When the Critics Ask: A Popular Handbook on Bible
Difficulties
Authors: Norman Geisler and Thomas Howe
Year: First Edition 1992 by Baker Books
Pages: 600
ISBN
0-8010-1142-6
Dr.
Norman Geisler has written many apologetical books and is a well known scholar
and an apologist. He has a Ph.D. from Loyola University and is Dean of
the Southern Evangelical Seminary in Charlotte, North Carolina. Thomas
Howe is an expert in Biblical Languages at the same institution.
In the Preface, Norman Geisler and Thomas Howe support
biblical inerrancy by stating that: "The Bible has withstood the
criticisms of the greatest skeptics, agnostics, and atheists down through the
centuries, and it is able to withstand the feeble efforts of unbelieving
critics today." The entire book is an endeavour to prove the same.
They have divided
the exhaustive 600 page book into chapters, given to each book of the Bible. With
over 800 plus questions, the book also has 3 indices for an immediate and
effortless reference. Complex passages or seemingly conflicting passages are
discussed, the problem defined, and a clarification given. In the opening
chapter they take the observation that the Bible is inerrant since scriptures
state that the word of God was given to men to record through inspiration and
supervision by the Holy Spirit. Therefore, when troubles come up with an
interpretation of certain passages, the dilemma lies in context and
interpretation, not that the Word is flawed. They have dealt with every book in
order, right from Genesis to Revelation.
It
offers an excellent resource to counter objections that frequently float up
when it comes to alleged Bible inconsistency or fault. I thought the book was
well laid out and logical to follow in terms of presentation. I thought that
many of the explanations were ample, some were wonderful, a few others seemed
to fall a bit short.
While
I may not agree with all of the author's conclusions and at the same time, many
other crucial and controversial passages are skipped. Although they have not covered
every single complicated passage with very thorough explanations, I have found
the authors' exegesis to be incredibly sound. They reflect on the vital aspects
of interpreting a passage, particularly the text's context and historical
circumstances. I do assert that this book is not meant to be an all-inclusive
overview of Bible difficulties.
However,
the language that is used is a very simple layman's style. If anyone is looking for a high-quality
reference book to counter seemingly biblical "contradictions" then
this is the book. I discover this book to be of incredible worth in
interpreting the scriptures.
At
the end, I would highly endorse this book for all sorts of readers for a couple
reasons. First, it’s an amazing book on Bible difficulties for learners and
critics both, which give answers to all the key questions, commonly raised.
Second, it can also be used as a companion to the bible, as a quick commentary.
Third, it will also be a great support to strengthen the spiritual life of any
new believer. Fourth, this is an excellent book on Apologetics (basic) so this book will be a "must read" for anyone
who even has a bit of interested in Christian Apologetics.
Further Reading
1 comments:
Thank you Master.
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