Apologetics to the Glory of God: An Introduction [Paperback]

John M. Frame (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: February 1, 1994

Apologetics to the Glory of God Zoom Apologetics to the Glory of God: An Introduction John Frame distinguishes three main kinds of apologetic: 1. Proof- presenting a rational basis for faith. 2. Defense- answering objections to unbelief. 3. Offense- exposing the foolishness of unbelieving thought. Frame offers a fresh look at probability arguments and gives special attention to the problem of evil. Particularly helpful are his extensive use of Scripture and his presentation of specific lines of argument. A model dialogue in the concluding chapter shows how the various lines of argument work in a conversation with a non-believer. John Frame, 279 pages, softcover. Level: Semi-technical

Product Details

• Paperback: 265 pages
• Publisher: P & R Publishing (February 1, 1994)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0875522432
• ISBN-13: 978-0875522432
• Product Dimensions: 8.4 x 5.3 x 1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 12 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.2 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (13 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #47,865 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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14 of 14 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Good Introduction, July 16, 2004

By 

J. F Foster - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Apologetics to the Glory of God: An Introduction (Paperback)

This introduction by Frame is to be commended for recognizing proper apologetic priorities - that our biggest apologetic battles should not be with other Christians over apologetic method, but with non-Christians who are outside the Kingdom. Frame refuses to play contentious games over apologetic method, choosing instead to take what he believes is the best (the most Biblical) from each approach and incorporate it into a generally presuppositional approach that emphasizes his version of the transcendental argument.

Frame, following Van Til, spends a good bit of time in this book arguing that atheism in particular, and all non-Christian thought in general, is guilty of being both rationalistic and irrationalistic at the same time in ways that are incoherent. Frame strongly believes that only Christianity is capable of avoiding this serious problem, and that in our discussions with non-Christians, the incoherence of his system should be an important part of our apologetic in terms of playing offense.

His transcendental twist on more traditional forms of apologetics is good for several reasons. First, contra Van Til, Frame acknowledges that a transcendental argument, in order to be persuasive, needs to incorporate elements of classical and evidential apologetics (though Van Til was not totally against these things at all, he just seemed a bit reticent to incorporate them into his own system). The transcendental twist is clearly driven by Frame's conviction that metaphysics, epistemology, and ethics inform each other and are all essential to knowledge. Frame's basic point is that without God, intelligibility is impossible. We cannot understand concepts like cause, motion, evidence, ethics, or anything else without presupposing God. It is here that the reader will see Frame's Calvinist theology, where Romans 1 takes center stage in appraising man's ability to think rightly without God. Frame's discussion of what unregenerate man does and doesn't know about God, and how this impacts on how much 'common ground' the Christian and non-Christian share is quite good and in my view, is far more helpful than Van Til's or Clark's formulation of this problem.

The strengths of Frame's apologetic, first of all, is that it is flexible. His perspectivalism, coupled with his transcendental twist, really enables the Christian to start just about anywhere with a non-Christian in terms of apologetic discussion. Frame provides good tools for starting with metaphysics in dealing with philosophically sophisticated non-Christians, or for non-Christians who care far more about things like ethics, the Christian can start there as well. His appraisal of atheism as incoherent is also quite good, and he provides solid tools upon which we can demonstrate its incoherence to folks who subscribe to it. His secondary embrace of evidentialism as defensive apologetics is also welcome, as is his insistence that positive apologetics are needed in order to make a persuasive argument for Christianity, rather than simply doing negative apologetics in the hopes that people will see that Christianity is the only thing left standing.

Frame's treatment of the problem of evil is good, in that he attempts to erect a Biblically based theodicy rather than a philosophical one without Biblical warrant. As others have pointed out, his rejection of the free-will defense is courageous and absolutely correct as a matter of exegesis. However, his greater-good defense is something I found to be a bit lacking, in that it's good for as far as it goes, but actually raises serious concerns that Frame does not really address.

The other weakness is that while Frame does try to make presuppositional apologetics accessible at the street level (which was a major failure of both Van Til and Clark), I suspect many readers who are not fanatical about apologetics will still be confused and unsure of how to use a good bit of the central pieces of Frame's approach in their interactions with non-Christians. It seems somewhat clear to me that absent a background in philosophy and epistemology, too much of Frame's approach will fall on bewildered ears that don't know what to do with most of the material in this book. In this respect, while those who are familiar with Frame's perspectivalism will indeed find this book to be an introductory work, I suspect that most who are not familiar with Frame's approach will find this book to be far more difficult to get through and practically use.

So this is a good, but improveable effort.

11 of 11 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars New to Apologetics, July 28, 2006

By 

Anchored Soul (New Jersey) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Apologetics to the Glory of God: An Introduction (Paperback)

My motivation for buying this book was to learn how to be a more effective evangelist, and while my need was met, it was at times a bit difficult to translate Frame's information into practical, everyday methods. It answered my questions about how to converse with unbelievers without assuming a position of neutrality. It also brought apologetics out of the academy and back into "the highways and by-ways". I believe the author wanted to address two audiences at the same time, which led to a careful blending of technical philosophy and Sunday school Scripture.

Why I would recommend this book: Christ is Lord and is placed at the center of the apologetics instead of man. Even as an academically untrained Christian, I saw the need for the church to quit putting man at the center of everything and put Christ and His Word back on the throne. It may be harder to take the faith approach because it strips us of the ability to woo people with wise and persuasive words, and returns us to a place where we trust God to demonstrate His power in genuine heart conversion.

8 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Good intro for understanding Christian presuppositionalism, March 27, 2002

By A Customer

This review is from: Apologetics to the Glory of God: An Introduction (Paperback)

This was a nice book, in that it shows and introduces the reader to the method of defending Christianity by reasoning transcendentally (ie, argument by presupposition). The book does not go that far into the subjects and never gets very complex, but it is nice for what it intends to accomplish as an introduction.

If you like(d) this book, be sure to check out Greg L. Bahnsen's _Van Til's Apologetic: Readings & Analysis_ (generically speaking- Bahnsen agrees more with Van Til than Frame does) and also Stephen E. Parrish's _God and Necessity: A Defense of Classical Theism_ for more on this kind of argumentation.