book review: come let us reason

B&H Academic has published a number of apologetic books in recent years. The series with the widest appeal has been that edited by William Lane Craig and Paul Copan. The first two books (Passionate Conviction & Contending with Christianity’s Critics) were solid collections of apologetically oriented essays. The newest entry in the series is entitled Come Let Us Reason. 

So, is it as useful as the first two releases? Yes! Although, a few things struck me as somewhat odd. Before mentioning what I liked about the book, let me explain what seemed “off.” First, Rick Warren wrote the foreword. Nothing wrong with having the nation’s most well-known evangelical pastor write the forward to your book. However, as someone who values deep, academic articles on apologetics, seeing Warren’s name on the front cover made me assume that Come Let Us Reason would fall flat. Now, it does not fail in its purpose and it is filled with great essays but the inclusion of Warren does not help the academic image of the book (in my opinion). The second issue I have is with one of the articles included. Toni Allen wrote a great article on getting women interested in apologetics. However, the article seems entirely out-of-place when considered in conjunction with the remainder of the book. So, while “Apologetically Blonde” is an article worth reading, it doesn’t really fit in this book (again, in my opinion). Moving on…

While all the articles are solid, a few are worth mentioning as standouts. First, Gary Habermas has a useful article on “The Silence of God.” Second, Mark Foreman’s handling of the Zeitgeist film should be applauded. His article is both informative and an enjoyable read. Third, Michael Licona provides a solid critique of Bart Erhman’s tendency to distract from the main issue. I appreciated his observations. Fourth, Mary Jo Sharp makes an appearance in Come Let Us Reason with an article on basically, parallelomania! As she has done for years in her apologetics ministry, she dismantles the supposed parallels between Christ and the gods of mythology. Last, Richard Hess once again provides an excellent assessment of claim that ancient Israelites believe Yahweh to have had a consort.

Overall, Come Let Us Reason is a solid apologetics title. This would be a great book to add to your spring or summer reading plans. It is varied and somewhat eclectic in its content but that is a good thing!