For Christians, apologetics, or giving a reasoned explanation or defense of the faith, is a necessity and duty. Yet the cultural moment in which we find ourselves today demands, possibly more than any other time in history, a New Apologetics-a potent and spirited renewal of apologetics that reaches new audiences, takes new approaches, looks to new models, and tackles new issues. This groundbreaking collection is a bold first step toward making this renewal a reality. Featuring over forty essays from many of today's leading Catholic apologists, theologians, and philosophers, The New Apologetics charts a new course for the future of apologetics: a smart, joyful, and beautiful defense of the faith, one that appeals to both the head and the heart. Though it contains many arguments within its pages, it offers something more fundamental: a prelude to systematic argumentation. Arguments are no good if they are not heard, and The New Apologetics is a kind of intellectual and tactical map for the apologist who wants to be heard in today's world. During his apostolic journey to the United States in 2008, Pope Benedict XVI insisted that "the Church needs to promote at every level of her teaching-in catechesis, preaching, and seminary and university instruction-an-apologetics aimed at affirming the truth of Christian revelation, the harmony of faith and reason, and a sound understanding of freedom." There is an urgent need for the whole Church to respond to this papal summons-and The New Apologetics is just the place to start. Book jacket.