Apologetics for a New Generation

Sean McDowell

Description

Many teenagers leave home for college but dont take their faith with them. Popular writer and speaker Sean McDowell offers a solution for this problem: a new way of approaching faith that addresses the questions the emerging generation is asking and that incorporates a radically humble and relational approach.An impressive list of contributors including Dan Kimball (They Like Jesus but Not the Church), Brian Godawa (Hollywood Worldviews), and Josh McDowell show that todays apologetics must employ...a clear connection with everyday lifean invitation for people to express their doubts and wrestle with tough questionsa culturally savvy understanding of the way secular people view Christiansan engaging methodology that captures the imagination before engaging the minda strong emphasis on the resurrection and how it changes everythingThis resource is imperative for leaders who are ready to engage a new generation with the claims of Christ.

Sujets

• Philosophie et théologie
• Christian theology

Informations

• Publié par: Harvest House Publishers
• Date de parution: 01 mars 2009
• Nombre de lectures: 0
• EAN13: 9780736982962
• Langue: English
• Poids de l'ouvrage: 1 Mo

Extrait

HARVEST HOUSE PUBLISHERS
EUGENE, OREGON
Unless otherwise indicated, all Scripture quotations are taken from the New American Standard Bible , 1960, 1962, 1963, 1968, 1971, 1972, 1973, 1975, 1977, 1995 by The Lockman Foundation. Used by permission. ( www.Lockman.org )
Verses marked NLT are taken from the Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright 1996, 2004. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Inc., Wheaton, IL 60189 USA. All rights reserved.
Verses marked NIV are taken from the HOLY BIBLE, NEW INTERNATIONAL VERSION . NIV . Copyright 1973, 1978, 1984 by the International Bible Society. Used by permission of Zondervan. All rights reserved.
Verses marked ESV are from The Holy Bible, English Standard Version, copyright 2001 by Crossway Bibles, a division of Good News Publishers. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
Scripture verses marked NRSV are from the New Revised Standard Version of the Bible, copyright 1989 by the Division of Christian Education of the National Council of the Churches of Christ in the USA. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
Cover by Abris, Veneta, Oregon
Cover photo Ryan Klos / iStockphoto.com
Sean McDowell: This Work published in association with the Conversant Media Group, P.O. Box 3006, Redmond, WA, 98007.
ConversantLife.com is a registered trademark of Conversant Media Group. Harvest House Publishers, Inc., is a licensee of the federally registered trademark ConversantLife.com .
APOLOGETICS FOR A NEW GENERATION
Copyright 2009 by Sean McDowell
Published by Harvest House Publishers
Eugene, Oregon 97402
www.harvesthousepublishers.com
Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data
Apologetics for a new generation / Sean McDowell, general editor.
p. cm.-( ConversantLife.com )
ISBN 978-0-7369-2520-4 (pbk.)
ISBN 978-0-7369-8296-2 (eBook)
1. Apologetics. I. McDowell, Sean.
BT1103.A66 2009
239-dc22
2008038016
All rights reserved. No part of this electronic publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, distributed, or transmitted in any form or by any means-electronic, mechanical, digital, photocopy, recording, or any other-without the prior written permission of the publisher. The authorized purchaser has been granted a nontransferable, nonexclusive, and noncommercial right to access and view this electronic publication, and purchaser agrees to do so only in accordance with the terms of use under which it was purchased or transmitted. Participation in or encouragement of piracy of copyrighted materials in violation of author s and publisher s rights is strictly prohibited.
Dedication
To my daughter, Shauna-
I pray that you will be a voice of love
and truth to your generation
Acknowledgments
My deep gratitude goes to each of the writers who contributed to this book. Thank you for your willingness to be part of this project, but even more for your passionate commitment to reaching a new generation. In particular, I appreciate Brett Kunkle s encouragement and insights as I first started to dream about this book.
Thanks to Stan Jantz and Bruce Bickel for believing in this project and helping to make it a reality. Conversantlife.com is a great vision that I am honored to be part of! And thanks to Terry Glaspey for helping make Apologetics for a New Generation appealing to as wide an audience as possible.
Finally, I am honored to partner once again with the team at Harvest House. Thank you for believing in this project and for your vision to effectively reach new generations for Christ.
CONTENTS
Dedication
Acknowledgments
Foreword-David Kinnaman
Introduction: Apologetics for a New Generation-Sean McDowell
Part 1: A New Approach
1. A Different Kind of Apologist-Dan Kimball
2. Truth Never Gets Old-Brett Kunkle
An Interview with Lee Strobel
3. A Fresh Apologetic: Relationships That Transform-Josh McDowell
4. Christianity and Culture: Defending our Fathers and Mothers-John Mark Reynolds
An Interview with J.P. Moreland
5. A Human Apologetic: Tilling the Soul-Dale Fincher
Part 2: New Methods
6. Capturing the Imagination Before Engaging the Mind-Craig J. Hazen
7. Conversational Apologetics: Evangelism for the New Millennium-David Geisler
An Interview with Greg Stier
8. Storytelling and Persuasion-Brian Godawa
9. Apologetics and Emotional Development: Understanding Our Ways of Knowing and Finding Meaning-Mark Matlock
An Interview with Jeff Myers
10. Making Apologetics Come Alive in Youth Ministry-Alex McFarland
11. Home-Field Advantage-Chris Sherrod
Part 3: New Challenges
12. Jesus: Risen for a New Generation-Jason Carlson
13. Apologetics and Race-Alison Thomas
An Interview with Mike Licona
14. Homosexuality: Know the Truth and Speak It with Compassion-Alan Shlemon
15. Abortion and Common Ground-Stephen Wagner
An Interview with Skip Heitzig
16. Defending Femininity: Why Jesus Is Good News for Women-Jonalyn Grace Fincher
Appendix: Recommended Resources for Students
Notes
FOREWORD
by David Kinnaman
D oes the advice dispensed by so-called experts ever seem confusing?
Some say you should adapt your ministry to a completely unique, distinct generation. Or is it more accurate to say that young people today are not that different from previous generations? Do we need new ways of thinking and innovative approaches to engage the emerging generation, or should we dig deeper into the past to find answers in our history and traditions?
Everything is changing-or is nothing new?
Reality is less clear-cut than we like, isn t it? Apologetics is no different; it is hard, soul-bending, head-scratching work. The book you are holding, Apologetics for a New Generation, helped me wrestle with the complexities of apologetics in a changing context. It gave me new ideas, new language, and new thinking while grounding those concepts squarely in biblical truths. My friend Sean McDowell has done a masterful job of blending the voices of experts, thinkers, theologians, and practitioners into a book that is not just a compilation of academic perspectives. Instead, it is a book of solid thinking and sound ideas-concepts you will come back to again and again but that you can put into practice right away.
To kick things off, let me offer four perspectives that may shape your reading. First, realize that we live in an era of change. God does not change, but human culture does. You may be tempted to read this book with an eye on the past, but digest it with a sense of what God is doing now and in the future. We can t use apologetics to pound a generation into submission; we can use it to prepare young people for the great things God has planned for them.
Second, put this book to work. Use it to make specific changes to your ministry. You probably have your own style of reading books, but I urge you to let this book serve as more than a mere intellectual journey. Pick out favorite chapters (I have). Come back to them and wrestle with them. Start a book discussion group. Write out things you agree with and those you disagree with. Keep asking yourself, so what? Then answer the so-what question by listing what the insights mean for your ministry. This book is important, but even more crucial is the outcome: rethinking and retooling your ministry to young people when it comes to apologetics.
Third, do not underestimate the importance of connecting apologetics to this generation s skepticism, but not as in Question X = Answer Y. Young people want to converse. They love to question things. This goes beyond the typical adolescent impulse to reject the views of older adults; this generation has been raised to discuss (and distrust) everything. Apologetics is changing because young people are resistant to mere intellectual arguments, yet they seem to be as open as any generation to meaningful, transparent, long-term, and loving relationships. Our research confirms this over and over: Relationships are the nuts and bolts of spiritual conversations, spiritual conversions, and spiritual maturation. You will find this idea threaded throughout this volume.
And that leads to the fourth aspect of this book you should know about. This book does not just talk about the importance of a relational approach to apologetics. It is birthed out of relationships. Sean McDowell has invited writers to participate not just because they are experts, but because they work with young people. More than that, these writers are Sean s friends and colleagues. In fact, Sean and I share a connection too: We lived in the same dormitory at Biola. He put everything he had into life, basketball, and studies. It s the same approach he takes now as he works with this next generation.
And, of course, don t forget Sean s relationship with his dad, Josh McDowell-legendary apologist. This book (and Sean s ministry) is a testament to a father getting it right in the most important earthly relationship of his life. Josh came to speak at Biola when Sean and I were at the tail end of our time at the university. Before Josh began speaking, he asked his son to stand up in the huge crowd. You are my most important ministry, Sean. And I am so proud of you and the kind of man you have become, he said. It wasn t just words. Despite his ministry schedule and commitments, Josh had appeared at Sean s basketball games and was clearly an active supporter of Sean in all the appropriate ways. Read between the lines in this book. You and I are benefiting from a relational apologetic at work, father to son.
Just like relationships, apologetics is a tricky and confusing business. Which experts do you believe? Is apologetics with young people more important than ever or less so? Or, like Sean and his team of writers ask, do we need a new kind of apologetic?
Let this terrific book be your guide to classic questions and fresh answers.

David Kinnaman is president of the Barna Group and the author of unChristian: What a New G