10 Apologetics Books for Giving

Last year you may have read the post Top 5 Books for Christmas Giving. Well, here's a revised list... of ten books. Keep in mind, this is no definitive list of "best apologetics books." This is a list of books that I feel would be the best to choose from for giving to people who have varying interest in apologetics. This list is split into three groups. Group one is for people who you want to reach apologetically. Group two is for people who are new to apologetics. Group three is for the person who is an avid apologist. And the number one book fits all three categories.

Three Books to Reach Out Apologetically

10. The Ambition by Lee Strobel - Not straight apologetics. It's a novel. But it's a great novel. The content doesn't preach either, but the themes are appropriate to open the door for further conversation. Finally, this book may provide an open door for the reader to explore other books by Strobel.

Best Selling Apologetics Books of 2013

Back in 2011 and in 2012 I published blog posts based on statistics from the previous year's Amazon affiliate links: the Best Selling Apologetics Books of 2011 and the Best Selling Apologetics Books of 2012. This year we're doing it again, with both paper books and Kindle titles. Keep in mind that this list is only for books purchased via Apologetics 315's links.

The best-selling books of 2013 were Greg Koukl's excellent book Tactics: A Game Plan for Discussing Your Christian Convictions as well as the Kindle version of On Guard by William Lane Craig. Personally, I think Cold-Case Christianity by J. Warner Wallace deserves to be book of the year.

So here's the list of the 15 top-selling paper books through Apologetics 315 in 2013, based upon those purchased through Ap315's affiliate links:

1. Tactics: A Game Plan for Discussing Your Christian Convictions
2. Cold-Case Christianity: A Homicide Detective Investigates the Claims of the Gospels
3. The 10 Most Common Objections to Christianity
4. On Guard: Defending Your Faith with Reason and Precision
5. Holman QuickSource Guide to Christian Apologetics (Holman Quicksource Guides)
6. Is God Just a Human Invention? And Seventeen Other Questions Raised by the New Atheists
7. They All Can't Be Right: Do All Spiritual Paths Lead to God?
8. Reasonable Faith: Christian Truth and Apologetics
9. I Don't Have Enough Faith to Be an Atheist
10. Why Do You Believe That? A Faith Conversation (Member Book)
11. God Is Spirit (Volume 1)
12. How to Stay Christian in College (Th1nk Edition)
13. The Case for the Resurrection of Jesus
14. Sticky Faith: Everyday Ideas to Build Lasting Faith in Your Kids
15. Love Your God with All Your Mind: The Role of Reason in the Life of the Soul

And here's the list of the 20 top-selling Kindle books through Apologetics 315 in 2013:

1. On Guard: Defending Your Faith with Reason and Precision
2. Cold-Case Christianity: A Homicide Detective Investigates the Claims of the Gospels
3. Tactics: A Game Plan for Discussing Your Christian Convictions
4. The G. K. Chesterton Collection [34 Books!] (Illustrated Classics)
5. A To Z With C. S. Lewis
6. Come Let Us Reason: New Essays in Christian Apologetics
7. Signature in the Cell
8. The Grand Weaver: How God Shapes Us Through the Events of Our Lives
9. Simply Jesus: A New Vision of Who He Was, What He Did, and Why He Matters
10. How to Read the Bible for All Its Worth
11. Surprised by Hope
12. If God Is Good: Why Do We Hurt?
13. The Case for Christ: A Journalist's Personal Investigation of the Evidence for Jesus
14. Holman QuickSource Guide to Christian Apologetics (Holman Quicksource Guides)
15. Mere Christianity (C.S. Lewis Signature Classics)
16. What Darwin Didn't Know: A Doctor Dissects the Theory of Evolution
17. Mere Apologetics: How to Help Seekers and Skeptics Find Faith
18. The Rage Against God: How Atheism Led Me to Faith
19. The Case for Faith: A Journalist Investigates the Toughest Objections to Christianity
20. Heaven: Biblical Answers to Common Questions (booklet)

It was clear to me that many of the paper book sales were favoring those that may have been purchased in larger quantities for books studies. As for Kindle books, the ones that had been on sale in some way or which were heavily tweeted did very well.

What were your favorite books of 2013?
What are you planning on reading in 2014?

A Reasonable Response: Apologetics Learning ‘With’ and ‘Beyond’ William Lane Craig by Joe Gorra

Various images and ideas often dominate people's perceptions about Biola University's research professor of philosophy, William Lane Craig. Perhaps he is mostly know as debater, or Bill as lecturer, or Bill as philosophy and theology scholar, or Bill as apologist, etc. After ten years of directly serving Bill's research needs in any of the above areas, here’s what I have come to realize: to understand what animates Bill Craig in his work is to understand the role that asking questions and answering them has in all of his scholarly and public engagements. And not just asking and answering from any and all standpoints, but with the Christian tradition before his mind; as someone who is seeking to faithfully represent and steward that tradition through his life and witness in the world.

Book Give Away: The Attributes of God for Children

William Lane Craig has a new series of children's books that teach all about the attributes of God. Illustrated by Marli Renee, these great little books are quite amazing in their simple presentation of deep truths about God. (My own 5-year-old girl loves them and can explain what it means for God to be spirit and even what self-sufficient means, among other things.) These are being released two at a time about every month. More about Dr. Craig's children's books here.

Here's a list of all the titles:

• God is Spirit
• God is Everywhere
• God is Forever
• God is Self-Sufficient
• God is All-Knowing
• God is All-Powerful
• God is All-Good
• God is All-Loving
• God is Three Persons
• The Greatness of God

Congratulations to Joe F. and Diane S. for winning their copies.

Best Selling Apologetics Books of 2012

Back in 2012 I was reviewing some statistics from the previous year's Amazon affiliate links, and a top-10 post came together: the Best Selling Apologetics Books of 2011. It only seemed appropriate to do the same this year, with a bit of a longer list, as well as with the inclusion of Kindle titles. Keep in mind that this list is only for books purchased via Apologetics 315's links.

The best-selling books of 2012 were Greg Koukl's excellent book Tactics: A Game Plan for Discussing Your Christian Convictions as well as the Kindle version of Christian Apologetics by Douglas Groothuis. Personally, I loved the new children's books by William Lane Craig (#13, #15), which continue to be released.

So here's the list of the 15 top-selling paper books through Apologetics 315 in 2012, based upon those purchased through Ap315's affiliate links:

1. Tactics: A Game Plan for Discussing Your Christian Convictions
2. On Guard: Defending Your Faith with Reason and Precision
3. Bonhoeffer: Pastor, Martyr, Prophet, Spy
4. Holman QuickSource Guide to Christian Apologetics (Holman Quicksource Guides)
5. Is God Just a Human Invention? And Seventeen Other Questions Raised by the New Atheists
6. DREAMS AND VISIONS: Is Jesus Awakening the Muslim World?
7. The Reason for God: Belief in an Age of Skepticism
8. How to Read the Bible for All Its Worth
9. The Reason Why: Faith Makes Sense
10. The Case for the Resurrection of Jesus
11. How Will You Measure Your Life?
12. The Case for Christ: A Journalist's Personal Investigation of the Evidence for Jesus
13. God Is Spirit (Volume 1)
14. Why It Doesn't Matter What You Believe If It's Not True: Is There Absolute Truth?
15. God Is Everywhere (Volume 2)

And here's the list of the 15 top-selling Kindle books through Apologetics 315 in 2012:

1. Christian Apologetics: A Comprehensive Case for Biblical Faith
2. True Reason: Christian Responses to the Challenge of Atheism
3. Saving Leonardo: A Call to Resist the Secular Assault on Mind, Morals, and Meaning
4. Is God Just a Human Invention? And Seventeen Other Questions Raised by the New Atheists
5. Love Your God with All Your Mind: The Role of Reason in the Life of the Soul
6. Think Christianly: Looking at the Intersection of Faith and Culture
7. Letters from a Skeptic: A Son Wrestles with His Father's Questions about Christianity
8. Christian Beliefs: Twenty Basics Every Christian Should Know
9. Bonhoeffer: Pastor, Martyr, Prophet, Spy
10. Tactics: A Game Plan for Discussing Your Christian Convictions
11. Renovation of the Heart: Putting on the Character of Christ with Bonus Content (Designed for Influence)
12. The Rage Against God: How Atheism Led Me to Faith
13. Arguing with Friends
14. Pocket Dictionary of Apologetics & Philosophy of Religion
15. The Christ Files: How Historians Know What They Know about Jesus

It was clear to me that many of the paper book sales were favoring those that may have been purchased in larger quantities for books studies. As for Kindle books, the ones that had been on sale in some way or which were heavily tweeted did very well. For instance, Christian Apologetics by Groothuis is a massive tome, but can still be purchased on Kindle for around four dollars.

What were your favorite books of 2012?

Is God Just a Human Invention?

If you haven't read Is God Just a Human Invention? by Sean McDowell and Jonathan Morrow, now it the time to pick up the book. The Kindle version is only $2.99 for a limited time. Pick it up and use it for your own apologetics study: Read Along with Apologetics315 is a weekly chapter-by-chapter study through Is God Just a Human Invention? and Seventeen Other Questions Raised by the New Atheists by Sean McDowell and Jonathan Morrow. This is a chapter index for the study, pick up the book and delve into a great resource!

[Podcast Feed RSS | Podcast in iTunes] - Click to subscribe to the audio.

Series Introduction (includes link to authors interview)
Chapter 1: Is Faith Irrational?
Chapter 2: Are Science and Christianity at Odds?
Chapter 3: Are Miracles Possible?
Chapter 4: Is Darwinian Evolution the Only Game in Town?
Chapter 5: How Did the Universe Begin?
Chapter 6: How Did Life Begin?
Chapter 7: Why is the Universe Just Right for Life?
Chapter 8: Has Science Shown There is No Soul?
Chapter 9: Is God Just a Human Invention?
Chapter 10: Is Religion Dangerous?
Chapter 11: Does God Intend for Us to Keep Slaves?
Chapter 12: Is Hell a Divine Torture Chamber?
Chapter 13: Is God a Genocidal Bully?
Chapter 14: Is Christianity the Cause of Dangerous Sexual Repression?
Chapter 15: Can People Be Good Without God?
Chapter 16: Is Evil Only a Problem for Christians?
Chapter 17: What Good Is Christianity?
Chapter 18: Why Jesus Instead of the Flying Spaghetti Monster?

Enjoy reading along.

Book GiveAway: Jesus iWitness & Resurrection iWitness

Resurrection iWitness by Doug Powell is a book on the resurrection like no other. First, its dimensions make it a foot tall and ten inches wide. This is like a one-inch thick coffee table book, containing 32 pages chock-full of color graphics and text on the resurrection of Jesus. Powell's background as a graphic designer and Christian apologist combine to make this into a very engaging interactive book—practically every page has fold-out notes, maps, diagrams, and other pieces of evidence that build the historical case for the resurrection of Jesus. Here's a video demo.

This is exactly the kind of format that can be appealing and engaging for those not particularly turned on by the idea of text-dense, academic works of apologetics. And this was the experience with this book in my own "field-testing"—it was laid on the desk and nothing was said about it. But it was soon picked up, "wowed over", paged through, and the comments were along the lines of, "this is a great book!"

So if you are looking for a visually engaging way to learn, interact, or share the historical case for the resurrection of Jesus, or a Great Christmas Gift, you might consider Doug Powell's Resurrection iWitness. (And there's even an iPad app version!) And the second book in the series is Jesus iWitness, with the same format, but Jesus iWitness takes you on a visually immersive, interactive tour of his earthly life using vintage photographs of the Holy Land along with richly colored historical paintings

The book winners were Ryan and Dewayne. Congratulations!

Tim McGrew's Recommended Apologetics Reading

If you are looking for book recommendations in the area of apologetics, you may have checked out Apologetics315's Recommended Apologetics Book Directory. But what if you want to build a good foundational knowledge in the key areas of defending the faith? Where can you start? First, listen to Dr. Tim McGrew's Practical Apologetics audio, where you will find his advice for those studying in this area. You'll also find his recommended reading. Listed here are Tim McGrew's recommendations in various apologetic categories. Items marked with an asterisk (*) are available online in google books or other sources. Items marked with a dagger (†) are works by adversaries of Christianity.

Conversational Apologetics

Mandatory
Greg Koukl, Tactics

Recommended

Norman and David Geisler, Conversational Evangelism
Supplementary
Randy Newman, Questioning Evangelism
Randy Newman, Corner Conversations

An Apologetics Reading Plan for Beginners

Are you new to apologetics? Perhaps you're wondering where you should begin your reading. Because there are so many apologetics books out there—many which may be heavy reading for those new to apologetics—it would be helpful to have a sort of "top 10" reading plan for apologetics beginners.

The ten books on the reading plan below are selected specifically for the beginner in apologetics. They are on the list because of their accessibility and their quality of content. The order is provided as a progressive reading plan for those just getting started. Working through this list should give the novice a good foundation before moving on to more advanced titles.

Featured Book—True Reason: Christian Responses to the Challenge of Atheism

From the book's page at Amazon: While New Atheists like Richard Dawkins, Sam Harris, and others proclaim loudly their rationality, clear thinking, and incontrovertible scientific arguments, others are beginning to wonder how genuinely rational they are. Have they proved anything? Have they argued convincingly? Have they pinpointed any real challenges to the credibility of Christian faith?

True Reason, edited by Tom Gilson and Carson Weitnauer, brings together a compendium of writers—philosophers, apologists, ethicists, theologians, historians—who look carefully at the best arguments atheism has and evaluate their validity, logic, assumptions, and naturalist conclusions.

Authors include noted philosopher William Lane Craig and popular apologist Sean McDowell, along with Gilson, Weitnauer, John DePoe, Chuck Edwards, Matthew Flannagan, Peter Grice, Randy Hardman, David Marshall, Glenn Sunshine, David Wood, and Samuel Youngs. Each chapter tackles a different atheist argument and brings reason fully into the discussion. See the book website.

A low price for a great ebook: $2.99
Get it here.

10 Reference Books for the Apologist

There are books that you read once, learn from, and never read again. There are books that you read once, they change your life, and you count them as your favorites. Then there are books that are worthy to sit on your shelf close by, because you use them regularly for reference tools. What? You have no reference books? Here are a few idea for suggested reference books for your apologetics library:

1. Pocket Dictionary of Apologetics and Philosophy of Religion
Any time you encounter a term or idea you are not familiar with, pick up this handy little reference. Yes, it does fit in your pocket. It's also useful simply to read from beginning to end if you are new to the subject of apologetics or philosophy of religion.

2. Baker Encyclopedia of Christian Apologetics
This is a massive tome by Norman L. Geisler which is quite comprehensive in its scope. If there's an issue that has been encountered in apologetics, then it is probably going to be outlined pretty thoroughly here. Very useful for getting an overview of a topic, a key thinker, or an argument.

William Lane Craig's Recommended Apologetics Books

This week's Question and Answer on William Lane Craig's Reasonable Faith website answered an email to Dr. Craig asking for his recommended reading for apologetics. Dr. Craig replied with a bibliography of helpful resources. For your convenience, here it is below. If you want more, check out the Recommended Apologetics Book Directory. Here's Craig's bibliography...

Top 5 Books for Christmas Giving

If you are considering getting thoughtful gifts for important people in your life, then you might want to consider giving them some books to make them think. Here are my top five recommendations with reasons.

Who Made God? Completely readable - completely excellent. Actually, one of my favorite reads this year. I thought, I could give this to anyone and they would understand it, enjoy it, and be challenged by it. Full of wit, humor, and sharp thinking. This definitely makes it to the top of my list. (review here)

Is God Just a Human Invention? Another book with a question for a title - but questions are good, and this book tackles about 18 of them that are being asked the most these days. Written by Sean McDowell and Jonathan Morrow, with contributions from a ton of excellent specialists, this book is a phenomenal resource and doesn't have to be read in any particular order. (an interview with the authors here)

Evidence for God: 50 Arguments for Faith from the Bible, History, Philosophy, and Science is another book loaded with great content - 50 essays! - with contributions from a ton of top-notch apologists. A close competitor with the previously mentioned book that happens to be a great resource.

On Guard: Defending Your Faith with Reason and Precision by William Lane Craig is excellent for personal study or group studies. Weighty material that is clear, precise, and put together really well. I'd give this to Christian young people in high school and college who want to strengthen their apologetics foundations. (review here)

And finally, here's the stocking stuffer of the bunch: Kreeft and Tacelli's Pocket Handbook of Christian Apologetics. The reason? Again, lots of material packed into a small book, organized and presented well.

All these books would be my top 5 candidates for apologetics books for giving this Christmas. Of course, you could always give them a Kindle and load it full of books. You can now also "gift" Kindle books to anyone with an email address (for reading on the Kindle, or the Kindle software - PC/Mac/iPhone/Android)

What books do you recommend?