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top 10 apologetics books imo

"...in your hearts honor Christ the Lord as holy, always being prepared to make a defense to anyone who asks you for a reason for the hope that is in you; yet do it with gentleness and respect..."  (1 Peter 3:15 ESV)

Apologetics is the study and practice of giving a reasonable defense (from Gr., apologia) of the Christian faith. As a field of study this has grown immensely in recent years.  I thought I would list ten of the books that I have found most helpful in this area.  This is just my opinion of the top ten, but I hope it may be useful for you in deciding out of all the resources who or what might be best to read. 


   

There are a number of approaches represented in this list.  It's a bit of a mix, but all of them have been helpful to me.  I've starred two books that are recommended as good introductions to apologetics, along with some honorable mentions. 

Blomberg, Craig L. The Historical Reliability of the Gospels (IVP Academic, 2007).  This is a very good and scholarly overview on that topic.  

Geisler, Norman L., and Turek, Frank. I Don't Have Enough Faith to Be an Atheist (Crossway, 2004)  An excellent walk-through of the evidences and reasons why we believe.  

*Keller, Tim.  The Reason for God: Belief in an Age of Skepticism. (Penguin Books, 2009)  If you are new to apologetics, this New York City pastor is a great place to start.  He really states, and answers, so well the main objections that post-modern people have toward Christianity. 

Koukl, Gregory.  Tactics: A Game Plan for Discussing Your Christian Convictions (Zondervan, 2009)  A very good introduction on how to talk about your faith with another person.  Another good entry in this class is Randy Newman's Questioning Evangelism (Kregel, 2017).

Lennox, John.  God's Undertaker: Has Science Buried God? (Lion Books, 2009)  Lennox, Professor of Mathematics at the University of Oxford, is so helpful in explaining the uses and limitations of the scientific method.  Consider also his God and Stephen Hawking: Whose Design Is It Anyway? (2011). 

*Lewis, C. S.  Mere Christianity (1952; HarperOne, 2015) This is a timeless classic, being a former agnostic's explanation of the moral law argument for God's existence.  If new to apologetics, start with this or the Keller book.  Consider also Miracles and The Problem of Pain.   

Machen, J. Gresham.  Christianity and Liberalism (1923; Eerdmans, 2009).  This is a classic defense of Christianity, written to counter the religious liberalism that arose in the early 1900s.  He succinctly contrasts scriptural doctrine with the teachings of liberalism.   

Oliphint, K. Scott.  Covenantal Apologetics: Principles and Practice in Defense of Our Faith (Crossway, 2013).  A great introduction to understanding God-centered apologetics, taking into consideration our sinful human condition and the role of assumptions and presuppositions.  

Schaeffer, Francis.  The Trilogy: Three Essential Books in One Volume (Crossway, 1990)  This is a collection of three classic works by a man who worked many years with questioning students.  Includes the following: The God Who Is There; Escape from Reason; and He Is There and He Is Not Silent.

Zacharias, Ravi.  Can Man Live Without God (Thomas Nelson, 2004).  Also consider his Jesus Among Other Gods: The Absolute Claims of the Christian Message (W. Publishing, 2002).  Ravi is always thoughtful and winsome in his presentation. 

Honorable mentions:  Douglas Groothuis, Christian Apologetics: A Comprehensive Case for Biblical Faith (IVP Academic, 2011) is more of a reference work, and very worthwhile.  Also, any books by William Lane Craig, Alister McGrath, and Gary Habermas are worth reading.  Oh, and a little further back, Blaise Pascal. 


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