A Review of "A Reasonable Response" by William Lane Craig

“A Reasonable Response” is a very intriguing, insightful, and instructional book on apologetics. Those who are already familiar with Dr. Craig’s work—and especially his website reasonablefaith.org—may have already encountered some of these topics and Dr. Craig’s responses to them, but this book is not meant to simply give you Dr. Craig’s answers to the questions presented—it is also designed to teach you how he answers questions, which is perhaps the most useful aspect of the book. In some of Dr. Craig’s responses, a highlighted box can be found that pulls back the curtain on Dr. Craig’s strategy for answering that particular question. That feature alone makes this a valuable book, even if one is already familiar with the answers that Dr. Craig offers.

The book is in a similar format to Lee Strobel’s “Case for…” series in that it is organized around specific questions and answers. The content of “Response” tends to be on a higher philosophical plane than the “Case for…” books, and thus it will likely appeal to a slightly different audience. Anyone who is brand new to the study of apologetics may find this book to be tough sledding in some places, particularly since the questioners may refer to arguments made by others without any further explanation of those arguments. Those who are more familiar with the subject, however, will find this book to be a very welcome and valuable addition to their library.

Though the subject matter is challenging, the book itself is very user-friendly. A long introductory section discusses such matters as the usefulness of questions in spiritual growth and practical matters regarding how to derive the most benefit from the book. Each major division in the book contains its own brief introduction that functions like an abstract in a scholarly paper—it allows you to get the gist of what you’re about to read before you read it.

The book covers a wide range of philosophical and theological topics, all of which Dr. Craig is well-equipped to address. But lest one think that the discussions are all theoretical with little practical application, the book also includes questions on such imminently practical concerns as protecting oneself from spiritual failure, facing rejection as a follower of Christ, preparing for marriage, and maintaining physical stamina (Dr. Craig writes from personal experience as one who suffers from a chronic disease which affects his muscles).  Those who are interested in questions about God’s sovereignty and man’s responsibility will be particularly interested in the questions addressing Molinism and its concept of middle knowledge.

All in all, this book is a valuable resource for those who are actively engaged in Christian apologetics or those who are seeking philosophically rigorous answers to intellectual doubts about Christianity. Whether one agrees with Dr. Craig’s answers or not, he will leave an impression with you like that of C. S. Lewis—“he makes you sure, whatever you believe, that religion accepted or rejected means something extremely serious, demanding the entire energy of mind (Harper’s, quoted on the cover of “The Problem of Pain,” HarperCollins edition 2001.)

This book was provided by the publisher as a review copy.