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William Lane Craig

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On Guard: Defending Your Faith with Reason and Precision Kindle Edition

by William Lane Craig (Author), Lee Strobel (Foreword) Format: Kindle Edition

1,993 ratings

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Christian apologetics scholar William Lane Craig provides a powerful and practical guide for defending the Christian faith.

This concise guide is filled with illustrations, sidebars, and memorizable steps to help Christians stand their ground and defend their faith with reason and precision. In his engaging style, Dr. Craig offers ways to equip Christians, including how to:

Answer the difficult questions about your faith
Overcome times of spiritual doubt
Understand not just what you believe, but why you believe

Paired with personal stories from Dr. Craig’s own life, this one-stop training manual will guide you in developing a biblical world view and will show you how being “on guard” with the truth has the power to change lives forever.

From the Publisher

Guard yourself with the truth and defend your faith

Learn how to defend your faith. Discover what and why you believe.

Editorial Reviews

Review

William Lane Craig is arguably one of the finest Christian philosophers of our time. His knowledge and skill have placed him on platforms on every continent, engaging the most notable skeptics in dialogue and debate. --Ravi Zacharias (03/01/2010)"

In these pages, you ll learn the most compelling arguments in favor of Christianity. Not only that, but you ll also find out how to respond to the most popular objections to those arguments. You ll discover that On Guard is solidly factual, winsomely personal, consistently practical, and ultimately convincing in its presentation of the case for Christianity. --Lee Strobel (03/01/2010)"

There is probably no greater defender of the Christian faith alive today than William Lane Craig. On Guard is Craig s introduction to the wealth of information, logic, and evidence that powerfully point to the truth of our Christian beliefs. Read it to deepen your own faith and to embolden your confidence in sharing that faith with others. --Mark Mittelberg (03/01/2010)"

"On Guard" is an excellent summation of how the Christian faith makes sense of the real world in which we all live. Speaking the truth in love, once again William Lane Craig proves we don t have to be abrasive to be persuasive. --Jim Thomas (03/01/2010)"

On Guard is an excellent summation of how the Christian faith makes sense of the real world in which we all live. Speaking the truth in love, once again William Lane Craig proves we don t have to be abrasive to be persuasive. --Jim Thomas (03/01/2010)"

It is hard to overstate the impact that William Lane Craig has had for the cause of Christ. He is simply the finest Christian apologist of the last half century, and his academic work justifies ranking him among the top 1 percent of practicing philosophers in the Western world. Besides that, he is a winsome ambassador for Christ, an exceptional debater, and a man with the heart of an evangelist. I know him well and can say that he lives a life of integrity and lives out what he believes. I do not know of a single thinker who has done more to raise the bar of Christian scholarship in our generation than Craig. He is one of a kind and I thank God for his life and work. --J. P. Moreland (03/01/2010)"

Review

“It is hard to overstate the impact that William Lane Craig has had for the cause of Christ. He is simply the finest Christian apologist of the last half century, and his academic work justifies ranking him among the top 1 percent of practicing philosophers in the Western world. Besides that, he is a winsome ambassador for Christ, an exceptional debater, and a man with the heart of an evangelist. I know him well and can say that he lives a life of integrity and lives out what he believes. I do not know of a single thinker who has done more to raise the bar of Christian scholarship in our generation than Craig. He is one of a kind and I thank God for his life and work.” -- J. P. Moreland Published On: 2010-03-01

Product details

ASIN ‏ : ‎ B005SJ19VM
Publisher ‏ : ‎ David C Cook
Accessibility ‏ : ‎ Learn more
Publication date ‏ : ‎ March 1, 2010
Edition ‏ : ‎ New
Language ‏ : ‎ English
File size ‏ : ‎ 16.9 MB
Screen Reader ‏ : ‎ Supported
Enhanced typesetting ‏ : ‎ Enabled
X-Ray ‏ : ‎ Enabled
Word Wise ‏ : ‎ Enabled
Print length ‏ : ‎ 359 pages
ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 978-1434701886
Page Flip ‏ : ‎ Enabled

Best Sellers Rank: #160,702 in Kindle Store (See Top 100 in Kindle Store)
- #38 in Evangelism
- #50 in Christian Evangelism (Kindle Store)
- #90 in Christian Apologetics (Books)

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William Lane Craig

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William Lane Craig is Research Professor of Philosophy at Talbot School of Theology and Professor of Philosophy at Houston Baptist University. He and his wife Jan have two grown children.

At the age of sixteen as a junior in high school, he first heard the message of the Christian gospel and yielded his life to Christ. Dr. Craig pursued his undergraduate studies at Wheaton College (B.A. 1971) and graduate studies at Trinity Evangelical Divinity School (M.A. 1974; M.A. 1975), the University of Birmingham (England) (Ph.D. 1977), and the University of Munich (Germany) (D.Theol. 1984). From 1980-86 he taught Philosophy of Religion at Trinity, during which time he and Jan started their family. In 1987 they moved to Brussels, Belgium, where Dr. Craig pursued research at the University of Louvain until assuming his position at Talbot in 1994.

He has authored or edited over forty books, including The Kalam Cosmological Argument; Assessing the New Testament Evidence for the Historicity of the Resurrection of Jesus; Divine Foreknowledge and Human Freedom; Theism, Atheism and Big Bang Cosmology; God, Time and Eternity; God ove All;andGod and Abstract Objects, as well as nearly 200 articles in professional journals of philosophy and theology, including The Journal of Philosophy, New Testament Studies, Journal for the Study of the New Testament, American Philosophical Quarterly, Philosophical Studies, Philosophy, and British Journal for Philosophy of Science. In 2016 Dr. Craig was named by The Best Schools as one of the fifty most influential living philosophers.

Dr. Craig's Curriculum Vitae can be read here: http://www.reasonablefaith.org/site/PageServer?pagename=curriculum_vitae

Publication list: http://www.reasonablefaith.org/site/PageServer?pagename=publications_main

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Customers find this apologetics book excellent for understanding logical reasons for faith, with powerful arguments for God's existence and a well-structured presentation. Moreover, the book is praised for its readability, being a must-read for Christians, and its ability to explain complex concepts in layman's terms. Additionally, they appreciate its beginner-friendly approach and solid structure, with one customer noting it provides a rock-solid foundation for beliefs. The argument maps are particularly effective pedagogical tools, and customers value the book's depth. However, the citation quality receives mixed reviews.

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Insight Readability Ease of understanding Book for beginners Strength Depth Citation quality

254 customers mention "Insight"248 positive6 negative

Customers appreciate the book's insights, particularly its powerful arguments for the existence of God and its masterful combination of philosophy and theology, with one customer noting it serves as good preparation for natural theology and historical apologetics.

"...beginning and the end: the parts that deal with the philosophical arguments for God's existence and the responses to the two problems of sin and the..." Read more

"...of what exactly apologetics is, points out that it is biblical by giving references to Jesus (Luke 24:25-27; John 14:11), and Paul..." Read more

"...usual attacks against non-Christian arguments and defenses for Christian or theistic arguments, thus in a way giving a non-Christian "the..." Read more

"...However, I still feel like this is a good starting point for Christians who want to defend their faith with rationality, without having to read tons..." Read more

169 customers mention "Readability"163 positive6 negative

Customers find the book highly readable and consider it a must-read for Christians, with one customer noting it's particularly suitable for high school students.

"...Even for a non-Christian who is interested in philosophy the book is worth a read as it touches many philosophical issues...." Read more

"...This is a very good book in my opinion for someone exploring the world of Christian apologetics, but doesn't have much background in it's authors...." Read more

"...This is definitely worth buying. If you are a Christian then you do not want to miss out on this one!" Read more

"...If you take that challenge seriously, then this book would be well worth your time. Dan Marler Oak Lawn, IL" Read more

167 customers mention "Ease of understanding"137 positive30 negative

Customers find the book easy to understand, with explanations that are both concise and accessible to laymen.

"...In short, I have a newfound admiration for Craig. His thoughts are clear, logical, and insightful...." Read more

"If you've ever desired philosophers to say things in easy to understand, yet not dumbed down language, then you will be pleased with this book...." Read more

"...excellent for Christian (would be) apologists as a shortish handbook for different arguments...." Read more

"...of God and Christian belief, but is also peppered with definitions of new or difficult words, and questions addressed directly to the reader(s) so..." Read more

39 customers mention "Book for beginners"39 positive0 negative

Customers find this book to be an excellent introduction to apologetics, with one customer noting it starts with a basic course on philosophy.

"...I find this chapter especially interesting, since it addresses the impossible odds of life existing in this universe, such as, if the nuclear weak..." Read more

"...The book is mind-twisting in a good way...." Read more

"...It is excellent for beginners looking to get into Christian philosophy...." Read more

"...This marks an incredible starting point for a future of reasonable faith, coupled with Gregory Koukl’s “Tactics”, you’re ready to start speaking out..." Read more

21 customers mention "Strength"17 positive4 negative

Customers find the book solid, with one customer noting it provides a rock-solid foundation for their faith, while others appreciate its reasonable defense and good condition.

"...To me, the strongest parts of this book are the beginning and the end: the parts that deal with the philosophical arguments for God's existence and..." Read more

"...This chapter is perhaps one of the strongest and most comprehensive apologetics on the resurrection that I have read...." Read more

"...as Reasonable Faith allow me to clearly articulate a logical, reasonable defense of the existence of the God of the Bible as well as serves as a..." Read more

"Solid logic." Read more

18 customers mention "Depth"14 positive4 negative

Customers appreciate the depth of the book, particularly noting the argument maps as a helpful pedagogical device.

"...write about deep subject matter in an understandable and, even, interesting manner...." Read more

"...Christianity series by J. Warner Wallace is easy-to-read with an engaging motif; however, it takes 2-3 books to cover the basics...." Read more

"...The subjects covered in this book are broad and deep but he makes it so accessible to the common reader with great illustrations and helpful..." Read more

"...The argument maps are a terrific pedagogical device that make it very easy to commit to memory an argument, along with counter-arguments to common..." Read more

12 customers mention "Citation quality"8 positive4 negative

Customers have mixed opinions about the citations in the book, with one customer noting the lack of background information, while another appreciates the historical examples.

"...These are great for reviewing with a class, or testing yourself to see what you remember...." Read more

"...are frequently quoted and, aside from giving their names, there is no citation to tell us the work and page number...." Read more

"...I found the personal interludes to be interesting...." Read more

"...understanding of the most accepted scientific theories and historical textual criticism, Dr. Craig succinctly explains the value of apologetics and..." Read more

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John Green Burford, IV
A Wonderful Book
Reviewed in the United States on November 20, 2011
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I just wanted to start my review by saying that this book quite possibly saved my faith. Right now I'm a senior at Princeton and I've recently been going through the period where I had to stop believing things because that was what I had always been taught and start believing them for my own reasons and an objective appraisal of the truth, no matter where it led me. I'm still working out the kinks, but I'm on the right track now.

To me, the strongest parts of this book are the beginning and the end: the parts that deal with the philosophical arguments for God's existence and the responses to the two problems of sin and the fates of the unevangelized. Those were very strong and, after having read several atheist authors (Quentin Smith, John Loftus, Richard Dawkins, etc.), I believe that Craig offers much stronger arguments than they do. He also represents their views pretty accurately, and doesn't resort to setting up straw men.

The weaker part of this book has to do with the peculiarly Christian aspects of God: Jesus' teachings and his resurrection. I found his attempts in such a small amount of space to be overly ambitious and a bit too unnuanced. I personally preferred Michael Licona's excellent work The Resurrection of Jesus: A New Historiographical Approach. While Licona makes strong arguments for his personal beliefs, he confines his main analysis to the facts that are agreed upon by almost all biblical scholars, both Christian and atheist: the historical "bedrock." I've listed them here for those who are interested:

1. Jesus existed.
2. Jesus was a man regarded as a prophet and moral teacher who performed what many interpreted as miracles, magic, or exorcisms.
3. Jesus believed himself to have a special role with God as a prophet or son.
4. Jesus died on the cross.
5. After Jesus died, many of his apostles, in different times and places, had experiences that led them to believe and proclaim that Jesus had been resurrected and had appeared to them.
6. A few years after Jesus died, Paul, a devout Jew with a history of persecuting Christians, had what he interpreted as a post-resurrection appearance of Jesus to him.

Licona then examines the various atheist explanations for these known facts and finds them seriously lacking in merit (as did I--the cases against Jesus' resurrection are very tenuous). Ultimately, I found Licona's case more persuasive than Craig's, although a large part of that simply has to do with the fact that Licona's work has much more room to make a serious case, since it is much longer and devoted entirely to one subject. I simply mention it here as an avenue of further study for people who are interested.

In short, I have a newfound admiration for Craig. His thoughts are clear, logical, and insightful. I currently still disagree with him on some matters (primarily on the issue of biblical inerrancy), but I will engage in further research before coming to any firm conclusions.

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M. OLSON
A new standard for how an introduction to apologetics should be
Reviewed in the United States on March 3, 2010
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If you've ever desired philosophers to say things in easy to understand, yet not dumbed down language, then you will be pleased with this book.
On Guard seems to take all the great things William Lane Craig says during his debates, podcasts, and interviews, and puts them in one accessible read. For some reason, apologists speak so clearly during their debates, and yet when you buy their book, you get bogged down in technical jargon that keeps you busy either reading the same page 4 times, or rifling your fingers through a copy of Pocket Dictionary of Apologetics & Philosophy of Religion.
Before I got this book, I believed it would be one of those books that would be great for using in a young adults (or not so young adults) Sunday School class, or perhaps giving to someone who knows nothing of apologetics. I was pleasantly surprised to discover that that On Guard is not only that, but also much more! On Guard reminds me of a book that would be the result of an individual's gleanings of the best notes of his studies. (Now I don't have to spend the next year writing all my notes down, because WLC has done it for us! ha ha)

Ok, so now that I've given my impression of the book, allow me to go into greater detail:
On Guard begins with an impressive list of endorsements, ending with the finest by J.P. Moreland, who refers to Craig as, "the finest Christian apologist of the last half century." I wholeheartedly agree, and also place Moreland there too.

We move on to an excellent introduction by Lee Strobel. Lee reminds us of the great debate between Craig and Zindler (a debate I actually paid money to buy on cassette from Moody), and then closes with the claim that, "you'll learn the most compelling arguments in favor of Christianity."

Chapter 1 opens with a description of what exactly apologetics is, points out that it is biblical by giving references to Jesus (Luke 24:25-27; John 14:11), and Paul (Romans 1:20; 1 Cor. 15:3-8), and more. He continues by giving reasons why apologetics is important, such as: shaping culture, strengthening believers, and winning unbelievers. Craig closes by explaining how to get the most out of his book.

Chapter 2 is about "What difference does it make if God exists?" Starting with the absurdities of life without God, Craig discusses how there would be no ultimate meaning without God (illustrated by his excellent story of the astronaut marooned in outer space), no ultimate value, and no ultimate purpose. He moves on to talk about how people are living in denial, and then to the practical impossibility of atheism.

Chapter 3 discusses "Why does anything at all exist?" Craig begins with Leibniz's Argument in easy to memorize form. 1. Everything that exists has an explanation of its existence. 2. If the universe has an explanation of its existence, that explanation is God. 3. The universe exists. 4. The universe has an explanation of its existence. 5. Therefore, the explanation of the universe's existence is God.
The book goes on to raise objections to the premises, and also sufficiently addresses those objections.

Chapter 4 moves into "Why did the universe begin?" Here, Craig takes us to Al-Ghazali's Argument. 1. Whatever begins to exist has a cause. 2. The universe began to exist. 3. Therefore, the universe has a cause.
Craig then discusses premise 1, explaining that "something cannot come from nothing," and, "if something can come into being from nothing, then it becomes inexplicable why just anything or everything doesn't come into being from nothing." He ends the discussion of premise one by pointing out that "common experience and scientific evidence confirm the truth of premise 1."
WLC moves on to premise two by discussing actual infinites, Hilbert's Hotel, Big Bang, beginning of time, Oscillating Universes etc. (again, I will remind the reader, if you are not familiar with these subjects, he makes these points in understandable language).

Chapter 5 asks, "Why is the universe fine-tuned for life?" I find this chapter especially interesting, since it addresses the impossible odds of life existing in this universe, such as, if the nuclear weak force was altered by only one part out of 10 to the 100th, life would not exist. Craig then discusses arguments against fine-tuning, such as "if they were different, different life forms might have evolved," and, "what if there were different laws?"
Taking time to body slam Richard Dawkins' objection presented in his best seller, "The God Delusion," Craig tidily shows the errors of Dawkins' conclusion, "Therefore, God almost certainly does not exist," and then moves on to the next chapter.

Chapter 6, "Can we be good without God?" Craig gives the moral argument for God's existence, explains the distinction between values and duties, addresses Euthyphro's Dilemma, answers notions such as, "moral values simply exist," "Whatever contributes to human flourishing is good," "we evolved morals," and then gives a clear description of the Genetic Fallacy, followed by a nice example.

By now, hopefully you have a decent picture of what this book is like, so I shall forgo summarizing the rest of the chapters, choosing rather to merely list them.
Chapter 7, "What about suffering?"
Chapter 8, "Who was Jesus?"
Chapter 9, "Did Jesus rise from the dead?"
Chapter 10, "Is Jesus the only way to God?"

I'll close this review with a mention of two additional features I find appealing. One is the regular "Talk About It" boxes that are on many pages. These are great for reviewing with a class, or testing yourself to see what you remember. e.g. "How has this chapter shown that God: Is unembodied Mind? Transcends the universe? Created the universe?"
And, "Think of a movie you've seen recently. If you asked the main character, 'Why does your life matter?' what do you think he or she would say?"
The second feature is the wide margins on the side of the pages. There is plenty of room for taking notes.

Good luck and enjoy On Guard!

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Pflichtlektüre für jeden Christen
Reviewed in Germany on March 17, 2025
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In einer säkularen Welt, in der der christliche Glaube vielfach als «Gefühlsdusselei» oder als irrational abgetan wird, ist es sehr wertvoll, dass William Lane Craig Christen mit diesem Buch zeigt, dass man durchaus plausibel und rational den eigenen Glauben begründen kann. Das Buch dient nicht dazu, Nicht-Christen von der Existenz Gottes oder dem Evangelium zu überzeugen. Es dient dazu, Christen zu ermöglichen, auch in schwierigen Diskussionen Fürsprecher für den Christlichen Glauben zu sein und auf Augenhöhe auf die am weitesten verbreiteten Gegenargumente reagieren und sie widerlegen zu können. Wer Craig kennt, weiß, dass dies auf sachliche, rationale und respektvolle Art möglich ist. Das ist es, was den Wert diese Buches ausmacht.

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Natasha
Very useful!
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on July 9, 2021
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Fantastic book! I am in my final year of a theology degree and had a module on science and apologetics. This was very useful and easy to understand. It breaks down different theological arguments and brings in other theologians perspectives too. A great read...it also has some cartoons to make it even more enjoyable!

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Les Palmer
Master class material for the average person
Reviewed in Australia on June 6, 2015
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Arguments for Gods existence that I would consider hard to deny, A must read, A book for this generation. William Lane Graig is at the top of his game. Exposes the weak arguments of today's popular atheists .

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Zech 4_6
Defend your faith with logical apologetics
Reviewed in Canada on December 6, 2012
Verified Purchase
On Guard by William Lane Craig is a must-read for every Christian. Lane takes a systematic approach to equip the believer to defend belief in God by practical and logical points that are hard to reject. Most Christians when challenged, having run out of answers default to "you just have to have faith" - which is nice if you're a Christian, but with non-believers it doesn't hold any water.

The reader will learn to defend belief in God using logic, reason, philosophical and scientific information that makes a very strong case for the existence of God while at the same time, learning the logical rejections of each point given and taken back to the main point of the argument. This should be taught to every new and old believer...which will give strong confidence to share your faith.

Apologetics will never save anyone nor lead them to the sinner's prayer...that's not the point and Lane states it. What it does is open the door to contemplate that Christians are not irrational, going on blind faith, but with strong evidence that the existence of God is a very probable and viable alternative to what society has been led to believe.

Warning: This book is not meant to be "surface skimmed" = it must be read, then re-read to understand fully the concepts being presented...but it is so rewarding and worth all the time you can invest in reading and preparing yourself to "give an account for the hope that is in you."

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Norbert Hertach-Beck
Very good
Reviewed in France on September 29, 2016
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Excellent livre, très clair et relativement facile à suivre. Je ne peux que le recommander. Dommage qu'il n'existe pas en français.

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5.0 out of 5 stars A Wonderful Book

5.0 out of 5 stars A new standard for how an introduction to apologetics should be

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5.0 out of 5 stars Pflichtlektüre für jeden Christen

5.0 out of 5 stars Very useful!

5.0 out of 5 stars Master class material for the average person

5.0 out of 5 stars Defend your faith with logical apologetics

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A Wonderful Book

A new standard for how an introduction to apologetics should be

Pflichtlektüre für jeden Christen

Very useful!

Master class material for the average person

Defend your faith with logical apologetics

Very good