Recommended Reading
The lessons on this site are introductions. The scholars and thinkers referenced throughout have written books that go much deeper. Here are the ones we recommend most, organized by topic and reading level.
Start Here
If you read nothing else, read these. Accessible to high school students and adults.
Mere Christianity
C.S. Lewis
The classic introduction to the rational case for Christianity. Lewis was an atheist who became a Christian after following the evidence. His moral argument and trilemma (Liar, Lunatic, or Lord) remain two of the most powerful arguments ever made. Start with this book.
The Case for Christ
Lee Strobel
A journalist and former atheist investigates the historical evidence for Jesus. Written as a series of interviews with leading scholars. Highly readable and covers many of the same topics as this curriculum. There is also a student edition for younger readers.
On Guard
William Lane Craig
A popular-level introduction to the major arguments for God's existence by one of the world's leading philosophers of religion. Covers the cosmological argument, fine-tuning, the moral argument, the resurrection, and more. Clear, rigorous, and accessible.
The Existence of God
Philosophy, cosmology, and the case from science.
God's Undertaker: Has Science Buried God?
John Lennox
Oxford mathematician John Lennox examines whether science and God are really in conflict. Covers the origin of the universe, fine-tuning, the origin of life, and the limits of scientific explanation. Outstanding for students interested in the science-faith question.
The Language of God
Francis Collins
The former director of the Human Genome Project explains how he went from atheism to faith. Collins argues that science and faith are not only compatible but complementary. An important book from one of the most accomplished scientists alive.
Where the Conflict Really Lies
Alvin Plantinga
Plantinga, widely regarded as the most important Christian philosopher of the last century, argues that the real conflict is not between science and religion but between science and naturalism. More challenging reading, but deeply rewarding.
The Historical Evidence
The reliability of the Bible, the resurrection, and the historical Jesus.
The Resurrection of the Son of God
N.T. Wright
The definitive scholarly treatment of the resurrection evidence. Wright, a leading New Testament historian, examines what first-century Jews and pagans believed about life after death, and argues that the bodily resurrection of Jesus is the best historical explanation for the evidence. Thorough and academic, but his popular-level book Surprised by Hope covers the same ground more accessibly.
The Case for the Resurrection of Jesus
Gary Habermas & Michael Licona
A step-by-step presentation of the minimal facts approach to the resurrection. Habermas surveyed thousands of scholarly publications to identify the facts accepted by virtually all historians. This book walks you through them clearly.
Can We Trust the Gospels?
Peter J. Williams
A concise, evidence-based case that the Gospel authors knew what they were writing about. Covers undesigned coincidences, geographical accuracy, and cultural details that only eyewitnesses would know. Short and powerful.
Evolution, Design & the Origin of Life
The scientific evidence for intelligent design and the limits of unguided processes.
Signature in the Cell
Stephen Meyer
Meyer argues that the digital information stored in DNA points to an intelligent cause. A detailed examination of why unguided chemistry cannot explain the origin of biological information. The most important book in the intelligent design movement.
Darwin's Doubt
Stephen Meyer
Focuses on the Cambrian Explosion and why the sudden appearance of complex animal body plans challenges standard evolutionary theory. A companion to Signature in the Cell.
Darwin's Black Box
Michael Behe
The book that introduced the concept of irreducible complexity. Behe, a biochemist, argues that certain molecular machines in the cell cannot have been produced by gradual, step-by-step evolutionary processes. Controversial and important.
Hard Questions
Evil, suffering, and the toughest objections to faith.
The Problem of Pain
C.S. Lewis
Lewis's philosophical treatment of why a good God might allow suffering. Written before his wife's death, it is more analytical than emotional. Paired with A Grief Observed (written after her death), together they offer both the intellectual and personal dimensions of the question.
If God Is Good
Randy Alcorn
A comprehensive treatment of the problem of evil that engages with both the philosophical arguments and the pastoral reality of suffering. Alcorn addresses Bart Ehrman's objections directly and shows why the biblical picture of eternity matters for how we understand present suffering.
Tactics
Greg Koukl
Not about a specific argument, but about how to have conversations about faith effectively. Koukl teaches the "Columbo Tactic" and other practical methods for engaging with skeptics respectfully and persuasively. An outstanding companion to Lesson 18 of this curriculum.
For Younger Readers
Apologetics resources specifically written for middle school and high school students.
The Case for Christ (Student Edition)
Lee Strobel
A version of Strobel's bestseller adapted for students. Same evidence, simpler language.
I Don't Have Enough Faith to Be an Atheist
Norman Geisler & Frank Turek
A popular-level apologetics book that walks through the evidence step by step: truth exists, God exists, miracles are possible, the New Testament is reliable, Jesus is who he claimed to be. Accessible and thorough.
Cold-Case Christianity
J. Warner Wallace
A former cold-case detective applies his investigative skills to the claims of Christianity. Wallace was an atheist who became a Christian after examining the evidence using the same methods he used to solve murders. Engaging and unique.
Continue Your Journey
Apologetics opens the door to faith, but steady verse-by-verse Bible study is what produces spiritual growth. Thru the Bible with J. Vernon McGee is a free, verse-by-verse journey through the entire Bible, available in over 100 languages at ttb.org. It has been quietly shaping believers for over 50 years, and it is the natural next step from here.