Book Details:
Authors: Tim Chaffey, Ken Ham, Bodie Hodge
Publisher: Master Books (2012)
Binding: Paperback
Page count: 176
ISBN: 978-0890516492
Recommendation:
Review Date: 5/1/2012 by Shaun Tabatt
Rating: Highly Recommended
Review:
Search for the words “Bible contradiction” on google and you will get search results that exceed six million hits. Perform that same search on Amazon.com and you will find more than two thousand books on the subject. We clearly are living at a time in history where questioning the authority and historicity of the Bible is all the rage.
What does this mean for the Christian? At a basic level, it means you will likely encounter people who do not share your view about the truthfulness and reliability of God’s word (i.e. the Bible). 1 Peter 3 suggests that the Christian needs to be ready to offer a defense for the hope that is within them, doing it with gentleness and respect. In order to offer a proper defense, every Christian should become somewhat familiar with the the study of apologetics. When people hear the word apologetics for the first time, they will often ask what exactly it is they will be apologizing for. Don’t worry, apologetics has nothing to do with saying you’re sorry. It is actually the branch of theology concerned with offering a defense or proof for Christianity.
The team at Answers in Genesis is extremely passionate about equipping Christians with apologetics resources that will aid them in defending their faith. One of their latest resources is Demolishing Supposed Bible Contradictions: Volume 2, which is a follow up book to Demolishing Supposed Bible Contradictions: Volume 1 (Master Books, 2010). This new volume examines forty alleged Bible contradictions, twenty from the Old Testament and twenty from the New Testament.
If you’re the type of reader who tends to skip over introductory material, I strongly encourage you to take the time to read through Bodie Hodge and David Wright’s introduction. It will help you to better understand some of the types of conversations you may find yourself in with skeptics. Their goal is to help you move away from always “playing” defense in these exchanges. With the right tools and training, you’ll be ready for offense in no time.
The layout of each chapter is very straight-forward. First is the explanation of the “problem” and the relevant Bible verses. Next is the solution, which offers commentary on both sides of the issue, but ultimately gives an explanation that strives to show that the Bible is not contradictory. Each chapter comes to a close with a final section called conclusion, recapping what you learned in the problem and solutions sections in a few sentences. Some of the chapters cover a lot of ground in only a few pages, so the conclusion section does a nice job of bringing it all together, helping you to connect all the dots to ensure you have a good understanding of what you just read.
This book has something to offer Christians of all ages (teen to adult). Some of the articles do dive a bit deep, but the writing will be accessible and understandable to the average man in the pew. If you have more of an academic bent, you will find many good things here too. It’s well-reasoned articles will challenge you to think critically about your Bible and the attacks that are lodged against it. My hope is that this book will whet readers’ appetites to delve even further into the study of apologetics. Should you want to go further, you will definitely want to consider the many great apologetics titles published by Master Books.
Author Information:
Tim Chaffey is a writer for Answers in Genesis. He earned his master of arts degree in Biblical and theological studies in 2005 and began teaching at Tri-State Christian School soon after. He is currently the associate pastor of Martintown Community Church.
Mr. Bodie Hodge attended Southern Illinois University at Carbondale and received a B.S. and M.S. in mechanical engineering. His specialty was a subset of mechanical engineering based in advanced materials processing, particularly starting powders. Currently, Bodie is a speaker, writer, and researcher for Answers in Genesis USA. He is the author of The Fall of Satan and co-author of Dragons: Legends & Lore of Dinosaurs.
Ken Ham is the president/CEO and founder of Answers in Genesis – U.S. and the highly acclaimed Creation Museum. Ken Ham is one of the most in-demand Christian speakers in North America. Ken’s emphasis is on the relevance and authority of the book of Genesis and how compromise on Genesis has opened a dangerous door regarding how the culture and church view biblical authority. His Australian accent, keen sense of humor, captivating stories, and exceptional PowerPoint illustrations have made him one of North America’s most effective Christian communicators.
Where to buy:
Related Media:
- Sample (Introduction & 1st chapter)
- Book Trailer
Disclaimer:
This book was provided by New Publishing Group for review. The reviewer was under no obligation to offer a favorable review.
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3 users responded in this post
Loved this great resource! Also love your review of it.
Great review, looks like a book I will buy!
Marsha,
I hope you are both encouraged and challenged by the book. I felt it was an interesting read.
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