End of Apologetics - by Myron B Penner (Paperback)

About the Book

This provocative textbook critiques the modern apologetic enterprise and contextualizes faithful Christian witness to the truth of the gospel for a postmodern generation.

Book Synopsis

Christianity Today 2014 Book Award Winner

2013 Word Guild Award (Apologetics/Evangelism)

The modern apologetic enterprise, according to Myron Penner, is no longer valid. It tends toward an unbiblical and unchristian form of Christian witness and does not have the ability to attest truthfully to Christ in our postmodern context. In fact, Christians need an entirely new way of conceiving the apologetic task.

This provocative text critiques modern apologetic efforts and offers a concept of faithful Christian witness that is characterized by love and grounded in God's revelation. Penner seeks to reorient the discussion of Christian belief, change a well-entrenched vocabulary that no longer works, and contextualize the enterprise of apologetics for a postmodern generation.

From the Back Cover

"A fresh perspective on the nature of Christian witness"

"This book is quite accessible and passionately committed to Jesus Christ and his work in our world. Penner shows us that the modern age is ending and that the apologetics attached to that age cannot sustain lives of discipleship and witness to the gospel. But the real work of this book is to show us the way forward in faithfulness with a passion that makes us alive in Christ and fully present in the world for its redemption. This is an edifying work that builds us up in the hope and love of the gospel."
--Jonathan R. Wilson, Carey Theological College, Vancouver

"Speaking as a Roman Catholic and something of a Thomist, I welcome Dr. Penner's meticulous and persuasive exposure of the kind of rationalistic apologetics that unwittingly make Christian faith quite unbelievable. A pleasure to read!"
--Fergus Kerr, University of Edinburgh

"In this book Myron Penner challenges many of the intuitions and assumptions that have shaped traditional Christian thought and invites us to rethink them for the sake of the gospel. In doing so he offers a fresh perspective on the nature of Christian witness that has the potential to spark a revitalization of the church and its proclamation of the good news revealed in Jesus Christ."
--John R. Franke, Yellowstone Theological Institute, Bozeman, Montana

"Penner's devastating critique of what passes for the 'defense' of Christianity in the evangelical worldview in today's increasingly hostile intellectual environment should be a rousing wake-up call for all seminary professors and students as well as pastors. Penner dissects the obsolescence, morbidity, and structural dysfunctionality of standard evangelical models of apologetics like a skilled forensic analyst. At the same time, he offers an alternative that makes eminent sense in present-day culture while coming across as highly credible from both a philosophical and biblical standpoint."
--Carl Raschke, University of Denver

About the Author

Myron Bradley Penner (PhD, University of Edinburgh) is pastor of Trinity International Church in Santa Cruz de la Sierra, Bolivia. He previously taught at Prairie College and Graduate School and served as a human development worker. He is the editor of Christianity and the Postmodern Turn and coauthor of A New Kind of Conversation.