Boyd’s Handbook
of Practical Apologetics: Scientific Facts, Fulfilled Prophecies, and
Archaeological Discoveries That Confirm the Bible. By Robert T. Boyd.
None of us comes to believe the Bible by learning everything there is to know and then seeing if the Bible fits the data. Inability, lack of time, and our fallen sinful natures make that impossible.
Nevertheless, information gathered about the natural world that appears to be true and which coincides with the revelation in Scripture can encourage believers and can influence unbelievers to consider the claims of the Bible.
In Handbook
Robert Boyd offers empirical evidence from three disciplines—science, fulfilled prophecies, and archaeology—to support the
believability of the Bible.
A pure presuppositionalist might think this is a waste of
time. But many can testify to coming to faith in Scripture as God’s Word with
the help of such an approach. Care must be taken, of course, not to subject the
Bible to the latest scientific theories as though such theories are the final
arbiters of truth.
Although Dr. Boyd might be somewhat guilty of elevating
science in this way, it’s obviously done with a respect for Scripture and a
desire to see others believe the Bible, too. In fact, on p. 51 he appears to
guard against this with the statements, “Science has proved that the Bible is
correct. Or better yet, the Bible has proved science correct.” Furthermore he
doesn’t hesitate to differ with popular “scientific” theories when they
don’t square with Scripture.
The section on science takes up nearly one-third of the
book and is perhaps the part to be most criticized, mainly for lack of
documentation, unsupported casual statements, and typos.
For example, oceanographer Matthew F. Maury is called
“M. F. Murray” (p. 61).
And the statement, “A kind is a species and may be
described as those which crossbreed with fertility,” is found on p. 84. I
think it would be difficult to find an informed, modern day creation scientist
who would equate the biblical kind with the modern concept of species. In fact, baramin
(from the Hebrew for create and kind) is a term gaining acceptance among
creationists to refer to the created kinds of Genesis; a term that distinguishes
those that reproduce “after their kind” from other modern labels. (The
interested reader might like to visit the Creation Research Society’s website
at www.creationresearch.org for more on this and other creation topics.)
Awkward statements detract from the readability of this
section. Also, the lack of documentation and footnotes often leaves the reader
on his own for source information.
In spite of these shortcomings the author does present
much useful information from the sciences upholding the reliability of
Scripture. This reviewer appreciates that Dr. Boyd takes a YEC (Young Earth
Creationist) position (pp. 69-72). This, of course, rules out both theistic and
atheistic evolution (p. 32).
The section on fulfilled prophecy, at only 33 pages, is
the shortest of the book’s three divisions, but is loaded with references to
biblical prophecies and explanations of their fulfillment. There are a couple of
useful lists. One, “Landmarks of 4,000 Years of Jewish History” (pp.
113-14), is a snapshot of pertinent dates in
The farther along one goes in this book the better the
writing style becomes. The section “Archaeology and the Bible” is laid out
well, being divided into chapters which include “Tidbits” from the Old and
New Testaments, “Basic Archaeological Information” and a short section on
“The Intertestamental Period.” It also has 90 of the book’s 97 illus-trations.
These black and white pictures include tablets of ancient writings, carvings,
ruins, and various artifacts.
Did you know: That the plagues brought on
Whether the author is detailing Christian life in the
catacombs (p. 211), revealing gruesome facts about the heinous Roman emperor
Nero (p. 209), or passionately telling of Paul’s trial and execution (p. 214),
he seems to have a special feel for this area of apologetics. The reader is
informed academically and sometimes “brought to the scene.”
Other helpful tools at the end of the book include an
appendix with definitions, a chart of recent archaeological discoveries, a
bibliography, and an index.
We need to be aware that there have been in the past, and
there are presently, many creationists and defenders of the Bible as God’s
Word who don’t hold to the Free Grace Gospel for eternal salvation. Seventh
Day Adventists, Churches of Christ, various other Arminians, and Lordship
Salvation advocates come to mind.
The author doesn’t deal directly with the Free Grace
Gospel issue. And the statements he makes regarding salvation aren’t
conclusive on where he stands. For example, on p. 129 in a section concerning a
current state of affairs, he says, “Truths are flatly denied, error has been
substituted in its place, and works are now predominant over faith in Jesus
Christ for salvation.” On p. 193 under The Crucifixion of Christ we read,
“In the darkness of sorrow and sin and death, the Christ of the cross will
illuminate a repentant heart and give eternal life.”
Dr. Boyd’s academic credentials include degrees or
“further study” from Washington Bible College (B.A.), Antietam Biblical
Seminary (M.Div and D.Min),
Handbook is a useful and engaging reference work and can serve as a springboard for further study. However, the reader needs to be aware that the section on science, at least, needs to be cleaned up. Parts of it are written without the tightness and accuracy necessary to defend against a determined skeptic.\
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