Erik McFarland
- Having dove headfirst into apologetics years back, I was a bit skeptical whether or not the book would teach me much of anything new, but was happy at least to read through a new apologetic resource for emerging generations. I got the Logos version. Overall a wonderfully done book for its size and purpose, providing many fresh answers from the latest research and arguments. Naturally the book cannot address every big issue, nor every issue within each one, but offers great jumping off points for those who wish to do some more digging. As with any collection of essays from various authors, some are better than others, but each chapter ultimately is done well and address their respective issues in a satisfactory way. The Logos version worked perfectly well for me and was easy to navigate. It was organized well, divided into three major sections (defending the faith, answering questions, and building a positive case) and tackles several of the big issues. There is a natural progression to the ordering of the chapters that eases the reading experience, providing the book itself with a general giving a flow of thought, despite each chapter addressing distinct issues. Some chapters are more technical and complex (Chapter 7: The Reasonableness of Belief in God, for example) than others, but overall it is fairly accessible to the very people searching for answers that the book addresses. My favorite chapter would either have to be Chapter 8: Fine-Tuning Points Powerfully to God by Michael Horner (he handles what could be a technical and complex issue with the simplicity and grace of one who is knowledgable and experienced) or Chapter 9: The Hope of Resurrection by Mark Clark (he writes with refreshing frankness and humor that by no means takes away from the subject matter). I was a bit disappointed with the final chapter, Chapter 10: The Search for the Meaning of Life by Andy Steiger. There is only so much you can stuff into a single chapter, so naturally there are things you have to leave out. Nevertheless, in a chapter that addresses meaning and where to find it, there is no mention of the postmodernist viewpoint, which takes away from the chapter's relevancy in our day and age. In fact, it offers little in terms of counter perspectives. It naturally sets up Jesus' answer to the meaning of life as the best one, but does not do much in explaining why it is better than any of the others. I received a complimentary review copy from the publisher, Lexham Press, on Logos Bible software for an honest review. I was in no way required or asked to give a positive review in exchange for the copy, but only to give my own honest thoughts and feelings about the book.
- Thank you for your kind words Erik.