Resources

This page features recommended resources for ministry and your own personal study. I suggest bookmarking it for your reference and convenience. For my purposes, I consider the following some of the best Christian Apologetics books and resources around. Most of these have been extremely helpful to me throughout my career. Others are newer resources I’ve reviewed and recommend for everyday defenders of the faith. Enjoy!

Want to Train Your Group?

Get apologetics into your church and help believers defend the faith with these easy-to-use lessons.

Del Rosario, Accessible Apologetics Curriculum
Excellent for beginners. Adaptable for youth and adults. Simplify your teaching with lessons that are simple to teach and easy to get.

Meyer, True U: Does God Exist?
4 worldviews square off in a philosophical Survivor-style game. Pop the DVD in and facilitate discussion about apologetics (DVD set).

Day of Discovery, What Jesus Said About Resurrection
Explore Jesus’ claims and the evidence for his resurrection. Includes interviews with Gary Habermas, Doug Geivett, Michael Licona, Mary Jo Sharp and other scholars. Great for introducing your group to a study on the Resurrection (DVD set). Other titles in this series: What Jesus Said About Life, What Jesus Said About Who He is, What Jesus Said About Following Him.

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New to Defending the Faith?

These accessible books will give you a great foundation in key issues for apologists.

Coffey, Smooth Stones: Bringing Down the Giant Questions of Apologetics
A short, approachable introduction to key issues including useful, everyday illustrations.

Copan, True for You But Not for Me: Overcoming Objections to Christian Faith
A very approachable analysis coupled with suggested responses to relativistic slogans.

Craig, Hard Questions, Real Answers
Issues like abortion, homosexuality, suffering, failure, doubt and more.

Koukl, Tactics: A Game Plan for Discussing Your Christian Convictions
Develop careful thinking and be a more confident ambassador.  

Licona and Habermas, The Case for the Resurrection of Jesus
Practical guide to presenting historical evidence for the resurrection.

Moreland, Love Your God with All Your Mind
See how Christian apologetics relates to the church, the culture and your own spiritual formation.

Sterrett, Why Trust Jesus?: An Honest Look at Doubts, Plans, Hurts, Desires, Fears, Questions, and Pleasures
A relational treatment of key arguments and responses to questions from Christians and skeptics.

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Spiritual talk at your door?

Learn to dialogue and effectively engage with people who follow cults and new religious movements.

Van Gorden, Mormonism
Primer on the LDS church; history, theology, conversation tips and more.

Bowman, Jehovah’s Witnesses
Primer on the Watchtower organization; history, theology, conversation tips and more.

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Ready to go deeper?

You’ll enjoy the challenge of these first-rate resources.

Beckwith, Craig, Moreland,To Everyone an Answer: A Case for the Christian Worldview
One of the best collections of essays helping you to explain and defend the Christian worldview.

Dembski and McDowell, Understanding Intelligent Design: Everything You Need to Know in Plain Language
Learn to discuss the evidence for a Creator based on the design we see in the universe.

Craig, On Guard: Defending Your Faith with Reason and Precision
A great manual on building the case for the faith and answering objections. Required reading for my college students!

Craig, Reasonable Faith: Christian Truth and Apologetics
Historical background and assessment of key thinkers with practical application. My favorite scholarly apologetics text!

Moreland and Habermas, Beyond Death: Exploring the Evidence for Immortality
Evidence for the soul with a special section on Near-Death Experiences.

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Reference Works

These don’t just look good on your shelf. They’re incredibly practical and useful for ministry.

Erikson, Christian Theology
Studied this at Biola; helped me write my statement of faith for my ordination.

Geisler, Baker Encyclopedia of Christian Apologetics
Covers most apologetic questions and issues; recommendations for further study.

Moreland and Craig, Philosophical Foundations For A Christian Worldview
The definitive work. 653 pages of “light reading” for apologetics junkies!

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Former Atheists

Here are a couple of books by former atheists who honestly evaluated the evidence for God.

Strobel, The Case for Christ: A Journalist’s Personal Investigation
By a former legal editor for the Chicago Tribune.