The History of Apologetics: A Biographical and Methodological Introduction

ECPA Christian Book Award 2021 Finalist: Biography & Memoir

Explore Apologetics through the Lives of History's Great Apologists

The History of Apologetics follows the great apologists in the history of the church to understand how they approached the task of apologetics in their own cultural and theological context. Each chapter looks at the life of a well-known apologist from history, unpacks their methodology, and details how they approached the task of defending the faith.

By better understanding how apologetics has been done, readers will be better able to grasp the contextualized nature of apologetics and apply those insights to today's context. The History of Apologetics covers forty-four apologists including:

Part One: Patristic Apologists

Justin Martyr by Gerald BrayIrenaeus of Lyons by Stephen O. PresleyAthenagoras of Athens by W. Brian SheltonTertullian of Carthage by Bryan M. LitfinOrigen by A. Chadwick ThornhillAthanasius of Alexandria by Jonathan MorganAugustine of Hippo by Chad Meister

Part Two: Medieval Apologists

John of Damascus by Daniel J. JanosikTheodore Abu Qurrah by Byard BennettTimothy I of Baghdad by Edward L. Smither and Trevor CastorAnselm of Canterbury by Edward N. Martin and Steven B. CowanSaint Thomas Aquinas by Francis J. Beckwith and Shawn FloydRamon Lull by Greg PetersGregory Palamas by Byard Bennett

Part Three: Early Modern Apologists

Hugo Grotius by Bryan BaiseBlaise Pascal by Tyler Dalton McNabb and Michael R. DeVitoJonathan Edwards by Michael McClymondWilliam Paley by Charles TaliaferroJoseph Butler by David McNaughton

Part Four: 19th C. Apologists

Simon Greenleaf by Craig A. PartonJohn Henry Newman by Corneliu C. SimutSøren Kierkegaard by Sean A. Turchin and Christian KetteringJames Orr by Ronnie CampbellB. B. Warfield by Kim Riddlebarger

Part Five: 20th C. American Apologists

J. Gresham Machen by D. G. HartCornelius Van Til by K. Scott OliphintGordon Haddon Clark by Robert A. WeathersFrancis A. Schaeffer by William EdgarEdward John Carnell by Steven A. Hein

Part Six: 20th C. European Apologists

A. E. Taylor by Michael O. Obanla and David BaggettG. K. Chesterton by Ralph WoodDorothy Sayers by Amy Orr-EwingC. S. Lewis by Alister McGrathDietrich Bonhoeffer by Matthew D. KirkpatrickLesslie Newbigin by Krish Kandiah

Part Seven: Contemporary Apologists

John Warwick Montgomery by Craig A. PartonCharles Taylor by Bruce Riley Ashford and Matthew NgAlvin Plantinga by James BeilbyRichard Swinburne by Greg WeltyWilliam Lane Craig by R. Keith LoftinGary R. Habermas by W. David Beck and Benjamin C. F. ShawAlister E. McGrath by James K. Dew and Jordan SteffaniakTimothy Keller by Joshua D. Chatraw