Imaginative Apologetics: Theology, Philosophy and the Catholic Tradition

A Fresh Introduction to Christian Apologetics

This timely introduction argues for a version of Christian apologetics that is theological, philosophical, and "catholic" and that embraces the whole of human reason. It emphasizes a foundation in theology that is both confident and open and makes reference to philosophy in an accessible way.

Contributors

John Hughes on proofs and arguments for faith and reason
Andrew Davison on Christian reason and Christian community
Alison Milbank on apologetics and the imagination
Donna J. Lazenby on apologetics, literature, and worldview
Michael Ward on C. S. Lewis's view of imagination and reason in apologetics
Stephen Bullivant on atheism, apologetics, and ecclesiology
Craig Hovey on Christian ethics as Good News
Graham Ward on cultural hermeneutics and Christian apologetics
Richard Conrad, OP, on moments and themes in the history of apologetics
Alister E. McGrath on the natural sciences and apologetics

"The time seems ripe to reconsider the apologetic role. . . . It is the true exercise of the imagination which induces a paradoxically sober furor and guides and cautions our discursive judgement. . . . It is the vision of Christ, the God-Man who exercised for our redemption the supreme imaginative act of recreation here on earth. A true apologetics negatively defends this imaginative action against assault by positively perpetuating its performance. It is this task which the authors of the present volume seek to renew in our time."
--John Milbank, University of Nottingham (from the foreword)

"This attractive volume encourages us to invite others into Christ's way of seeing the world and to step into the life of a community where his new way of living and loving can be found. It is an original and inspiring contribution to the apologetic task of the Church."
--Christopher Cocksworth, Bishop of Coventry