Amazon Prime Free Trial
FREE Delivery is available to Prime members. To join, select "Try Amazon Prime and start saving today with FREE Delivery" below the Add to Cart button and confirm your Prime free trial.
Amazon Prime members enjoy:- Cardmembers earn 5% Back at Amazon.com with a Prime Credit Card.
- Unlimited FREE Prime delivery
- Streaming of thousands of movies and TV shows with limited ads on Prime Video.
- A Kindle book to borrow for free each month - with no due dates
- Listen to over 2 million songs and hundreds of playlists
Important: Your credit card will NOT be charged when you start your free trial or if you cancel during the trial period. If you're happy with Amazon Prime, do nothing. At the end of the free trial, your membership will automatically upgrade to a monthly membership.
-32% $12.99$12.99
Ships from: Amazon.com Sold by: Amazon.com
$9.99$9.99
Ships from: Amazon Sold by: Jenson Books Inc
Download the free Kindle app and start reading Kindle books instantly on your smartphone, tablet, or computer - no Kindle device required.
Read instantly on your browser with Kindle for Web.
Using your mobile phone camera - scan the code below and download the Kindle app.
Image Unavailable
Color:
-
-
-
- To view this video download Flash Player
Follow the author
OK
On Guard: Defending Your Faith with Reason and Precision Paperback – March 1, 2010
Purchase options and add-ons
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.
- Print length288 pages
- LanguageEnglish
- PublisherDavid C Cook
- Publication dateMarch 1, 2010
- Dimensions6.75 x 0.75 x 8.75 inches
- ISBN-101434764885
- ISBN-13978-1434764881
Book recommendations, author interviews, editors' picks, and more. Read it now.
Frequently bought together
More items to explore
From the Publisher
Editorial Reviews
Review
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)"
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)"
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)"
Review
From the Back Cover
Have you tried to learn how to defend your faith but gotten lost in confusing language and theology?
Do you struggle with times of spiritual doubt yourself?
This concise training manual by renowned scholar William Lane Craig is filled with illustrations, sidebars, and memorizable steps to help you stand your ground and defend your faith with reason and precision. In his engaging style, Dr. Craig offers four arguments for God’s existence, defends the historicity of Jesus’ personal claims and resurrection, addresses the problem of suffering, and shows why religious relativism doesn’t work. Along the way, he shares his own story of following God’s call.
This one-stop, how-to-defend-your-faith manual will equip you to advance faith conversations deliberately, applying straightforward, cool-headed arguments. You will discover not just what you believe, but why you believe—and how being on guard with the truth has the power to change lives forever.
About the Author
Product details
- Publisher : David C Cook; New edition (March 1, 2010)
- Language : English
- Paperback : 288 pages
- ISBN-10 : 1434764885
- ISBN-13 : 978-1434764881
- Item Weight : 1 pounds
- Dimensions : 6.75 x 0.75 x 8.75 inches
- Best Sellers Rank: #18,959 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
- #34 in Evangelism
- #89 in Christian Apologetics (Books)
- #715 in Christian Spiritual Growth (Books)
- Customer Reviews:
About the author
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
Customer reviews
Customer Reviews, including Product Star Ratings help customers to learn more about the product and decide whether it is the right product for them.
To calculate the overall star rating and percentage breakdown by star, we don’t use a simple average. Instead, our system considers things like how recent a review is and if the reviewer bought the item on Amazon. It also analyzed reviews to verify trustworthiness.
Learn more how customers reviews work on AmazonCustomers say
Customers find the book insightful and useful for both believers and skeptics. They describe it as an engaging read that is well worth their time. The book provides a clear, simple understanding of most of the necessary arguments. Many readers find it excellent for beginners looking to get into Christian philosophy. It presents a solid and strong foundation for what they believe. The argument maps are a terrific pedagogical device that make it very easy to commit to memory an argument. Overall, customers find the book provides more depth than expected, with a sound understanding of the most accepted views.
AI-generated from the text of customer reviews
Customers find the book useful for believers and skeptics alike. It provides a better understanding of Christianity through philosophy and theology. Readers say it strengthens their faith and equips them for evangelism. They consider the author one of the best Christian apologists and say the book helps Christians fulfill 1 Peter 3:15.
"...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
"If you’re looking to get a better academic understanding of Christianity whether it’s to gain confidence of your faith, help teach Sunday school with..." 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
Customers find the book easy to read and engaging. They say it's a good primer for high school and beginning college students, covering many important topics. Readers also mention it's accessible to the common reader with great illustrations.
"...help teach Sunday school with, or go deeper into apologetics, this book is incredible!..." 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
"...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 definitely worth buying. If you are a Christian then you do not want to miss out on this one!" Read more
Customers find the book easy to understand. It provides a clear, simple understanding of most of the necessary topics. They appreciate its concise design as a training manual for different arguments. The book teaches the necessary fundamentals of logic which will come in handy. Readers find the thoughts clear and insightful, with a straightforward style of writing that makes it easy to read and use without external evidence.
"...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
"...field of modern apologetics and this book provides a deep yet simple understanding of most of the necessary arguments in favor of Christianity...." Read more
"...job bringing powerful arguments for God's existence, down to a laymen's understanding. This stregenthed and gave confidence to my Christian faith...." Read more
Customers find the book helpful for beginners looking to get into Christian philosophy. They say it's a great resource for learning about evidence for a creator God and the arguments of Dr. Craig. The book starts with a basic course on philosophy and is suitable for high school and beginning-level college students.
"...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
"...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
"...It is excellent for beginners looking to get into Christian philosophy...." Read more
"...The book is mind-twisting in a good way...." Read more
Customers appreciate the book's strength. They find it logical and helpful for strengthening their beliefs. The book provides a solid foundation for what they believe in. Readers appreciate the quality of the product and how well it handles challenging ideas.
"...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
"Solid logic." 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
Customers appreciate the book's depth. They find the argument maps helpful for memorizing arguments. The book challenges their minds and spirits in an engaging manner. It provides a perspective on some of the biggest ideas conceivable, with evidence in support of a loving and creative God.
"...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
Customers have mixed reviews about the book's citation quality. Some find the historical examples and personal anecdotes interesting, while others feel the book lacks sufficient citations and background information for the factual information. The author's stories and scientific theories are explained succinctly. However, some readers feel the book provides little insight into the truthfulness of the resurrection and is not comprehensive.
"...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
Reviews with images
Interesting book - lousy paperback material !
Top reviews from the United States
There was a problem filtering reviews right now. Please try again later.
- Reviewed in the United States on November 20, 2011I 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.
- Reviewed in the United States on March 3, 2010If 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!
- Reviewed in the United States on June 21, 2024If you’re looking to get a better academic understanding of Christianity whether it’s to gain confidence of your faith, help teach Sunday school with, or go deeper into apologetics, this book is incredible! William Lane Craig has done so much in developing the field of modern apologetics and this book provides a deep yet simple understanding of most of the necessary arguments in favor of Christianity. 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 about your sound convictions in Christ! May the Holy Spirit guide you all.
Top reviews from other countries
-
Cliente KindleReviewed in Brazil on September 10, 2020
5.0 out of 5 stars Um dos melhores livros que já li
Graig apresentou uma ótima defesa dos argumentos da existência de Deus, que ultimamente tem sido deixados de lado. O argumento Kalam permaneceu firme, mesmo após eu ler uma tentativa de resposta a ele, mas no meu entender o opositor não foi bem sucessido
- NatashaReviewed in the United Kingdom on July 9, 2021
5.0 out of 5 stars Very useful!
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!
- Pellar taipodiaReviewed in India on August 27, 2020
5.0 out of 5 stars Amazing book
This book is for everyone who truly seeks the truth
-
Aldo LopezReviewed in Mexico on September 17, 2018
5.0 out of 5 stars Básico para la biblioteca de un apologético
Desde siempre he sido alguien que tiene como pasión (y ministerio) la apologética. Tengo en mi biblioteca varios libros sobre este tema y de varios autores. Sin embargo, si tuviera que elegir uno que fuera fácil de leer, fácil de entender y que ofreciera herramientas útiles para presentar una defensa de la fe les recomiendo ampliamente este libro. Es útil, efectivo y una vez que haces de los argumentos tuyos, se vuelve en LA herramienta principal de uso y problablemente la piedra angular de tu defensa. Por supuesto que lo recomiendo al libro y al autor!.
-
Sebastian HerrmannReviewed in Germany on May 21, 2020
5.0 out of 5 stars Eines der besten apologetischen Bücher
Ich habe zuvor schon viele apologetische Bücher gelesen und viele Vorträge gehört, deshalb dachte ich, dass ich aus dem Buch von Craig nicht viel neues lernen werde. Aber ich habe komplett getäuscht.
On Guard ist echt genial, es bringt gute Argumente in einer logisch nachvollziehbaren Art und Weise und diskutiert ebenfalls die Einwände und Gegenargumente. Fachbegriffe aus der Philosophie werden dem Leser erklärt.
Aber nicht nur die Argumente von Craig sind sehr gut dar gelegt, er geht auch auf die Frage ein, ob es einen Unterschied macht, ob Gott existiert oder nicht. Außerdem betrachtet er die Theodizee-Frage im Licht der Philosophie, was ich bisher in keinem anderen Buch lesen konnte.
Ich kann jedem, der sich für Apologetik interessiert, dieses Buch nur empfehlen.