Paul Gould provides a thorough analysis of cultural apologetics which engages believers in the process of answering the pressing questions of modern culture. He effortlessly challenges the status quo of traditional apologetics without abandoning the historical truths that have been accepted by the Christian church for generations. Gould is a respected philosophical thinker whose voice is refreshing and invigorating. He teaches philosophy and apologetics at Oklahoma Baptist University, and he previously worked with Campus Crusade for Christ, making the book both academically and experientially based.

The thesis of this book can be summed up in the definition that Gould provides for cultural apologetics, as “the work of establishing the Christian voice, conscience, and imagination within a culture so that Christianity is seen as true and satisfying” (21). Building on this definition Gould argues that cultural apologetics has a “global and local component” (24). As he furthers his argument, the Apostle Paul’s defense of Christianity at Mars Hill takes center stage. Identifying Paul’s use of language, poetry, and philosophers as bridge-building, Gould asserts that Christians must do the same with Western Culture. He presents the traditional philosophical ideas of reason, conscience, and imagination as starting points of cultural engagement with three barriers to missionary encounter. The barriers of longing for truth, longing for goodness, and longing for beauty are used to build his idea of a “model of cultural engagement” by challenging a secular view of transcendence (32).

Gould explicates the philosophical approaches to traditional apologetics which he classifies as “rational, imaginative, or moral” (22). Positioning cultural apologetics neatly against them he states that, “cultural apologetics acknowledges all of these approaches and integrates them into a vision of what it means to be an embodied human that shapes and is shaped by culture” (22). While establishing a case for cultural apologetics “the main point of contrast between the traditional apologist and the cultural apologist has to do with the kinds of evidence utilized in making a case for Christianity” (20). The traditional apologist will use evidence such as academic sources and history, while the cultural apologist will utilizes  sources such as art, music, and politics.

As the work unfolds imagination becomes a central component of how cultural apologetics combats the questions of Western modern thought. Gould says, “The imagination is the organ of creativity” (109). His approach to consumerism, disenchantment, reenchantment, and reason are refreshing and insightful as he builds on the traditional approach of Christian apologetics. The book is very philosophical in nature quoting philosophers such as Peter Kreeft, Aristotle, and William Barrett, as well as, theologians such as Thomas Aquinas, Saint Augustine, and C. S. Lewis.

Concluding his argument, the idea of home-away-home-again is presented. Gould desires to present a model where we “might join the Holy Spirit helping others see Jesus and the gospel as reasonable and desirable” (210).  All people, both Christians and nonbelievers, travel searching for answers to their longings and desires; all are launched from home, get lost on the journey, and hopefully make it back home by finding a bridge to Jesus. Gould states, “We will never cease exploring and discovering wonderful and beautiful truths about Jesus and the gospel story, but when the journey to God is over, the Journey with God begins” (213).

This is an excellent book that I would recommend to pastors, seminary students and to anyone who enjoys reading culturally relevant theological thought. The book is well written with an exceptionally developed argument. The strengths of the book are its impressive list of references, the explication of Paul’s encounter on Mars Hill, and its readily grasped application. At the same time, the approach and depth of this book is challenging for those who are not students of philosophy or apologetics. While the author intends to provide the necessary background for those who are unfamiliar with the topic, the detailed research and conceptual depth are a bit overwhelming at times. Overall however, this is an exceptionally written book that I would highly recommend for those seeking to learn more about apologetics and helping to transform our culture.