Apologetic Preaching: Proclaiming Christ to a Postmodern World

Rating:
Summary: Insightful and On Target
Review: Apologetic preaching gives voice to the issues Christians face attempting to make a difference in the world today. Every pastor needs a copy of this book. Every church member should read it and pass it on to him or her. With this book, Loscalzo continues his insightful understanding of the Church in culture. A must read.

Rating:
Summary: An Umpire's View
Review: Heard about how three umpires called strikes based on their different perspectives. Which statement reflects your view? The pre-modern umpire says, "I call 'em as they are!" The modern umpire says, "I call 'em as I see 'em!" The postmodern umpire says, "They ain't nothin' 'till I call 'em!" I think I know what my answer is supposed to be. However, we've all probably been influenced by the culture of our upbringing.

I grew up in the transition between modernity and what has come to be called postmodernism. We may still be in that transition. Which isn't necessarily a bad thing. Modernism trusted in its own rationalism to the exclusion of experience and mystery, hallmarks of the emerging worldview, and a longing for many.

Good news is, the life we have in Christ speaks to this yearning. Engaging postmoderns, however, requires an honest and humble recognition of the tension between mystery and information, hope and skepticism, confidence and doubt and truth and relativism.

These dualities are dealt with in just such a manner in a recent book by Craig Loscalzo. "Apologetic Preaching - Proclaiming Christ to a Postmodern World" (IVP) isn't just a book for preachers. It's a helpful guide on understanding our current context and how we might lovingly communicate the message of Jesus to others.

Although Loscalzo hits a foul ball or two, he does connect for a hit; not quite a home run, but a solid triple. You may disagree, but then, I simply call 'em the way I see 'em.

Rating:
Summary: Needs more clarity
Review: Loscalzo's book attempts to provide answers for preaching to a postmodern world. Loscalzo says that modernism has collapsed but try telling that to scientists and others who depend upon objectivity like your banker.The problem is that postmodernism is not completely here and modernism hasn't completely left.

Sometimes Loscalzo seems confused. Although objectivity in truth cannot be relied upon - the objectivity in the Bible cannot be denied. It seems Loscalzo confuses issues of modernism as a philosophy and the objectivity of truth and reality. There seems to be the need for clarity of thought between depending on modernism to interpret reality and depending on Christ to renew the mind.

Loscalzo makes sweeping statements about apologists who use reason to prove the existence of God. He goes on to say that these apologetic methods are not useful with postmoderns. In reality, apologists/philosophers engage postmoderns in dialogue all the time. This book does not reveal the short comings of postmodernism and how to turn people to sound thinking.

In the end Loscalzo promotes faithfulness in God's word and sticking with the objective truth of the gospel. This is the redeeming feature of the book. Getting there seemed confusing.