In our last blog we wrote about great online web resources for apologetics. This week we’re looking at some must-read books. These are all widely available and are listed in no particular order. Do you have a favourite book that we haven’t listed? Let us know about it, leave us a comment.
Mere Christianity
C. S. Lewis
C. S. Lewis was invited by the RAF to visit various bases during WWII to deliver talks to the crews of Bomber Command. Lewis, a top intellectual at Oxford University, had to change his delivery for the average guy who was manning a machine gun in the tail of a Lancaster.
This book builds on BBC Radio talks and those RAF visits to capture the essence of the Christian faith, what Lewis termed ‘mere’ Christianity. Lewis was a champion of the imagination and his creative energies in this book mark it as a compelling commendation for faith in Jesus and a brilliant introduction to Lewis.
Buy this book on Amazon.co.uk
The Case for Christ
Lee Strobel
Lee Strobel was a top-notch reporter for the Chicago Tribune. Used to dealing in facts and getting to the heart of the matter Strobel was challenged to investigate Christianity. When he applied his journalistic skills to this challenge he was amazed at the overwhelming evidence for Jesus Christ.
Also check out The Case For Faith – applying the same rigorous investigation of the tough objections to the Christian faith.
Buy this book on Amazon.co.uk
The God Who Is There
Francis Schaeffer
Francis Schaeffer was an American who lived in Switzerland and talked to hippies.
He left his mark on evangelism by stressing just how much we need to really love people. To love someone is to understand them. This wasn’t apologetics simply to answer questions but apologetics, listening to the questioner intently, based on a deep respect for people who don’t know Jesus.
Schaeffer took people seriously and spent a lot of time seeking to really learn what the questions being asked were. The God Who Is There get’s into this and more as to bring both understanding and compassion, as Schaffer said:
There is nothing more ugly than a Christian orthodoxy without understanding or compassion.
Buy this book on Amazon.co.uk
The Reason For God
Tim Keller
Popular New York pastor Tim Keller brings the conversation right up-to-date with his bestselling book The Reason For God. Based on years of experience dealing with challenges to the Christian faith from many areas, Keller deftly answers tough questions in fresh ways.
This is a book you’ll want to keep a couple of copies of to give away to friends.
Buy this book Amazon.co.uk
Can Man Live Without God?
Ravi Zacharias
Like all of the above authors, Ravi Zacharias has written many books. Can Man Live Without God, a best-seller, asks a the reverse of a popular question common today. Christians are faced with defending their faith to their friends, colleagues, family, neighbours etc. but what about other views? Does the person who doesn’t have faith have answers to give? What is the alternative and is it plausible?
Zacharias takes a good look at why Jesus makes sense and why people who don’t believe in him have many answers to give for their position.
Buy this book on Amazon.co.uk
Who Made God?: And answers to over 100 other tough question of faith
Ravi Zacharias and Norman Geisler (eds)
101 answers for those tricky questions. Bite-sized and convenient these answers make this book a great resource to keep handy for those times when we are faced with a question that we don’t know the answer to.
We like to go back to this book for quick refreshers from time to time.
Buy this book on Amazon.co.uk
