Apologetics Resources

The books in each section are not alphabetical. Instead, they are offered in order of difficulty. Therefore, for new readers, begin at the top of the list and work down:

General Apologetics Books

McCallum, Dennis. Discovering God: Exploring the Possibilities of Faith. Columbus, OH. New Paradigm Publishing. 2011.

Rochford, James. Evidence Unseen: Exposing the Myth of Blind Faith. Columbus, OH. New Paradigm Publishing. 2013.

Geisler, Norman L., and Frank Turek. I Don’t Have Enough Faith to Be an Atheist. Wheaton, IL: Crossway, 2004.

Keller, Timothy J. The Reason for God: Belief in an Age of Skepticism. New York: Dutton, 2008.

Craig, William Lane. On Guard: Defending Your Faith with Reason and Precision. Colorado Springs, CO: David C. Cook, 2010.

Copan, Paul. That’s Just Your Interpretation: Responding to Skeptics Who Challenge Your Faith. Grand Rapids, MI: Baker, 2001.

Lennox, John C. God’s Undertaker: Has Science Buried God? Oxford: Lion, 2007.

Lennox, John C. Gunning for God: Why the New Atheists Are Missing the Target. Oxford: Lion, 2011.

Lewis, C.S. Mere Christianity. New York, NY: MacMillan Publishing Company, 1952.

Flew, Antony, and Roy Abraham Varghese. There Is a God: How the World’s Most Notorious Atheist Changed His Mind. New York: HarperOne, 2007.

Groothuis, Douglas R. Christian Apologetics: A Comprehensive Case for Biblical Faith. Downers Grove, IL: IVP Academic, 2011.

Geisler, Norman L. Baker Encyclopedia of Christian Apologetics. Grand Rapids, MI: Baker, 1999.

Craig, William Lane., and Chad V. Meister. God Is Great, God Is Good: Why Believing in God Is Reasonable and Responsible. Downers Grove, IL: IVP, 2009.

Copan, Paul, and William Lane Craig. Contending with Christianity’s Critics: Answering New Atheists & Other Objectors. Nashville: B & H Academic, 2009.

Craig, William Lane. Reasonable Faith: Christian Truth and Apologetics. Wheaton, IL: Crossway, 2008.

Moreland, James Porter. Scaling the Secular City: A Defense of Christianity. Grand Rapids, MI: Baker Book House, 1987.

Moreland, James Porter, and William Lane. Craig. Philosophical Foundations for a Christian Worldview. Downers Grove, IL: InterVarsity, 2003.

Presuppositional Argument

Schaeffer, Francis A. Complete Works of Francis A Schaeffer: A Christian Worldview. Volume 1, A Christian View of Philosophy. Westchester III: Crossway, 1982.

Craig, William Lane. Reasonable Faith: Christian Truth and Apologetics. Wheaton, IL: Crossway, 2008. Chapter Two: “The Absurdity of Life Without God.”

Science and Scripture

Strobel, Lee. The Case for a Creator: a Journalist Investigates Scientific Evidence That Points toward God. Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan, 2004.

Sennett, James F., and Douglas R. Groothuis. In Defense of Natural Theology: a Post-Humean Assessment. Downers Grove, IL: InterVarsity, 2005.

Douglas, Erwin, and James W. Valentine. The Cambrian Explosion: The Construction of Animal Biodiversity. Greenwood Village, CO: Roberts and, 2013. This is a graduate textbook from two of the top paleontologists in the world.

Human Origins

Gauger, Ann, Douglas Axe, and Casey Luskin. Science and Human Origins. Seattle, WA: Discovery Institute, 2012.

Rana, Fazale, and Hugh Ross. Who Was Adam?: A Creation Model Approach to the Origin of Man. Colorado Springs, CO: NavPress, 2005.

Ross, Hugh. The Genesis Question: Scientific Advances and the Accuracy of Genesis. Colorado Springs, CO: NavPress, 1998. This book is a scientific commentary on Genesis 1-11.

Origin of Life

Rana, Fazale, and Hugh Ross. Origins of Life: Biblical and Evolutionary Models Face off. Colorado Springs, CO: NavPress, 2004.

Meyer, Stephen C. Signature in the Cell: DNA and the Evidence for Intelligent Design. New York: HarperOne, 2009.

Intelligent Design and Evolution

Dembski, William A. The Design Revolution: Answering the Toughest Questions about Intelligent Design. Downers Grove, IL: InterVarsity, 2004.

Meyer, Stephen. Darwin’s Doubt: The Explosive Origin of Animal Life and the Case for Intelligent Design. 2013.

Behe, Michael J. The Edge of Evolution: The Search for the Limits of Darwinism. New York: Free, 2007.

Intelligent Design website (Evolution News): This site keeps up on current discoveries regarding the subject of biological evolution. New articles are added daily.

Rich Deem’s website (God and Science): This site has many resources on the integration between Science and Scripture.

Predictive Prophecy

Brown, Michael L. Answering Jewish Objections to Jesus: Messianic Prophecy Objections. Volume Three. Grand Rapids, MI: Baker, 2003.

Kaiser, Walter C. The Messiah in the Old Testament. Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan Pub., 1995.

Lockyer, Herbert. All the Messianic Prophecies of the Bible. Grand Rapids: Zondervan Pub. House, 1973.

Newman, Robert. “Public Theology and Prophecy Data: Factual Evidence that Counts for the Biblical Worldview.” JETS 46/1 (March 2003).

Newman, Robert C. The Evidence of Prophecy: Fulfilled Prediction as a Testimony to the Truth of Christianity. Hatfield, PA: Interdisciplinary Biblical Research Institute, 1988.

Robert C. Newman “Chapter 13: Fulfilled Prophecy as Miracle.” Geivett, R. Douglas., and Gary R. Habermas. In Defense of Miracles: a Comprehensive Case for God’s Action in History. Downers Grove, IL: InterVarsity, 1997.

Barfield, Kenny. The Prophet Motive: Examining the Reliability of the Biblical Prophets. Nashville, TN: Gospel Advocate, 1995.

Fruchtenbaum, Arnold G. Messianic Christology: a Study of Old Testament Prophecy concerning the First Coming of the Messiah. Tustin, CA: Ariel Ministries, 1998.

Hengstenberg, E. W. Christology of the Old Testament. Michigan: Kregel Publications, 1970.

Rydelnik, Michael. The Messianic Hope: Is the Hebrew Bible Really Messianic? Nashville, TN: B & H Academic, 2010.

Hoehner, Harold W. Chronological Aspects of the Life of Christ. Grand Rapids: Zondervan Pub. House, 1977. Chapter Six.

Tanner, J. Paul. “Is Daniel’s Seventy-Weeks Prophecy Messianic (pt.1)?” Bibliotheca Sacra. Volume 166. April-June, 2009.

Janowski, Bernd, and Peter Stuhlmacher. The Suffering Servant: Isaiah 53 in Jewish and Christian Sources. Grand Rapids, MI: William B. Eerdmans Pub., 2004.

Historicity

Strobel, Lee. The Case for Christ: a Journalist’s Personal Investigation of the Evidence for Jesus. Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan, 1998.

Barnett, Paul. Is the New Testament Reliable?: a Look at the Historical Evidence. Downers Grove, IL: InterVarsity, 1992.

Bruce, F. F. The New Testament Documents. 6th ed. Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 1981.

McDowell, Josh. The New Evidence That Demands a Verdict. Nashville, TN: T. Nelson, 1999.

Hoffmeier, James Karl. The Archaeology of the Bible. Oxford: Lion, 2008.

Bruce, F. F. Jesus and Christian Origins outside the New Testament: (2. Print.). Grand Rapids, Mich: William B. Eerdmans, 1974.

Wilkins, Michael J., and James Porter Moreland. Jesus under Fire. Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan, 1995.

Habermas, Gary R. The Historical Jesus: Ancient Evidence for the Life of Christ. Joplin, MO: College Pub., 1996.

Ehrman, Bart D. Did Jesus Exist?: The Historical Argument for Jesus of Nazareth. New York: HarperOne, 2012. While Ehrman is an agnostic critic of the Bible, this book argues against conspiracy theorists who deny the existence of Jesus.

Robinson, John A. T. Redating the New Testament. Philadelphia: Westminster, 1976. Robinson was a highly critical scholar; however, in this book, he redates the entire NT to before AD 65.

Hemer, Colin J. The Book of Acts in the Setting of Hellenistic History. Winona Lake, IN: Eisenbrauns, 2001.

Wright, N. T. The Resurrection of the Son of God. Minneapolis, MN: Fortress, 2003.

Textual Criticism

Ehrman, Bart D., Daniel B. Wallace, and Robert B. Stewart. The Reliability of the New Testament. Minneapolis: Fortress, 2011. This is a debate between critical and conservative scholars on this subject.

Bock, Darrell L., and Daniel B. Wallace. Dethroning Jesus: Exposing Popular Culture’s Quest to Unseat the Biblical Christ. Nashville, TN: Thomas Nelson, 2007.

Moral Questions within Christianity

Copan, Paul. Is God a Moral Monster?: Making Sense of the Old Testament God. Grand Rapids, MI: Baker, 2011.

Clay Jones, “Why We Don’t Hate Sin so We don’t Understand What Happened to the Canaanites: An Addendum to ‘Divine Genocide’ Arguments,” Philosophia Christi n.s. 11 (2009).

Wenham, John William. The Goodness of God. Downers Grove, IL: InterVarsity, 1974.

Fernando, Ajith. Crucial Questions about Hell. Eastbourne, E Sussex: Kingsway Publications, 1991.

Lewis, C. S. The Problem of Pain. New York: Harper Collins, 2001.

Geisler, Norman L. The Roots of Evil. Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan Pub. House, 1978.

Truth

Copan, Paul. True For You, But Not For Me. Minneapolis, Minnesota: Bethany House Publishers, 1998.

McCallum, Dennis. The Death of Truth. Minneapolis, MN: Bethany House, 1996.

Bible Difficulties

Geisler, Norman L., and Thomas A. Howe. When Critics Ask: a Popular Handbook on Bible Difficulties. Wheaton, IL: Victor, 1992.

Archer, Gleason L. Encyclopedia of Bible Difficulties. Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan Pub. House, 1982.

Kaiser, Walter C. Hard Sayings of the Bible. Downers Grove, IL: InterVarsity, 1996.

Christian Apologetics and Research Ministry (CARM): This site is a great resource for Bible difficulties, world religions, and cult groups.

J.P. Holding’s website (Tekton Apologetics Ministry): Holding is an internet apologist who has a wealth of answers to Bible difficulties.

Apologetics Press (Apologetics Press): This site has an extensive resource of Bible difficulties.

Unbelievable Christian Radio (Podcast): Unlike most Christian radio, Justin Brierley’s show Unbelievable is informative and thoughtful. He typically has two guests on his show for a debate, and he does an excellent job of moderating their interaction.

Additional Books

Vitz, Paul C. Faith of the Fatherless: the Psychology of Atheism. Dallas: Spence Pub., 1999. Psychologist Paul Vitz offers an interesting thesis that atheism for many can be traced to the rejection of the father figure—due to weak, passive, abusive, or absent father figures.

Apologetics Audio

William Lane Craig’s website (Reasonable Faith): Philosopher William Lane Craig has a weekly podcast and a weekly class that he offers for free from his site. Here he explains current issues in apologetics, philosophy, and theology.

Warner Wallace (Cold-Case Christianity): Wallace is a cold-case homicide detective and adjunct professor of apologetics at Biola University. He was a conscientious and vocal atheist through his undergraduate and graduate work in Design and Architecture (CSULB and UCLA). His experience in law enforcement only served to strengthen his conviction that truth is tied directly to evidence. But at the age of thirty-five, J. Warner took a serious and expansive look at the evidence for the Christian Worldview and determined that Christianity was demonstrably true. After becoming a Christ follower in 1996, Jim continued to take an evidential approach to truth as he examined the Christian worldview.

Brian Auten’s website (Apologetics 315): Auten has an extensive resource of audio in Christian apologetics.

Bethinking (Bethinking.org): This is a British apologetics website that has an excellent cache of mp3’s from contemporary apologists.

Biblical Training (Biblicaltraining.org): This site has hundreds of seminary classes from various evangelical scholars in the field—all of which are free.