Apologetics for the Twenty-First Century

by Louis A. Markos

The vibrant and persuasive arguments of C. S. Lewis brought about a shift in the discipline of apologetics, moving the conversation from the ivory tower to the public square. The resulting strain of popular apologetics―which weaves through Lewis into twentieth-century writers like Francis Schaeffer and modern apologists like William Lane Craig, Josh McDowell, and Lee Strobel―has equipped countless believers to defend their faith against its detractors. Apologetics for the Twenty-first Century uses Lewis’s work as the starting point for an absorbing survey of the key apologists and major arguments that inform apologetics today. Like apologists before him, Markos writes to engage Christians of all denominations as well as seekers and skeptics. His narrative, “man of letters” style and short chapters make Apologetics for the Twenty-first Century easily accessible for the general reader. But an extensive and heavily annotated bibliography, detailed timeline, list of prominent apologists, and glossary of common terms will satisfy the curiosity of the seasoned academic, as the book prepares all readers to meet the particular challenges of defending the faith today. 

Genres: Christian, Christianity, Philosophy, Nonfiction

272 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 2010

About the author

Dr. Markos earned his B.A. in English and History from Colgate University and his M.A. and Ph.D. in English from the University of Michigan. At the University of Michigan, he specialized in British Romantic Poetry, Literary Theory, and the Classics.

He has taught at Houston Baptist University since 1991, where he is Professor in English and holds the Robert H. Ray Chair in Humanities.

Reviews

[Pastoralmusings · Rating 5 out of 5]

Louis Markos holds the Robert H. Ray Chair in Humanities at Houston Baptist University. He is also an expert in C.S. Lewis' writings and thought. In fact, the Teaching Company has a course that is taught by Markos available. It is there that I first encountered Markos on Lewis, and I was very impressed.
The book opens with Markos discussing the apologetic value of C.S. Lewis' works. As an expert in Lewis' thought, Markos digs deeply into it to show us the value of the apparent simplicity of what Lewis had to say. It turns out that there is a simple profundity to be found even in the Chronicles of Narnia. I must say that the section on Lewis is not only a section on his apologetic, but also an apologetic for Lewis himself. For the Fundamentalists and Evangelicals who wish to discount Lewis as being liberal or even one who encourages universalism, this book is a must read.
From Lewis Markos turns to G.K. Chesterton and examines his works, then Dorothy Sayers. These apologists were not formal apologists in the sense that we are accustomed to meeting apologists. They were literary people. It is precisely there, however, that their value is found. Not everyone will like to dig into the philosophy of apologetics, or the theology of apologetics. The fact that one can read a good book, enjoy it, and learn at the same time is a wonderful thing, however. That is what one can do while reading these authors' works. Markos' examination of them will help us better appreciate their value as being more than entertainment or just theological understanding.
Markos presents to us some thoughts on Francis Schaeffer and Josh McDowell, too. He associates them with the foregone apologists in that their thought processes, or their experiences in coming to faith were similar.
The next section of the book deals with “making a case for faith in a (post) modern world”. Here Markos begins to look back at Aquinas as well as bringing modern apologists such as William Craig. Here Markos truly shines as an apologist in his own right. He examines past and present writings on issues such as creation, the existence of God, the problem of pain, the reliability of Scripture, and the resurrection of Christ. I appreciated the fact that Markos also interacted with the arguments of present day atheists such as Dawkins.
There is also a very good bibliography at the back of the book that will be quite helpful, too.
I found myself enjoying this book very much, and highlighting throughout it so that I can easily find important quotes and arguments.
The reader will do himself a favor if he buys this book and virtually devours it.

[Randy Corn · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was one of the textbooks for my Welch class on apologetics. It takes something of an all inclusive approach to the subject. The first section has to do with the history of apologetics and the contributions of men like Chesterton and Lewis. He also shows how different apologists built on the work of earlier contributors. The second part of the book is a presentation of what Markos considers the critical issues that apologists face. These include the issue of suffering, the existence of God, the veracity of scripture, and the historical reality of the resurrection. At the end of his book Markos writes about the conversion of Anthony Flew from atheism to theism.

This book was well written and was easy to read. It gave me a comprehensive view of apologetics and even contains a helpful timeline of apologists. This helped me understand when these people wrote what they are famous for. I think this would be a great book to put into the hands of any pastor or one training for ministry. I am sure I will be recommending this book.

[Albertus Minimus · Rating 5 out of 5]

The book is divided in to 2 parts. The first half of the book focuses on famous apologists (mainly on C.S. Lewis and G.K. Chesterton) from the 1900s til now. The author was able to clearly explain their background and the main thrust of their arguments. I was very impressed on how he was able to discuss each apologist’s position with depth but can still easily be understood.

In the second part, the author explains the arguments for the Christian faith and answers popular atheistic attacks in our time. He was able to cover a lot of ground.

I really enjoyed reading this book. Overall, the contents were well-structured and trajectory of it’s purpose, smooth. I was also very happy with how he ended the book. That in building and making the case that the gospel is indeed true from the beginning, he then invites the readers to make the step in believing our Lord Jesus Christ.

[Bill Bell · Rating 4 out of 5]

Read this for seminary. I liked it more for the chapters on contemporary apologists more so than the other chapters, though they were good, too. I enjoyed getting to learn about several of the recent Christian thinkers I knew by name but not much by approach or content.

[Jennifer Malech · Rating 4 out of 5]

Really insightful read, with strong arguments, especially for anyone who is new to apologetics.

[Logan Flook · Rating 5 out of 5]

Apologetics for the 21st Century serves as a wonderful high-outlook overview of some of the most influential approaches to apologetics today, and respective authors who drive those approaches.

[Christi Williams · Rating 5 out of 5]

If I wasn’t using primaries for my apologetics course, I would highly consider using this as a secondary text.

[William Bradford · Rating 4 out of 5]

Markos has a good understanding of the apologetics used by Lewis, Chesterton, etc. The first part of the book is devoted to exploring them and how they defended Christianity. The second is a basic course in classical apologetics. While the second half is good, it is the first half of the book that is truly outstanding. Markos displays an in depth knowledge and deftly examines his subject. In the second half, the chapter on postmodern apologetics is the best and flows very naturally from his knowledge of Lewis, Chesterton, etc. Highly recommended.

[Katerina · Rating 3 out of 5]

Apologetics for the 21st Century overviews the important writings of some modern Christian apologists (Lewis, Chesterton, Sayers, Schaeffer, McDowell) and then it summarizes key apologetic arguments such as the existence of God, the reliability of scripture, the historic evidence for Jesus and his resurrection, and the exclusive claims of Christianity. This approach results in a very readable overview of modern apologetics.

[Mike · Rating 4 out of 5]

Great read!ツ

[Leigh McLeroy · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a textbook for me--and one of the most enjoyable in recent memory.