Defending Your Faith with Reason and Precision - On Guard

I feel like the author was deflecting quite a bit when it comes to deeper questions. Honestly, at some points I just got to the end of the chapter and went, okay..? As a person who isn't committed to any sort of faith, but is still searching for some sort of spiritual truth, I feel like I can review this book without to much bias. Craig is very well known for debating many scientists/atheists on YouTube (at least that's where I found him). So this book is set up in a way of debating someone in everyday life that questions someone about their Christian faith. Many of his points are based off of " If 1 is true, 2 is true as well, which means 3 is totally true." Just as an example based off the book " 1. Whatever begins to exist has a cause 2. The universe began to exist 3. The universe has a cause". He uses these step by step methods, then gives his reasons for why each step must be true in his opinion, and why those steps lead to god. This is a very good book in my opinion for someone exploring the world of Christian apologetics, but doesn't have much background in it's authors. What does bother me from time to time is that he quotes authors from the late 1800s to support his theories and that doesn't usually sit well with people in an argument. Also, I don't have to extensive of a background when it comes to science other than the usual basic high school/early college classes, but I felt like some things he said weren't quite right. I haven't taken the time to research every one of his scientific claims, so I could be wrong about this. I also felt at the end of the chapters I wasn't really swayed into believing Jesus was the one to believe in. If I felt stirred by his argument, it was just that a spiritual being existed of some sort, but not one that absolutely had to be linked to the Christian religion. However, I still feel like this is a good starting point for Christians who want to defend their faith with rationality, without having to read tons of Christian authors in doing so. I would just suggest reading other authors like C.S. Lewis, John Lennox, or NT Wright to give you a more in depth and stronger foundation. If your like me and read the bible, got some spiritual comfort out of it, but are seriously struggling with what modern science says about the Christian faith, then this book may help you a bit, but again, I would seriously recommend reading other Christian apologists after reading this book.

Craig's style is very conversational, and he gives many examples. One of the best things are the graphic summaries at the end of each chapter that reinforce the main points of what he just discussed. I can tell that he has experience in explaining these ideas to ordinary people. I didn't get bogged down trying to understand them!

Fantastic book by Dr. Craig! The way the arguments are presented in this book are easy to understand for a lay person like me. Not only are the arguments for the existence of God and resurrection of Jesus so well expressed, but also the introduction and author's interlude were so enriching and interesting. This is one of my favorite books!

William Lane Craig covers a complete range of Apologetics from the universe to the life if Jesus Christ.
This book is ideal for anyone looking to sharpen their faith against an increasingly materialistic society. William Lane Craig makes each topic easy to understand.

Having experienced a deepening relationship with Christ for over 60 years, no arguments against God even slightly affect my faith. I "know" by experience the reality of a personal God. Along the way, when I hit the rough spots, sound logic always directed me toward God. For a genuine Christian, science, philosophy, medicine, etc only serve to prove the greatness of the creator of everything. All of mankind's attempts to disprove the existence of God have a fatal flaw. If there is no God, why all the passionate attempts to disprove Him? It shouldn't matter. It does matter as judged by the efforts to reject Him. Why? What are you really rejecting?

Each of the heavy hitters in the Theism vs. Atheist debate has their own token collection of books.
William Lane Craig has added On Guard to his writings and has done so with clear, concise reasoning. On Guard focuses on numerous arguments that will strengthen the believer's faith and equip them for the nature of apologetics in a modern, secular world, and will challenge the open-minded non-believer to take a serious, logical look at their own views. Craig also includes a bit of a personal touch, sharing the importance of apologetics in his life and the effect it has had on himself and others around him.

This book is very well written. The reason I give it 4 stars instead of 5 is because I do not wish to come off as some fanboy who rates all of my favorite authors' works 5 stars. I have a deep interest in philosophy and was compelled by much of what Craig stated in this book. I do not feel, though, that he gave a good enough defense (or rather a clear enough explanation) for certain atheistic objections that he addresses.

Overall, I would highly encourage this read. It will equip you with all of the knowledge that has made this man one of the greatest apologists since C.S. Lewis, and one of the best debaters and opponents to the "new atheist" movement.

William Lane Craig is one of the strongest defenders of the Christian faith alive today. He ministers to an intelligent crowd, and takes on some of the most challenging questions that can be asked regarding belief in God and faith in Jesus Christ. In his latest book "On Guard", Dr. Craig begins by defending the existence of God, and describing why the universe had to be created by a being Who transcends space, time, matter and energy. From here, he describes how exquisitely precise the laws and constants of nature have been made in order to allow life to exist. Dr. Craig talks about morality, and the fact that if there is no God to Whom standards may be measured, there would be no true gauge of what is right and wrong. Therefore, good and bad would only be relative and therefore, in an absolute sense, would not exist without God. Dr. Craig has a long chapter in defense of the resurrection of Jesus Christ. This chapter is perhaps one of the strongest and most comprehensive apologetics on the resurrection that I have read. William Craig goes on to discuss issues about salvation. He talks about how God, in His divine providence, allows everyone who is seeking Him to have a chance at receiving the Gospel. Throughout the book, Dr. Craig presents counter arguments that an atheist may present against the existence of God and against the Christian faith. He then shows the reader how to defend the faith with clarity, conviction, and rock solid logic. A superb book, and very important for this day and age.

I read straight through this book, but it's really meant to be studied, discussed and memorized. Dr.Craig provides lots of solid arguments for good, God and Gospel. I'll definitely be referencing this book.

This book is an excellent introduction to Christian apologetics. It presents the arguments for God and Christianity in a straightforward way, explaining all concepts and vocabulary that may be unfamiliar to readers new to subject matter. The arguments are concise but convincing. Going through the book as a study with a group of people is beneficial because you get to here others' views and critiques.

This work gave me a brand new perspective on God. Logically it's hard for me to make much of an argument against these. I can emotionally, but at the end of the day I simple wouldn't be able to live consistently within my own world view.

-A former agnostic-

If I could recommend only one book as an introduction to William Lane Craig's ideas this would be it. Dr. Craig provides the perfect mix of scholastic foundation and layman explanation for his arguments. If you don't know anything about Christian apologetics this book is the best place to start.

This book is informative. It is very helpful and shows you a lot about apologetics and logic. Arguements and pictures are provided in the book and make everything very clear. Thank you Craig, for writing this wonderful and easy to read book. I promise, you will enjoy it.

William Lane Craig is an incredible champion for the faith. I am so grateful for his ministry and his wisdom and expertise. He has written an easy to understand and all together fantastic book full of evidence for the existence of God and it should be a must-read for every believer and every true seeker of truth. Thanks WLC!

This book is informative. It is very helpful and shows you a lot about apologetics and logic. Arguements and pictures are provided in the book and make everything very clear. Thank you Craig, for writing this wonderful and easy to read book. I promise, you will enjoy it.

William Lane Craig is an incredible champion for the faith. I am so grateful for his ministry and his wisdom and expertise. He has written an easy to understand and all together fantastic book full of evidence for the existence of God and it should be a must-read for every believer and every true seeker of truth. Thanks WLC!

It is amazing how somebody with a knowledge as deep as doctor William Lane Craig can explain the concepts in a manner so easy to understand. This is a book everybody should read as it would motivate them to think logically in reference to essential aspects of everybody's life.

In these skeptical times, in which books by the so-called New Atheists make the bestseller lists, it is more important than ever for Christians to be able to explain their faith clearly and reasonably. This is necessary to not only defend the faith from attacks from the New Atheists but also to, as Peter wrote, "Always be prepared to give an answer to everyone who asks you to give the reason for the hope that you have." (1 Peter 3:15) A Christian who goes out into the world without knowledge of apologetics is like a soldier going into battle unarmed.
Fortunately, William Lane Craig provides the tools you need with his book On Guard: Defending Your Faith with Reason and Precision. On Guard is no less than a training manual for the defender of the faith. Craig teaches the reader good reasons to believe in Christianity and how to argue these reasons convincingly.
After the first two chapters, in which he introduces the subject of and necessity for apologetics, Craig uses the next section to explore reasons to believe in the existence of God. He does not specify the Christian God in this section, nor does he rely on revelation. Instead, Craig uses the Cosmological and Moral arguments, asking why anything at all exists, why is the universe so fine-tuned, where do our ideas on morality originate. I think that this section could be used by the believers of any of the monotheistic religions, Jews, Muslims, even Deists, with very little modification.
Chapter seven deals with the questions of suffering and evil in the face of a good, omnipotent Deity. The final three chapters deal specifically with the Christian faith, giving evidence for the historical existence of Jesus and His resurrection. I think that this final section is slightly weaker since it seems to me that Craig did not spend enough time establishing the historical reliability of the Gospels but seemed to grant their accuracy for granted. I also think that the book could have used a chapter defining what faith is and is not. Faith is not believing in things that you have no evidence.
Despite the two minor reservations I have mentioned, On Guard is a valuable resource for any Christian interested in apologetics, or who simply wants to explore why he believes what he believes.

Thank You Dr. Craig for a thorough and informative book that brings solid evidence for the surety of the Christian faith. I have found this book to be a tremendous resource that I return to over and over in order to understand the intellectual reasons that I can share with others for following Jesus.

I have used this valuable resource myself in writing my own commentaries and books. I sincerely appreciate the way in which you present reasonable arguments for Creation, The Bible, The Resurrection, and the life of Jesus Christ.

Doulos

Thought provoking and educational. My first book on apologetics and have read it through multiple times. Used the book to help with Bible study classes as well as dialog respectfully and confidently with atheists. Very useful and helpful. Book is concise and straightforward. I've gone back to this book so many times that the pages are dog-eared, highlighted sections and full of hand written notes in the margins.

This is a must read for every serious Christian or anyone who is really interested in the discovering the truth about God and the Universe. Craig lays out the logic of his arguments in a very easy to understand form.

If you are looking for an excellent, basic book on apologetics, this is one of the best I know of. WIlliam Lane Craig presents a number of the powerful reasons for believing that Christianity is true, and does it in a way that is easy to understand.

I use this book to teach an introductory course on Christian apologetics. It's excellent. The layout is attractive and caters to beginners who desire to build a strong foundation in the study of this discipline. I would even suggest this text for intermediates who wish to fortify their knowledge.

You can read a sample chapter on Dr. Craig's website, reasonablefaith.org. You'll also find links to tons of audio and video resources there, as well as event schedules.

William Craig does a great job on ALL levels with this book. I have been involved in the church since a child and this book taught me a lot. This is a big point for me because I read a lot of Christian books but feel like I get little new information from them. I actually had to read this book twice to retain everything. I appreciated how the author went into depth of the points but also made a point to streamline everything at the end of the chapter.

Great book you will not be disappointed!

Good philosophical premises that are well-explained and easy to understand. Craig is passionate about explaining the reasonableness of Christianity and makes his readers just as passionate and excited to share.

Young Adults are leaving church in record numbers.
The Main reason in my view: We don't know what we believe, or why we believe it.
If you call yourself a Christian but have no way to articulate your worldview, then this book is for you.
It builds a strong base on Christian beliefs including cosmology, morals and overall Natural Theology yet in a popular and easy-to-read format.
This should be Sunday School Material at every church.

Wow! So far, I feel academically unqualified to read this, considering this is the layman's version of the author's work on the subject. So far, I'm giving it the rating it has, and will amend it if it so requires. The apologetics group I participate in is not done with the book. Quite the eye-opener, though. A couple of the arguments the author presents I hadn't thought of, so I am glad to learn them. Curious? simple--read the book; worth the money.

I thought that William Lane Craig gives us very good reason to believe that God exists and has revealed Himself decisively in Jesus Christ. I would recommend this book for anyone who wants an overview of various arguments for the Christian worldview. The only reason I rated four Chabot's instead of five is because I come from a Reformed perspective, and while I respect Craig, who holds a different position, I found areas of disagreement popping up here and there. However, I wouldn't use that to say that people shouldn't read this book. It's only a relatively small disagreement on an in-house debate.

These days, it seems that anyone of faith is viewed as unintelligent and naive by the secular world. While no book can offer every defense possible for every possible argument, this book does a fantastic job of providing a logical and reasonable foundation for theism in general and Christianity in particular. Far from taking a purely defensive posture, this book presents multiple logical arguments for theism while at the same time pointing out holes in the logic of an atheistic worldview. The goal of this book is to provide the Christian with some basic foundational principles with which he or she can defend their worldview. While many atheist may still reject the arguments put forth, I believe the information in this book can at least help dispel the stigma the secular world has put on theism and Christianity. Further, I believe it shows that theism and Christianity are very logical and reasonable worldviews.