Here is a book that I would like to see serious minded
Christians own, read, and study. I would like to see Sunday school classes and
other small groups work through this book because the layout lends itself to
that type of study. Richard Ramsay, a PCA teaching elder with a variety of
experiences and ministries, has given us a primer on apologetics that is reader
friendly.
I had the privilege of reading the manuscript prior to
publication and told the publishers, “This would be a must print book.” I
realize that most Christians will not think much about apologetics and defending
the faith unless challenged and taught to do so by pastors and teachers, but it
is a crucial topic. Peter says that we must be able to give a reason for why we
believe what we believe (I Peter 3:15), and we must be able to help others whom
we disciple to do the same.
While I have been using some other books as I work to make
kingdom disciples, this book will now be high on my priority list. Although an
obvious presuppositionalist in his approach, Ramsay writes about a variety of
apologetic methods that are applicable to many different situations. I
especially appreciated his clear distinction between God-centered reasoning and
reasoning that is not.
The first part of the book deals with “Uncertainty in
Non-Christian Thought” and makes the case for doing apologetics in that setting.
Part two deals with “Certainty in Christian Apologetics” and gives us a summary
of fifteen men from Augustine to John Frame to R.C. Sproul and how they dealt
with apologetics. As a primer type book, it is far from simplistic.
Each chapter concludes with good review questions and a group
exercise that enhances its use as a study book. It is a good practical book that
covers much material. Through and through we are reminded that our final
authority is God speaking to us in His Word. He writes:
“The Christian alternative is to accept God as the judge and
source of truth. When you keep backing up a Christian to his ‘final answer,’
it should be that ‘God says so.’ It is true because God says so. How do I know
God says so? Because He says so! As a Christian, I cannot back up any further
than God Himself; I cannot elevate something above Him. If I appeal to an
authority superior to God, I have just contradicted my own worldview and
destroyed the foundation underneath me.”
This of course is in contrast, as Ramsay points out, to the
non-Christian who “essentially makes himself the judge of what is true and false
and right and wrong.”
Ramsay concludes the book with what he calls the three most
challenging questions for apologetics: Evolution, hell, and the problem of evil.
This book will help you to be better equipped to know how to challenge
non-Christians to rethink their belief system, reminding us of Francis
Schaeffer’s methodology.
