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Type of bind: Paperback
Dewey Decimal Number: 239
EAN num: 9781433501159
ISBN number: 1433501155
Label: Crossway Books
Manufacturer: Crossway Books
Quantity: 1
Page Count: 416
Printing Date: June 30, 2008
Publishing house: Crossway Books
Sale Popularity Level: 13075
Studio: Crossway Books
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Perfect as a textbook yet excellent for lay readers, this updated edition builds a positive case for Christianity by applying the latest thought to core theological themes.
J. Gresham Machen once said, “False ideas are the greatest obstacles to the reception of the gospel”—which makes apologetics that much more important. Wanting to engage not just academics and pastors but Christian laypeople and seekers, William Lane Craig has revised and updated key sections in this third edition of his classic text to reflect the latest work in astrophysics, philosophy, probability calculus, the arguments for the existence of God, and Reformed epistemology.
His approach—that of positive apologetics—gives careful attention to crucial questions and concerns, including: the relationship of faith and reason, the existence of God, the problems of historical knowledge and miracles, the personal claims of Christ, and the historicity of the resurrection of Jesus. He shows that there is good reason to think Christianity is true. As Craig says, “If you have a sound and persuasive case for Christianity, you don’t have to become an expert in comparative religions and Christian cults. A positive justification of the Christian faith automatically overwhelms all competing world views lacking an equally strong case.”
“It is hard to overstate the impact that William Lane Craig has had for the cause of Christ. He is simply the finest Christian apologist of the last half century and his academic work justifies ranking him among the top 1 percent of practicing philosophers in the Western world. Besides that, he is a winsome ambassador for Christ, an exceptional debater, and a man with the heart of an evangelist. I know him well and can say that he lives a life of integrity and lives out what he believes. I do not know of a single thinker who has done more to raise the bar of Christian scholarship in our generation than Craig. He is one of a kind and I thank God for his life and work.”
J. P. Moreland, Distinguished Professor of Philosophy, Talbot School of Theology
“In admirably clear prose, Professor Craig presents important philosophical and historical issues relevant to Christian beliefs. With extraordinary erudition, he sketches the arguments of major thinkers of both past centuries and recent times, and he presents his own reasons for concluding that traditional Christian doctrines about God and Jesus are credible. His replies to those skeptical of the existence of God, of historical knowledge, of the occurrence of miracles, and in particular of the resurrection of Jesus, take debates over those difficult topics an important stage further. Here is an admirable defense of basic Christian faith.”
C. Behan McCullagh, Philosophy Program, La Trobe University
“Although my philosophical predilections often differ from Dr. Craig's (as they do from those of everyone else I know), I have found that he is very knowledgeable about science and current cosmological ideas. He provides interesting insights into their implications for our shared Christian beliefs.”
Don Nelson Page, Professor of Physics, University of Alberta
“Bill Craig is one of my personal heroes! He is among today’s finest defenders of Christianity. He offers a powerful mix of authentic faith, intellectual firepower, debating skill, and the gentleness and respect that the Bible requires.”
Lee Strobel, Best-selling author of The Case for Christ and The Case for a Creator
“Especially regarding his breadth of scholarship, no contemporary Christian apologist surpasses Bill Craig. Some of Bill’s wide range of interests are evident in this third edition of Reasonable Faith. To be introduced to crucial topics such as God’s existence, creation, Scripture, and the historicity of Jesus, including his deity and resurrection, all under one cover, is an enormous treat. Not a single student of apologetics should miss this volume by a major scholar. Crossway Books deserves much credit for continuing its strong tradition of Christian textbooks.”
Gary R. Habermas, Distinguished Research Professor and Chair, Department of Philosophy and Theology, Liberty University
“As a former student and now collaborator with him in writing and in ministry, I am one of the numerous beneficiaries indebted to William Craig and his stellar work in the philosophy of religion and Christian apologetics. He has been a model, a mentor, and an inspiration through his scholarship and his commitment to God’s kingdom. His newly-updated Reasonable Faith continues to be the gold standard for apologetics texts: vital historical discusion of issues and arguments; rigorous reasoning and state-of-the art scholarship; and highly relevant, personal application—all permeated with an evident passion for the cause of Christ.”
Paul Copan, Professor and Pledger Family Chair of Philosophy and Ethics, Palm Beach Atlantic University; President, Evangelical Philosophical Society
“William Lane Craig is both an absolutely topnotch, world-class scholar and a man with a warm heart for apologetics and evangelism. This astute book combines both passions. It gives rigorous and well-documented arguments which are aimed at producing a rational faith that can be commended and defended before the watching and waiting world. Bravo (for the third time)!”
Douglas Groothuis, Professor of Philosophy, Denver Seminary
“William Lane Craig is not only a world-class philosopher—widely recognized as such in the philosophical community—but he has been a leading defender of the Christian faith for over a quarter of a century. Reasonable Faith includes, in concise and accessible form, some of the best of the best of his thinking on vital areas of apologetics. Powerful, persuasive, and relevant, Craig demonstrates that central Christian beliefs, such as the existence of a personal, intelligent, and exceedingly powerful God, miracles, and Jesus’ Messianic claims and resurrection, are reasonable to believe and based on solid evidence. You won’t find a better book in support of the Christian faith.”
Chad Meister, Director of Philosophy, Bethel College; author of Building Belief
“For years I’ve recommended Reasonable Faith to my students as the best single-volume apologetic. And now it is even better! Craig’s analysis of the latest scientific arguments and his response to the New Atheists makes it a must-have for those interested in thoroughly defending the cause of Christ.”
Clay Jones, Assistant Professor of Christian Apologetics, Christian Apologetics Program, Biola University
“William Lane Craig is arguably one of the finest Christian philosophers of our time. His knowledge and skill have placed him on platforms on every continent, engaging the most notable skeptics in dialogue and debate. Reasonable Faith will provide only increased opportunity and impact as he makes his mark on our time with a timeless message.”
Ravi Zacharias, Founder and Chairman, Ravi Zacharias International Ministries
“The third edition of William Lane Craig’s Reasonable Faith is simply a masterpiece. It combines clarity and applicability without sacrificing depth. Each chapter has three major parts. First, the topic is introduced with an extensive discusion of the historical development of the arguments and objections to the arguments. Second, Bill leads the reader into the depths of the most contemporary discussion. He treats the leading versions of the arguments for Christianity as well as the best of the objections. He has taken great care to achieve a thoroughness that is rarely found in apologetics texts. Third, he explains, through many personal examples, how the arguments in the chapter can be appropriated in personal evangelism. Combining these three elements is enough to make this text unique. The depth and quality with which each step is accomplished makes it indispensible.”
Gregory E Ganssle, Lecturer, Department of Philosophy, Yale University, Rivendell Institute
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Rated by buyers 
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This book is fantastic! It is aimed at those with a little more philosophical maturity, but someone who is very driven to learn hard-hitting apologetics for the Christian faith should be able to understand and internalize this book. Very broadly, Craig goes through arguments for the existence of God and the truth of the Christian faith, based on philosophy, science, and history. There is MUCH more science in this book than you would expect. Craig spent several years studying different "big bang" / origin of the universe models, so he is qualified to speak on much of what science has to say about that.
One thing I love about Craig is that it is SO obvious that he sincerely and deeply wants people to come to know Christ. This isn't just a matter of showing how smart he is or winning arguments for him; he is all about winning people over to Jesus. This is evident in his "practical applications" at the end of each chapter, which include personal stories. Craig loves Jesus, and does everything he can to try and bring as many people as he can to him. His caring always shines through in his writing.
My favorite part of the book was the discusion of the "meaning of life" without God. Craig discusses how eventually the human race will become extinct and everything will be the same as it was before human beings began to exist. Nothing will have mattered etc etc. Obviously he does a much better job of explaining this than I do. This was tied in with many of the moral conundrums that one is faced with without God i.e. that there are no objective moral values. This was a great chapter.
I also particularly enormity the discusion about the resurrection of Jesus as being teh best possible explication of the available evidence. Craig lists seven criteria that a reasonable explanation of evidence should satisfy and shows that any other explanation of the evidence is weak and/or lacking in many respects. Craig then offers 3 main points (empty tomb, post-resurrection appearances, origin of disciples belief in the resurrection) as positive evidence for the resurrection of Jesus.
If you have never been intellectually stimulated by discussions of religion of Christianity, you owe it to yourself to look at some of the best of what Christianity has to offer as far as reason goes. Many people have no idea why someone would believe in the resurrection, but Craig offers reasonable and compelling evidence that should be considered by skeptics and inquirers.
Rated by buyers -
Dr. Craig gives a powerful answer to skeptics in this book. As always his anwers are logical and convincing. Also, a bit is added for those who disagree that using apologitics is a viable means of sharing the message of the gospel.
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I stumbled upon Dr. Craig while watching on old Day of Discovery episode. I enjoyed the things he had to say, so I googled him to see what he was about. That led to me reading his blog, website, etc, and finding out about this book. I am really enjoying it so far. I am taking my time going through it so as to make sure I understand the many priciples that I am being introduced to. Apologetics has opened up a new world for me, and I am excited to continue learning. Reasonable Faith is an excellent tool to get me in the know.
Rated by buyers -
The 3rd edition of Reasonable Faith coincides with the recent launch of William Lane Craig's apologetic ministry www.reasonablefaith.org. This work is rigorous, thoughtful, and brings precision to some difficult issues (in other words, typical Craig!). Blomberg's chapter on the Historical Reliability of the New Testament has been replaced by a new / expanded chapter on the self-understanding of Jesus. The chapters on Miracles and the nature of History are clearly argued and persuasive. The switch to footnotes rather than endnotes is very helpful as well. But, by far, the most helpful chapter in the book (in my opinion) is the chapter on Knowing vs. Showing Christianity to be true. Here, Craig investigates the role of the Holy Spirit in knowing, as well as utilizes insights from Alvin Plantinga's reformed epistemology to talk about what beliefs can be / are "properly basic." This is a wonderful book. But it probably isn't the place to start one's apologetic journey.
A good introduction to William Lane Craig's writing would be to visit his website, www.reasonablefaith.org.
Also see:
God?: A Debate between a Christian and an Atheist (Point/Counterpoint Series (Oxford, England).)
Hard Questions, Real Answers
High School and College Students may also find useful in understanding the Christian faith:
Welcome to College: A Christ-Follower's Guide for the Journey
Rated by buyers -
I have read his second edition and this revised and updated copy is worth the investment. The improvements to the cosmological and teleological arguments based on the current state of affairs in astrophysics is worth it alone. This is a must-have for the armchair apologist like myself.
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