True for You, But Not for Me: Overcoming Objections to Christian Faith

Personally knowing Paul Copan and having discussed his view of errancy, I'm writing this to clarify a remark made in an earlier review. Paul does believe in inerrancy, but he does not believe that you need to hold to inerrancy to see the reliability of the New Testament documents. This is the academic way of looking at all sources of literature whether you hold to inerrancy or not.Future readers who approach this work should know that Copan's view of Christianity is a classically evangelical one.

This book is basic, small, and simple, but it packs a very powerful punch. Copan has a way of writing that cuts to the chase. The whole book is designed to first presenting common "slogans" or misconceptions about certain things (i.e. all truth is relative), and then Copan systematically deflates each misconception or falsity. The thing I think I like most about the book is its simplicity. When I say simplicity, I don't mean unintelligent. I mean Copan can take fairly complicated ideas and make them easily understood (that takes talent). Thus, this book will enjoy a wide variety of readers. Moreover, Copan, for such a brief work, covers a lot of material. Copan discusses things such as the absolute nature of truth, moral relativism, exclusivity and religious pluralism, the person Jesus, and the reliability of the gospels. This is a very handy "ready reference" work for those who have found themselves wondering, "how can I respond to that objection or comment?"

This is a terrific book by a truly good Christian gentleman. He is polite, gracious, and intelligent in his presentation. Unlike his detractors, he does not resort to name calling and vague accusations of illogic. He deals with actual arguments with clarity and grace. He shows that those who deny absolute truth--by claiming it is incorrect--presuppose the very thing they are denying. Francis J. Beckwith, PhD, associate professor of philosophy, culture, and law, Trinity International University

Are some of you people out there who are giving negative reviews even paying attention to what Paul Copan is saying? This book is not a straw man attempt at refuting Atheism, but rather a well thought out critique of Relativism, which is something that many Atheist could learn from. Although the writer is Christian, this book was not an attempt to establish a case for Christianity or any other Worldview, but rather a well reasoned defense of a necessary presuposition of rational thought; "Some things are true for everybody." If someone wishes to rate this book low, please do so on the basis of what the Author's intentions were in writing the book. The Author is not trying to give fleshed out arguments for the Existance of God and he doesn't have the space to grapple with the important and sensitive topic of how we deal with people who sincerely hold to non-Christian religious belief. So don't criticize him for not touching on these issues. Overall, this is an excellant book!!

Copan has done a very nice job of addressing common relativistic statements heard in our popular culture. The format is very simple, the chapters divided by the various slogans. Copan provides a nice synopsis of his points at the end of each chapter for review. This book is by no means a comprehensive apologetic, but he states this point explicitly in the beginning. The logic is impeccable and germane, and critics of this work will have to do better than emotive diatribes in decrying the author's assertions. I hope that both theists and anti-theists alike will avail themselves to this cogent set of arguments and employ an open-minded approach to Copan's polemic. I would be interested in seeing an intelligent critique of this work by an anti-theist; one that directly confutes Copan's arguments as opposed to ad hominum attacks or non-specific dismissals. L. Parsons, Nebraska