Chris Sinkinson: Christian Confidence
Regarding science, the author gives a very intelligent treatment of naturalism and of Darwin’s theory of evolution. He perhaps wisely steers away from being drawn into arguments of creationism versus guided evolution and instead gravitates towards an Intelligent Design argument that focuses on the Kalam cosmological argument. Interestingly this argument is a favourite of William Lane Craig’s and basically states, “Whatever begins to exist has a cause. The universe began to exist. Therefore the universe has a cause” (p165). The appeal of this argument is obvious. To Christians the “cause’ of the universe is God. To the scientist it is the big bang.
The remaining chapters deal with perhaps two of the most difficult challenges to the Christian apologist: the exclusivity of Christianity and the issue of pain and suffering. Pluralism is rife in contemporary society and there is plenty of religious choice to suit our consumerist society. There is a price to pay for embracing such exclusivity. Sinkinson observes, “In order to claim that every major religion is valid, we must also argue that they are all invalid. Rather than leading to the claim that all religions are equally true, we are led to conclude that all religions are equally mistaken-though they all, accidentally, offer a pathway to a genuine experience” (p176). Going further, Sinkinson emphasizes the uniqueness of Jesus, his resurrection and the uniqueness and veracity of the Christian scriptures.
In dealing with the subject of suffering, the author doesn’t necessarily try to answer the question directly but guides the reader to a number of theories. He ultimately steers us towards a biblical understanding of the Fall and its effect on creation. This combined with the knowledge that we have a God who became one of us, suffered with us and who will ultimately consummate all things helps to close the final section of this introduction to Christian apologetics.
If you are looking for an engaging, succinct and stimulating introduction to the fascinating and complex world of apologetics then I highly recommend this book. Sinkinson has a gift for taking complex ideas and articulating them in an understandable and digestible way. The book is highly readable and an excellent resource for anyone wanting to know more about defending one’s faith.
Reviewed by Daniel Snape
Publisher’s page: http://www.ivpress.com/cgi-ivpress/book.pl/code=3786
Category: Living the Faith, Winter 2015
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