In the Bible, faith is contrasted with sight, not with reason. The apostle Paul consistently reasoned with his listeners, persuading them regarding the truth of his message, establishing a precedent for Christian apologetics (Acts 17:17, 18:4, and 18:19). He did so because the Christian faith is reasonable. This defense begins with arguments in favor of theism: a finite universe, physical laws hospitable to life, and the origin and complexity of life. These factors suggest the existence of a...
The advances of geologic science, Darwinism, theological liberalism, and higher textual criticism converged in the nineteenth century to present an imposing challenge to biblical authority. The meteoric rise in secular knowledge exerted tremendous pressure on the Protestant theological elite of the time. Their ruminations, conversations, quarrels, and convictions offer penetrating insight into their world–into their perspective on Scripture and authority and how their outlook was challenged,...
Among books, the Bible is unique. Compiled over a time period spanning some 1600 years, it includes contributions from over forty different writers. Yet it has a unified message and a clear theme–redemption through sacrifice, and most especially redemption through the sacrifice of the Christ, the Messiah, the Promised One from God. This coherence across time and space is the product of a single, unseen author–the Holy Spirit. Using the personality and style of each of the different sacred...
