Apologetics - 50 Best Books of All Time - Part 1
I have counted the cost, and I am ready to upset some people.
Oh I know I am going to leave off someone's favorite apologetics book of all time with this list so let me get it out now...I AM SORRY!!
This is, as with most other lists, just my opinion of the best apologetics books.
One other thing to keep in mind:
These are books that I have either read, or am in the process of reading.
SO, if you see one of YOUR favorite books NOT on here, most likely it is because I am still growing in apologetics, and haven't read it yet.
So PLEASE, leave a comment below; I would LOVE to check your favorite book out too, so I can improve upon my list of the best Christian apologetics books.
Most importantly, this list of the best books on apologetics is primarily for the person who is interested in apologetics, but really has no idea where to start.
So without further ado, here's my apologetics book list (well the first 25)...but first, a Table of Contents, so that you can easily navigate between different sections.
- 1. Tactics
- 2. I Don't Have Enough Faith to Be An Atheist
- 3. Did Jesus Rise From the Dead?
- 4. The Case for Christ
- 5. Know Why You Believe
- 6. Cold-Case Christianity
- 7. Seeking Allah Finding Jesus
- 8. Relativism: Feet Firmly Planted in Mid-Air
- 9. Putting Jesus in His Place
- 10. Darwin's Black Box
- 11. The Compact Guide to World Religions
- 12. The New Testament Documents - Are They Reliable?
- 13. Evolution: A Theory in Crisis
- 14. Politically Correct Death
- 15. No God But One
- 16. Signature in the Cell
- 17. God's Crime Scene
- 18. The Case for a Creator
- 19. The Case for the Real Jesus
- 20. Evidence for the Historical Jesus
- 21. The Creator and the Cosmos
- 22. Did God Really Command Genocide?
- 23. Stealing from God
- 24. Understanding the Creation/Evolution Controversy
- 25. Miracles (2-Volume Set)
Tactics (2009)
By: Gregory Koukl
Most apologetics books teach you lots of great facts that act as evidence for defending your Christian faith.
This book does NOT do that. With Tactics Greg Koukl instead teaches you what many would say was much more valuable.
That is how to ask questions, so that it opens up the opportunity to present those facts.
For more information on Greg Koukl, check out his Stand to Reason website:
https://www.str.org/ or buy the book now by clicking here.
2. I Don't Have Enough Faith to Be an Atheist (2004)
By: Dr. Norman Geisler and Dr. Frank Turek
This was one of the first apologetics books I read, and it totally changed my life.
If there was one book you could read, from beginning to end, that would take you all the way from asking the question, "Does truth exist?" all the way up to the evidence that Jesus is that unknown God of the universe, this would be the book.
I have read quite a few Frank Turek books, and I haven't found one yet that I was disappointed with.
Not only is this book filled with GREAT facts, but it is also written well, with lots of stories and examples to help you understand these concepts.
Frank Turek YouTube videos get thousands upon thousands of hits every day, as he battles it out on college campuses across the country.
For apologetics videos and informative information from Dr. Turek, check out his website:
For Frank Turek, evolution, the existence of God and the reliability of scripture are just SOME of the topics he is highly proficient at.
Norman Geisler has been writing apologetics books for decades, and is known for Chosen But Free as well as the classic Norman Geisler Systematic Theology book.
I have not read as many Norman Geisler books yet, but there's enough of them to keep me busy for a long time.
For more information on the late and great, Dr. Norman Geisler, check out his website:
To buy I Don't Have Enough Faith To Be An Atheist now, click here.
3. Did Jesus Rise from the Dead (1987)
By: Dr. Gary Habermas and Dr. Antony Flew
THE most important question in human history is Did Jesus Rise From the Dead?
This book was the first book I read on this topic, so I am perhaps a bit biased, but Gary Habermas does a fantastic job of presenting his position for Christ's resurrection.
This book was actually compiled from a debate between Dr. Gary Habermas, and Dr. Antony Flew (one of the most famous atheists in the 20th century (eventually became a theist)).
The 2007 Antony Flew There Is a God book shocked the atheist world.
This book gives you the evidence for the resurrection, and it refutes, in real time, the other possible alternatives to the resurrection.
In Gary Habermas books, a reader is always going to learn a vast amount of information about the resurrection, in a plain and simple way.
You can check out Dr. Habermas' website at:
To buy Did Jesus Rise from the Dead now, click here.
4. The Case for Christ (1998)
By: Lee Strobel
This is the first apologetics book I ever read, back in college when I was struggling with my faith, and needed to hear someone make a case for Christ.
The Case for Christ book has sold millions of copies worldwide, and they even made the Case For Christ movie to Chronicle Strobel's journey.
It is similar to I Don't Have Enough Faith to Be an Atheist in that it gives a great overall perspective across the board of the evidence for Christianity.
Like Frank Turek, I have found Lee Strobel books to be very informative, yet not too far from reach for the average Christian to grasp.
With Lee Strobel the Case for Christ was more than just a publishing opportunity, this was the story of his life.
Lee has been married for many years now to Leslie Strobel, whose character also appears in the movie.
You can check out Lee's website at:
https://leestrobel.com/ or to buy The Case for Christ now, click here.
5. Know Why You Believe (1967)
By: Paul E. Little
This book flows very nicely, and is easy to read and understand.
It has lots of examples in many different categories of apologetics.
It is another book that gives you a nice overall picture of the evidence for Christianity.
To buy this book now, click here.
6. Cold-Case Christianity (2013)
By: J Warner Wallace
I hate to sound like a broken record, but this is another one that gives a great overall picture of the Christian position.
If I was telling someone where to get started in apologetics, I would start with these foundational books, because they give you such a great overall perspective of the evidence.
My favorite part in this book was when J Warner Wallace (James Warner Wallace) started getting into the evidence of the early church fathers.
Wallace has also written God's Crime Scene and Forensic Faith; he even has J Warner Wallace books for kids.
That book is extremely informative, as he shows you who the disciples of the disciples were, and who some of their disciples were.
The whole book was great, but that was what stuck out most to me.
Wallace's website, ColdCaseChristianity.com is a great resource for further learning.
To buy Cold Case Christianity now, click here.
7. Seeking Allah Finding Jesus (2014)
By: Dr. Nabeel Qureshi
Dr. Nabeel Qureshi was one of the reasons my wife and I fell in love with apologetics.
He will forever hold a very important place in our hearts and I know so many others throughout the world.
When he was hit with stomach cancer, we were shocked, and when he died, just heart-broken.
However, his teachings, and legacy in Christ will live on forever.
This book was amazing because I knew very little about Islam, and this book gives you a great introduction into Islam. Nabeel Quereshi books are mostly like that!
And it weaves an incredible story in the midst of teaching you. That is, of course, the story of Nabeel Qureshi going from Muslim to Jesus, through the witness of Muslim apologist David Wood, who started Acts17Apologetics with Nabeel.
The legacy Nabeel left lives on through his books. You can find more at:
To buy Seeking Allah, Finding Jesus now, click here.
8. Relativism: Feet Firmly Planted in Mid-Air (1998)
Dr. Francis J. Beckwith and Gregory Koukl
My mind was blown when I read this book!
Suddenly, certain things that I had been told for so long suddenly started to get turned on their heads, as their logic was proven fallacious.
The accusations from the media were suddenly not so intimidating any longer.
When you begin to learn the self-defeating nature behind so much of the speech of relativism, it changes you forever.
And, of course, what a great title as well!
For more information on Greg Koukl, check out his Stand to Reason website:
And for more books and info by Dr. Francis J. Beckwith, check out:
https://sites.baylor.edu/francisbeckwith/
To buy Relativism: Feet Firmly Planted in Mid-Air, click here.
9. Putting Jesus in His Place (2007)
By: Dr. Robert Bowman Jr. and J Ed Komoszewski
Wow! Another book that floored me.
When I read this book, I had no idea of all the Old Testament references to Jesus.
This book shows you evidence of Jesus being in the same place that Jehovah is mentioned in from the Old Testament.
It shows you how Jesus shares the Honors, Attributes, Names, Deeds, and Seat of God (acronym of course is HANDS).
Reading this book will change your perspective of our Lord Jesus, in an amazing way.
For more information on Rob Bowman, you can check out his website, with fellow apologist, Alex Blagojevic, at:
And to check out more of J Ed Komoszewski's books, check out his Amazon link at:
https://www.amazon.com/J.-Ed-Komoszewski/e/B001JSB4HU%3Fref=dbs_a_mng_rwt_scns_share
To buy Putting Jesus in His Place now, click here.
10. Darwin's Black Box (1996)
By: Dr. Michael Behe
2 words: Irreducible Complexities.
What? That's what I said.
This was one of the first people (Michael Behe) to come out, as a scientist, with such a strong case for Intelligent Design.
This is a bit tougher of a read with some of the science areas, but at the same time, I think Behe does a great job a breaking a lot of that down.
If you have one science book to read to give you evidence that disproves Darwinian evolution, this could be it.
Behe breaks down systems which have so many different moving parts that there's no way they could have just evolved by chance.
He examines systems like the eye, blood-clotting and the famous Bacterial Flagellum.
Get ready to have your mind blown.
Michael J Behe has also written Darwin Devolves and The Edge of Evolution.
You can get more information on Michael Behe at:
https://www.discovery.org/p/behe/ or to buy this book now, click here.
IF YOU ENJOY LEARNING TO DEFEND YOUR CHRISTIAN FAITH, CLICK THE LINK TO CHECK OUT THE FIRST EVER "APOLOGETICS BOARD GAME".
11. The Compact Guide to World Religions (1996)
By: Dean C. Halverson
This book was my first break down of multiple religions in one book, and I loved every minute of it.
If you want to learn a bit about pretty much ALL the major religions, this is the book for you.
From Islam, to Hinduism, from Buddhism to Judaism, and a whole lot in between, this book opens our eyes into the religions of the world around us.
To buy The Compact Guide to World Religions now, click here.
12. The New Testament Documents - Are They Reliable? (1943)
By: F.F. Bruce
This book was a little too technical for my wife (not many stories and examples), but if you like facts and straight evidence, this is a must-read.
F.F. Bruce (also written FF Bruce) is one of the great scholars of the 20th century, and he makes a great case for why we can trust these books called the New Testament documents.
To buy this book now, click here.
13. Evolution: A Theory in Crisis (1985)
By: Dr. Michael Denton
Evolution: A Theory in Crisis is the book that many believe cracked open the door into some of the flaws with evolution, and it took, especially at this time (1985) a lot of guts to be one of the first to bring it out.
Michael Behe actually remarked that he had read this book, and it began to make him questions some of the Darwinian dogma that he had grown so accustomed to in the scientific community.
It is not an easy read, but if you have any interest in science and truth, you will certainly enjoy it.
You can find more information on Dr. Denton at:
https://www.discovery.org/p/denton/ or to buy this book now, click here.
14. Politically Correct Death (1994)
By: Dr. Francis J. Beckwith
This book is seen by many in the apologetics community as the premiere book on the abortion debate.
So if you are feeling called to enter into that arena of protecting life with the Pro-Life movement, this is the one book you definitely do want to get your hands on.
For more books and info by Dr. Francis J. Beckwith, check out:
https://sites.baylor.edu/francisbeckwith/ or to buy this book now, click here.
15. No God But One (2016)
By: Dr. Nabeel Quereshi
One could certainly make the case that this book was even better than Seeking Allah, Finding Jesus.
Where his first book weaves a story into a great introduction on Islam, this books goes deeper, theologically and historically.
Both books are excellent.
This book is very well-written, and explores the deeper issues of Islam more closely.
The legacy he left lives on through his books. You can find more at:
http://www.nabeelqureshi.com/ or to buy this book now, click here.
16. Signature in the Cell (2009)
By: Dr. Stephen Meyer
Signature in the Cell, like Darwin's Black Box, hits on foundational issues with Darwinian evolution, related to specified complexity, the information inside DNA.
Dr. Meyer talks about how even our simplest DNA molecule has a gargantuum amount of information that resides in it, and the question becomes, "where did that information come from?"
Stephen Meyer also wrote the apologetics classic, Darwin's Doubt.
With Stephen Meyer Intelligent Design as a movement has seen some huge momentum.
If life evolves from DNA, where did the first DNA get the information from to develop that life.
For more books and information on Dr. Meyer, check out his website at:
17. God's Crime Scene (2015)
By: J. Warner Wallace
OK so God's Crime Scene is the first apologetics book I read (while not in college).
Basically, in 2017, we decided we wanted to put an apologetics website together. I knew I loved apologetics, but I had only read 1 apologetics book (Case for Christ) up to this time (well 1.5 if you include Mere Christianity which my dad told me to read when I was in high school, but which I got NOTHING from, and didn't care about it at that time).
So I set off to start on my apologetics journey with 1...and a half books under my belt.
This is the first book I read from there.
Wallace does a great job, as in all his books, in explaining complex topics in simple terms.
He also is the illustrator in these books as well, which is cool.
This book gets into the Fine-Tuning argument, which tends to keep many atheists up at night.
Wallace has some great resources at his website,
https://coldcasechristianity.com/
18. The Case for a Creator (2004)
By: Lee Strobel
This book gets into the science aspects of the evidence for a Creator.
It even gets into geological evidence, as Strobel interviews the world's brightest Christian scientists to grill them on the world's most challenging questions.
With Lee Strobel The Case For a Creator was introduced to the world, and the world will never be the same.
You can check out Lee's website at:
19. The Case for the Real Jesus (2007)
By: Lee Strobel
You really can't go wrong with any of Strobel's Case For...series.
Here is another, and it is great as well.
In The Case For Faith Lee Strobel turns to a different side of evidence.
What sticks out to me from this book was comparing Jesus to ancient Greek mythological figures, and what are called Copycats, to determine whether Christianity had stolen from their stories to invent stories about Jesus.
Also, he has a great interview with Dr. Michael Brown on the fulfilled prophecies of Jesus.
Again, you can check out Lee's website at:
20. Evidence for the Historical Jesus (2015)
By: Dr. Gary Habermas
My favorite part of this EBook (which I printed out and basically turned into a book), was when Dr. Habermas breaks down the gaps that show how early the Gospels and especially 1 Cor. 15 was written.
It is BRILLIANT and he turned it into an actual book (linked above).
Also, he touches on some of the extrabiblical evidence for Jesus, through, Tacitus, Pliny, etc.
You can check out Dr. Habermas' website at:
21. The Creator and the Cosmos (1993)
By: Dr. Hugh Ross
This is a wonderful science book.
Hugh Ross is a brilliant Astrophysicist, who also loves the Lord.
Hugh Ross books are a but more in-depth, but definitely worth checking out, even for the layperson.
He goes into some detail in this book, touching on the fine-tuning of the universe, and popular topics like black holes and relativity.
For anyone who likes a good science read out there, Hugh Ross is your guy.
Hugh Ross started the organization "Reasons to Believe" (not to be confused with the Rod Stewart classic, Reason to Believe), and you can check out more on him at:
https://www.reasons.org/about/hugh-ross
22. Did God Really Command Genocide? (2014)
By: Dr. Paul Copan and Dr. Matt Flannagan
This topic is super popular at college universities all across the country.
How could God be good, if he allowed and even commanded some of what seems like massive atrocities in the Old Testament?
These questions, and more, are addressed and answered in this book.
For more information on Paul Copan, check out his website:
23. Stealing From God (2015)
By: Dr. Frank Turek
This one certainly could have been pushed higher up on the list.
It tackles, perhaps, the strongest (one could argue) argument for the existence of God - our moral standards.
Dr. Turek makes it clear how, without God, no one has ANY basis to make any judgment about anyone ever.
He shows how atheists have to actually "steal from God" (having an objective basis for good and evil) in order to make a case that God is evil.
Sound confusing? Buy the book. He will clear it up for you. He did for me.
For apologetics videos and informative information from Dr. Turek, check out his website:
24. Understanding the Creation/Evolution Controversy (2005)
By: Dr. E.C. Ashby
This is a good read for someone who wants a basic understanding of the Creation/Evolution debate.
If my memory serves me well, E.C. Ashby used to be a professor, teaching evolution for many years.
One of his students asked him out to lunch and challenged the professor to tell him the best evidence he had for evolution.
Well after making a few points, Ashby realized, for the first time in 20 years, how weak his arguments really were.
So he traveled across the world to interview some of his colleagues at some of the best and brightest schools, and they also gave him their best evidence...which he also determined to be a bit weak.
From that place, he wrote this book, presenting the strong case for Intelligent Design in the universe.
25. Miracles (2-volume set) (2011)
By: Dr. Craig Keener
This 2-volume series, I must admit, I have only started.
It is pretty intimidating (2 volumes and each is like 700 pages!)
But Dr. Craig Keener literally chronicles miracles that have been medically verified in our modern times, throughout the world.
I definitely look forward to the day when I can get through this one.
You can check out Dr. Keener's website at:
http://www.craigkeener.com/about-craig/
4 Responses
Karen Fisher
Thank you for this list! I have many (but not all!) of the titles. I agree that Nabeels books are great for someone who knows little about Islam but wants to read about a first-hand account from a former Muslim and scholar. I like the book reviews you included here. It’s going to help me decide on my next book purchase. God bless you! ~Karen
Jonathan Krotov
Awesome Larry, thanks for the response, I will see if I can grab those books. Great suggestions!
Larry Rhein
You should check out Dr. Jason Lisle’s “The Ultimate Proof of Creation”, Josh McDowell’s “The New Evidence that Demands a Verdict”, and Hillary Morgan Ferrer’s “Mama Bear Apologetics” as well.
Jonathan
October 15, 2020
That’s awesome Karen! I am very glad that it will be helpful for you! Thanks for the comment :)