I want to use this month’s column to draw attention to the newly published Evidence that Demands a Verdict by Josh and Sean McDowell*.
If you have had an interest in apologetics then, whether you have a copy of the older edition or not, you will want to consider getting your hands on this completely updated and revised version.
Evidence based on scholarship
Originally published in 1972, the book has gone on to sell 4 million copies and made Josh McDowell something of a household name in Christian circles. Not really written for the non-believer, the volume has been a source book for those writing talks or taking part in debates.
The book had been easy to criticise for being simplistic or one-sided. Such objections are beside the point. The aim of the work is to provide the positive evidence, based on scholarship, in an accessible way and in this McDowell’s talent shines.
Complete overhaul
But arguments do change, new evidence emerges, some evidence is discarded and fresh objections arise. Writing alongside his son, Sean, the new book represents not a re-tread but a complete overhaul.
It benefits from the fact that the material has now had decades of testing in public debate. Weak or outdated quotations, which did litter the previous edition, have now gone. The McDowells reference up-to-date, reliable scholarship alongside plenty of contemporary cultural references (films, songs and poems). Inevitably, this means the book will go out of date again in a decade or so, but it can always enjoy another revision.
A big handbook
This is a big book. Spanning 800 pages, even the Prologue runs to page 80. Don’t worry, no one is expected to read it cover to cover. It is designed as a handbook to be used according to the objection addressed. Each section is well laid out, includes numerous quotes, and evidences are properly sourced. The book divides into four neat parts: evidence for the Bible, evidence for Jesus, evidence for the Old Testament, and a final more philosophical part on the nature of Truth.
The book is an example of what is sometimes called ‘evidentialism’. The focus is on evidence that gets us quickly to the claims about Jesus. Like C. S. Lewis’ Mere Christianity, the focus is on the essential tenets of faith, not the many secondary issues that often distract. The authors provide a fair overview of contentious areas like creationism and the date of the Exodus.
A number of other contributors have been involved in the work – notably on areas like New Testament scholarship and archaeology. Jonathan McLatchie researched extensively into the most common objections to previous editions and these have been taken into account. Liberal critic Bart Ehrman receives significant attention including a superb appendix. This is ascribed to Ben ‘Whittington’ which I am sure is actually Ben Witherington – perhaps mistyped during the Christmas season.
Areas not covered
It seems petty to point out areas where the book could offer more help when it is already suitable for weight lifting. However, our changing cultural context certainly demands us to address a number of moral matters. The issues of alleged genocide in the Old Testament, the immorality of the church in history, the challenge of Islam and present issues of sexuality are pretty standard questions we all face; to answer them in depth you would need to look elsewhere.
But this seems churlish. The real focus of the work is on the positive, central claim that Jesus Christ is the resurrected Saviour. That is the real claim that demands a verdict and this is the evidence to persuade the sceptic. The book is an essential resource, well worth the money, a delight to browse and a great gift for anyone in ministry.
