Beyond Opinion is a book about apologetics. The editors divided it into three sections. The first looks at the various questions that postmodernism, atheism, world religions and science have about Christianity. The second part looks at how we have to internalize both the questions and answers. They discuss how the Holy Spirit is the only one that brings transformation and how persecution and doubt can aid in that transformation. The final section discusses the believer’s role in apologetics.
I enjoyed this book. It didn’t focus on one-size-fits-all arguments. Some of the chapters were very accessible and others leaned toward the academic side. They clearly presented the questions people are asking and gave guidelines on how to go about preparing to answer them. I appreciated that the authors continually pointed out that you can have all the right answers but without the power of the Holy Spirit, you’ll just be a clanging cymbal. In the final chapter, Dr Zacharias made a great point. When you are talking with someone coming from a different worldview, you have to step into their mindset to understand how to talk to them, just as Paul did with the Athenians, Corinthians and the countless others he preached to.
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