Examines the inroads of historical criticism into evangelical scholarship. Though evangelicals reject many extreme conclusions of liberal scholars, some have adopted their same methodology in the interpretation of the Synoptic Gospels, creating a crisis in evangelical scholarship. The authors show how adopting such methodologies are affecting the next generation of pastors, teachers, and scholars.

This work examines the historical and philosophical strengths and/or weaknesses of current evangelical approaches espousing some forms of post-modernistic historiography and its resultant search for the "historical Jesus." It demonstrates the marked undermining impact these efforts have had on the biblical text, especially the Gospels, as well inerrancy issues. It compares the Jesus Seminar's approach with current evangelical practices of searching in terms of their evidential apologetic impact on the trustworthiness of the Gospels. A number of well-known, contemporary evangelical scholars are involved in the so-called "Third Quest" for the historical Jesus. This book raises serious questions about such an endeavor. CONTRIBUTORS: Norman L. Geisler, Ph.D., Chancellor, Veritas Evangelical Seminary; Distinguished Professor of Apologetics and Theology F. David Farnell, Ph.D., Senior Professor of New Testament, The Master's Seminary Richard G. Howe, Ph.D., Professor of Philosophy and Apologetics, Southern Evangelical Seminary Thomas A. Howe, Ph.D., Professor of Bible and Biblical Languages, Southern Evangelical Seminary William E. Nix, Ph.D., Professor of Historical and Theological Studies, Veritas Evangelical Seminary William C. Roach, Ph.D. candidate, Co-Author of Defending Inerrancy Dennis M. Swanson, D.Min., Vice President for Library and Educational Assessment Norman L. Geisler is a world-renown Christian apologist who has written over 80 books. He is Chancellor of Veritas Evangelical Seminary in Murrieta, California. Dr. Geisler was a key founder of the historic International Council on Biblical Inerrancy (1978) as well as the International Council on Biblical Hermeneutics (1982). F. David Farnell is Senior Professor of New Testament at The Master's Seminary. He was co-editor of The Jesus Crisis (1998) as well as contributor to other books (e.g. Three Views on Origins of the Synoptic Gospels, 2002). He specializes in the impact of historical-critical philosophical ideologies in New Testament Criticism and Interpretation.