for theism as an overarching worldview.” With that said, while thankfully providing an outright rejection of the Darwinian model or a naturalistic view of origins, Groothuis is decidedly not a fan of a young-earth approach to origins. While he does reject theistic evolution in total describing their approach as “strained”, he also makes clear mention that he believes “a creation week of six literal twenty-four days is unwarranted”, referring to the days of creation as merely being “six creative periods.” Groothuis attempts to present his old earth stance as necessary because one must “attempt to bring together the “book of nature” (Psalm 19:1-6) and “the book of Scripture” (Psalm 19:7-10; 2 Timothy 3:15-17) as leaders of the scientific revolution understood it.” Such an approach seems to overlook such leaders of the scientific revolution did their science largely based on a belief in the biblical account of creation. Groothuis seems to have an issue with looking to the biblical genealogical accounts as evidence for the age of the earth despite Scripture noting an individual such as Enoch being the seventh from Adam, something the biblical accounts affirm, yet he has no issue with assuming the evolutionary account of the age of the earth, namely billions of years of existence for the universe. Such an argument thus seems to be inconsistent at best. With all that said, Groothuis is again decidedly opposed to evolution and on that basis, his approach to origins, while in the Old Earth segment, nevertheless rejects any element of leaving God out of the equation which in the grand scheme of things, supports the overall premise of his book in relation to a Christian worldview that looks to God as the source of all things.

The section on the claims and credentials of Jesus is another excellent section of this book. When one examines the evidence for the existence of Jesus and for the resurrection for that matter, they are left with a clear decision point. Either one can accept the monumental facts that demonstrate his existence, or else reject any element of sound reasoning and logic. Groothuis does an excellent job of outlining the various proofs for Christ, noting why they are important and why the apologist should defend them. Additionally, Groothuis aptly compares other religious leaders to Jesus, noting how their respective lives fail in comparison to the claims made by Jesus, in particular how the various claims and actions of Jesus marry perfectly with historical accounts and more importantly with biblical prophecies that predicted those very actions would take place. Such proofs are elements which all apologists should study and understand as they are devastating to arguments against a Christian theistic worldview and which provide as much as one can possibly prove the existence of God.

Yet another important section of this book is the section devoted by Groothuis to the issue of Islam. Given the growth of this religious viewpoint across the globe, understanding how apologetics relates to Islam and how believers can demonstrate the vast differences between the God of the Bible and the god of Islam is of course of vast importance. Groothuis does a masterful job of walking the reader through the various claims made by Islam concerning issues such as God, Scripture, Jesus, and the human condition. Defending the faith against the growing tide of Islam and its followers is a decidedly important issue and thus understanding the arguments involved is something that needs to be addressed and thankfully Groothuis does so in a pretty comprehensive manner.

Finally, what apologetics effort would be complete without a discussion of the problem of evil? Why evil exists and why an all-powerful God allows evil to exist as well as when or if He will do anything about the current condition of things is a perennial source of discussion amongst apologists and those who take issue with Christian Theism alike. In his chapter on the problem of evil, Groothuis does an admirable job of tackling this subject, digging down to the root of what exactly the problem of evil is all about to include providing a strategy to address what is “often flashed before Christians as a trump card.” Groothuis notes that he placed this section on the problem of evil at the conclusion of his book as “the problem should be debated in light of the evidence for a personal and moral Creator of the universe, who created humans in his image and who pursued them even in their fallen state through his revelation to Israel, culminating in the life, death and resurrection of Jesus Christ.” Thus in order to properly examine and engage the problem of evil, we must have in place a well-formed apologetic rooted in the aforementioned elements of the faith as the problem of evil engages all of those elements.

Christian Apologetics by Dr. Douglas Groothuis is indeed a monumental work on the subject and one that provides a plethora of valuable insight into developing a solidly based biblical worldview in response to the barrage of attacks thrown at the believer by those who oppose Christian theism and the God of the Bible. While I prefer a presuppositional approach to apologetics and despite my disagreement with an old earth approach to the issue of origins, I nevertheless found this work to be helpful on many fronts. I certainly recommend this book as a solid resource for seminary students and those working in or interested in the field of apologetics.

I received this book for free from IVP Academic for this review. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255 : “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.”

[Steven H · Rating 5 out of 5]

A MASSIVE, COMPREHENSIVE PRESENTATION OF “EVIDENTIALIST” APOLOGETICS

Douglas R. Groothuis (born 1957) is currently Professor of Philosophy at Denver Seminary, and also teaches at the Metropolitan State College of Denver.

He wrote in the Introduction to this 2011 book, “This book carves out a path of intellectual investigation and argument. It is a work of apologetics… This book is applicable to both unbelievers and those believers who seek a stronger reason for their hope. To this end we will explore the core claims of Christianity in light of the counterclaims of its major rivals … I do not pretend to be neutral… I am a professing Christian… However, the book will appeal to rational and factual considerations that any thinking and concerned person should be able to appreciate.” (Pg. 20)

He rejects the Presuppositional approach: “While I learned much from [Cornelius] Van Til and particularly from [Gordon] Clark and [Carl] Heney, I cannot embrace their apologetic systems… if Van Til’s statement about logic were taken seriously, it would doom any apologetic or theology. If human logic does not apply to God, we are left with nothing to affirm theologically and nothing to defend apologetically… Second, there is nothing impious in using arguments with unbelievers that employ their God-given reasoning abilities. GOOD reasoning is not ‘autonomous’ or ‘apostate,’ but rather a God-given way to discover truth… Moreover, the presuppositionalists use logic extensively in their tearing down of non-Christian worldviews… Why, then, they forbid its use to build up a positive case for Christianity is unclear… Van Til and his followers… sometimes appeal to a ‘transcendental argument’ that claims that unless we presuppose a Christian worldview, we have no reason to trust our rational faculties, since they would otherwise rest ultimately on chance. The structure of this argument is good and does not beg any questions, but the argument need not carry the entire weight of an apologetic.” (Pg. 63-64)

He argues, “The Bible’s references to slavery are not meant to enshrine it as a God-ordained, normative institution. Slavery, as practiced in the Old Testament, was not based on the race of the enslaved peoples but on ancient laws regarding the spoils of war… Slavery in Greco-Roman times was not as harsh and cruel as American slavery, although it certainly was no model for any society. References to slaves submitting to their masters in the New Testament are not endorsements of the institution but temporary injunctions given certain social realities… A specific indictment of slavery cannot be found in the Gospels---or in any other literature of the world at that time. But an omission of condemnation is not the same as an endorsement of an institution’s perpetual and crosscultural legitimacy.” (Pg. 104-105)

He notes, “Even though homosexuality cannot be approved by Christians, this does not mean Christians should hate or be alarmed by homosexuals. Jesus said to love our neighbor, and the homosexual is our neighbor… But Christian love includes a call to repent… However, conversion does not guarantee that homosexual urges will immediately or completely vanish… However unpopular the biblical understanding of homosexuality may be, if the Christian worldview is well supported, then the biblical perspective provides the believer with a rational and balanced view of the matter.” (Pg. 110)

He argues, “If Christianity it true, the prudential benefits for believing (eternal life) far exceed those offered by believing in atheism or any other worldview (finite pleasures). The prudential detriments of not believing if Christianity is true… also far outweigh the detriments of not believing atheism or another worldview if the non-Christian view is true… Pascal is right to affirm that eternal bliss outweighs any finite good, and eternal loss is far worse than mere extinction.” (Pg. 161)

He observes about the Cosmological Argument, “One may claim that any positive state can, in principle, be accounted for by antecedent reasons… yet not apply this principle to the universe as a whole… but this does not entail that the principle is inapplicable to the universe as a whole. It may simply indicate that some are obtuse on extending explanations beyond the natural realm. Moreover, the metaphysical implication of rejecting the principle of sufficient reason with respect to the cosmos is that the cosmos is meaningless. It literally has no explanation… But this entails nihilism… and that everything is gratuitous.” (Pg. 212)

On whether an ‘actual infinite’ can exist, he explains, “we may opt for the view that God’s existence before creation … is not subject to any differentiation into moments … God existed in a state of ‘pure duration.’ … However, if one argues that God exists in a sequence of individuated moments, then God’s ‘age,’ as it were, would be actually infinite. If we hold this view, we could not employ the kalam argument, since it would eliminate God himself.” (Pg. 220-221)

He rejects the view that the Bible demands a universe that is only about ten thousand years old: “The Hebrew word ‘day’ in Genesis 1 can mean an indeterminate or long period of time… the seventh day of God’s rest is not recorded in Scripture as having ended… the amount of time following the six days of creation cannot be dated through the use of biblical genealogies because these genealogies are not meant to be detailed chronologies. This leaves considerable latitude in reckoning the amount of time that has passed in and since the ‘week’ of creation. Therefore, if the Bible does not demand a young universe and earth, we should not press the point in the face of a well-established and large-scale scientific theory that also lends strong support to creation ex nihilo.” (Pg. 233-234)

He asserts, “The many universes multiverse theory is nothing more than metaphysical speculation, and very poor speculation at that. To posit that everything that could happen does happen (in some universe ontologically separated from all the rest) is bizarre and gratuitous. It is invoked without logical basis simply to avoid a Designer.” (Pg. 259-260)

He addresses the Euthyphro dilemma: “Biblical theism… claims God as the course of all goodness on the basis of both God’s character and God’s will… Objective moral values have their source in the eternal character, nature and substance of a loving, just and self-sufficient God… he does not create moral values, which are eternally constituent of his being.” (Pg. 356)

He argues that “the enlightenment experience of both nirvana (Buddhism) and moksha (Hinduism) require the negation of individuality, personality and language… There is no personal encounter with another being of immense holiness and power… The possibility of conceptual experience vanishes as well, since these enlightened states leave concepts behind. Therefore, a mystical experience of this kind cannot communicate the knowledge needed to form an argument that moves from the mystical experience to the truth and rationality of ANY worldview… Given this argument, whatever may happen in the practice of yoga, it cannot serve as EVIDENCE in a worldview in which the highest state of reality is deemed to be beyond logic, language, personality, and individuality.” (Pg. 385-387)

Of suggested “contradictions” in the gospels, he suggests, “The largest group simply reflects the natural variations in storytelling and writing that characterize more partially independent accounts of the same event… Some of the proposed solutions seem more persuasive than others. Some seeming discrepancies have more than one possible solution… Occasionally, one runs across a problem where none of the proposed solutions seems free from difficulties. Much depends at this juncture on how much benefit of the doubt one is willing to give the Gospel writers.” (Pg. 454-455)

Of the gospel of John, he acknowledges, “There is no question that on a spectrum from bare, uninterpreted historical chronicle to total fiction, John stands a little further removed from the former extreme than do the Synoptics. John uses his own linguistic style in recounting Jesus’ words, so that at times it is almost impossible to know where Jesus stops speaking and John starts narrating (see, classically, John 3:3-21). In keeping with the historiographical conventions of the day, he is often more overtly theological than the Synoptists.” (Pg. 462)

He admits, “Some might be troubled that the resurrection accounts in the Gospels do not seem to agree perfectly. At the extreme, Michael Martin argues that this provides strong evidence that they are fictional, not factual. But this does not follow logically… The accounts of virtually any multiply attested event of secular history display discrepancies as great as or greater than those in the Gospel narratives… In fact, some minor differences in the telling of this story indicate authenticity, not substantial error. If each account perfectly mirrored the rest, this would likely be a sign of collusion, not accurate history.” (Pg. 561-562)

About ‘those who have never heard,’ he says, “no one is morally or spiritually worthy of redemption, nor can anyone claim it as a right or entitlement. Humans are too mired in sin and rebellion… The image of God in all people explains unbelievers who exhibit significant obedience to the second table of the Law… Nevertheless, all our deeds are ‘filthy rags’ [Isa 64:6] in comparison to God’s perfect standard… Salvation is a gift offered to the undeserving, which is offered by a gracious, just and holy God.” (Pg. 590) Later, he suggests, “particularists need not assume that humans are the only messengers to bring the gospel to the lost… Outside the Bible there are many credible reports of non-Christians hearing the gospel through dreams and visions before being evangelized by Christians… The scope of evangelism may be broader than what can be accomplished by human witness alone.” (Pg. 597-598)

He points out, “Although many people assume the libertarian account of agency, a strong philosophical case can be made for another view, usually called compatibilism. According to compatibilists, finite agents do not have the power of absolute origination… Nonetheless, genuine agency is compatible with the determination of the agent’s actions by factors outside of the agent. Power of contrary choice, therefore, is not a necessarily condition for agency. What is necessary is that the agent deliberates over choices… I will offer a biblical argument for compatibilism. By so doing, I am affirming the traditional Reformed or Calvinist concept of human agency and God’s sovereignty, and denying the traditional Arminian view, which is libertarian.” (Pg. 633-634)

He concludes, “At times I despaired of ever finishing this book. What kept me going was the hope that my study, writing, teaching, preaching, debating and witnessing of more than thirty years may find fruitful expression … that may, by the grace of God, help many other people… My hope and prayer for this book is that readers will take what is useful from this work… and bring apologetics to bear in all manner of endeavor… While I have not emphasized it in this book, the supernatural manifestations of God’s kingdom---signs and wonders such as healings, prophecy, visions and other miracles---provide powerful apologetic evidence that God is alive and powerful today… Part of that high calling is to take apologetics to the streets for the glory of God.” (Pg. 649-650)

This is a book of remarkable scope---a veritable “Summa Apologetica” for Evangelical Protestants---that will be “must reading” for those SERIOUSLY studying Apologetics.

[Jeff · Rating 5 out of 5]

If anyone is interested in the topic of apologetics this is a great book. If you are a boardline believer or non-believer, you might find this book gets you to rethink your position. It begins by arguing why what be believe is import, our world view. It then presents the case that God exists using several different arguments, ontological, cosmological, cosmic fine-tuning, intellegent design, moral argument and existential argument. He then goes on to show how Christianity fits reality better than other world views. It is a dense read, and the chapters build on previous ones so skipping around might be confusing. No it is not a comprehensive text on any one of the arguments, but it nicely summarizes the arguments and molds those arguments into one large meta-argument.

[Josh Olds · Rating 2 out of 5]

An updated edition from the original 2011 text, Christian Apologetics is a massive tome that comprehensively covers apologetics from a classical, evangelical perspective. Douglas Groothius divides the book into three parts: apologetic preliminaries, the case for Christian theism, and answering objections to Christian theism.

The bulk of the work is largely unchanged in substance from the first edition, though references and scholarship have been updated in some areas. Groothius’s work is largely boring—it’s not innovative and not meant to be—and the academic tone lacks the imaginative nature of popular evangelical apologists like Lee Strobel or J. Warner Wallace. At the same time, Christian Apologetics, with its goal of a being a comprehensive overview, lacks the specificity and rigor of other academic apologists like Copan or Craig (both of whom feature heavily in the references). Christian Apologetics therefore ends up giving readers the tone of an academic book while the substance of a popular level book, and it’s, quite frankly, a mind-numbing combination. It’s not that the content is incorrect or that Groothius’s arguments lack validity, it’s that the presentation of those arguments are not at all engaging or compelling.

I also take some umbrage with Groothius’s tone. I understand that apologetics are about presenting a defense of the faith, and in doing so, one is necessarily going to take an “I’m right and others are wrong” approach. But Christian Apologetics often fails to critically engage other perspectives in any substantive fashion. It is good at preaching what it believes; it fails to address criticisms or alternative perspectives in ways that actually engage in good faith.

Groothius also does a disservice to his work by updating the text to include sociocultural apologetics and not just classical, theological/philosophical apologetics. In the chapter “Distortions of the Christian Worldview—or the God I Don’t Believe In,” Groothius misrepresents or caricatures several criticisms of evangelical Christianity. In so doing, he also reduces his definition of Christianity to a particular type of evangelical Christianity. This is no longer an apologetic of Christian orthodoxy; it is an apologetic of white conservative evangelicalism.

For example, in the section on Christianity and sexual identity, he begins by saying “Christians have been accused of being homophobic and generally hostile to those who do not adhere to traditional morality—that is those fitting the LGBTQ+ category.” This sentence alone belies the inherent homophobia and hostility he’s implicitly claiming isn’t true. He does no work to either defend his position or address faithful Christians who have come to believe that texts that seemingly speak against same-sex behavior do not have loving, consensual, monogamous relationships in mind. Instead, it is a poorly-written culture war screed that simply assumes moral rightness.

Groothius also addresses the contention that Christianity is sexist, but again avoids any real substantive discussion of church history, instead (rightfully) pointing to the work of women in the early church—but conveniently ignoring the way women in evangelicalism are often treated. Groothius addresses Christian imperialism and violence by basically invoking the Crusades and saying, well, the Catholics did that, not the Protestants, so don’t blame us. It’s poor scholarship, poorly argued, poorly written, and poorly presented—and it reflects poorly on the rest of the book.

All things taken together, Christian Apologetics is a book to read if you want to understand a white, American evangelical defense of white evangelicalism. The term “Christian” is the title doesn’t mean the full scope of orthodox Christianity, but the very particular subset of American evangelicalism. If you understand that, then Groothius gives a solid example of what that looks like.

[Rebecca Ray · Rating 4 out of 5]

Book 202 of 2019. Groothius begins at the very beginning of apologetics by building the basis for making an apologetic case for faith. Then, he travels through the worlds of Christian worldview, truth, arguments for God, arguments for Jesus as messiah, and common objections to the Christian faith. He takes a rational and evidentiary approach, building a comprehensive case using both logic and objective evidences.

This one was a required text for my apologetics class, and it is definitely full of arguments, ideas and evidences for faith. At 752 pages long, there’s a lot to love here and a lot to disagree with. I have marked a good many places in this book that I want to come back to for either journaling or further research. I really applaud the case he made, but at times, felt that he minimized the objections and positions of non-Christians.

For the armchair theologian: This is a great read and tough but accessible. It’s very beneficial if you’re hoping to see the logical arguments and philosophy on which your faith rests. It’s also very long.

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
#gradschool #gradschoolreads #seminary #theunreadshelfproject2019 #books #bookstagram #bookreview

[Frank Peters · Rating 4 out of 5]

As a reference book, this volume is outstanding. I made the unfortunate mistake of reading it from cover to cover as a book. By so doing, I needed to read through more than 200 pages of preliminary philosophical discussion before getting to Christian Apologetics. I found these early chapters tedious and from my perspective largely pointless. From the perspective of the volume, those early chapters did make sense to ensure that the book was complete. The book needs an additional edit. There were many sentences that were missing an unimportant word like an article, while one sentence with an unfortunate apparent change in the meaning. Here is the quote from page 619: “Throughout its history, the central institution of Christianity, the church, has done far more good and evil and have done far more good for the world than any other religious or philosophical way of life.” I expect that the first “good and evil” was supposed to be “good than evil”, otherwise I don’t understand what the author meant. In summary, this is an excellent reference book in apologetics, but I don’t recommend it otherwise.

[Philip Taylor · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was a good and fairly detailed overview of apologetics from a classical perspective. Groothuis is an expert in Pascal’s thinking so the read gets some top notch writing in that area. The whole book is a bit like a one volume systematic theology I.e. most topics are covered in enough detail to get you thinking. Also, Groothuis is good at outlining the arguments against the positions he argues for. Like many one volume overviews, some topics are dealt with in just enough detail to give the reader some ideas to dialogue with but not in enough detail to make one fell confident that they could use the material without further research. Also, I’m not sure about the intended audience. Too long for the casual reader/apologist and not detailed about for the academic. However, I’m glad I read it as it has pushed me to think further about commending the Christian faith.

[Bill Bell · Rating 4 out of 5]

Read this for seminary. It was very comprehensive and I enjoyed that. I also found Groothuis occasionally funny, which surprised me in a book like this. Interestingly, I initially found Groothuis to seem very arrogant in his writing style. Yet as the book progressed, I grew accustomed to his style, and learned more of his personal story, I saw him in a new light. I think he's just really smart and states his opinions clearly. That's not an excuse for being a jerk--I don't think he was being a jerk, just direct. Because he was never unkind, it was just that it was more forthright than I find these days. In the end, I felt like I *liked* Groothuis, which strikes me as funny since it's not that kind of book. But it was because he was so thorough, so fair, so willing to state his own views when they diverged with others, but also with a heart to exalt Jesus. And I can't fault that.

[NG · Rating 4 out of 5]

I was not familiar with the author prior to reading this. I read the book in its entirety as the author’s stated goal is to make a “cumulative” case for Christianity. The challenge with this approach for apologetics is the fact that one must be competent in giving numerous arguments for Christianity. This book could really be 7000 pages in length rather than 700. As is, this is a great introduction to many of the arguments in favor of Christian Theism and counters to common objections / alternative worldviews. I enjoyed it and agree with most of the author’s underlying theological commitments and apologetic methodology.

[Craig Archer · Rating 5 out of 5]

It's difficult to rate and review a book of this size, but it does provide a comprehensive case as the title says. This is a great book for introducing yourself to Christian apologetics as well as digging deeper if you already have prior knowledge. I imagine I will be referring back to this throughout my lifetime!

[Timothy · Rating 4 out of 5]

Although this book is long and hard to get through, he makes the arguments and easy to understand especially the ontological arguments though it does take some mental work especially in the philosophy sections.

I disagree with his apologetic methodology but overall I enjoyed it and found most of his arguments interesting and overall helpful though probably not for the new believer.

[Skylar · Rating 4 out of 5]

I read the third edition. It was a great book with comprehensive detail. In particular, the Christian worldview section and chapter in lament were beneficial. I would say that a more comprehensive discussion around what makes a worldview would be important as a foundation. However, since this is also an apologetics book, that is alright.

[Holland Johnson · Rating 4 out of 5]

Another very large seminary book finished. We read about 60% for class. It’s a really good introduction to all the mainline apologetics for Christianity and does a pretty good job at explaining the logic and reasoning behind each one. I feel like you could just read this book by itself and have a really good understanding of apologetics to even give many of the arguments.

[Jared Baergen · Rating 4 out of 5]

A very comprehensive look at apologetics. Groothuis makes a cumulative case for Christianity, drawing from various apologetic approaches. His take seems to closely align with classic apologetics. My main issue with this updated edition is that there are a lot of grammatical issues throughout (I teach English, which means grammar issues bother me). Overall, a great work on apologetics.

[Roger · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was the primary required textbook for a graduate school class. As the subtitle suggests, it is comprehensive (it’s also the apologetic method that the textbook teaches and advocates). I tend to almost never get rid of books, but this one will stay on my shelf probably forever.

[Forest Antemesaris · Rating 3 out of 5]

Really good overall. Groothuis is able to widdle down dense subjects to digestible bites and his philosophical prowess shines through. A few oversights (i.e. no section on Scripture) keeps it from being 4 stars.

[Rachel Schoenberger · Rating 5 out of 5]

I learned a lot about apologetic arguments from this book, and this is something that I think Christians need to know more about. The second appendix is about apologetic issues in the Old Testament and was written by Richard Hess, so it was very well done with accurate information.

[Virtually Hereonline · Rating 5 out of 5]

Excellent text to form your foundation on both being able to positively argue for the existence of God and the Christian worldview and defend it (against negative arguments, refute alternative worldviews).

[Jerry Gronberg · Rating 5 out of 5]

Excellent comprehensive case for Biblical Faith

I enjoyed how Dr. Groothuis made complex material easier to grasp for the person not trained in theology and philosophy.

The book could benefit from closer proofreading to correct some spelling and punctuation errors

[Rick Mattson · Rating 4 out of 5]

I appreciate having main arguments on various apologetic issues all in one place. It makes for a good "cumulative case" for Christian faith.

[Grace Lynch · Rating 5 out of 5]

Very insightful and helpful! It was a long read, but very much worth it! I am happy to add this book to my permanent library!

[Daniel Sloan · Rating 3 out of 5]

Good overview. Old earth creationist pushed hard

[Jennie Taylor · Rating 5 out of 5]

Exceptional book! This book will definitely tickle your intellect!!