Telling the Truth [Hardcover]

D. A. Carson (Editor), General Editor D. A. Carson (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: July 1, 2000

This thoughtful book provides cultural analysis, probes some of the most important turning-points of biblical theology, describes the experiences of those who are proving fruitful in contemporary evangelism, and exposes readers to those who are thinking hard both strategically and practically about reaching the postmodern world.

Editorial Reviews

From the Author

D.A. Carson is professor of New Testament at Trinity Evangelical Divinity School. Douglas J. Moo is associate professor of New Testament at Trinity Evangelical School. Leon Morris, retired, was principal of Ridley College, Melbourne, and served as visiting professor of New Testament at Trinity Evangelical School

From the Back Cover

"A pre-modern baseball umpire would have said something like this: 'There's balls, and there's strikes, and I call 'em as they are.' The modernist would have said, 'There's balls, and there's strikes, and I call 'em as I see 'em.' And the postmodernist umpire would say, 'They ain't nothing until I call 'em.'" With that humorous quote, Ravi Zacharias illustrates the challenge postmodernism poses to Christians passionate about evangelism. How do you communicate truth to a world that isn't sure what truth is--or even if truth is? How do you commend spiritual absolutes to people who insist there are none? If you've puzzled, even struggled, over such questions, the book you hold in your hands is required reading, Telling the Truth provides informed insights on the heart of the Gospel, the soul of postmodern culture, and their complex interface. This book is a compilation of thoughts and strategies from twenty-nine prominent practitioners of contemporary evangelism. Originating at a three-day conference held at Trinity Evangelical Divinity School, Telling the Truth draws on knowledge gained in the trenches by Ravi Zacharias, Kelly Monroe, D.A. Carson, Ajith Fernando, and other notables. It will open your eyes to how the contest for souls is fought, guerilla-style, at a multitude of fronts: relationships, the university, ethnicity, reason and emotion, the pulpit, communications . . . in short, the broad spectrum of human experience and values. You'll be challenged to discern between the unchanging Gospel and the flexible means by which we communicate it. Telling the Truth can help you lay the groundwork necessary to point biblically uninformed, postmodern men and women toward an encounter with non-negotiable truth -- an absolute revealed in the Bible that points to the reality of sin and the need for a Savior.

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Product Details

• Hardcover: 416 pages
• Publisher: Zondervan Publishing Company (July 1, 2000)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0310234328
• ISBN-13: 978-0310234326
• Product Dimensions: 9 x 6.2 x 1.4 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.7 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (5 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #954,286 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

29 of 29 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A series of essays on postmodern culture and Christianity., October 20, 2001

By 

Michael Erisman (Seattle, WA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Telling the Truth (Hardcover)

This is an excellent book if you have an interest in our postmodern culture, and how Christianity fits into this worldview. Specifically the challenge of applying a Christian worldview into a culture that has lost its foundations and is sliding down the slippery and illogical slope of moral relativism. While there are many great books out there on this subject including "Truth Decay", and "Steering Through the Chaos", this book takes a different approach in that it contains dozens of short essays written by numerous apologetic authors and teachers, which are then combined into sections to form this book. Of particular interest to me were the sections on "Critical Topics" and "This Relational Age". The "Critical Topics" section includes a writing by James Sire, entitled "Why Believe Anything at All?" a must read. The sections on "This Relational Age" includes some excellent work on bridge building and the importance of developing relationships as a medium to carry Christ's message of hope. I particularly enjoyed the fact that I could read several of these seven to fifteen page essays in a sitting and compare and contrast the different styles and approaches to evangelizing and "telling the truth" to a culture which is moving towards a belief that there isn't any truth.
I have deliberately kept this review focused on the style of the book and avoided overly stating my opinion on the subject matter. Whatever your opinion is, you will benefit from the wisdom and perspective of the various contributors to the book. A must read on the subject of apologetics and postmodern culture, and done in a way which doesn't require the effort and concentration level of most other postmodern discussions. I recommend reading this book first to get some framework and then move on to "Truth Decay" or other more in-depth works on the subject matter.

30 of 31 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Evangelizing the Postmoderns, January 1, 2001

By 

K.H. - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)   

This review is from: Telling the Truth (Hardcover)

This book originated from the Trinity Evangelical Divinity School conference in May 13-15, 1998. The book has over 29 authors and is edited by D.A. Carson. It is divided into eight parts with each part having many essays describing the issues and challenges facing, mostly, but not exculsively, North American soceity and its post-modern culture (I say mostly because other countries are represtented).

Ravi Zacharias opens the discussions in part one about opening dialogue about truth and Christianity in a post-modern culture. The opening is great and dynamic. Other issues discussed are religious pluralism, epistemology, uniqueness of Jesus Christ, and the current state of our most hailed universities and how to effectively reach this group of young adults.

As with all books of this kind, having so many authors does tend to interrupt the flow of reading and sometimes ideas become redundant; however, this problem is not prevelant in this text and should not discourage the reader in any way. A great buy!

0 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Telling the Truth, November 1, 2009

By 

Britney McK "PSB" (Louisiana, MO USA) - See all my reviews

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This review is from: Telling the Truth (Paperback)

Recommended reading for any Christian wanting to reach the New Age Movement. Book explains in detail the understanding of the Post-Modern Mindset for the times we now live in.