“True for You, But Not for Me” 2.0: The Newly-Released Revised, Expanded Edition

My very first book “True for You, But Not for Me”—the one with the purple cover—came out in 1998. The reason I wrote the book was that no one was really offering an accessible, practical step-by-step guide to commonly-heard relativistic and pluralistic slogans. Thankfully, the book found its niche and has done very well, and it is used as a textbook in Christian colleges and universities as well as a book study for many small-group discussions and adult Sunday school classes. Moreover, I have been heartened and encouraged by many letters and people, informing me how instrumental the book has been in their own lives.

Ten years later, I started working on a second edition (the one with the white cover), not realizing how much effort would be required to pull this off. “True” 2.0 has been significantly expanded (half a dozen or so new chapters) and completely overhauled; I left very few sentences unrevised. The result is, in my estimation, a much stronger, updated book that more effectively cuts through today’s thickening relativistic and pluralistic haze, offering a defense of objective truth and morality as well as of the uniqueness of Christ in the face of the world’s religions. I have posted an study guide online for small-group discussion at my website, www.paulcopan.com.

I hope you’ll help spread the word and put in a good word for the book in places like Amazon.com. To make the job easier, I’ve included the new table of contents as well as endorsements from Lee Strobel, J.P. Moreland, William Lane Craig, Josh McDowell, Gary Habermas, Mark Mittelberg, and Kenneth Samples. Thanks to many of you for contributing to the success of the first edition. May God’s Spirit use the second edition as well for the advancement of His kingdom!

Table of Contents:

Introduction

PART I: Absolutely Relative
1. “That’s True for You, But Not for Me.”
2. “So Many People Disagree—Relativism Must Be True.”
3. “You’re Just Using Western Logic.”
4. “Who Are You to Judge Others?”
5. “Christians Are Intolerant of Other Viewpoints!”
6. “What Right Do You Have to Convert Others to Your Views?”
7. “It’s All Just a Matter of Perspective.”
8. “Perception Is Reality.”
9. “That’s Just Your Opinion!”
10. “You Can Choose Whichever Religion You Want.”

PART II: The Absolutism of Moral Relativism
11. “Why Believe in Any Moral Values When They’re So Wildly Different?
12. “Your Values Are Right for You, But Not for Me.”
13. “Who Are You To Impose Your Morality on Others?”
14. “You Can’t Legislate Morality.”
15. “It’s Arrogant To Say Your Values Are Better than Others’.”
16. “Biological Evolution Explains Morality.”
17. “We Can Be Good Without God”: Part I
18. “We Can Be Good Without God”: Part II

PART III: The Exclusivism of Religious Pluralism
19. “All Religions Are Basically the Same.”
20. “All Roads Lead to the Top of the Mountain.”
21. “Christianity Is Arrogant and Imperialistic.”
22. “If You Grew Up in Thailand, You’d Be a Buddhist.”
23. “Mahatma Gandhi Was a Saint If Ever There Was One.”

PART IV: The Uniqueness of Jesus Christ: Myth or Reality?
24. “You Can’t Trust the Gospels. They’re Unreliable.”
25. “Jesus’ Followers Fabricated the Stories and Sayings of Jesus.”
26. “Jesus Is Just Like Any Other Great Religious Leader.”
27. “But Jesus Never Said, ‘I Am God.’”
28. “People Claim JFK and Elvis Are Alive, Too!”

PART V: “No Other Name”: The Question of the Unevangelized
29. “It Doesn’t Matter What You Believe—as Long as You’re Sincere.”
30. “If Jesus Is the Only Way to God, What About Those Who Have Never Heard of Him?”
Response #1: The Agnostic View
31. “If Jesus Is the Only Way …”
Response #2: The Inclusivist or Wider-Hope View
32. “If Jesus Is the Only Way …”
A Response to the Inclusivist/Wider-Hope View
33. “If Jesus Is the Only Way …“
Response #3: The Accessibilist or Middle-Knowledge Perspective

Endorsements for the Second Edition of “True for You, But Not for Me”

“Here are incisive and insightful responses to many of the most common misconceptions about Christianity and faith. I’m thankful for Paul Copan’s uncanny ability to see through popular opinion and focus on answers that make sense.”

Lee Strobel, author, The Case for Christ and The Case for the Real Jesus

“When I first got a copy of the first edition of ‘True for You, But Not for Me,’ I could not put it down. It was a thorough treatment of moral relativism and religious pluralism, and a great read at that. But this revised version is even better! It is significantly revised, expanded and updated. Given the relativism ubiquitous in our culture, this book should be required reading in Christian high schools and colleges. And laypeople and parachurch ministries will profit greatly from its content.”

JP Moreland, Distinguished Professor of Philosophy, Talbot School of Theology, and author of The God Question

“In this engagingly written but intellectually rigorous book, philosopher Paul Copan tackles the challenges posed to Christian belief by the relativism and pluralism which are so widespread in American culture as to be almost assumed. Such assumptions often come to expression in mindlessly repeated one-liners. Copan’s careful exploration of the rational foundations of such slogans will be of great practical help to anyone who finds himself confronted with these challenges to the Christian faith.”

William Lane Craig, Research Professor of Philosophy, Talbot School of Theology, and author of Reasonable Faith

“Paul Copan’s ‘True for You but Not for Me’ is a must-read book for every believer. This fully updated and revised book is one of the best cultural apologetics books written in recent years. Copan equips Christians to know how to stand firm in the faith when non-believers throw out slogans like ‘Who are you to judge others?’ and ‘That’s just your opinion.’ If you want to have a strong foundation of knowing how to take a stand for truth, read this book!”

Josh McDowell, author of More than a Carpenter

“Do you desire to be on the cutting edge of today’s culture wars? In True for You, But Not for Me, philosopher Paul Copan treats us to a new edition of a much-needed text that addresses succinctly those bewitching topics that seem to most concern this present generation. Tackling relativism in its best-known forms, such as moral permissiveness and religious pluralism, Copan repeatedly points out many clearly-recognizable false assumptions. Along the way he deals with numerous hot-button topics such as applying logic to life, intolerance, dogmatism, evangelism, arrogance, and the equality of all religions. Addressing more than two dozen popular slogans from current jargon, this handbook also provides helpful bullet points designed to summarize the most crucial discussions. This delightful volume moves quickly and is crucial reading for those who wish to address the most popular beliefs of an entire generation.”

Gary R. Habermas, Distinguished Research Professor, Liberty University & Theological Seminary

“Pilate once asked Jesus, ‘What is truth?’ … and here we are two thousand years later, educated, informed — and thoroughly confused about the very same question! In this book Paul Copan brings clear thinking to this critically important subject, and illustrates it in ways that any thoughtful reader can understand and embrace. So read this book; it’s true for everybody!”

Mark Mittelberg, author of Choosing Your Faith … In a World of Spiritual Options, and co-author (with Lee Strobel) of The Unexpected Adventure

“‘True for You, But Not for Me’ is an outstanding book that every thinking Christian needs to read and carefully study. Copan’s reasoning is informed by Scripture and his arguments are consistently clear, concise, cogent, and compelling. Yet his style of communicating evinces a winsome and gracious attitude toward those who have questions and objections regarding historic Christianity. This book will ably equip its reader to engage in effective apologetic evangelism to a culture saturated in relativistic and pluralistic thinking. Paul Copan is my kind of Christian thinker.”

Kenneth Samples, Reasons To Believe, author of A World of Difference