Why Sean McDowell’s new book will help you defend biblical truth

In Apologetics for an Ever-Changing Culture, Sean McDowell and a team of other authors explore creative and compassionate ways to engage with the toughest objections to the Christian faith. This book will equip you to share truth with wisdom, grace and conviction, says Paul Valler

Apologetics for an Ever-Changing Culture by Sean McDowell (Harvest House Publishers) is an excellent and wide-ranging resource for Christian readers seeking to deepen their confidence in the truth and engage effectively with those in today’s secular culture. In this new book, McDowell significantly expands on his earlier work, Apologetics for a New Generation, bringing together over twenty experienced contributors. The result is a rich collection of creative ideas and approaches designed to equip Christians for the ongoing battle of worldviews that defines our times.

McDowell highlights a crucial challenge often overlooked by the church: the difficulty of changing someone’s worldview. For many, shifting their beliefs can feel as shocking and frightening as suddenly realising they are driving the wrong way down a motorway or like Neo’s awakening in The Matrix, discovering you have been living in an alternate reality. Given this, one of the aspects I most appreciated about this book is its early emphasis on the attitude and tone of our communication, reminiscent of Valiant in John Bunyan’s Pilgrim’s Progress - a character who fights bravely for truth but also struggles with an internal enemy, ‘Inconsiderate,’ due to his tendency to be insensitive to those who are struggling. This is an ever-present challenge in apologetics: to contend for the truth in a way that is full of consideration and grace.

Josh McDowell, the author’s father, contributes an insightful chapter on relational apologetics, reminding us that while people often rationalise and intellectually defend their