9 Comments

1. 

   Jared O. on November 13, 2011 at 5:09 pm

   Bob,

   Thanks for the resource. I appreciate the topic, especially in light of biblical counseling itself – apologetics applied.

   I do wonder though whether this list is helpful as a shotgun approach for those who want to get into the issue. There are a broad range of books here with competing and, in some cases, irreconcilable differences in theology and apologetic approaches. I appreciate the proviso on discernment you offer in the beginning, but it might help to clarify and specify what makes Plantinga’s work helpful and what makes Gary Habermas’s work helpful. What makes those works helpful or not largely depends on one’s theology and how that works itself out in one’s apologetics. I hope that makes sense – just joining the conversation!

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     Bob on November 13, 2011 at 8:49 pm

     Jarod,

     I thought about making it an annotated bibliography, but this process alone took hours to collate, copy and embed nearly 100 Amazon links, etc. Ultimately I determined that the list collated in the three categories would be much more than what’s out there now. Plus, while I agree with your insights re an evidential approach versus a presuppositional approach, I’m personally a both/and apologists. Plus, I’m not sure most blog readers would place themself in a camp, and the level of explanation necessary would make for a massive blog post. On top of all of that, there’s a decent amount of unbelievers following this “mini-series” and I think some of that “in-house” commentary about “camps” would not be very helpful or easy to explain. And, a major part of my embedding the links is that folks are able to go directly to Amazon, read the book summaries, table of contents, look inside the book, reviews, etc., so it’s pretty easy to get a decent sense of any particular book. All that said, if you or someone else wanted to take what I’ve started and annotate it, I’m all in for teamwork.

     Bob

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2. 

   Steve Cooper on November 13, 2011 at 9:49 pm

   Just jumpin’ in to say, maybe some of us who are in a “camp” need to read a few other ideas to test whether camping out here is worthwhile. This list represents far more than just a starting point. There seems to be much to agree on and not pick apart pieces of theoretical theology. Let’s major on the majors for the non-Christians among us, shall we?

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3. 

   Jared O. on November 13, 2011 at 11:12 pm

   Thanks for the thoughts, Bob. For the record, I never mentioned anything about a camp, evidential, or presuppositional, I more meant the observation that the list includes competing positions on how to defend the faith and it might be useful to clarify. But point taken: those who want to explore the differences do have Amazon descriptions for more info. Having said that, I do believe that a biblical counseling approach that compromises on a Reformed approach to apologetics inevitably compromises the authority of the Bible from which he or she wishes to counsel; maybe not even in actual counseling conversation, but certainly in apologetic and counseling method. But what I say is nothing new and is said much better in Powlison’s works, specifically giving the history in The Biblical Counseling Movement, as you know. Hope that clarifies!

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4. 

   Bob on November 13, 2011 at 11:31 pm

   Jared, You’re correct, I used the word “camp” and simply as a short-hand for different approaches to apologetics. It’d be interesting to read a blog post you would write on “a biblical counseling approach that compromises on a Reformed approach to apologetics…” I’m not sure if you think a presuppositional approach implies the negation of evidential writings. It’s one thing to say that it is not evidence that ultimately either draws us to or drives us away from faith, and quite another to avoid a rigorous, logical, reasoned, and evidential approach to defending the faith. That’s my “both/and.” I’d love to read a post by you on the specific implications of your view, for counseling, for sharing your faith, for interacting with unbelievers, for assisting Christians with questions raised by the “new atheists” etc. Our deeply held convictions play out in a real world of struggling people, but Christian and non-Christian, as I know we both understand. Bob

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5. 

   Bob on November 14, 2011 at 10:34 am

   Jared,

   In response to your suggestion, I’ve added several more books on apologetics. And I’ve added the following comment in the intro to the post:

   For anyone interested in different ways Christians view how to develop and present the case for Christ, you may want to read Five Views on Apologetics. http://www.amazon.com/Five-Views-Apologetics-Steven-Cowan/dp/0310224764/ref=pd_sim_b_1

   Thanks for your suggestion.

   Bob

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6. 

   Jared O. on November 14, 2011 at 11:06 am

   Bob,

   That’s great! And good thoughts from your comment above. I would say the same thing – it’s not evidence that’s a problem; quite the opposite. Evidence apart from a Christian (read: true) worldview can’t be ultimately accounted for, but the world itself is abundant in its evidence for truth. I appreciate you bringing the topic up, especially as it relates to counseling and communicating truth to struggling people. Every fact should be marshaled to help people see the truth with clarity, but done so within that truth rather than from a supposed neutral position. I’d love to get something going regarding the question of apologetic consistency and biblical counseling! Thanks for your work.

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7. 

   Keenan Steel on November 16, 2011 at 12:43 am

   Hi Bob,

   Out of curiosity, how many of these have you read?

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     Bob on November 16, 2011 at 7:49 am

     Keenan,

     I own about 3/4 of them. Several are “encyclopedic in that they have many articles so those I’ve “read” the articles/chapters that are of interest. About 50 I’ve read in detail (over the course of many years). About two dozen I do not own, but I either know the author personally and the author’s work, or I know personally many of those who endorse the books. The list includes a large span of perspectives, even from within Christianity, with different Christian faith perspectives and from different perspectives on “apologetics” (which is why I suggested the book on “five views”). Hope that helps.

     Bob

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