Why Believe: Christian Apologetics for a Skeptical Age

Hobbs College Library

by Tawa J. Anderson, Heath A. Thomas (Editor)

Why bother with apologetics? 

Our skeptical age often finds the Christian faith unbelievable. For those seeking to defend the faith or strengthen their belief, Why Believ e offers a timely an apologetic that is both compelling and winsome. Anderson’s charitable and conversational tone conveys that Christianity is not only reasonable but also fulfilling. Appealing to both believers and unbelievers alike, the book provides accessible explanations of contemporary issues, from arguments for the existence of God and the validity of Christ’s resurrection to common questions about the practice of faith.
 

Genres: Christian

336 pages, Hardcover

Published July 9, 2021

About the author

Tawa J. Anderson (PhD, The Southern Baptist Theological Seminary) is assistant professor of philosophy and director of the Honors Program at Oklahoma Baptist University in Shawnee, Oklahoma. He previously served as a Garrett Fellow at the Southern Baptist Theological Seminary, guest lecturing in a broad variety of philosophy courses. He also served for seven years as the English pastor of Edmonton Chinese Baptist Church and as part-time Baptist chaplain at the University of Alberta in Edmonton, Alberta, Canada.

Anderson is passionate about contemporary Christian philosophy, particularly philosophical apologetics, and has written several articles in journals such as Christian Scholar's Review, Calvin Theological Journal, and Trinity Journal. He has led apologetic workshops, seminars, and conferences in western Canada, Kentucky, Oklahoma, and Colorado. He and his wife, Vanessa, have three children.

Reviews

[Peyton Mansfield · Rating 4 out of 5]

Anderson presents a cumulative argument for Christianity in an approachable and concise conversational tone, making this book easy to pick up and work through quickly.

Rather than getting stuck trying to point fingers at other beliefs or trying to answer every possible objection, he simply demonstrates why Christianity is the best explanation for what we see in science, humanity, and history. The arguments he presented were either new to me or they clarified arguments I had heard before.

This book was useful to encourage me in what I believe and to prepare me for what I can say in the future. A worthy, stand-alone introduction to apologetics.

[David Ochabski · Rating 5 out of 5]

Tawa J. Anderson is an assistant professor of philosophy and the director of the Honors Program at Oklahoma Baptist University in Shawnee, Oklahoma. He holds a Ph.D. from The Southern Baptist Theological Seminary and his research interests are centered around contemporary Christian philosophy, particularly philosophical apologetics. He has written articles in several different journals, including Christian Scholar's Review, Calvin Theological Journal, and Trinity Journal. Anderson has led and spoken at many apologetic workshops, seminars, and conferences in western Canada, Kentucky, Oklahoma, and Colorado. Heath A. Thomas is President and Associate Professor of Old Testament at Oklahoma Baptist University. Prior to serving as President, Thomas served as Director of Ph.D. Studies and Associate Professor of Old Testament and Hebrew at Southeastern Baptist Theological Seminary in Wake Forest, North Carolina. He received his Ph.D. from the University of Gloucestershire and he has a interest in researching the Minor Prophets, a Christian theology of lament, and theological interpretation of Scripture. Thomas is the author and co-author of six books, including The Gospel of Our King: Bible, Worldview and the Mission of Every Christian, Faith Amid the Ruins: The Book of Habakkuk, A Manifesto for Theological Interpretation, and Hearing the Old Testament: Listening for God’s Address. This book presents straightforward explanations of core apologetics topics, ranging from arguments for God’s existence and the legitimacy of Christ’s resurrection to common questions regarding religious practices. This book appeals to both believers and unbelievers alike and offers a resource for those who wish to delve deeper in the realm of apologetics. Reviewed for Eleutheria, Liberty divinity journal (Volume 5, Issue 2).

[Ashton Carpenter · Rating 5 out of 5]

read this book

Anderson has a good writing style and does a deep dive into apologetics. He tells the reader the purpose of his book and what he’s going to do. The book is written for everyone. A committed Christian will find this book strengthening his/her faith and giving good answers to questions that may be asked when witnessing. A skeptic will have a lot to consider. Anderson has multiple audiences in mind. The book is a great read.

[Justin Sassard · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book was such a great overview of apologetics. It was so well written and was very engaging to read. Even though I’ve had some background to apologetics this book helped to clarify and introduce difficult topics.

[Chris Bogstad · Rating 4 out of 5]

4/5 apologetics books. Very classical defense (avoiding discussion of presuppositional apologetics) of the Christian faith, but helpful and this quote helps immensely explain a modern challenge for the apologist.

Apatheism is a disinclination to care much about religious mat-ters. For an apatheist, the big questions of life are relatively unim-portant. It is not necessarily that apatheists actively disbelieve in God; they simply do not care about the questions related to God's existence or lack thereof.
Apatheism burst into the public intellectual sphere through/ion-athan Rauch's iconic 2003 essay in The Atlantic titled "Let It Be." In his article, Rauch self-identifies as an apatheist, acknowledging,
"I used to call myself an atheist . .. but the larger truth is that it has been years since I really cared one way or another. I'm . .. an apatheist.