K. Scott Oliphint

The Christian life depends upon faith, and there are good reasons for that faith. In Know Why You Believe, professor and author K. Scott Oliphint answers the "why" questions both Christians and non-Christians often ask, laying out a simple and convincing case for the core teachings of Christianity:Why Believe in the Bible?Why Believe in Jesus?Why Believe in Miracles?Why Believe in Salvation?Why Believe in God Despite the Evil in the World?And more!As part of the KNOW series, Know Why You Believe is designed for personal study or classroom use, and for small groups and Sunday schools wanting to better understand the traditional defenses of Christian beliefs.This book has everything you need for a full personal or group study experience.Includes 12 streaming video sessions that cover a foundational teaching and includes responses to common objections, reflection questions to prompt further consideration, and suggested readings for readers wanting to dig deeper.An individual access code to stream all video sessions online. (You don’t need to buy a DVD!)Sessions and video run times:1 - Introduction (23 min)2 - Why Believe in the Bible? (25 min)3 - Why Believe in God? (24 min)4 - Why Believe in Jesus? (24 min)5 - Why Believe in Miracles? (24 min)6 - Why Believe in the Resurrection? (24 min)7 - Why Believe in Salvation? (23 min)8 - Why Believe in Life After Death? (24 min)9 - Why Believe in God in the Face of Modern Science? (23 min)10 - Why Believe in God Despite the Evil in the World? (23 min)11 - Why Believe in Christianity Alone? (23 min)12 - Conclusion (24 min)Streaming video access code included. Access code subject to expiration after January 14, 2030. Code may be redeemed only by the recipient of this package. Code may not be transferred or sold separately from this package. Internet connection required. Void where prohibited, taxed, or restricted by law. Additional offer details inside.

Rediscover the art of Christian persuasion in an age of increasing unreason. For many Christians who've tried their hands at evangelism or have had to defend their faith, it can feel like doing PR work for God—limiting ourselves to a series of strategies and tactics. In The Faithful Apologist, Scott Oliphint provides a cross-centered foundation for Christians to explain their faith in a welcoming and persuasive manner that avoids any burden to "sell" Christianity to non-Christians.Drawing as much from the rich tradition of Western apologetics as from the wisdom of effective communication, this book bridges the gap between sharing the truth of our faith and the art of persuasion by:Laying out the biblical and theological foundations of apologetics.Studying the art of persuasion as it’s demonstrated in Scripture.Linking the discipline of apologetics to the classical art of persuasion.As devoted to people as he is to the intellect, Reformed theologian Dr. Scott Oliphint has written this faithful book to explain the importance of both devotions in apologetics and in Christian correspondence with the world. He shows that, when our faith is grounded in the Triune God and his sovereignty, our attempts to defend it will grow more confident and convincing.Accessible and thoroughly rooted in Scripture, The Faithful Apologist takes the anxiety out of apologetics by revealing that success is not measured in the number of minds we change, but in our faithfulness to God, the Divine Persuader.

Practical, Effective Guidance for Sharing the Christian Faith with Unbelievers, Based on Biblical Principles In an age when the works of “New Atheists” such as Christopher Hitchens and Richard Dawkins fill bookstores and top best-seller lists, the topic of Christian apologetics has never been more timely. Yet the thought of defending the faith against the attacks of unbelievers is daunting to many Christians. Following in the footsteps of groundbreaking apologist Cornelius Van Til, Scott Oliphint has written an accessible introduction to Reformed apologetics, explaining the biblical and theological principles behind a distinctly “covenantal” approach and offering practical guidance for interacting with and persuading those who don’t believe. Written for leaders and laypeople alike, this book will encourage and equip Christians to boldly proclaim the gospel and answer the challenges of skeptics in an increasingly skeptical world. Equips Christians to Share Their Faith: Includes practical examples of apologetic conversations with unbelievers Written by a Respected Apologist: K. Scott Oliphint coedited Christian Apologetics Past and Present, a two-volume overview of apologetics throughout church history Theologically Rich: Defends presuppositionalism and covenantal apologetics while offering the most practical application

How can God be three and one?How can God take on a human nature?If God planned everything, how can I be responsible?Do my prayers make any difference in God's plan?Christians may attempt to "know" God to the best of their ability--leading some to limit God as they contain Him within tidy answers for human understanding. In The Majesty of Mystery, K. Scott Oliphint encourages believers to embrace the mysteries of Christian faith: the Trinity, the incarnation, eternal life, and the balance between God's sovereign will and human choices. Drawing from the Reformed tradition and interacting with the biblical text, Oliphint shows how a profound recognition of our own limitations can lead us into a richer awareness of God's infinite majesty.Written with deep theological knowledge and threaded with everyday implications, The Majesty of Mystery connects the dots between humanity and God, belief and practice, mystery and worship. Oliphint invites readers to rediscover the purpose to which all theology aims--the worship of the incomprehensible God who faithfully reveals himself in Scripture.

The Trinity and the Vindication of Christian Paradox grapples with the question of how one may hold together the ideals of systematic theology, apologetic proof, and theological paradox by building on the insights of Cornelius Van Til. Van Til developed an apologetic where one presupposes that the triune God exists, and then proves this Christian presupposition by demonstrating that philosophies that deny it are self-defeating in the specific sense that they rely on principles that only the Trinity, as the ultimate harmony of unity and diversity, can furnish. A question raised by Van Til's trademark procedure is how he can evade the charge that the apparent contradictions of the Christian faith render it equally self-defeating as non-Christian alternatives. This text argues that for Van Til, Christian paradoxes can be differentiated from genuine contradictions by the way that their apparently opposing elements discernibly require one another, even as they present our minds with an irresolvable conflict. And yet, Van Til failed to sufficiently vindicate the central Christian paradox--the doctrine of the Trinity--along the lines required by his system. Hence, the present text offers a unique proof that God can only exist as the pinnacle of unity-in-diversity, and as the ground of a coherent Christian system, if He exists as three, and only three, divine Persons.

'Now I lay me down to sleep, I pray the Lord my soul to keep. If I should die before I wake, I pray the Lord my soul to take.' New England Primer, 1737. According to the pollsters, a belief in Heaven is actually on the increase. Although the thought of Heaven may be popular, probably less thought is given as to how to get there than your annual holiday. It is only when events rudely awaken us that we are pressed into asking some of the serious questions about the place where most people expect to go. Sometimes the prompt is our children with a plaintive "Where is Grandma now?" Mostly, though, thoughts of heaven, and more particularly the death that precedes going there, are pushed out by the hedonistic lifestyle that most of us live. If the purpose of life is simply to enjoy it: then an absence of life (i.e. death) is a recipe for no fun at all! But still we believe in Heaven.In this contemporary classic Scott and Sinclair discuss why no one really dies of 'natural causes', give true/false answers to the reasons people think will get them to heaven, explain what the Bible has to say about the future, what Heaven is like and how to be ready for death.Facing death enables us to face life - knowing more about your future makes an enormous difference to the present. It's time you looked your future square in the face and thought 'What does it hold for me?'

This introduction to Reformed apologetics explores foundational principles and offers practical guidance for talking with unbelievers.