The Ultimate Apologetic?

There have been three major experiences in my life that have lead me to suspect that literature may be the ultimate apologetic tool.

First, shortly after finishing my masters in philosophy I had a fairly intensive literature period in my life that roughly coincided with teaching high school English. This lead me to the conclusion that philosophy could be joined with literature to enflesh its plausibility in a way that was supra-rational. Secondly, through spiritual direction I saw how significant my own affections were in being the genesis of intellectual commitments. (This is what I believe Paul is getting at in Romans 1 regarding unbelieving man 'knowing God exists" yet not wanting to know.) Thirdly, as a result of the past 10 years of teaching through the Bible I've become deeply impressed with the irreducible narrative quality of scripture. This has lead me to believe that God knows story is crucial in the way we script our lives.

If you put all three of these together they all point towards literature as being a formidable resource for explicating the coherence of the Christian faith. (And you thought C.S. Lewis figured that out first.)

Well, for all of you literature types, Alister McGrath, professor of historical theology at Oxford University, has released free audio lectures from Wycliffe Hall's summer school program entitled "Apologetics Through Literature." These fascinating lectures begin by briefly defining Christian apologetics and then proceed to pithy presentations on using various genres of literature apologetically. McGrath's explores the question, "In what ways can Christians use literature to explain and defend the Gospel?"

To download your own free set of lectures go here.