Two recent books serve as particularly clear representations of the different schools of thought regarding modern Christian apologetics: The End of Apologetics by Myron Bradley Penner and Fool's Talk by Os Guinness.3 Both works recently received Christianity Today Book Awards in the Apologetics-Evangelism category. This chapter presents synopses of The End of Apologetics and Fool's Talk to set the stage for comparing these works throughout the rest of this thesis. In Chapter 2 of The End of Apologetics, Penner moves to explore the social and spiritual implications of modern epistemology and apologetics.
Both OUNCE and the genius-apostle distinction play a major role in Penner's presentation of the nature of truth and human access to it. Guinness acknowledges that Christian apologetics "has been caught in the wake of the massive crossover. The synopses of the two works revealed disparities between Myron Bradley Penner's and Os Guinness's beliefs about the nature of truth.
Tawa Anderson comments similarly in her review of The End of Apologetics, saying that Penner "presupposes. 40 Significantly, near the end of The End of Apologetics, Penner betrays his own doubts about whether he has successfully argued his view of truth A remaining problem needs to be addressed in detail because it is crucial to properly assessing the presentation of truth in The End of Apologetics: Penner's Interpretation of Book 12 of Confessions.
They must stay within the bounds of the Nicene Creed and clear passages of scripture” (225).
K. Chesterton
He interprets the plot in The Man Who Was Thursday as an indictment of contemporary apologetics. Chesterton gives numerous examples of logical contradictions in the arguments of the rationalists, who sought every possible way to criticize Christianity. God is thus ironically banished from proceedings in the public square, making them essentially nihilistic.89 Penner warns that while the contemporary apologetics movement appears to benefit Christianity, it may actually pose a greater threat to progress. of the gospel than the New Atheism.
Chesterton's exact themes in The Man Who Was Thursday have long been the subject of debate. 89Penner criticizes William Lan Craig and other apologists for contributing to this cycle by engaging in debates about God with the New Atheists. We are on our way to creating a race of people too mentally humble to believe in the multiplication table.
While Guinness says little about Kierkegaard's specific religious beliefs or dogmas, Penner relies heavily on Kierkegaard's philosophical reflections and theological views to support his general argument in The End of. Penner” in this chapter of this thesis emphasized the importance of Kierkegaard's analysis of truth as subjectivity to Penner's own epistemology.103 His choice to rely on Kierkegaard for philosophical justification is itself relevant; scholars have long recognized the difficulty of interpreting Kierkegaard's works and resolving consequential cases related to his work. In The End of Apologetics, Penner confesses that the confusion continues to this day regarding the issue of "Kierkegaard's alleged fideism". If I want.
104John Lippett and George Pattison, eds., “Introduction,” in The Oxford Handbook of Kierkegaard, 2nd ed. Barrett, “Kierkegaard as Theologist: A History of Countervailing Interpretations,” in The Oxford Handbook of Kierkegaard Alastair Hannay and Gordon D. Ten finally, both Guinness and Penner draw on Kierkegaard's most pervasive challenges in making their assessments of the contemporary cultural situation in the West. .
If the contemporary state of the apologetics movement differs significantly from Kierkegaard's context, one might rightly have reservations about using his writings to advance Penner's cause. A balanced and insightful summary of Kierkegaard's complex relationship with the church can be found in Anders Holm, "Kierkegaard and the Church," in The Oxford Handbook of Kierkegaard, 112-128. Today's notable Christian apologists represent the latest in a long line of apologists.
P. Moreland
In this case Alvin Goldman's balanced insight is well advised: “The various competitors of the. The End of Apologetics and Fool's Talk intersect thematically and seek solutions to many of the same problems with apologetic principles and practices. The present chapter assumes that the reader is well acquainted with the content of The End of Apologetics and Fool's Talk or has already read chapter 2 and chapter 3 of this thesis.
To begin his third chapter of The End of Apologetics, Penner recounts the heartbreaking story of his friend John. Penner concludes that the phenomenon of the crowd of experts is ubiquitous, unmanageable, and a major culprit in Christian testimony. In his largely positive review of The End of Apologetics, Brad Seeman acknowledges that the New Atheists pose formidable challenges to the church, and he wonders how Christian witness would fare.
Ravi Zacharias edited Beyond Opinion eight years before The End of Apologetics was published. 14Brad Seeman, review of The End of Apologetics: Christian Witness in a Postmodern Context, Myron B. 42Penner does not refer to any of the works mentioned in the rest of this subsection, although they were all written before The End of Apologetics.
His judgmental spirit plagued him until the very end of the narrative, at which point God punished him for his lack of compassion. The latter do it out of love, because they know that I was put here to defend the Gospel. Much of the discussion in the previous sections has highlighted the shortcomings that hinder the effectiveness of apologies.
The present section attempts to expose the biblical characteristics of faithful prophetic witness through further comparison of the End of the Apologetics and the Fool's Speech. Johnson's review of The End of Apologetics posits that Penner's aversion to apologetic arguments is untenable given the biblical record. The idea of command is inherent in the grammatical use of the verb and in the context.
94Os Guinness, Renaissance: The Power of the Gospel However Dark the Times Downers Grove, IL: InterVarsity. One of the most glaring weaknesses in Penner's model is its omission of any significant.
CONCLUSION
Analysis of these questions set the stage for meaningful comparison of the two books in the subsequent chapter. Guinness, on the other hand, applauds some of the same apologists for their valid contributions and sees their efforts as a continuation of the chain of historical Christian testimony. Penner incorporates parts of the biblical testimony that fit his proposed model, but often omits discussion of passages that would contradict it.
Taking the positive trajectory of the movement, Guinness aims to further promote its health by promoting persuasion as a holistic framework that captures the essence of the apologetic task. His evaluation of the current state of the apologetics movement does not necessitate a revision. The overlapping themes, vocabulary, and use of shared resources within Fool's Talk and The End of Apologetics facilitated comparison of the two works.
The different styles and purposes of the authors sometimes make it difficult to critique their use of sources. While a thorough examination of the source context may not always be necessary, the validity of research may be compromised by overlooking an author's misuse of a source, even though it may have been accidental. First, Penner's brief account of the phenomenon of fragmentation draws further attention within the discipline of apologetics.2 He overestimates current conditions by comparing them to Alice and Wonderland—a comparison too extreme and pessimistic.
I will always be grateful for Guinness' keen ability to diagnose how the spiritual struggles of the time manifest themselves in social contexts. May God grant His Church the wisdom to use apologetics to honor Him and to challenge people of all faiths to see the greatness of the Gospel. Why Truth Matters Most: An Apology for Seeking Truth in Postmodern Times. Journal of the Evangelical Theological Society 47, no.
’n Evaluering en kritiek op Myron Penner se The End of Apologetics.” Global Journal of Classical Theology 12, no. Waarheid, kontemporêre filosofie en die postmoderne wending.” Journal of the Evangelical Theological Society 48, no.1 (March. The Vocabulary of the Greek Testament Illustrated from the Papyri and Other Non-literary Sources.
