Michael Martin, Professor of Philosophy at Boston University, is the author of The Legal Philosophy of H.L.A. Hart and Atheism: A Philosophical Justification (both from Temple).

Preface Introduction 1. The Basis of Christian Belief Christian Belief and Epistemic Reasons * Christian Belief and Beneficial Reasons * Christian Doctrines and Faith * Christian Doctrines as Basic Beliefs * Conclusion 2. The Historicity of Jesus The Problem * Skepticism and the Historical Jesus * Wells's Argument in Brief * The Argument Expanded and Defended * Criticisms of the Wellsian Thesis * Conclusion 3. The Resurrection Initial Obstacles to Belief in the Resurrection * The Evidence for the Resurrection * The Purposes of the Gospel Writers * The Inconsistency of the Resurrection Story * The Lack of Eyewitnesses * The Reliability of the Eyewitnesses, the Reporters, and the Scribes * Lack of Independent Confirmation * Habermas's Defense of the Resurrection * Conclusion 4. The Virgin Birth and the Second Coming The Virgin Birth * The Story * The Evidence * The Coherence of the Virgin Birth with Jesus' Genealogy * Belief in the Virgin Birth and Improbabilities * The Relevance of Virgin Birth to the Truth of Theism and the Incarnation * The Second Coming * The Evidence: What Did Jesus Teach? * The Evidence: Was Jesus Correct and What Difference Would it Make? * The Second Coming and Faith * Conclusion 5. The Incarnation The Conceptual Problems of the Incarnation * Four Conceptual Problems * Morris's Solution * Evaluation of Morris's Solution * Conclusion on Conceptual Problems * The Truth of the Incarnation * Morris's Defense * The Evidence Needed * Conclusion on the Truth of the Incarnation 6. Christian Ethics What Ethical Principle Did Jesus Teach? * The Ethical Teaching of the Synoptic Gospels * The Moral Practices of Jesus * What Jesus' Practices and Teachings Neglect * Evaluation of Jesus' Ethics * The Love of God and Faith in Jesus Commandments * The Purity of Heart and Language Commandment * The Commandment of Humility * The Love Your Neighbor Commandment * Conclusion 7. Salvation by Faith Biblical Doctrines of Salvation * Evaluation of the Doctrine * The Dependency on Other Christian Doctrines * The Incompatibility with Belief in an All-Good God * Conclusion 8. Christian Responses Nonliteralism * The Symbolic Meaning and the Virgin Birth * Demythologizing and Eschatology * Noncognitivism and Agape * Other Possible Responses * Rationalism * Historical Subjectivism * Extreme Fideism or Irrationalism * Moderate Fideism * Christian Foundationalism * Liberal Reductionism * Conclusion Appendix A: The Divine Command Theory Varieties of the Radical Divine Command Theory * Evaluation of the Radical Divine Command Theory * The Semantics Problem * Moral Problems * The Epistemological Problem * The Conceptual Problem * A Modified Divine Command Theory * Conclusion Appendix B: The Atonement Major Theories of the Atonement * The Ransom Theory * The Satisfaction Theory * The Acceptance Theory * The Penal Theory * The Government Theory * The Moral Theory * The Christus Victor Theory * The Mystic Theory * Conclusion Biblical Index General Index