In Defense of Miracles: A Comprehensive Case for God's Action in History

By: Geivett, R. Douglas

Book Overview

Rumors of deception have surrounded claims of Jesus' resurrection ever since the soldiers appointed to guard his tomb made their report to the Jewish authorities. But no one has led the philosophic charge against miracles quite as influentially as David Hume with his 1748 essay "Of Miracles." Refined, revised, restated, his arguments still affect philosophic discussions of miracles today.

During the twentieth century, strong arguments have been raised by Antony Flew, professor emeritus at Keele University in England. Flew has contributed a fresh statement of his objections to the idea of God's acting in history just for this volume, which also includes Hume's classic critique as a part of the case against miracles.

In response, Douglas Geivett and Gary Habermas have assembled a distinguished team of scholars to rebut the objections and set forth the positive case for God's action in history:

Richard Purtill clarifies the word miracle, while Norman Geisler critiques Hume's case against miracles. Francis Beckwith and Winfried Corduan assess how we would recognize miracles in the past and in the present. Ronald Nash examines naturalism's exclusion of miracles and shows its self-referential incoherence. J. P. Moreland discusses whether science properly rules out the possibility of miracles. God's existence and action in history are probed by David Beck and Stephen Davis, while Douglas Geivett argues that within a theistic framework it is reasonable to expect miracles as confirmation of claims to special revelation. David Clark examines miracles within the context of various world religions. Robert Newman, John Feinberg, William Lane Craig and Gary Habermas conclude by investigating fulfilled prophecy, the virgin birth and incarnation of Jesus, the empty tomb, and the resurrection appearances.

In Defense of Miracles is a comprehensive, up-to-date discussion that should not be overlooked by anyone concerned with the current debate over miracles.

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0830815287
• ISBN13: 9780830815289
• Release Date: August 1970
• Publisher: InterVarsity Press
• Length: 330 Pages
• Weight: 0.93 lbs.
• Dimensions: 1.0" x 5.5" x 8.3"

Customer Reviews

Review for In Defense of Miracles

Hard to go wrong in a book with contributions by the ones in this book. There are a couple of contributions by skeptics (Hume and Flew). However, the majority of the contributors are theistic. An outstanding book if you want a single volume on the subject, or for the skeptic who wants an introductory explanation of what Christian philosophers believe.

Historic Methodology

Dr. Gary Habermas received his PhD from the University of Michigan with a speciality in the philosophy of history. Dr. Habermas is very devoted to historical methodology. He has shown this in class (being a student in his philosophy seminar entitled 'The Philosophy of History and the Historical Jesus'). In class Dr. Habermas spent several weeks on historical methodology, and his book on the historical evidence for Christ has an entire appendix on historical methodology.

Extremely Thorough From the Best Scholars Available

In one word this book is - AWESOME! Every chapter is thorough, concise, and scholarly. Geivett and Habermas have collected some of the best available scholars around today to present an iron clad case for the actions of God in human history. The book begins with David Hume's work on miracles along with a response from Antony Flew (the eminent Humean scholar). Then, a barrage of wonderful Christian philosophers and theologians tackle the issue of miracles in each chapter. Some of the chapter titles include - Defining Miracles (Richard Purtill), Miracles and the Modern Mind (Norman L. Geisler), History and Miracles (Francis J. Beckwith, Recognizing a Miracle (Winfried Corduan), Science, Miracles, Agency, Theory & the God-of-the-Gaps (J.P. Moreland), The Evidential Value of Miracles (Douglas Geivett), Miracles in the World Religions (David K. Clark), The Incarnation of Jesus Christ (John S. Feinberg), The Empty Tomb of Jesus (William Lane Craig), The Resurrection Appearances of Jesus (Gary R. Habermas), and more. As you can see, simply by the chapters I listed, the book is packed full of great evidence, arguments, and even scientific review of the topic at hand. This book was a text book of mine (among others) in a philosophy class that dealt with the philosophy of David Hume at Southern Evangelical Seminary. I cannot recommend this book enough, you will not be disappointed.

A Clear and Compelling Argument!

The co-editors of "In Defense of Miracles" have brought together a team of relevant scholars to argue for the actuality of miracles and the historicity of God's work in the world as reported in the Bible. Not only do the authors set forth their case, but have also allowed for two well known critics of miracles, David Hume, and Anthony Flew, to state their case. This book will engage the reader in a critical review of the facts and assist one in having greater epistemic justification for their beliefs concerning miracles and their relevance in this world.