If you are like most Christians, you know you should be sharing your faith, but you don’t really feel qualified. There are so many difficult questions that challenge Christian belief, and you don’t have the right answers for skeptics. So you stay quiet.
 But did you know that there is a whole branch of scholarship devoted to responding to these tough questions with convincing answers? It’s called “apologetics.” And in this article, we introduce you to the best recent works on apologetics to give you the support you need to share your faith with confidence. 
The list is arranged into the following five subdivisions:
  • Christian worldview (3 books)
  • Reliability of Scripture (3 books)
  • Historical and philosophical apologetics (4 books)
  • C.S. Lewis’ approach (3 books)
  • Communicating the faith (2 books)

An easy-to-read, 20-minute summary of each book can be found on HolyReads.com. Check out our collection of hundreds of Christian bestsellers and spiritual classics in written, audiobook, and video formats. Read more in less time. 

Developing a Christian Worldview: Three Works to Guide You

What is a “worldview”? What is your worldview? Perhaps you don’t know how to answer such questions. But if you peruse the three studies discussed below, you’ll be able to do so. In fact, you’ll not only find out what a worldview is, but you’ll learn how to engage others regarding theirs. 
By looking at our beliefs as a collective whole, we come to see how each individual idea makes sense (or doesn’t make sense). What is more, once we begin to study what the biblical worldview is, we come away with a better understanding of our place in God’s creation and in the history of God’s plan.

Christian Worldview: A Student’s Guide by Philip Graham Ryken

What do Christians believe about the world? They believe it is broken but not beyond repair. For God has inserted Himself into the fray and has begun to redeem it. However, this process doesn’t happen overnight. Christians are called to live faithfully to God and to live with grace and love among non-Christians. 
The Christian worldview takes God as its center. From here outward, all things fall into place: history, science, the arts, and everything else. The examination of history is the study of God’s redemptive plan. Science is the investigation and discovery of God’s world. The purpose of the arts is to mimic the creative aspect of God. All things are subject to God. Most importantly, God has sent His Son into the world to save sinners.

What’s Your World View? An Interactive Approach to Life’s Big Questions by James N. Anderson

There are numerous worldviews and religions around the world. Each has a distinct set of beliefs (or lack of beliefs) in a deity. Some of these overlap slightly and only vary on a single important point. It is important to know these beliefs and understand different worldviews so you can help lead people to Christ as the Savior. 
It is impossible to change someone’s worldview if you do not understand it or if you cannot answer basic questions about those beliefs. Each non-Christian worldview has some merit to it, but each also has some unanswered questions that leave room for the truth to be taught.

Think Like Jesus: Make the Right Decision Every Time by George Barna

Think Like Jesus is an encouragement to all Christians who are wondering what it would look like if their lives, thoughts, hearts, gut reactions, and emotions looked like those of Jesus. Jesus lived and thought about the world in a specific way, using a biblical worldview. Despite the large numbers of Christians in America, many of us are operating out of unbiblical worldviews. We claim to be Christians and go to church, doing many of the right things. But our underlying thoughts and actions are more a product of a secular worldview than a biblical one.
In this study, we’re going to look at the contents of a biblical worldview and then talk about how to go about acquiring that biblical worldview. It doesn’t come automatically. It comes through practice, patience, and hard work. But if we really want to learn to think and act like Jesus, we have to start by understanding the world as Jesus did. 

The Reliability of Scripture: Three Expert Perspectives

Before beginning a general defense of Christian teachings, you might have to address the issue of the truthfulness and reliability of the Bible. Here are three studies that tackle the main objections and problems that cause doubt.

Why I Trust the Bible: Answers to Real Questions and Doubts People Have About the Bible by William D. Mounce

Christians cannot assume that the average person in America still trusts the Bible to be true, for our culture has launched an attack on Christianity. In Why I Trust the Bible, William D. Mounce, the renowned Greek scholar, answers many of the criticisms of the Bible to help readers determine whether they can trust it.
The actual existence of Jesus is affirmed. Supposed contradictions in the Bible are resolved. Arguments are given for why the books of the Bible are inspired, how they were accurately copied, and why we can trust the translations available today. While most of the material focuses on the New Testament, a defense of the character of God in the Old Testament and the historical accuracy of the Old Testament are presented as well. 

Can We Trust the Gospels? by Peter J. Williams

Dr. Williams gives us an examination of the reliability of the four Gospels. Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John record the extraordinary events of the life and death of Jesus of Nazareth. Their narratives are of utmost importance to the New Testament and the Christian faith.
To believe the accuracy of these Gospels is necessary for faith in Jesus Himself. Through careful study, we can be sure of the trustworthiness of the Gospels and the claims of Jesus Christ, their central figure.

Canon Revisited: Establishing the Origins and Authority of the New Testament Books by Michael Kruger

Kruger asks us to consider the formation of the biblical canon (that is, the list of books that make up our Bible). For the last millennium and a half, the Catholic Church has declared its canon as authoritative because it said so. For the last several centuries, non-Catholic New Testament criticism has been analyzed and assessed from a post-Enlightenment perspective. Neither of these views is sufficient in explaining how the church got the New Testament canon. Is there a viable alternative?
There is. The truth is that the church didn’t create the canon. It merely discovered it. More accurately, the church knew which books were authoritative and which weren’t. The early church recognized which ones were authoritative because they effectively heard God’s voice in them.  

Historical and Philosophical Approaches: Four Leading Experts

Lee Strobel, J. Warner Wallace, William Lane Craig, David Bentley Hart – these are four names every student of apologetics should know. Each has marshaled compelling evidence for the existence of God and the truth of Jesus’ message. And each does so from a unique perspective that targets a slightly different problem. From historical study to philosophical analysis, you’re sure to come away a more thoughtful believer after perusing their works. 

The Case for Christ: A Journalist’s Personal Investigation of the Evidence for Jesus by Lee Strobel

Yale-trained lawyer and former atheist Lee Strobel takes us on his incredible journey of examining the legal case of the life, death, and resurrection of Jesus Christ. He moves from disbelief to acceptance as we hear from a number of world-renowned experts in a variety of fields. 
We see how modern psychology and modern medicine lend credibility to the account of Jesus. We follow the traces of ancient manuscripts and eyewitness accounts from early testimonies to Jesus. We examine whether the evidence supports Jesus’ understanding of Himself to be God and whether the Jesus of history has any resemblance to the Jesus worshipped by the church today. We come away with answers to critical questions and the confidence to look more into the historical record and life of Jesus. 

Cold-Case Christianity: A Homicide Detective Investigates the Claims of the Gospels by J. Warner Wallace

Wallace uses the principles he learned as a homicide detective working on cold cases to shed new light on the very old case of the death and resurrection of Christ. He first teaches us a handful of principles that detectives and juries must use to determine what happened in a case. Then he begins to apply all of those principles to common objections that people have against Christianity. 
Once we start to consider the evidence objectively, we learn that we aren’t looking for total and complete proof. Total and complete proof rarely emerges in any case. We are looking for the most probable explanation of the data points, which is that Jesus was raised from the dead. We are met with a convincing argument that Jesus was raised from the dead. 

On Guard: Defending Your Faith With Reason and Precision by William Lane Craig

In this work, America’s leading Christian apologist outlines how to defend the Christian faith against skeptics. The main concerns that atheists and nonbelievers have about God, Jesus, and the Christian faith are addressed convincingly.
Atheists and those of other faiths believe that Christianity is no different than any of the other religions of the world and that Christianity has no exclusive claims to truth. But by carefully examining the logic and philosophy behind the negativity and indifference of nonbelievers, Christians have powerful tools in their possession to demonstrate that Christianity offers strong and valid reasons behind its beliefs. Christian faith does not conflict with logic, science, or history.

The Experience of God: Being, Consciousness, Bliss by David Bentley Hart

Atheism has grown in popularity in recent years, and with its growth has come a sense of arrogance and disdain for theism in general and the Christian view of God in particular. Yet leading atheist thinkers (such as Richard Dawkins) betray a shocking ignorance of what theism actually teaches. Their version of deity falls far short of what religious metaphysics across many religions (both West and East) has classically taught. 
The conversation surrounding the existence of God must stop and take stock of the assumptions behind the terminology used. Once that is done, much of the ground is cleared for a fruitful discussion and appreciation of what classical theism has affirmed about God and the universe. And this, in turn, will demonstrate even more plainly the rationality of theism and the absurdity of atheism. 

The Winsome Apologist: The Thought of C.S. Lewis in Three Essential Works

One of the greatest apologists of Christianity in the 20th century was C.S. Lewis. Not only do his writings address the thorniest of philosophical issues, but his style of communication makes complicated concepts easy to grasp (and fun to read!). If you’re looking for style and substance, you can do no better than the writings of Lewis. 
In the following three works, Lewis provides a clear defense of the faith against opponents. You’ll find a comprehensive and coherent overview of the main points of Christianity, along with trenchant analyses of common objections to the biblical perspective of reality. 

Mere Christianity by C.S. Lewis

C.S. Lewis engages the deep convictions of the faith that most Christians across denominations share in common. “Mere” means not bare or simply, but the basic ground. To read his arguments is to gain a profound knowledge of key Christian beliefs: the Trinity, Jesus as fully divine and fully human, and creation. Lewis threads these convictions into a rich and persuasive account of the Christian moral life. His vivid use of stories and analogies throughout the study will leave the reader transformed. 
With C.S. Lewis as your guide, you’ll see how Christianity makes sense of the world. Not only is the Bible true, but it also helps us fit together the disparate aspects of our lives in ways that give them value and meaning. We are not called simply to defend the faith but to offer it to the world as their hope.

Miracles by C.S. Lewis

The modern world dismisses miracles as either a figment of the imagination or sheer illusion. After all, science has repeatedly shown that the laws of nature can eventually explain what once seemed like a miracle. 
Lewis engages all the challenging questions about miracles that both believers and unbelievers typically ask. How are we to think about miracles in an age of science? Are miracles simply exceptions in an otherwise ordinary world? An examination of Scripture – and even more, the life, death, and resurrection of Jesus Christ – shows that miracles are intensified ways in which God works in the world. 

The Problem of Pain by C.S. Lewis

Suffering involves not only physical pain but also our inability to understand it. We are thus trapped in the mental anguish of “why me?” or “why did this happen?” Such questions, however, when richly engaged, can draw the reader more fully into God’s own story with all of creation. 
God is not the direct source of evil and pain but nonetheless can use suffering to heal and restore us. Just as the self-abandonment of Christ makes new life possible, so also does our daily dying bring us more fully into a joyful dance with the One who is the source of all that is.

Practical Advice on How to Share Your Faith: Two Guides for Real-Life Conversations

What’s the good in knowing the arguments for Christianity but not being able to use them effectively in bringing unbelievers to Jesus? The following two books help you learn not just the truth but how to communicate

Tactics: A Game Plan for Discussing Your Christian Convictions by Gregory Koukl 

There are plenty of resources available today to help Christians know what to believe and why they believe it. But we also need to know how vitally important it is to speak with others who have not yet trusted in Christ by having truly engaging, meaningful, and heartfelt discussions with skeptics and those with differing religious viewpoints.
Anyone can learn what it means to be a true ambassador of Christ and communicate with others in compelling and inviting ways. Like learning a new skill, it takes time and energy to learn the right tactics and become more comfortable, but it can be done. Too much is at stake not to try. We measure our effectiveness by faithfulness and obedience to Christ. Learn these tactics and show the world that Christianity is worth taking seriously.

The Gospel Comes with a House Key: Practicing Radically Ordinary Hospitality in Our Post-Christian World by Rosaria Butterfield

As Christians, we have the answers and the way to provide hope to every single person in need. Yet without a relationship with others, nonbelievers will never hear about Jesus Christ. Worse, they might even skeptically view the Christian faith as hypocritical or irrelevant. Hospitality is the practice that opens up the heart of the unbeliever.
There are outcasts and lonely individuals all around us who need the hope of Christ in their lives. For hospitality to draw unbelievers to God, however, we must accept them unconditionally. It is only with this kind of love that we can build relationships with skeptics and broken individuals. When we learn to practice true hospitality, we lay the foundation for God to transform lives.
Check out summaries of each of these important works on HolyReads.com. We offer 20-minute summaries of hundreds of Christian bestsellers and spiritual classics in written, audiobook, and video formats. Master the essential arguments in a fraction of the time with Holy Reads.