Mapping Apologetics: Comparing Contemporary Approaches

“Dr. Brian Morley has provided us with an excellent survey of the major approaches to Christian apologetics. Mapping Apologetics is well-informed, even-handed, charitable and insightful. It will be a very helpful resource for anyone seeking to think through the important question of how Christians should contend for the faith 'once for all delivered to the saints' (Jude 3).”

“Given the burgeoning field of Christian apologetics in our day, Morley's book is an important, timely work. This insightful, thorough guide allows us to stand back and review in significant detail the unique emphases and intellectual contributions of recent influential apologists.”

“Brian Morley has produced a remarkable volume on Christian apologetics that begins with an insightful schema of the foundational tenets of ten distinct approaches to apologetics, followed by chapters detailing the principles and primary proponents of a good number of them. As if this were not enough, Morley treats us in the beginning to a rich chapter on the history of apologetics, beginning in the first century and concluding in the present, as well as an introduction to apologetics in the Bible revealing that the call for us to 'be always ready' existed from the very beginning when God first created apologetics.”

“Many works on Christian apologetics make the mistake of disconnecting arguments for the Christian faith from the specific assumptions, perspectives and theology of the person advancing those arguments. As an antidote to this disconnection, Brian Morley discusses a helpful range of Christian apologetic perspectives and uncovers how and why each perspective shapes their arguments as they do. Not only do we learn about various important Christian apologists―a worthwhile task in its own right!―we see powerful and tangible examples of how the roots of our theology connect to and feed the various branches of our apologetic arguments. Anyone who considers themselves a Christian apologist should read and benefit from Morley's important volume.”

“In the volume Mapping Apologetics, Brian Morley treats the reader to an overview and examination of several very useful apologetic methods for defending the Christian faith. At several points, what impressed me were the careful nuances that Brian made time and again when he could have settled simply for repeating other commonly stated reports, but which would have been quite inaccurate. His careful avoidance of such common pitfalls helped to produce some of my appreciation for his treatment.”

“Brian Morley shows mastery of the details of my approach, including the qualifications and nuances.”

“Mapping Apologetics provides the most complete and best analysis to date of my overall apologetic approach.”

“Dr. Morley is a careful scholar who does assiduous research and painstaking analysis. His long teaching experience of apologetics shines through in this much-needed volume in a day when the diverse approaches to defending the Christian faith are often misunderstood and misrepresented. Morley has conscientiously checked the primary sources and, when possible, he has directly confirmed the accuracy of his accounts by consulting with the apologists whose views he describes. This volume will prove to be an invaluable resource for teachers, students and all Christians who want to enhance their understanding of recent developments in the field of apologetics.”

“In his book Mapping Apologetics, Brian Morley aims to give us a remarkably readable survey of the most influential apologetic approaches current and has remarkably achieved that aim. His analysis lays bare the main lines of each representative apologist's thought. Methods are both described and critiqued. But Brian bends over backwards in his attempt to be fair and accurate with each one. His evaluations are both to the point and irenic. The book strives to keep the technical jargon to a minimum and largely succeeds. When technical language is necessary, the terms are carefully explained both in the text and at the end of each chapter. The book will serve well undergraduate and graduate students seeking to understand diverse apologetic approaches extant today.”