True for you, but not for me: Deflating the Slogans that Leave Christians Speechless [Paperback]

Paul Copan (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: June 1, 1998

Fast, effective answers to today's tough questions and slogans that often leave Christians speechless.

Editorial Reviews

From the Back Cover

Answers to Today's Tough Faith Challenges The world is intolerant of Christian beliefs. You've probably heard many of the anti-Christian comebacks and conversation-enders that refute the relevance and validity of Christianity, including: "Who are you to impose your morality on others?" "What right do you have to convert others to your views?" "It doesn't matter what you believe--as long as you're sincere." "You can't trust the Gospels--they're unreliable." These comments don't have to be conversation stoppers. Paul Copan offers you clear, concise, and thoughtful answers to these critical remarks in this revised and expanded edition of "True for You, But Not for Me." He shows you how with "patience, practice, prayer, and God's grace," you can gently respond in ways that move into more meaningful conversations with those who object to your faith. "Incisive and insightful responses to many of the most common misconceptions about Christianity and faith." --Lee Strobel, Author of The Case for Christ "Copan's careful exploration of the rational foundations of such slogans will be of great practical help to anyone who finds himself confronted with these challenges to the Christian faith." --William Lane Craig, Talbot School of Theology, author of Reasonable Faith "This book should be required reading in Christian high schools and colleges. And laypeople and parachurch ministries will profit greatly from its content." --J.P. Moreland, Talbot School of Theology, author of The God Question. Paul Copan (PhD, Marquette University) is the Pledger Family Chair of Philosophy and Ethics at Palm Beach Atlantic University. He has authored several books, including When God Goes to Starbucks. He lives with his wife and five children in West Palm Beach, Florida.

About the Author

Paul Copan is a pastor and scholar well-versed in answering the real-world questions of both students and adults. He has served as an adjunct professor at Trinity International University and has recently moved to Georgia where he has joined the staff of Ravi Zacharias International Ministries as the staff apologist.

As a student of Columbia Bible College he received a diploma in Biblical Studies, at Trinity Evangelical Divinity School he received both an M.A. in Philosophy and a M.Div in Divinity. He received a Ph.D. in philosophy from Marquette University. During his years of school, Paul has received many awards, including the Leighton Sandys Ford, Jr. Scholarship and the Aurora Foundation Grant.

Paul's ministry experience has been covered a wide scope. As vice-president of Christian Technical Support, he helped underdeveloped countries financially while sharing the Gospel with them. He served as pastor at several churches, including Storrs Community Church is Storrs, Connecticut. At the First Presbyterian Church in Schenectady, New York, Paul ministered as the director of Evangelism and Discipleship, as well as with InterVarsity Christian Fellowship in the Southeastern United States as a staff worker.

Paul and his wife Jacquie have four children and make their home in Georgia.

Product Details

• Paperback: 192 pages
• Publisher: Bethany House (June 1, 1998)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0764220918
• ISBN-13: 978-0764220913
• Product Dimensions: 8.2 x 5.7 x 0.6 inches
• Shipping Weight: 5.6 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 3.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (47 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #877,925 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Paul Copan (Ph.D., philosophy, Marquette University) is Professor and Pledger Family Chair of Philosophy and Ethics at Palm Beach Atlantic University. He is author of "True for You, But Not for Me" (Bethany House), "That's Just Your Interpretation,""How Do You Know You're Not Wrong?", When God Goes to Starbucks: A Guide to Everyday Apologetics (all with Baker), and Loving Wisdom: Christian Philosophy of Religion (Chalice Press). These are all books that seek to make available accessible answers to the toughest questions asked of Christians.

He has co-authored (with William Lane Craig) Creation Out of Nothing: A Biblical, Philosophical, and Scientific Exploration (Baker Academic). He is co-editor of three books on the historical Jesus and of three other books in the philosophy of religion, The Rationality of Theism (Routledge), The Routledge Companion to Philosophy of Religion (Routledge), and Philosophy of Religion: Classic and Contemporary Issues (Blackwell).

He has co-edited (with William Craig) Passionate Conviction and Contending with Christianity's Critics. He has contributed articles and book reviews to various professional journals as well: Philosophia Christi, Faith and Philosophy, Trinity Journal, Southern Journal of Theology, the Journal for the Evangelical Theological Society, and The Review of Metaphysics.

He is presently writing a book on Old Testament ethics and co-authoring a book on the moral argument.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

63 of 69 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars A unique approach, November 24, 2002

By 

A Customer - See all my reviews

This review is from: True for you, but not for me: Deflating the Slogans that Leave Christians Speechless (Paperback)

Paul Copan's "True for You, but Not for Me" is a thought-provoking work that seeks to take an alternative approach to evangelism and theological discussions. In our day, relativism rules supreme, as every person feels their interpretation of reality is as valid as any other. Copan shows that it is difficult - if not impossible - to share Christ with those who have no desire to discuss Him on a level playing field of reason.

At the very heart of the book is the idea that there is absolute truth and that acknowledging this is essential for evangelization or any discussion that attempts to define "Truth". This book helps point out the lack of reason behind relativistic arguments. Fallacious logic and suspect beliefs systems are dealt with by showing people how to use logic to punch holes in relativistic thinking without having to know vast sections of Scripture. By taking Copan's clear reasonings to their logical conclusions one can create common ground for the sharing of the Gospel, increasing the likelihood of success.

Copan also includes excellent and reasonable ways to counter many of the harder arguments that many will raise with common sticking points in theology. For example, there is an extended section that addresses the question of how a loving God can send people to Hell who have never had the chance to hear the Gospel. Other questions on this same order of difficulty are discussed, with well-reasoned responses that will help Christians deal with the tougher questions they are often asked by those investigating Christianity.

The author's angle on evangelizing those firmly in the relativistic camp is simple, intelligent, and true to the idea that being logical and rational is part of calling oneself a Christian. Not a lot of Scripture here, since that is not the author's point. Getting to a common ground by dismantling resistance to even discussing the Bible is.

I liked the angle of the debate here and the call for greater logical thinking for Christians. The main flaw comes from the overuse of certain tactics of logic when another method of reasoning could be used - at times Copan seems repetitive. Another issue is not the fault of the book, per se, since while it is very helpful, it must be used to supplement, rather than supplant, a full knowledge of Scripture. Arguing logically is surely a help, but without a good command of the Bible all evangelism will fail. Discussing points logically can never get one to salvation - the Bible makes this clear ("Faith comes by hearing the word of God.")

So if you wish to have a logical approach to dealing with relativism and the difficult questions non-Christians ask, this is certainly an excellent source when used in conjunction with the Bible.

53 of 58 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A great book, if properly understood, October 23, 1999

By A Customer

This review is from: True for you, but not for me: Deflating the Slogans that Leave Christians Speechless (Paperback)

Are some of you people out there who are giving negative reviews even paying attention to what Paul Copan is saying? This book is not a straw man attempt at refuting Atheism, but rather a well thought out critique of Relativism, which is something that many Atheist could learn from. Although the writer is Christian, this book was not an attempt to establish a case for Christianity or any other Worldview, but rather a well reasoned defense of a necessary presuposition of rational thought; "Some things are true for everybody." If someone wishes to rate this book low, please do so on the basis of what the Author's intentions were in writing the book. The Author is not trying to give fleshed out arguments for the Existance of God and he doesn't have the space to grapple with the important and sensitive topic of how we deal with people who sincerely hold to non-Christian religious belief. So don't criticize him for not touching on these issues. Overall, this is an excellant book!!

30 of 33 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars excellent, concise and logical critique of relativism, March 23, 1999

By A Customer

This review is from: True for you, but not for me: Deflating the Slogans that Leave Christians Speechless (Paperback)

Copan has done a very nice job of addressing common relativistic statements heard in our popular culture. The format is very simple, the chapters divided by the various slogans. Copan provides a nice synopsis of his points at the end of each chapter for review. This book is by no means a comprehensive apologetic, but he states this point explicitly in the beginning. The logic is impeccable and germane, and critics of this work will have to do better than emotive diatribes in decrying the author's assertions. I hope that both theists and anti-theists alike will avail themselves to this cogent set of arguments and employ an open-minded approach to Copan's polemic. I would be interested in seeing an intelligent critique of this work by an anti-theist; one that directly confutes Copan's arguments as opposed to ad hominum attacks or non-specific dismissals.

L. Parsons, Nebraska