How To Do Apologetics: Making the Case for Our Faith by Patrick Madrid

How To Do Apologetics: Making the Case for Our Faith by Patrick Madrid

Before I begin the review of this book, I just want to thank our veterans who fought in both World Wars. There are no veterans alive from the First World War but some Second World War veterans are still alive. I can only imagine the bravery it took for American, British, and Canadian soldiers to storm the beaches of Normandy in June 1944. I also believe that if they could have seen what our nations have become, they would not have ran 20 yards up those beaches. Something tells me that when they went into battle, they weren’t fighting for sodomy, pride parades, homosexual “marriage”, transgenderism, bathroom bills, abortion on demand, rampant pornography or any of the other abominations that have infected our civilization in recent years.

Patrick Madrid has given the Church a great gift with his book How To Do Apologetics: Making the Case for Our Faith. It is a decent introduction to apologetics for those that have not yet been exposed. It’s great for a student who is busy with school, a parent who is busy with work, or just your average churchgoer who hasn’t given this topic any time or thought.

We live in a day where ignorance of apologetics is no longer optional. Patrick Madrid takes us through several debating tactics and scenarios that he’s been in. He also deals with tactics to use against certain groups such as Mormons, JW’s or atheists. After all, different people believe different things and the same tactics won’t work for every group.

He also writes quite a bit on logic, which is something that almost no one learns in school these days. We need logical reasoning if we are going to prove a point. He goes step by step through basic logical argumentation.

Also at the back of the book he has an extensive list of recommended reading material in case you want to build on what he has written in the book. He has a list for each possible group that you might encounter in day to day life. He also has a list for certain theological topics such as the Eucharist, the Communion of Saints, the Papacy, Mary, and other issues. After that, he has a glossary of apologetics terms. Again, this book is wonderful for beginners.

The book has downsides as well. Madrid seems to undervalue the effect of presuppositional apologetics and heavily favor evidentialist apologetics. As someone who uses presuppositional apologetics I can testify that it is a very useful methodology. Some of his arguments against other groups are weak in my opinion. I personally think that he should have spent more time going over scenarios that he’s been through. We learn by example and I’m sure Patrick Madrid has many more examples of conversations that can be learnt from.

I should also point out that this book doesn’t deal in any depth with Islam. These days, when writing an introductory book on apologetics, Islam must be included. I would even go as far to say that Islam needs to have a larger section than that dealing with Mormonism since Islam has become more influential in traditionally Christian countries.

Regardless of these shortcomings, it’s a good place to start. As one progresses on their apologetics journey something we all learn is that we have to use what works and discard what doesn’t. We only find out what doesn’t work when we put our apologetics to use. This book is where you need to start if you haven’t studied apologetics before. Also, if you have studied apologetics before but you’re still a beginner, the book will be helpful.  It’s certainly worth a read.