Apologetics Resources by Subject
Robert M. Bowman, Jr.
This classified bibliography lists select resources of relevance to the intellectual defense of the evangelical Christian faith. It lists resources according to academic discipline and topics within each discipline. An asterisk (*) indicates that the work is recommended for students with some background already in the relevant discipline. Except as noted, resources reflect an explicit evangelical Christian perspective. Inclusion in this bibliography does not, however, imply agreement with that resource in every detail. Numerous additional resources might be listed; the intent here is to list just a few of the most helpful resources for each topic. Please feel free to offer recommendations to rob@biblicalapologetics.net.
I. General Resources
A. General Reference Works
These resources cover a wide range of apologetic issues.
Campbell-Jack, W. C., and Gavin McGrath, eds. New Dictionary of Christian Apologetics. C. Stephen Evans, consulting ed. Leicester, England, and Downers Grove, Ill.: InterVarsity, 2006. International reference work with articles by numerous contributing scholars, covering a wide range of topics and thinkers. Includes about fifty pages of introductory articles on apologetics.
Geisler, Norman L. Baker Encyclopedia of Christian Apologetics. Grand Rapids: Baker, 1999. The magnum opus of this renowned apologist, a reference work with helpful introductory articles on a plethora of relevant subjects and numerous important thinkers. Tends to be more conservative than the New Dictionary.
B. Introductory Defenses of Christian Faith
These resources may be given to non-Christians interested in knowing generally why they should take the truth-claims of Christianity seriously.
Boa, Kenneth D., and Robert M. Bowman, Jr. 20 Compelling Evidences that God Exists: Discover Why Believing in God Makes So Much Sense. Colorado Springs: Cook Communications—River Oak, 2002. Readable, informative defense of the Christian faith, aimed at inquirers, focusing on evidences for God’s existence, the inspiration of the Bible, and the resurrection of Jesus Christ.
Bowman/Apologetics Resources by Subject
Lewis, C. S. Mere Christianity. Rev. and enlarged ed. New York: Macmillan, 1960. Perhaps the most popular defense of Christian faith written in modern times.
C. Studying Christian Apologetics
These resources focus on developing an approach to relating faith and reason and to introducing the perennial issues that come up in apologetics.
Beckwith, Francis J., eds. To Everyone an Answer: A Case for the Christian Worldview: Essays in Honor of Norman L. Geisler. Downers Grove, Ill.: InterVarsity Press, 2004. Includes essays by top evangelical scholars on apologetics, God’s existence, miracles, the problem of evil, postmodernism, religious pluralism, Eastern religious pantheism, Mormonism, Islam, and more.
Boa, Kenneth D., and Robert M. Bowman, Jr. Faith Has Its Reasons: An Integrative Approach to Defending Christianity. Colorado Springs: NavPress, 2001. The only comprehensive and fair-minded introduction to all of the major contemporary approaches to apologetics.
Moreland, J. P. Love God with All Your Mind: The Role of Reason in the Life of the Soul. Colorado Springs: NavPress, 2001. Why the Christian faith encourages the cultivation of critical thinking skills, and how Christians should go about doing just that.
Samples, Kenneth Richard. Without a Doubt: Answering the 20 Toughest Faith Questions. Grand Rapids: Baker, 2004. Addresses such questions as the following: “How can I believe in a God I can’t see?” “How can Jesus Christ be both God and man?” “Don’t all religions lead to God?” “Doesn’t hypocrisy invalidate Christianity?” “Doesn’t Christianity promote intolerance?” “How can a good and all-powerful God allow evil?”
Sire, James W. Why Good Arguments Often Fail: Making a More Persuasive Case for Christ. Downers Grove, Ill.: InterVarsity, 2006. Exposes common fallacies that often cloud reasoning, attitudes and spiritual problems (on both sides) that prevent good arguments from being well received; and suggests resources for developing effective arguments.
D. General Apologetics Web Sites
Apologetics.com < http://www.apologetics.com/default.jsp >. Blogs, archives radio programs, a discussion board, an array of excellent articles, and an apologetics resource store.
Christian Cadre < http://www.christiancadre.org/ >. Resources and links on skepticism, God, the Trinity, the New Testament, Jesus, Christian history, philosophy, postmodernism, and public issues; includes a blog, audio resources, and more. Christian but not specifically evangelical.
Leadership University < http://www.leaderu.com >. Academically solid articles and essays on apologetics, biblical studies, philosophy, and science. Features the “faculty offices” of numerous Christian professors, including William Lane Craig.
North American Mission Board < http://www.4truth.net/ >. Essays and other resources by leading apologists on the subjects of God’s existence, the Bible, Jesus, science, worldviews, world religions, new religions, and different Christian denominations.
Probe Ministries < http://www.probe.org >. Resources on apologetics, culture, religion, philosophy, and theology; includes PowerPoint presentations (mostly on science and ethics).
Stand to Reason < http://www.str.org/ >. Popular apologetics web site of Grek Koukl, with resources on apologetics, culture, ethics, philosophy, science, and theology.
II. Biblical Studies
A. General Resources on the Bible
1. Biblical Difficulties
These resources provide brief responses to numerous criticisms of the Bible (alleged contradictions, historical and scientific errors, etc.), arranged in canonical order from Genesis to Revelation.
Archer, Gleason L. New International Encyclopedia of Bible Difficulties: Based on the NIV and the NASB. Zondervan’s Understand the Bible Reference Series. Grand Rapids: Zondervan, 2001 reprint. Renowned Old Testament scholar provides careful comments on difficulties; the introduction setting forth a method for dealing with Bible difficulties is worth the price of the book.
Geisler, Norman L., and Thomas Howe. When Critics Ask: A Popular Handbook on Bible Difficulties. Grand Rapids: Baker, 1992. Same idea as Archer, but somewhat easier to read and slightly more conservative.
2. Biblical Interpretation
These resources introduce basic principles for interpreting the Bible (hermeneutics), crucial for responding to questions about the Bible.
*Carson, D. A. Exegetical Fallacies. 2d ed. Grand Rapids: Baker, 1996. Short but highly instructive textbook on avoiding all too common mistakes in biblical interpretation; especially helpful for those with some knowledge of Greek.
DeMoss, Matthew S., and J. Edward Miller. Zondervan Dictionary of Bible and Theology Words. Grand Rapids: Zondervan, 2002. Defines terms such as a fortiori, Abaddon, abide, ablative, Abrahamic covenant, adiaphora, and Adonai.
Fee, Gordon D., and Douglas Stuart. How to Read the Bible for All Its Worth: A Guide to Understanding the Bible. 3d ed. Grand Rapids: Zondervan, 2003. How to interpret the different parts of the Bible, including Old Testament history, poetry, and prophecy, and the New Testament Gospels, Acts, epistles, and Revelation.
Soulen, Richard N., and R. Kendall Soulen. Handbook of Biblical Criticism. 3d ed. Atlanta: John Knox Press, 2001. A to Z reference explaining technical terms and identifying notable scholars in biblical studies. Note: Not evangelical in perspective.
3. Biblical History
Bruce, F. F. Israel and the Nations: The History of Israel from the Exodus to the Fall of the Second Temple. Rev. by David F. Payne. Carlisle, U.K.: Paternoster, 1983; Downers Grove, Ill.: InterVarsity, 1998. This is the best book bridging the gap between the Old and New Testaments, presenting a narrative of the history of the Jews from the Exodus to the fall of Jerusalem in AD 70.
Sheler, Jeffery L. Is the Bible True? How Modern Debates and Discoveries Affirm the Essence of the Scriptures. San Francisco: Harper; Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 1999. While denying that the Bible is perfectly accurate in all respects, Sheler, a reporter for U.S. News & World Report, shows that the Bible is credible and historically reliable.
Wegner, Paul D. The Journey from Texts to Translations: The Origin and Development of the Bible. Grand Rapids: Baker Books, 1999. An excellent, up-to-date, and readable textbook on the origin and reliability of the text and collection of books of the Bible.
4. Biblical Inerrancy
Geisler, Norman L., ed. Inerrancy. Grand Rapids: Zondervan, 1979. Essays defending the doctrine of biblical inerrancy.
B. Old Testament Resources
1. Old Testament Studies
These resources address questions across the canon of the Old Testament, especially with regards to the literary and historical origins of the Old Testament books and the formation and extent of the Old Testament canon.
Archer, Gleason L., Jr. A Survey of Old Testament Introduction. Rev. and expanded ed. Chicago: Moody, 1994. Standard conservative textbook defending the traditional views of the origins of the OT books; includes chapters on the OT text and canon.
*Baker, David W., and Bill T. Arnold, eds. The Face of Old Testament Studies: A Survey of Contemporary Approaches. Grand Rapids: Baker; Leicester, England: InterVarsity Press—Apollos, 1999. Helpful survey of issues in Old Testament studies.
*Beckwith, Roger T. The Old Testament Canon of the New Testament Church and Its Background in Early Judaism. Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 1986. Scholarly treatment supporting the Protestant canon of the Old Testament.
*Kitchen, K. A. On the Reliability of the Old Testament. Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 2003. Magnum opus of an evangelical Old Testament scholar. Kitchen accepts the 13th-century date of the Exodus, which many evangelicals dispute.
Longman, Tremper, III. Making Sense of the Old Testament: Three Crucial Questions. Grand Rapids: Baker, 1999. Discusses how to understand the Old Testament, whether the God of the Old Testament is the same as the God of the New Testament, and how Christians can apply the Old Testament today.
2. Pentateuch (Genesis—Deuteronomy)
These resources address questions pertaining to the historicity and authenticity of the Pentateuch, especially questions about its literary and historical origins.
Alexander, T. Desmond, and David W. Baker, eds. Dictionary of the Old Testament: Pentateuch. Downers Grove, Ill.: InterVarsity Press, 2003. Evangelical reference work with entries on a wide range of interpretive and historical issues.
*Garrett, Duane A. Rethinking Genesis: The Sources and Authorship of the First Book of the Pentateuch. Grand Rapids: Baker, 1991. Draws on contemporary literary theory to defend the unity and integrity of the Pentateuch over against the “documentary” hypotheses.
3. Genesis
These resources address the scientific and historical credibility of the narrative in Genesis (see also the Science section).
Hagopian, David G., ed. The Genesis Debate: Three Views on the Days of Creation. Mission Viejo: Crux Press, 2001. Evangelical defenses of the 24-hour view (J. Ligon Duncan III and David W. Hall), the day-age view (Hugh Ross and Gleason L. Archer), and the framework view (Lee Irons and Meredith G. Kline). The question is important in apologetics, whatever one’s viewpoint may be.
*Neev, David, and K. O. Emery. The Destruction of Sodom, Gomorrah, and Jericho: Geological, Climatological, and Archaeological Background. New York and Oxford:
Oxford University Press, 1995. Surprising study by non-evangelicals, concluding that the Genesis account of the destruction of Sodom and Gomorrah is based on historical fact.
Schaeffer, Francis A. Genesis in Space and Time. Downers Grove, Ill.: InterVarsity, 1972. Also in The Complete Works of Francis A. Schaeffer: A Christian World View, Vol. 2: A Christian View of the Bible as Truth. Westchester: Crossway Books, 1982. A classic defense of the historicity of Genesis.
Youngblood, Ronald F., ed. The Genesis Debate: Persistent Questions about Creation and the Flood. Grand Rapids: Baker, 1990. Collection of essays in pairs, each giving contrasting answers to such questions as the age of the universe and the extent of the Flood.
4. Exodus—Joshua
These resources address the moral credibility of the Mosaic Law as well as the historical credibility of the accounts of the Israelites’ exodus from Egypt and their conquest of the land of Canaan.
a. The Mosaic Law
Bahnsen, Greg L. By This Standard: The Authority of God’s Law Today. Tyler, TX: Institute for Christian Economics, 1985. Very readable defense of the relevance of the Mosaic Law for morality and jurisprudence today. Stresses the continuities between the Old and New Testaments to an extent that many other evangelicals consider controversial.
Bowman, Robert M., Jr. “John and Ken Take on Leviticus: Responding to Common Misperceptions of Old Testament Law.” Center for Biblical Apologetics, n.d. Online: < http://www.biblicalapologetics.net/OTStudies/John_Ken_Leviticus.htm >. Response to libertarian radio hosts’ attack on the morality of the laws in the Book of Leviticus.
Kaiser, Walter C., Jr. Toward Old Testament Ethics. Grand Rapids: Zondervan, 1983. Comprehensive textbook by a leading evangelical Old Testament theologian.
b. The Exodus and the Conquest
Humphreys, Colin J. The Miracles of Exodus: A Scientist’s Discovery of the Extraordinary Natural Causes of the Biblical Stories. San Francisco: Harper, April 2003. Scientist offers explanations (most but not all of which are worth considering) for the Exodus miracles and evidence for the Exodus and Conquest as historical fact. Most evangelicals will not accept all of Humphreys’ conclusions, but the book provides a compelling argument for the accuracy of the biblical narrative.
Rohl, David M. Pharaohs and Kings: A Biblical Quest. New York: Crown Publishers, 1995. Elsewhere entitled A Test of Time: The Bible from Myth to History. Detailed, scholarly defense of the biblical account of the Exodus, with numerous photographs, maps, charts.
Schaeffer, Francis A. Joshua and the Flow of Biblical History. Introduction by Udo W. Middelmann. 2d ed. Wheaton, Ill.: Crossway Books, 2004. Follow-up to Schaeffer’s popular work on Genesis, this time putting such questions as God’s choice of Israel and the destruction of the Canaanites in historical, ethical, and theological perspective.
C. New Testament Resources
1. New Testament Studies
These resources address questions across the canon of the New Testament, especially with regards to the literary and historical origins of the New Testament books and the formation and extent of the New Testament canon.
Barnett, Paul. Is the New Testament Reliable? 2d ed. Downers Grove, Ill.: InterVarsity, 2004.
Black, David Alan. New Testament Textual Criticism: A Concise Guide. Grand Rapids: Baker, 1994. A short (80 pages) introduction to textual criticism for the interested layperson.
Blomberg, Craig. Making Sense of the New Testament: Three Crucial Questions. Grand Rapids: Baker, 2004. Popular-level treatment by a top scholar discussing whether the New Testament is historically reliable, whether Paul was the real inventor of Christianity, and how to apply the New Testament today.
Witherington, Ben, III. New Testament History: A Narrative Account. Grand Rapids: Baker, 2003. Perhaps the best textbook on New Testament history, showing sensitivity to literary and theological aspects of the Gospels and Acts while defending their historical reliability.
2. The Gospels
These resources address issues pertaining to the Gospels, including which Gospels belong in the canon, the literary origins of the Gospels, and the historical credibility of the Gospels. See the next section for resources focusing on Jesus as a historical figure (the two sections obviously overlap).
a. The Canonical Gospels
Black, David Alan, and David Beck, eds. Rethinking the Synoptic Problem. Grand Rapids: Baker, 2001. Excellent introduction to the state of Synoptic criticism by top-drawer evangelical New Testament scholars (and one Catholic scholar) who offer different approaches to the subject.
Blomberg, Craig L. The Historical Reliability of John’s Gospel: Issues & Commentary. Downers Grove, Ill.: InterVarsity, 1998. After a careful overview of the issues and a refutation of the most common objections to treating the Gospel of John as a historical text, Blomberg provides a passage-by-passage commentary showing that its portrayal of Jesus is historically credible.
Green, Joel B., Scot McKnight, and I Howard Marshall, eds. Dictionary of Jesus and the Gospels. Downers Grove, IL: InterVarsity Press, 1993. Very valuable reference work.
Stein, Robert H. Studying the Synoptic Gospels: Origin and Interpretation. 2d ed. Grand Rapids: Baker, 2001. First ed., The Synoptic Problem: An Introduction. Grand Rapids: Baker, 1987. An evangelical treatment that argues for the view held by most scholars that Mark was first and Matthew and Luke both borrowed from Mark. Demonstrates that Synoptic literary criticism does not threaten a high view of Scripture or of Jesus.
b. The Noncanonical Gospels
Bock, Darrell L. The Missing Gospels: Unearthing the Truth behind Alternative Christianities. Nashville: Nelson Books, 2006. New Testament scholar debunks the claim that equally valid interpretations of Jesus’ life and teachings were suppressed from the canon.
3. The Historical Jesus
These resources address issues pertaining to the historical facts regarding Jesus, his existence, virgin birth, life, miracles, teachings, death, and resurrection.
a. Historical Jesus Studies
*Barnett, Paul W. Jesus and the Logic of History. New Studies in Biblical Theology. Downers Grove, Ill.: InterVarsity, 2001. Includes excurses on Josephus’s references to Jesus, whether the Gospels’ presentation of Pontius Pilate is historically reliable, the evidence for the resurrection of Jesus, and more.
Evans, Craig A. Fabricating Jesus: How Modern Scholars Distort the Gospels. Downers Grove, Ill.: InterVarsity, 2006. A respected evangelical New Testament scholar dismantles revisionist scholarship regarding the historical Jesus.
Komoszewski, J. Ed, M. James Sawyer, and Daniel B. Wallace, Reinventing Jesus: What The Da Vinci Code and Other Novel Speculations Don’t Tell You. Grand Rapids: Kregel, 2006. Refutes the claims that the New Testament texts were corrupted, that the New Testament canon excludes historically informative books about Jesus, that the belief in Jesus’ deity was a late development, and that the Christian account of Jesus’ life derives from pagan myths.
b. Extrabiblical Sources for Jesus
Bruce, F. F. Jesus and Christian Origins outside the New Testament. Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 1974. The subject has been addressed more recently, but this book remains the classic.
Van Voorst, Robert E. Jesus outside the New Testament: An Introduction to the Ancient Evidence. Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 2000. Not a polemical or even overtly evangelical treatment, but a judicious assessment scholars of varying perspectives have endorsed. Skeptics who deny Jesus’ existence will have a hard time dismissing this book.
c. The Virgin Conception and Birth of Jesus
Gromacki, Robert. The Virgin Birth: A Biblical Study of the Deity of Jesus Christ. Rev. and expanded ed. Minneapolis: Kregel, 2002. A historical and theological defense of the virgin birth of Christ.
Maier, Paul L. In the Fullness of Time: A Historian Looks at Christmas, Easter, and the Early Church. Rev. and updated ed. Minneapolis: Kregel, 1998. The first 90 or so pages focuses on the biblical accounts of Jesus’ conception and birth from an historical perspective.
d. The Miracles of Jesus
(See also the section on miracles under Philosophy.)
Twelftree, Graham H. Jesus the Miracle Worker: A Historical & Theological Study. Downers Grove, Ill.: InterVarsity Press, 1999. Thorough defense of the historicity of the Gospel miracles.
e. The Resurrection of Jesus
Craig, William Lane, and John Dominic Crossan. Will the Real Jesus Please Stand Up? A Debate Between William Lane Craig and John Dominic Crossan. Moderated by William F. Buckley, Jr. Edited by Paul Copan. With responses from Robert J. Miller, Craig L. Blomberg, Marcus Borg, and Ben Witherington III. Grand Rapids: Baker, 1998. There have been several excellent published debates on the Resurrection; this might be the best.
Habermas, Gary R., and Michael R. Licona. The Case for the Resurrection of Jesus. Grand Rapids: Kregel, 2004. The most “user-friendly” defense of the resurrection of Jesus (written as an apologetic manual for Christians); includes a CD with games to help learn the content of the book.
Wenham, John. Easter Enigma: Do the Resurrection Accounts Contradict One Another? 2d ed. Grand Rapids: Baker, 1993. Addresses all of the commonly alleged discrepancies.
D. Paul
Paul is often criticized as the real founder of Christianity and as having distorted the “simple message” of Jesus. These resources address such criticisms and shed light on the life and teachings of Paul.
Dodd, Brian J. The Problem with Paul. Downers Grove, Ill.: InterVarsity, 1996. Chapters discuss various popular criticisms of the apostle.
Witherington, Ben, III. The Paul Quest: The Renewed Search for the Jew of Tarsus. Downers Grove, Ill.: InterVarsity, 2001. One of the best textbooks on the “historical Paul.”
E. Biblical Studies Web Sites
Bible.org < http://www.bible.org/ >. Features a translation of the Bible produced for the Web, numerous articles on every book of the Bible and on a wide array of biblical topics, and other study resources.
Biblical Studies < http://www.biblicalstudies.org.uk/ >. Links to books, periodical articles, and web-based resources on biblical studies.
Center for Biblical Apologetics < http://www.biblicalapologetics.org >. Apologetics-related resources on biblical studies and various topics, with links to discussion boards, apologetics-related radio broadcasts, and more.
III. Philosophy
A. General Works on Philosophy
These resources cover most of the subject matter of philosophy especially as it relates to apologetics-oriented concerns.
Geisler, Norman L., and Paul D. Feinberg. Introduction to Philosophy: A Christian Perspective. Grand Rapids: Baker, 1980. Introductory textbook; more elementary than Moreland and Craig (below).
Moreland, J. P., and William Lane Craig. Philosophical Foundations for a Christian Worldview. Downers Grove, Ill.: InterVarsity, 2003. Essentially a philosophy textbook for Christians; intended for serious beginning students at the college level.
B. Epistemology
These resources provide Christian perspectives on epistemology, or the study of the meaning and validation of knowledge. (See also Boa and Bowman, Faith Has Its Reasons, listed under Section I.C.)
Beckwith, Francis J., and Gregory Koukl. Relativism: Feet Firmly Planted in Mid-Air. Grand Rapids: Baker, 1998. Readable and thoughtful critique of relativism.
Groothuis, Douglas. Truth Decay: Defending Christianity against the Challenges of Postmodernism. Downers Grove, Ill.: InterVarsity, 2000. Trenchant critique of postmodernism by an evangelical apologist.
*Plantinga, Alvin J. Warranted Christian Belief. New York: Oxford University Press, 2000. The magnum opus of the philosopher who in the late twentieth century led the way in bringing Christian theism back into academic philosophy as a respectable worldview.
Wood, W. Jay. Epistemology: Becoming Intellectually Virtuous. Contours of Christian Philosophy. Downers Grove, Ill.: InterVarsity, 1998. An introduction to the subject from a Christian perspective.
C. Philosophy of Religion
These resources address issues within the discipline known as philosophy of religion.
1. General Works on Philosophy of Religion
*Craig, William Lane, gen. ed. Philosophy of Religion: A Reader and Guide. New Brunswick, N.J.: Rutgers University Press; Edinburgh: Edinburgh University Press, 2002. Collection of important essays and excerpts on religious epistemology, theistic arguments, the coherence of theism, the problem of evil, and other issues in philosophy of religion.
Evans, C. Stephen. Pocket Dictionary of Apologetics and Philosophy of Religion. Downers Grove, Ill.: InterVarsity Press, 2002. Helpful when you run into a term or concept for the first (or even the second) time; especially relevant for philosophy students.
Geisler, Norman L., and Winfried Corduan. Philosophy of Religion. 2d ed. Grand Rapids: Baker, 1988. Thorough treatment from an evangelical perspective of arguments for God’s existence, the nature of religious experience, the meaningfulness of religious language, and the problem of evil.
2. Arguments for God’s Existence
Craig, William Lane, and Walter Sinnott-Armstrong. God? A Debate between a Christian and an Atheist. Point/Counterpoint Series. James P. Sterba, series ed. New York: Oxford University Press, 2004. Classical apologist debates an atheist.
*Holder, Rodney D. God, the Multiverse, and Everything: Modern Cosmology and the Argument from Design. Aldershot, Hampshire, England, and Burlington, Vt.: Ashgate, 2004. Impressive defense of the argument for God’s existence from the fine-tuning of the universe, specifically refuting the alternate “many-worlds” explanation.
*Reppert, Victor. C. S. Lewis’s Dangerous Idea: In Defense of the Argument from Reason. Downers Grove, Ill.: lnterVarsity, 2003. Exposition and defense of this important argument for God’s existence. See also the Symposium on the Argument from Reason (Reppert, et. al.), Philosophia Christi 5, 1 (2003): 9-89.
Swinburne, Richard. Is There a God? New York: Oxford University Press, 1996. Introductory work by this renowned British evidentialist philosopher.
3. Problem of Evil
*Feinberg, John S. The Many Faces of Evil: Theological Systems and the Problem of Evil. Grand Rapids: Zondervan, 1994. Theological textbook on this crucial subject.
*Geivett, R. Douglas. Evil and the Evidence for God: The Challenge of John Hick’s Theodicy. Afterword by John Hick. Philadelphia: Temple University Press, 1993. Argues that the evidences for God’s existence can outweigh the apparently contrary evidence from evil.
4. Miracles
*Beckwith, Francis J. David Hume’s Argument against Miracles: A Critical Analysis. Lanham, Md.: University Press of America, 1989. One of the best critiques, by an evangelical philosopher.
Geivett, R. Douglas, and Gary R. Habermas, eds. In Defense of Miracles: A Comprehensive Case for God’s Action in History. Downers Grove, Ill.: InterVarsity, 1997. Excellent essays.
D. Philosophy Web Sites
Christian Logic < http://www.christianlogic.com >. Books, articles, and blogs on logic; logic discussion boards; logic in the news; audio logic workshops.
John DePoe < http://www.johndepoe.com >. Excellent apologetics site focusing on philosophical issues, with a noteworthy blog, links to apologetics organizations, philosophy resources, and Christian scholars, and resources on the existence of God, the coherence of theism, the incoherence of naturalism, and other topics.
Virtual Library of Christian Phil. < http://www.calvin.edu/academic/philosophy/virtual_library/ >. Calvin College’s philosophy department’s set of links to over 170 articles on philosophical topics from a Christian perspective.
IV. Religions and Religious Studies
A. General Resources
Hexham, Irving. Pocket Dictionary of New Religious Movements. Downers Grove, Ill.: InterVarsity, 2002. Useful A-to-Z reference work, focusing on religions emerging in modern times.
B. Non-Evangelical Christianity
These resources critique movements that are still in some way part of orthodox, historic Christianity, yet from an evangelical perspective are seriously defective in theology and practice. (Note: Some evangelicals would take a “harder line” than the one reflected in these resources.)
Bowman, Robert M., Jr. The Word-Faith Controversy: Understanding the Health and Wealth Gospel. Grand Rapids: Baker, 2001. A fair-minded biblical and theological critique of the “Word of Faith” movement (Kenneth Hagin, Kenneth Copeland, et. al.).
Geisler, Norman L., and Ralph E. MacKenzie. Roman Catholics and Evangelicals: Agreements and Differences. Grand Rapids: Baker, 1995. Arguably the best evangelical discussion of the question of evangelical-Catholic relations.
C. Heretical Forms of Christianity
These resources critique some of the most significant movements that profess to be Christian but that are clearly outside the framework of orthodox, historic Christianity.
Beckwith, Francis J., Carl Mosser, and Paul Owen, eds. The New Mormon Challenge: Responding to the Latest Defenses of a Fast-Growing Movement. Grand Rapids: Zondervan, 2002. Essays by various evangelical scholars critiquing Mormon use of biblical and theological scholarship to defend the Mormon Church’s teachings.
Bowman, Robert M., Jr. Jehovah’s Witnesses. Zondervan Guide to Cults and Religious Movements. Grand Rapids: Zondervan, 1995. Concise overview of the beliefs of Jehovah’s Witnesses, with biblical responses.
D. Other Religions
1. Judaism
Copan, Paul, and Craig Evans, eds. Who Was Jesus? A Jewish-Christian Discussion. Atlanta: Westminster John Knox Press, 2000. Debate between evangelical scholar William Lane Craig and Jewish scholar Peter Zaas, with additional essays by Jewish and Christian scholars.
2. Islam
Geisler, Norman L., and Abdul Saleeb. Answering Islam: The Crescent in Light of the Cross. Grand Rapids: Baker, 1993; updated and revised, 2002. One of the best apologetic treatises on Islam.
Licona, Michael R. Paul Meets Muhammad: A Christian-Muslim Debate on the Resurrection. Grand Rapids: Baker, 2006. Evangelical scholar imagines what Paul the apostle and Muhammad might say in a debate on the Resurrection.
Saal, William J., ed. Reaching Muslims for Christ. Chicago: Moody, 1991. Practical, insightful work, written by staff of Arab World Ministries.
3. Bahai
Beckwith, Francis J. Bahá’í. Minneapolis: Bethany House, 1985. Short but very useful book giving an overview of Bahá’í and a biblical and theological critique.
4. Eastern Religions
Yamamoto, J. Isamu. Buddhism, Taoism, and Other Far Eastern Religions. Zondervan Guide to Cults and Religious Movements. Grand Rapids: Zondervan, 1998. Concise overview of the beliefs of Jehovah’s Witnesses, with biblical responses.
____________. Hinduism, TM and Hare Krishna. Zondervan Guide to Cults and Religious Movements. Grand Rapids: Zondervan, 1998. Concise overview of the beliefs of Jehovah’s Witnesses, with biblical responses.
E. Religious Studies Web Sites
Apologetics Index < http://www.apologeticsindex.org/ >. A to Z list of religions, religious leaders and teachers, and religion-related topics, with overviews and links to further resources, including news articles.
V. Science
A. Science and Christianity
These resources cover a wide array of issues pertaining to Christianity and science, not limited to the subjects of creation and origins.
Collins, C. John. Science & Faith: Friends or Foes? Wheaton: Crossway, 2003. Excellent survey of the issues.
Pearcey, Nancy. Total Truth: Liberating Christianity from Its Cultural Captivity. Foreword by Phillip E. Johnson. Wheaton, Ill.: Good News Publishers—Crossway Books, 2004. Puts the controversy over Darwinism and modern science in apologetic and cultural perspective.
B. Science and Creation
These resources discuss the scientific evidence for creation.
1. Scientific Evidence for Creation
Moreland, J. P., ed. The Creation Hypothesis: Scientific Evidence for an Intelligent Designer. Foreword by Phillip E. Johnson. Downers Grove, IL: InterVarsity Press, 1994. Excellent place to start for a variety of essays on the scientific evidence for God.
Strobel, Lee. The Case for a Creator: A Journalist Investigates Scientific Evidence that Points toward God. Grand Rapids: Zondervan, 2005. Interviews with some of the leading Christian apologists defending belief in a Creator God using science.
2. Cosmology and Creation
*Copan, Paul, and William Lane Craig. Creation Out of Nothing: A Biblical, Philosophical, and Scientific Exploration. Grand Rapids: Baker Academic; Leicester: Apollos, 2004.
Ross, Hugh. The Creator and the Cosmos: How the Greatest Scientific Discoveries of the Century Reveal God. 3d ed. Colorado Springs: NavPress, 2001. A Christian astronomer details the discoveries of the last decades of the twentieth century and explains how they support belief in the God of the Bible.
3. Origin of Life
Rana, Fazale, and Hugh Ross. Origins of Life: Biblical and Evolutionary Models Face Off. Colorado Springs: NavPress, 2004. Argues that a biblical model of biological origins explains the evidence better than an evolutionary model.
Peter D. Ward and Donald Brownlee, Rare Earth: Why Complex Life Is Uncommon in the Universe (New York: Copernicus—Springer-Verlag, 2000. While refusing even to consider the possibility of an infinite Creator, scientists Ward and Brownlee explain why it is highly unlikely that life of a complex kind (plants, animals, people) could have developed naturalistically elsewhere in the universe. (They suggest that we are on the one planet that happened to get lucky.) Useful as a prelude to discussing the positive evidences for a supernatural explanation of the origin of complex living things here.
4. Creation and Evolution
Moreland, J. P., ed. Three Views on Creation and Evolution. Counterpoints series. Grand Rapids: Zondervan, 1999. Essays defending young-earth creationism (Paul Nelson and John Mark Reynolds), old-earth or progressive creationism (Robert C. Newman), and theistic evolution (Howard J. Van Till), with responses from others.
Rana, Fazale, and Hugh Ross. Who Was Adam? A Creation Model Approach to the Origin of Man. Colorado Springs: NavPress, 2005. Argues that a biblical creationist model explains the origin of the human species better than an evolutionary model.
5. Other Topics in Science
Ross, Hugh, Kenneth R. Samples, and Mark Clark. Lights in the Sky and Little Green Men: A Rational Christian Look at UFOs and Eztraterrestrials. Colorado Springs: NavPress, 2002. Argues that most UFO reports have natural or man-made explanations, but a very small percentage cannot—but also cannot be explained as visitors from other planets. Concludes that demonic deception best explains these remaining phenomena.
C. Science Web Sites
Institute for Biblical & Scientific Studies < http://bibleandscience.com >.
Reasons to Believe < http://reasons.org >.
VI. Miscellaneous Objections
Copan, Paul. “How Do You Know You’re Not Wrong?” Responding to Objections that Leave Christians Speechless. Grand Rapids: Baker, 2005. Answers such common objections and slogans as the following: “Whatever works for you.” “Naturalism is a simpler explanation than theism.” “You can’t prove that scientifically.” “The soul is nothing more than the brain.” “Animals have rights just like people do.”
Keener, Craig S., and Glenn Usry. Defending Black Faith: Answers to Tough Questions about African-American Christianity. Downers Grove, Ill.: InterVarsity, 1997. Discusses such questions as whether Christianity is the white man’s religion, the relationship between Christianity and slavery, whether Christian doctrines originated in Africa, and how to respond to the Nation of Islam and militant orthodox Islam, as well as questions of much broader concern such as the truth of the Gospels and the accuracy of the Pentateuch.
Schmidt, Alvin J. Under the Influence: How Christianity Transformed Civilization. Grand Rapids: Zondervan, 2001. The positive impact of Christianity in sexuality, health care, labor, education, science, politics, the abolition of slavery, the arts, and literature.
Strobel, Lee. The Case for Faith: A Journalist Investigates the Toughest Objections to Christianity. Grand Rapids: Zondervan, 2000. Addresses the problems of suffering and evil, science and miracles, the Israelites’ “holy wars” against the Canaanites, the morality of eternal punishment in hell, the salvation of those who never heard the gospel, evolution and creation, and hypocrisy and violence in church history.