No, not that book of the same title, by Paul E. Little. I was actually required to read that thing for an “apologetics” class. Don’t do it.
This review is on Know Why You Believe, by K. Scott Oliphint.
After quite a long break from studying apologetics, I finally broke the fast. I am so glad I did.
Know Why You Believe is the 3rd book in the KNOW Series, following the wonderful Know the Creeds and Councils and Know the Heretics by Justin Holcomb. Read together, they would make an excellent group study.
K. Scott Oliphint is professor of apologetics and systematic theology at Westminster Theological Seminary. In my opinion, he’s the most eminent living protege of Cornelius Van Til, who was professor of apologetics at Westminster when it was founded. Needless to say, Oliphint is Van Tilian to the core: a writer, teacher, and practitioner of presuppositional apologetics, which he calls covenantal apologetics. I’ve read that book, watched some addresses, read his notes in the latest editions of Van Til’s works, and listened to the entire Apologetics 101 class he taught at Westminster, as well as his Doctrine of God class. He’s solid.
Anyway, because this book was part of such a good series, and because it’s written by K. Scott Oliphint, I grabbed the Kindle edition immediately when it went on sale, all the way back in April. I hadn’t much intention of reading it anytime soon. I just wanted to get it while the gettin’ was good. It was one of those, “I’ll get back to that eventually.” So for 8 months this book sat on my digital shelf.
Only recently did I decide to buckle down and “burn through it,” when a need arose. I’ve developed this study habit. Whenever I’m presented with the opportunity to teach on a subject, I’ll read a new book or take a new class on that subject, as a refresher. It keeps me sharp, on the edge, where I gotta be. A situation came up, and I thought, “I’ll read Know Why You Believe. Maybe it will prove to be a helpful book recommendation.” I read it in a few days.
It exceeded my expectations.
This book caused some trouble for me. Namely, I have had to revise both my essential and highly recommended reading lists, and my massive apologetics track, as well as write this book review!
That’s how good this book is.
A Covenantal Apologetic
Unlike most of the apologetic books I’ve read, this book is not an instruction manual on apologetics (though there is some guidance in the book’s conclusion). Rather, it is apologetics. This book makes the case for the Christian worldview. You could literally hand this book to a non-Christian. It is a covenantal (presuppositional) apologetic for the Christian faith.
There are only a few books like that, from the presuppositional perspective. The most popular being The Reason for God by Tim Keller. Less known is Inerrancy and Worldview by Vern Poythress, which serves the purpose so much better than Keller’s, in my opinion. Most books that defend Christianity are from the evidentialist school of apologetics. That’s one reason why Know Why You Believe is such a gem: it’s part of a rare breed.
Right from the start Oliphint makes the point clear: Christianity is a worldview.
Christianity is a way of seeing. It provides a foundation for everything we think, do, and believe. It gives a proper perspective on us and on the rest of the world.
—Oliphint, K. Scott. Know Why You Believe (KNOW Series) (p. 10). Zondervan. Kindle Edition.
The challenges to Christianity, then, are at the level of worldview. Repeatedly, Oliphint communicates that objections are due to one’s starting point. Ultimately, it’s not about the facts. Facts aren’t enough. For example, regarding the Bible:
The only way to diagnose perceived problems in Scripture is to study Scripture. When Scripture is studied with the commitment that the parts will be coherent because God is the primary author from beginning to end, contradictions disappear. But when Scripture is studied apart from that commitment, one encounters contradictions and problems because one begins with the premise that the Bible is full of contradictions.
—Oliphint, K. Scott. Know Why You Believe (KNOW Series) (pp. 27-28). Zondervan. Kindle Edition.
That is how worldview apologetics is done. The fact that every person has presuppositions is acknowledged and taken into account. We don’t offer arguments and evidence as if the unbeliever can see them for what they are, apart from his commitments. Neutrality is a myth, and so the appeal to believe is not made as if neutrality is possible. We cannot be neutral, because “the fear of the Lord is the beginning of knowledge” (Proverbs 1:7). Again:
It will not do simply to say that we believe in God because of certain evidence because, as we have seen, all evidence is interpreted by people. If those people will not see the evidence for what it is, more must be said. We have to help people understand why, without my belief in God, I can’t rightly see anything else in the world. My belief in the Christian God lights up the world, giving me a proper and clear view of it—and of myself as a sinner.
—Oliphint, K. Scott. Know Why You Believe (KNOW Series) (p. 51). Zondervan. Kindle Edition.
Contents
Scott Oliphint covers all the basic bases in this book: the Bible, God, Jesus, miracles, Jesus’ resurrection from the dead, salvation, life after death, Christianity’s supposed conflict with modern science, the problem of evil (brilliantly addressed), and the exclusivity of Christianity.
I especially appreciate Oliphint covering miracles and Christ’s resurrection. That’s where evidentialists typically capitalize. To have these subjects properly addressed is refreshing, and much needed.
The question of how Christianity can be believed in a world of modern science and technology is an obvious point to address, and very helpful. One thing about covenantal apologetics is that there is push back against the challenger. You’ll see that here.
The Problem of Evil
What I was most excited to read was chapter 9: “Why Believe in God Despite the Evil in the World?” I anticipated this the most for a couple reasons. First, the problem of evil is commonly thought to be the greatest challenge to Christianity.
At the outset, we have to confess that the problem of evil is perhaps the most perplexing problem that Christians face.
—Oliphint, K. Scott. Know Why You Believe (KNOW Series) (p. 165). Zondervan. Kindle Edition.
Second, the problem of evil is usually answered poorly. Even those who claim to be “Calvinist” (but usually only regarding salvation) default to the “free-will defense,” which happens to contradict Reformed theology! It’s sloppy, and wrong. There are many other bad answers to the problem of evil. So when there’s a book that does it right, you have to take note. Even more valuable is a book that repudiates the bad answers. Up until this point, John Frame was the only one to raise and knock down multiple bad defenses to the problem of evil. Not anymore! Scott Oliphint mentions various popular Christian defenses and then shows the problems with them (including that atrocious “free-will defense”). That will serve as a good sample:
There are serious problems with this view. One problem is that it contradicts what Scripture teaches about God’s control. . .
If it were true that human beings could make choices that were independent of God and his control, then God is “off the hook” for the presence of evil in the world. This option is, at root, a denial of God’s omniscience, or his omnipotence, in order to explain evil.
—Oliphint, K. Scott. Know Why You Believe (KNOW Series) (p. 174-175). Zondervan. Kindle Edition.
After knocking down and dragging out the less-than-adequate reasons, Oliphint proceeds to “Biblical Reasons.” Read it for yourself.
Exclusivity
Lastly, I have to mention the last chapter of the book: “Why Believe in Christianity Alone?” Any defense of Christianity today will almost certainly encounter a challenge to its exclusivity. “There’s only one way? How offensive.”
One of the most offensive teachings of Christianity is that belief and trust in Jesus Christ is the only way to eternal life. In this chapter, we want to discuss why this teaching is so offensive and how we might respond to it.
—Oliphint, K. Scott. Know Why You Believe (KNOW Series) (p. 187). Zondervan. Kindle Edition.
This is where Oliphint goes after relativism and its two siblings: religious pluralism and “tolerance.” It’s so good. One after the other, he assesses these three siblings in the context of Christianity. It really was the perfect way to wrap things up.
Using This Book
My rhetorical question is: how not to use this book? This is mandatory reading, for everyone. It’s that much of a brilliant, fundamental work.
Know Why You Believe took the #1 spot on our essential reading list. It took first place in the apologetics track, too!
From people “in the know,” the reaction to what I just wrote is, “Woah.” Usurping the #1 spot. That’s huge. For years, the first book that I recommended anyone to read, and the number one book for learning apologetics, was Pushing the Antithesis: The Apologetic Methodology of Greg L. Bahnsen, edited by Gary DeMar.
Foundation
What should the #1 essential read accomplish? It should lay the foundation. It should initiate self-conscious worldview development. It should make you start looking at everything differently. From there, you could learn about other things from the same perspective: salvation, discipleship, hermeneutics, vocation, worship, etc.
Only Christianity can shed light on everything we think, ask, live, or do.
—Oliphint, K. Scott. Know Why You Believe (KNOW Series) (p. 9). Zondervan. Kindle Edition.
Know Why You Believe accomplishes the task implied in the title: teaching you why to believe Christianity! Miss that, and there’s no sense moving on to anything else. I’ve always been with Van Til when it comes to the order of teaching: teach the beliefs and the reasons simultaneously.
If you or anyone else want to grow deeper in Christianity, want to intentionally develop a Christian worldview, start with this book.
It is also the first book that should be read if you want to learn apologetics. It’s simply the best introduction that I’ve encountered. It’s not primarily a manual, rather, it’s the best demonstration of a biblically consistent defense of the Christian worldview. From there, you can proceed to the more manual-type works.
Apologetics Handout
Even before I had finished reading the book, I thought to myself, “This is the new apologetics handout book.” I got so excited. One-size-fits-all books don’t come along every day. But Know Why You Believe is one of them.
By “handout book,” I mean that book that you can recommend to everyone, no matter who they are. The fact that Know Why You Believe is my new apologetics handout book is significant.
Before, The Reason for God by Tim Keller was the popular book that spoke the postmodern’s language. You could hand it out to the skeptics and curious, alike. But then I read Inerrancy and Worldview by Vern Poythress. That did the job in a more biblically faithful way.
And now, here comes Know Why You Believe, by K. Scott Oliphint, deftly handling the toughest challenges to the Christian worldview, in a way consistent with Christian presuppositions.
So next time you have a skeptic wanting to talk Christianity with you, or a Christian friend who is wondering why he believes anymore, just forget about Mere Christianity by C.S. Lewis. Skip over The Reason For God by Tim Keller. Instead, hand them Know Why You Believe by K. Scott Oliphint. Better yet, read it together.
It’s such a wonderful thing to find a book that actually can be useful to everyone. Usually, you have one book for unbelievers, one book for struggling Christians, and yet another book for Christians that want to train in apologetics. Well, Oliphint’s book is good for all of them: it is truly versatile.
- The skeptic who has issues with Christianity?
- The unbeliever who is curious about your faith?
- The Christian whose faith is shaken, for whatever reason?
- The Christian who is being challenged by unbelievers?
- The Christian who wants to learn how to engage in defending the Christian worldview?
- The Christian who simply wants to start reading Christian books?
Tell them all to read Know Why You Believe by K. Scott Oliphint.
It turns out that James Anderson (also a teacher of apologetics) says the same thing in his recommendation:
[Scott Oliphint’s] latest offering will serve multiple audiences: skeptical unbelievers, new believers, young Christians headed out to college, and mature Christians looking for a fresh and accessible apologetic resource that tackles the intellectual challenges of our day in a biblically faithful fashion.
Need something to study in your community group from church? Read this book together. It will be appreciated at any level of maturity. Sharing Christianity with your schoolmates at university? Read and discuss this book together. Possible contexts could be multiplied. You get the idea.
There’s simply no better apologetic introduction to the Christian worldview.
I’m excited about this book. I hope that by now, at the end of this overly long book review, you are excited about it, too. More than that, I hope you put Know Why You Believe to good use to develop, demonstrate, and defend the Christian worldview.
