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A Reasoned Defense of the Faith is a theologically rigorous and intellectually engaging collection of essays that explore the enduring importance of Christian apologetics in a skeptical, relativistic, and pluralistic age. Drawing from the evidential and classical traditions and firmly rooted in Lutheran theology, Adam S. Francisco presents a thoughtful and compelling case for the rational defense of the Christian faith, grounded in historical evidence, natural law, and theological clarity.
These essays address a wide range of critical apologetic themes, including the authority and reliability of Scripture, the historical reality of the resurrection, the role of natural law in moral reasoning, and the complexities of interreligious dialogue—particularly with Islam. Francisco also examines Martin Luther’s careful use of apologetics, engages with the challenges posed by modern atheism, and critiques the inadequacies of fideism and postmodern relativism.
Throughout this collection runs a consistent call to recover the biblical mandate to offer a reasoned defense of the faith (1 Peter 3:15), equipping the Church to respond to both critics and seekers with intellectual honesty and confessional clarity. Engaging the insights of thinkers such as C.S. Lewis, John Warwick Montgomery, and the Reformers, Francisco bridges the gap between the apologetic concerns of the past and the challenges of the present.
Scholars, pastors, seminary students, and serious lay readers will find in these essays both a rich introduction to key issues in Christian apologetics and a summons for the Church to reclaim its voice in a culture increasingly dismissive of Christian truth claims.
Adam S. Francisco, DPhil (Oxford), is Director of Academics at 1517. He previously served as a professor of history and theology as well as dean and assistant provost in the Concordia University System for the better part of two decades. He lives with his wife and children in Wheaton, Illinois.
Introduction
Acknowledgments
The Authority of the Holy Scriptures
Word of God in Islam and Christianity
Positive Apologetics
Luther’s Use of Apologetics
Can a Historian Explain the Empty Tomb with the Resurrection of Jesus?
Natural Law: A Basis for Christian-Muslim Discourse?
The Relevance of Islamic Theology
Jesus, Muslims, and the Gospel
The Challenge of the New Atheism
Postscript
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