IVP sent me this book a couple of years ago and it went straight to my shelves unopened. I mean, 750 pages on apologetics! Who wants to read that unless they really have to?
But a couple of weeks ago I had cause to take it down, dust it off, and have a look inside. And I was stunned. Despite its intimidating size, and despite it being an apologetics textbook, it was one of the best reads I’ve enjoyed in a long time. I know, it’s hard to imagine putting these three words in a headline – apologetics, readable, and enjoyable – but, really, that’s what this book is.
The only bit I struggled with was the brief section on Alvin Plantinga’s philosophy, but I don’t expect ever to fully understand that this side of eternity.
Instead of interacting with alternative Christian apologetic schools of thought (there are only a few paragraphs on Van Til’s presuppositionalism). Groothius’s agenda was to write a comprehensive and accessible book on classical Christian apologetics. He has succeeded magnificently.
Christian Apologetics: A Comprehensive Case for Biblical Faith by Douglas Groothius.