The Battle Belongs to the Lord – The Power of Scripture for Defending Our Faith, a book review. Author K. Scott Oliphint, published by P & R Books (Paperback 206 pages).
I bought “The Battle Belongs to the Lord” in 2004, soon after leaving the New Age. By that time I had accumulated a small collection of apologetics books from the Christian book shop I’d begun patronizing. None of these books were presuppositional. The concept of Presuppositional Apologetics was completely foreign to me and Oliphint’s book was an impulse buy. I skimmed through it and put it back on my shelf to gather dust until recently. It didn’t sink in back then, likely due to my ignorance of the subject and lack of discipline.
Since 2004 I’ve become more familiar with Presup Apologetics. This has been an extended gradual process brought about by reading articles and blogs; e.g., Dr Reluctant and The Domain for Truth, among others. Some time ago I read Greg Bahnsen’s Always Be Ready. This was prior to reading Oliphint’s book. In hindsight I see now that God providentially pointed me to Oliphint’s book for a reason. It is an excellent introduction to biblical apologetics in preparation for larger more information-dense books such as Bahnsen’s.
Oliphint is one of those rare gifted writers who are able to cover a lot of territory, and also articulate ideas succinctly and effectively. He tells us in the Preface that his book is meant to be an introduction and beginning to “…a lifetime of defending and commending the Christian faith.” The book succeeds in doing just that.
In the Introduction, Scott Oliphint mentions a conference speaker who said something like, “This year our topic is apologetics, so you really won’t need to have your Bibles with you.” Oliphint observes that the speaker’s comment wasn’t intended to be humorous or flippant, he was serious. As such the comment was lamentable. This concern probably would have gone over my head in 2204, but I appreciate it now!
The meaty Introduction sets the pace for the rest of the book. In fact it profited me so much I used it in an article David and Goliath – Slaying Giants. Oliphint notes that David understood the battle with Goliath wasn’t about him or Israel. It wasn’t about David’s personal glory. It was ultimately a Cosmic Challenge to the truth of Israel’s God. It was a challenge to the glory, power and honor of the Lord of hosts!
The Introduction concludes:
We must disagree with the conference speaker. The Bible should be central to any discussion of apologetics. It is the Bible that we need, and must open, if we are going to think about apologetics and begin to prepare for it. To fight the Lord’s battle without the Lord’s sword is foolishness.
Despite the fact that I’ve become somewhat more familiar with Presup Apologetics, every chapter in this book provided me with information I wasn’t aware of before. Each chapter concludes with a helpful Digging Deeper study recap. I appreciated how Oliphint spent so much time with Paul and the true nature of the early hindrances he faced, culminating in chapter 6 Jerusalem Meets Athens: Apologetics in Action.
This book is God glorifying and God honoring. I loved the strong doxological and devotional current running through it. Oliphint is also careful to identify the reason we do apologetics; and the humble, meek attitude Christians ought to adopt in their dialogues with unbelievers. It isn’t about winning arguments. We can never argue anyone into the kingdom. It isn’t our job. This is something I personally need to be constantly mindful of.
To summarize my thoughts: I think every Christian should read this book. We’re all apologists to some extent – or ought to be. My guess is that every apologist, regardless of proficiency, will profit from reading “The battle Belongs to the Lord.” I’m going to keep it handy by my side.
I’ll conclude by citing the last paragraph of Appendix 1,
The Holy Spirit is, in the end, the apologist. As we meet the challenges that come, he glorifies Christ by taking his Word, as we speak, and convincing some of sin, righteousness, and judgment. He speaks that Word, and, when he sees fit, he testifies to the hearts of some, who then turn and follow Christ – and join his battle!
Book Contents
Preface ix
Introduction 1
1) Your Master Proclaim 15
2) Beware the Ides of March 43
3) The Stealth Attack 71
4) The Good with the Bad 95
5) The Divine Psychologist 117
6) Jerusalem Meets Athens: Apologetics in Action 143
Conclusion 175
Appendix 1: Apologetics and the Holy Spirit 179
Appendix 2: Scripture Passages for Apologetics 195
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The Battle Belongs to the Lord: The Power of Scripture for Defending Our Faith
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