Evangelicals are beginning to provide analyses of our postmodern society, but little has been done to suggest an effective apologetic strategy for reaching a culture that is pluralistic, consumer-oriented, and infatuated with managerial and therapeutic approaches to life. This, then, is the first book to address that vital task. In these pages some of evangelicalism's most stimulating thinkers consider three possible apologetic responses to postmodernity. William Lane Craig argues that traditional evidentialist apologetics remains viable and preferable. Roger Lundin, Nicola Creegan and James Sire find the postmodern critique of Christianity and Western culture more challenging, but reject central features of it. Philip Kenneson, Brian Walsh and J. Richard Middleton, on the other hand, argue that key aspects of postmodernity can be appropriated to defend orthodox Christianity. An essential feature are trenchent chapters by Ronald Clifton Potter, Dennis Hollinger and Douglas Webster considering issues facing the local church in light of postmodernity. The volumes editors and John Stackhouse also add important introductory essays that orient the reader to postmodernity and various apologetic strategies. All this makes for a book indispensable for theologians, a wide range of students and reflective pastors.

"This volume explores the intersection of psychology and theology, but it is not a simple intersection. It is an intersection affected by rich theological and ecclesiological traditions, by the ravages and wonders of modern psychology, and by the character and qualities of today's ministers and communities of faith." (from the introduction) For two millennia Christians have been caring for souls. Since the Enlightenment, though, the Christian concept of the soul has been usurped by modern and postmodern notions of the self. "Somehow we misplaced the soul even as we developed a thriving science of the psyche," lament the editors of this volume. Thus there is a clash between Western therapeutic culture and the church's understanding of the soul's nature and its care. As a result, some Christians deride psychology as dangerous. Others believe that it has much to offer Christians interested in caring for the soul. What is the proper relationship between psychology and theology? Is soul care the shared task of these two fields? This collection of essays is a multidisciplinary dialogue on the interface between psychology and theology that takes seriously the long, rich tradition of soul care in the church. In this volume you'll find incisive discussions of

• the current state of theology and psychology
• overcoming the acquiescence to secularism
• theological resources for developing Christian psychology
• taking theology to heart in psychology
• taking psychology to heart in theology and Christian life

Every family's heritage reaches back many centuries and includes various branches. The Christian family is much like this, contend Phillips and Okholm, as they examine the "evangelical branch" of the church. Intended as a college-level introduction to the Christian faith, the book is divided into three sections: part one develops the concept of control beliefs as they relate to worldviews; part two explores the framework of the biblical revelation, that is the Christian worldview; and part three, the largest section, provides an overview of church history, emphasizing the various ways the church has related the Christian worldview to the culture in which it exists. Previously published as Welcome to the Family, this textbook now includes sidebars, charts, a lexicon of key terms, reflection questions, bibliographies, a substantive discussion of postmodernism, and primary source appendices. "A helpful introduction to the evangelical heritage and a forthright challenge to remain true to this heritage"--Donald G. Bloesch, Dubuque Theological Seminary "The authors stake out the essentials of an evangelical Christian worldview and trace its development from the early church through the variety of post-Reformation traditions to today's evangelical diversity--always with an eye to how Christianity relates to culture. A first-rate text."--Arthur Holmes, Wheaton College "Evangelical ecumenicity at its best: an understanding of the worldview we share in common and an appreciation for the distinctives that make us unique."--Dennis Hollinger, Messiah College "The authors present a balance of content with narrative style to produce a unique book: one which offers an overview of systematic theology coupled with a readable history of theology, leading up to present concerns that face the church as the church faces the world."--W. Gary Phillips, Bryan College