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Patrick S.

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Patrick S. is currently reading

Covenantal Apologetics: Principles and Practice in Defense of Our Faith

by K. Scott Oliphint

bookshelves: own, currently-reading

Reading for the 2nd time

read in August 2014

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Patrick S. said: " This book concludes a three year study in presuppositional apologetics (PA). Having heard a lot of good things about this book and seeing a large number of recommendations in the actual book itself, I decided to check it out. While Oliphint lays out This book concludes a three year study in presuppositional apologetics (PA). Having heard a lot of good things about this book and seeing a large number of recommendations in the actual book itself, I decided to check it out. While Oliphint lays out a clear plan of action on telling you what the book is about, I don't think he quite sets out what he wants. He doesn't seem to add anything new to the table that people like Greg Bahnsen or Jason Lisle haven't done before and, frankly, done better. I do like his attempt at focusing a more biblical perspective and wording to PA and even from a Calvinistic point of view. He just doesn't knock it out of the park like I think he wants to. Now, that's not to say that the subjects he tackles aren't good. I think his most interesting chapter is his take on Paul's apologetic message on Mars Hill in Acts 17. He asks a lot of hard questions even from his position and sets about trying to answer them. He also has a great chapter on comparing PA to an Islamic position. In fact the best parts of the books are where he has these practical application conversations with a non-PA person (atheist, Muslim, etc.). However, he is weakest in that his writing can tend to appear to be a little all over the place or not holding too much relevance to the whole, especially at the beginning of a chapter. Not every chapter as there are some where I really, REALLY found them to be grand. But when he gets into this one chapter where he talks about the Greek educational system it doesn't really point to much of anything. It's not a bad ready by any means but if you've read Bahnsen and Lisle who have the same "don't answer, answer" style you see that here. I will say that Oliphint is great at wanting to take the conversation from a strictly philosophical one straight into the Scriptures which is admittedly lacking in at least half the conversation for a PA.

This shouldn't be a book that should be read by anything looking for an introduction to presuppositional apologetics (that honor goes to Jason Lisle's "The Ultimate Proof For Creation", but it isn't terrible. This book didn't add anything knew to the overall system of PA, but it doesn't point out some very good conversation roads PA need to be aware of and have and to make sure they are committing themselves to the Scriptures. Final Grade - C+ ...more "

Aug 18, 2014 01:31AM · see review

Patrick S. is currently reading

Napoleon: A Life

by Andrew Roberts

bookshelves: own, currently-reading

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Dec 30, 2025 08:23PM

Patrick’s Quotes

“Each morning you must choose to get out of bed or not. All the medication and cognitive therapy and latest research and self-care in the world can’t replace your choice. This decision can be aided by these resources but never replaced by them. Which means that you have to have an answer to a fundamental question: Why get out of bed? Or, more bluntly, why live?”
― Alan Noble, On Getting Out of Bed: The Burden and Gift of Living

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“Don’t do the next thing just so that you can keep doing the next thing. Do the next thing because it honors God and testifies of His goodness and the goodness of your life to your neighbor.”
― Alan Noble, On Getting Out of Bed: The Burden and Gift of Living

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“What value did courage have, without a free and challenging mind to direct it?”
― John Christopher, The White Mountains

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“The point of history is to teach you to be like the men of Issachar “who had understanding of the times, to know what Israel ought to do” (1 Chron. 12:32). And the reason history is so important is that we are actually all characters in a story.”
― Rebekah Merkle, Classical Me, Classical Thee: Squander Not Thine Education

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