Reimagining Apologetics: The Beauty of Faith in a Secular Age

by Justin Ariel Bailey

Publisher:

IVP Academic

, 2020

Overview

How should one proclaim of the gospel of Jesus Christ in a secular age?

For many Christians, the traditional approach of apologetics has grown stale. In light of the current secular climate, as described by Charles Taylor and others, rhetorical strategies that previously served the church and apologists well are no longer effective.

Justin Bailey seeks to address this dilemma by infusing apologetics with an appeal to the imagination, the aesthetic, and the affective. Demonstrating that this is possible, he engages with two examples of those who have done apologetics through the imagination: George MacDonald and Marilynne Robinson. By beginning with the imaginative and the aesthetic dimensions of faith before expounding proofs, Bailey argues, hearers of the good news will find both their hearts and their minds engaged.

Key Features

• Integrates a discussion of apologetics with an appeal to the imagination, the aesthetic, and the affective
• Focuses on the works of George MacDonald and Marilynne Robinson
• Addresses the dilemma of unaffective rhetorical apologetic strategies

Contents

Part One: Apologetics and the Imagination

• Eclipsing Enchantment: Charles Taylor and Our Imaginative Crisis
• Feeling the Way In: The Apologetics of Authenticity
• Reaching Out: Getting a Grip on the Imagination

Part Two: Models for Reimagining Apologetics

• Waking Things Up: George MacDonald’s Reimagined Apologetic
• Revealing a Wider World: Marilynne Robinson’s Reimagined Apologetic
• Baptizing Imaginations: Learning from MacDonald and Robinson

Conclusion

• Sowing in Hope: The Apologetics of Culture Care

Top Highlights

“Recall Pascal’s famous prescription: ‘Men despise religion. They hate it and are afraid it may be true. The cure for this is first to show that religion is not contrary to reason, but worthy of reverence and respect. Next make it attractive, make good men wish it were true, and then show that it is.’” (Page 10)

“Once again, the motivations of Reform were theocentric, but in the centuries that followed, the secondary goal of understanding and reforming the world in accordance with the primary goal of conforming to God’s Word began to become an end in itself.” (Page 36)

“Is there still hope for apologetics, especially in an age where people are more likely to construe faith in terms of internal resonance (authenticity) rather than external proof (authority)?” (Page 4)

“The apologetics of hope seeks to explore the experience of presence in creation and creativity, inviting seekers to consider whether the presence might have a transcendent source and a personal name. It seeks the source of our imaginative longings as well as a larger context in which these musings can be explored, deepened, negotiated, and fulfilled.” (Page 13)

“I argue that apologetics remains an essential dimension of Christian witness in a secular age but that the discipline is in need of a fresh infusion of imagination.” (Page 4)

Praise for the Print Edition

Imagine that apologetics wasn’t so gladiatorial; it isn’t hard to do. Through elegant, luminous readings of the novels of George MacDonald and Marilynne Robinson, Justin Ariel Bailey offers a Christian witness for a secular age that is infused with blessing, hope, and grace. Everyone who teaches a course on apologetics should consider assigning this welcome, timely, and thoughtful book.

—Timothy Larsen, McManis Chair of Christian Thought at Wheaton College, author of George MacDonald in the Age of Miracles

Product Details

• Title: Reimagining Apologetics: The Beauty of Faith in a Secular Age
• Author: Justin Ariel Bailey
• Publisher: IVP Academic
• Print Publication Date: 2020
• Logos Release Date: 2020
• Pages: 262
• Era: era:contemporary
• Language: English
• Resources: 1
• Format: Digital › Logos Research Edition
• Subjects: Apologetics; Faith
• ISBNs: 9780830853298, 9780830853281, 0830853294, 0830853286
• Resource ID: LLS:RMGNNGPLGTCSSCG
• Resource Type: Monograph
• Metadata Last Updated: 2022-09-30T02:45:10Z

About Justin Ariel Bailey

Justin Ariel Bailey (PhD, Fuller Theological Seminary) is assistant professor of theology at Dordt University, working at the intersection of Christian theology, culture, and ministry. Having served as a pastor in a number of diverse settings, his work as a professor explores the ways that culture shapes the practice of Christian faith, as well as the ways that the Christian imagination shapes believers to participate in culture.