This is a needed book! Its subtitle explains its approach: “a comprehensive apologetic for the authority of Scripture”. Edited by Steven B. Cowan and Terry L. Wilder, this book gathers a fine collection of articles by competent writers. I was especially impressed that though these writers were scholars, they truly succeeded in writing in a way that was accessible to a wide array of readers.

You will find this book to be expertly designed. After a brief introduction, Part One discusses philosophical and methodological challenges in four chapters. That covers things like special revelation, the veracity of the Bible, what higher criticism says and how it’s wrong, as well as our ability to understand the Bible. Part Two explains textual and historical challenges in seven chapters. In this section, you will learn how that neither the Old nor the New Testament are hopelessly corrupted. You will also be made aware of the reliability of each Testament and how to view apparent contradictions in the Bible.

Part Three, which was my favorite, looked at ethical, scientific, and theological challenges in six chapters. It covers subjects that often bewilder Christians when the world attacks. What about the Bible’s apparent condoning of genocide? There’s a profound chapter answering the question–does the Bible condone slavery and sexism? There’s another chapter on the Bible’s conflict with science, and though I did not agree with all of it, it did give some help in understanding the subject. Considering the charges that our Bible is missing several books, the chapter on Canon was especially enlightening. All in all, every chapter was a winner.

My library contains just about every major work on the authority and inspiration of the Bible. I have all the old standbys and love them, but if I had to choose to recommend just one volume to someone wanting to really dig into this subject, I would choose this book. The main reason that it’s so valuable is that it takes a high view of Scripture just as the best books have in the past while focusing on the most turbulent issues that our non-Christian culture hurls at the Bible today. It’s fair to say this book succeeds in both defending the Bible and in offering an apologetic for our day. Every pastor could benefit from this book, but I recommended it to anyone feeling overwhelmed by the criticisms widely broadcast against the Bible in our day. This is an awesome resource!

I received this book free from the publisher. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255.