Moral apologetics for contemporary Christians: pushing back against cultural and religious critics
Coppenger, MarkUnknown
B&H Publishing Group (Tennessee, 2011) (eng) English9780805464207B & H studies in Christian ethicsUnknownCHRISTIANITY AND CULTURE; UnknownHave Christians grown accustomed to those who defame the Church? Whether it’s a best-selling author who claims “religion poisons everything” or an atheist comedian whose punch lines aren’t hassled by the burden of proof, foes of the faith continue to declare Christianity morally deficient without much resistance.
In Moral Apologetics for Contemporary Christians, Mark Coppenger mixes compelling references—from classic philosophers to modern entertainers—to reasonably push back against both harsh critics and less intense cultural relativists, contending that Christianity is morally superior to its competitors as well as true.
Coppenger doesn’t avoid uncomfortable realities like the misbehavior of many Christians and false teachers, but he sets the book’s course in defense of his faith with evidence that a Christian approach to life makes people and societies flourish, while those who turn their backs on genuine Christianity are more liable to behave wickedly.
“I hope to help replenish our cultural confidence,” he writes. “We have a great moral story to tell, and it surely points to the Author of Light and Life.”
Physical dimension
x, 286 p.23 cm.Unknown
Summary / review / table of contents
Faulty secular foundations enthroning the individual --
Faulty secular systems with external reference : altruism to natural order --
Faulty secular systems with external reference : reason to virtue --
Faulty or inadequate religious systems --
The irreducible complexity and splendor of the Christian ethic --
Immoral ethicists : ideologues, social scientists, and activists --
Immoral ethicists : Philosophers, theologians, and artists --
The moral authority of Christian teachers : biblical characters --
The moral authority of Christian teachers : church history --
The fruit of false systems : Islam --
The fruit of false systems : animism, Eastern thought, and irreligion --
The cultural fruit of Christianity : confession, correction, and commendation --
The cultural fruit of Christianity : celebration --
Irresponsible or infelicitous argument : the church --
Irresponsible or infelicitous argument : the culture (ad hominem to mackerels in moonlight) --
Irresponsible or infelicitous argument : the culture ("moral equivalence" to wishful thinking) --
Virtuous apologetics : logic and substance --
Virtuous apologetics : manners and character.