Not long ago, I reviewed the B&H apologetics book Passionate Conviction. B&H followed up that title with its recently released, Contending with Christianity’s Critics* (henceforth referred to as CCC). Allow me to admit from the onset that my theological position causes me to differ with some of the contributors upon apologetic methodology. Therefore, I will do my best to asses this book objectively, by basing my review upon the apologetic methodology that it represents.
CCC is edited by Paul Copan and William Lane Craig. These two have teamed up to edit numerous volumes over the years and always do an admirable job, CCC maintains this trend. From the first page the reader is engaged with concise and interesting 
articles.
Scratch that! The reader is engaged before even cracking open the book! I have come to the conclusion that B&H has the market cornered on cover design, at least in the apologetics arena. The cover of CCC is clean, crisp, and modern. The aforementioned Passionate Conviction also boasted a rather inviting, albeit quite busy, cover image. Kudos to B&H for producing a book that even appears interesting.
In terms of content, CCC represents another offering written from a classical and evidential apologetics perspective. Therefore the lineup of contributors will be quite familiar, the authors include: Paul Copan, William Lane Craig, Michael Murray, Victor Reppert, Robert Stein, Ben Witherington, Gary Habermas, Craig Evans, Michael Wilkins and Daniel Wallace. The authors with whom I am not so familiar include: Charles Taliaferro, Elsa Marty, Steve Porter, Stewart Goetz, David Hunt (not to be confused with Dave Hunt), James Sinclair, Mark Linville, and Gregory Ganssle.
I found James Sinclair’s chapter (chapter two) discussing the multiverse quite interesting and very easy to follow. So often, discussions of multiverse cosmology remain so academic that it is inaccessible to anyone except astrophysicists. I also found Mark Linville’s discussion of evolutionary naturalism’s lack of moral viability engaging. However, as it relates to morality, I noticed a number of times throughout the book that some authors appealed to free-will as the reason behind the existence of evil. While I certainly understand this argument I have personally witnessed keen atheists use the free-will argument (at least as it relates to good and evil) as a means of undermining specific theological concepts. While these attacks do not genuinely answer the arguments presented by apologists, they serve to undermine the credibility of the apologist in the eyes of his audience. In short, I think the human will is a possible explanation but it may not be the best or even the correct explanation.
The portion of CCC I most enjoyed was section two, The Jesus of History. I doubt a more imposing collection of writers could have been assembled to address the issue of Jesus in history. Robert Stein’s essay is excellent as are those from Witherington, Evans, Habermas and Wilkins. Daniel Wallace delivers a crushing blow to those who would adhere to the Bart Erhman framework of New Testament study. In every book that is composed of various essays from a number of different authors, I try to find that one essay that by itself makes the book worth purchasing. Wallace’s essay is the contribution whose presence alone makes this book a worthwhile purchase.
In the closing section of the book I found Paul Copan’s entries regarding the Trinity and the Incarnation very helpful. While Copan’s essay on the Trinity does not break new ground it does help clarify some issues. It was also nice to see the book close with a critique of open theism (for some reason apologists have not spent much time on open theism in recent years).
In summary, CCC is a book well worth reading. Perhaps some of the arguments regarding the existence of evil are not as strong as they could be, however, the portion of the text covering the historical Jesus is quite strong. I also beleive that readers of CCC with find the inclusion of essays from some lesser known apologists a breath of fresh-air. The world of apologetics can always benefit from a fresh perspective on defending the truth. In many ways CCC brings that fresh-air while maintaining a link to the past.
Presentation: 5/5
Structure: 4/5
Scholarship: 4/5
Readability: 5/5
* This book was a review copy sent to me by B&H Academic.
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