Rating: 
Summary: Reference for seekers
Review: My review comes perhaps from a slightly different point of view. I didn't get this book to defend any beliefs, I got it mostly to help me evaluate, to learn about the key answers that christian apologists are giving to historical, scientific and philosophical challenges. I'd say that this encyclopedia has considerable value for anyone looking into Christianity and trying to test its validity mainly from a rational approach.
No matter if you are an atheist, agnostic or a follower of any religion. No matter where you currently stand - If you need a summarized collection of christian apologetics, perhaps
even with a with bit of usefulness as a dictionary into general theological themes, then you should try Geisler's compilation.Many contemporary issues and minds are covered, but the old key questions and subjects are often explored with more detail. I found the book lacking consistency, some areas seeming very
academic and hard to digest, while others appeared to lack depth, but perhaps some of that is caused by my own current limitations at this level of knowledge. A small problem in this edition annoyed me - There is no decent index of articles. This book is about 800 pages, and all you get is a list of the included articles at the end (With a few mistakes but no indication of pages). Where are the page numbers? An alphabetical list without the page numbers it utterly useless in a fat reference book. Perhaps Baker expected us write each page number on the article index as we read... :-)
Rating: 
Summary: A "Must-Have" for Every Christian's Library!
Review: Does God exist? Is the Bible, rather than the Koran or the Book of Mormon, the Word of God? Did Jesus really rise from the dead? Is Jesus God in the flesh? These are just a few of the questions addressed in Baker's Encyclopedia of Christian Apologetics. This book is undoubtedly one of the most important Christian reference books to be published in many, many years. As another reviewer said, this is Dr. Geisler's magnum opus. He has left no stone unturned in his presentation of the philosophical, theological, and historical evidence that proves the historic Christian Faith as Truth. As a Christian, I am very interested in presenting the truth of the Christian Faith to those who are searching for truth. Dr. Geisler has written an excellent resource that puts the answers right at my fingertips! If you buy only one book for your library this year, this, without question, must be the one! No Christian should be without this book. J. M. Spencer
Rating:
Summary: Give him credit, he attempted the impossible
Review: Before I go any further I will state my background and possible presuppositions concerning the book. I am reformed, broadly pressuppositional in apologetics, and non dispensational in eschatology; therefore, I understand that Dr Geisler and I will probably not see eye to eye on some issues. The book is a handy reference despite one's outlook in this area. He attempted the impossible and nearly succeeded. I agree with others that he should have incorporated other scholars to help. Here are the faults that I have with the book: He intends to view most major theologians of the past as *classical* in outlook, Calvin being the major example. Even more ironic is the fact that given his (Geisler) "cold neutrality" towards the Reformed faith, he warmly reivewed Reformed scholars who happened to employ a Classical outlook on apologetics (Machen, Warfield, etc.). Now don't get me wrong, those were good articles that he did. The last problem I have with the book is his treatment of Van Til. Some legitimate criticisms of VT maybe employed (although I certainly wouldn't try) but Geisler gives several columns in praise of VT and 4 pages, double columned in critiquing VT. He even uses John Robbins as a legitimate source on VT (this is nothing against Mr. Robbins, it just should be noted that he is antagonistic towards VT). He also misrepresents Jonathan Edwards.
The Good aspects of the book: Geisler writes with logical precision. He answers most challenges to the faith, and he spends OVER 40 PAGES, DOUBLE COLUMNED in defense of miracles. Obtain a copy of this volume if only for that! Despite my above criticisms of this book, I use it every day and would gladly recommend it to others
Rating: 
Summary: A landmark volume, not quite an "encyclopedia"
Review: Being a self-professed, uneducated layman with a passing interest in theology and in the reasons why Christians believe as they do, I had been looking for a single volume that covered most of the essential Christian doctrines and topics when I chanced upon this book. Baker's Encyclopedia of Christian Apologetics does offer the reader a broad scope of topics, enough to provide the basis for plenty of study and thought. However, the volume is not without its drawbacks. This edition of the volume unfortunately contains numerous spelling and editing errors as well as careless oversights. Some articles refer to other articles that are missing altogether, such as "Tillich." The biblical indexing in the back of the book is exhaustive, but there are no page numbers for the topical indexing or synonym-based cross-references - which often makes it hard to find subjects, unless you know how the author labels them. To add to this, Geisler covers some topics in great depth with many pages, while merely glossing over others with but a few paragraphs (despite the long list of bibliographical references). To take but one example, for articles such as "Mythology and the New Testament," Geisler would have been better off with a broader summary of many more points of view, and then capping it off with a more complete reference list to discuss the issue further. Also, while he covers the Jesus Seminar claims at some length, Geisler is neither up-to-date nor comprehensive in his coverage of mythological claims towards the NT in particular. Finally, the volume contains nothing but plain text - an occasional footnote, diagram or timeline to illustrate the flow of certain logical principles or the development of certain doctrines might have been useful. In summary, this work could have benefited from the input and added thoughts of other leading apologists - it often smacks of a "one-man production." Geisler's particular writing and doctrinal slant could have been toned down to a more objective level, if he had chosen to incorporate the input of other scholars and researchers. While this volume contains a great deal of useful research, as I see it this book also demonstrates that an encyclopedia should never be written solitaire.
Rating:
Summary: OK. Let's get started!
Review: I've had this big book for a few years now,and thought it was about time I put some words in on it.It'll probably be making an amazon list soon..
Includes an article index,and a 30 page bibliography in small print,with most sources used often.On the down side,some articles are given little space,but I suppose he wanted a single book,not a full encyclopedia set. On the up side,he examines many things from evidential/historical apologetics,to theological issues,to the philosophical subjects.From the Jesus Seminar to Mystery Religions,and many philosophers and skeptics are covered here too,even Freud,with an evaluation of their belief systems.
Didn't know what panentheism or acognosticism was? Neither did I,'til now.And knowing is half the battle.Where have I heard that before?
The price might be a put off..don't buy a few magazines or other books for a little while and you'll have some spare cash.You might get your church library or campus organization to purchase it.
Cheers
Rating:
Summary: Generally Excellent, Yet Ultimately Unblanaced and Biased
Review: Normal Geisler is an apologetics juggernaut, there's no doubt about it. He has lucid and erudite espositions on many of the key topics in Christian Apologetics and I found his critiques on various philosophers (Kant, Hume, Sartre, Russel etc...) to be the highlight of this book. But if this book is supposed to represent the last word in Christian Apologetics, then I think many Christians are getting duped. This is the comprehensive, systematic exposition of a Thomistic philosopher, who is an epistemic foundationalist (evidentialist)and a 4 point Arminian/"Moderate Calvinist" (See "Chosen But Free" by Norman Geisler). As a result he misrepresents and dismisses the reformed apologetics (presuppositional apologetics) of Van Til and Plantinga and when I say misrepresents I mean seriously misrepresents. This is not a personal attack on Geisler, nor am I blaming his misrepresentation on his arminianism (even Calvinistic Philosophers have misrepresented Presuppositional Apoloetics see "Classical Apologetics" by R.C. Sproul). I just wish that Baker would have coalesced a group of scholars for this work who come from different apologetic approaches, raher than simply put it into the hands of a single philosopher with a single set of presuppositions. This is not to say that Geisler has not effectively defended Theism, I think he has done so and quite well. But I think some would inquire as to whether or not he has defended the "Christian Faith." In other words, I (personally) think that at the foundation of his apologetics is a flawed theology which inevitably results in a flawed approach.
Rating:
Summary: Somewhat like the curate's egg
Review: ... I want to try and balance this. To be honest, I was a trifle disappointed. True, there is a lot in this book. But it is overwritten with several, perhaps many, 'stand-alone' items (perhaps inevitably) repeating information found elsewhere in the book. If the book were half the length with better cross-indexing, it would have been better. Some parts I found a trifle irksome. For example, Geisler compares Miracles with Magic and then spends an inordinate amount of space discussing Uri Geller which is a "low level" approach to the concept of Magic. Geisler further lays some stress on biblical inerrancy because he believes both the writers of the Old Testament and New Testament were reliable witnesses. (Proof?) Particularly with the Old Testament, I would have liked to have read historian's views as to the credibility of events. Again, take the Virgin birth. Geisler tries desperately hard to demonstate that this was prophesied in the Old Testament -- to be fair he does offer critical review -- but I was not entirely convinced in the end. With regard to the New Testament, other writers have expressed some surprise that Paul in his writings did not mention the Virgin birth. At face value, that appears true. Geisler chooses not to mention this. Or rather, he takes the statement in Galations "born of woman" to somehow refer (somewhat out of context I think) to Genesis which left me somewhat floundering. His explication of the ontological and cosmological arguments, etc are well done. His evaluations of many scholars is often even-handed and insightful. As far as the topics of creationism and evolution were concerned, although mentioning, en passant, people like Steven Jay Gould, I felt there was some selective perception in the arguments. The problem of evil too was somewhat glossed over. The book 'Critiques of God' edited by Peter A Angeles (or Love and the problem of Evil by John Hicks)offers more food for thought. In summary,as I read this book, I was somehow reminded of Hegel[?]who wrote his university thesis to prove that there could be no more than seven planets in the sky. Ironically, just as his dissertation was about to be published, Uranus was discovered. I got that "do I trust this approach?" feeling particularly with some of the Old Testament Biblical arguments Geisler presents in a fundamentalist way.
Rating: 
Summary: Not what I hoped it would be
Review: Though it is obvious the author put a lot of time into writing this, the subjects are not intuitive - that is, they are not the categories one would typically wonder about and look up. At least, the ones I wanted to find were not there - such as social subjects and how that relates to the Bible, etc. Further, each subject is written in a rambling style that doesn't seem (at the end of each) to reach a summarized conclusion of any kind. This was a lot of money to spend on a book that is so loosely created.
Rating:
Summary: Norm Geisler should be commended
Review: Norm Geisler's work the "Baker Encyclopedia of Christian Apologetics" is a great resource for those who want an intermediate treatment of apologetics. This book does a great job of being fair, thorough, and straight to the point. Said to be his "magnum opus" Norm treats issues within Christianity such as theology, philosophy, theodicy, as well as breif bios of people throughout the history of Christianity that have made an impact on Christian thought. He also gives a good treatment on those key peoples who have had antithetical thought to Orthodoxy, as well as Christian thought within philosophy.
Overall, a great read if your a higher level reader who can tread through tough books. This book, although a reference tool, is also great for listing resources that you can delve further into, if you wish to go in depth on any particular subject. Go Norm!
Rating:
Summary: Worth the prise
Review: Theres not much to add to the reviews already here except that I heard Mr. Geisler on "the Bible answer man" and was very impressed by his command of scripture, firm grasp on a huge amount of subjects and his christian character. After hearing him on the radio I set my mind on getting this resource. The prise is a bit intimidating but I found it well worth the money. A wide range of topics are covered here. I did have some complaints though. First, this is an "encyclopedia" and as such topics should be easier to locate. I have a hard time finding specific topics. Secondly, I also would have liked to have seen this work written by several leading apologists as opposed to one. Mr. Geisler did an excellent job but there are others who contribution would have complimented his articles. Overall, this is a great book but not exhaustive. I would also suggest Peter Kreefts "Handbook for Christian Apologetics".
|
