Paul NatekinHISTORY - CULTS - THEOLOGY - APOLOGETICS
BOOK RECOMMENDATIONS

BOOK RECOMMENDATIONS

Here are a few of the books that I found helpful in my studies. I’ve tried to simplify the list so it’s not too overwhelming!

General Apologetics:
Mere Christianity, C.S. Lewis
I Don’t Have Enough Faith To Be An Atheist, Norman Geisler & Frank Turek
Stealing From God, Frank Turek
Kingdom of the Cults, Walter Martin
Cold Case Christianity, J. Warner Wallace
Case For Christ, Lee Strobel
The Case For the Resurrection of Jesus, Gary Habermas & Michael Licona
Tactics, Greg Koukl
More Than a Carpenter, Josh McDowell
Reasonable Faith: Christian Truth and Apologetics by William Lane Craig
Forensic Faith by J. Warner Wallace
The Reason for God: Belief in an Age of Skepticism by Timothy Keller
The Resurrection of the Son of God (Christian Origins and the Question of God, Vol. 3) by N. T. Wright
The Atonement (Elements in the Philosophy of Religion) by William Lane Craig
Apologetics Study Bible, Holman Bible Staff
Is God A Moral Monster?: Making Sense of the Old Testament God, Paul Copan
Evidence That Demands a Verdict: Life-Changing Truth for a Skeptical World, Josh McDowell & Sean McDowell
God’s Crime Scene: A Cold-Case Detective Examines the Evidence for a Divinely Created Universe by J. Warner Wallace
The Historical Jesus of the Gospels by Craig S. Keener
The Big Book of Bible Difficulties: Clear and Concise Answers from Genesis to Revelation by Norman L. Geisler, Thomas Howe
Why Does God Allow Evil? by Clay Jones

Apologetics for Parents:
Mama Bear Apologetics™: Empowering Your Kids to Challenge Cultural Lies by Hillary Morgan Ferrer
Forensic Faith by J. Warner Wallace
Keeping Your Kids on God’s Side: 40 Conversations to Help Them Build a Lasting Faith by Natasha Crain
Talking with Your Kids about God: 30 Conversations Every Christian Parent Must Have by Natasha Crain
Talking with Your Kids about Jesus: 30 Conversations Every Christian Parent Must Have by Natasha Crain
5-Minute Apologetics for Today: 365 Quick Answers to Key Questions by Ron Rhodes
So the Next Generation Will Know: Preparing Young Christians for a Challenging World by Sean McDowell, J. Warner Wallace

Apologetics for kids/teens:
Cold-Case Christianity for Kids: Investigate Jesus with a Real Detective by J. Warner Wallace, Susie Wallace
God’s Crime Scene for Kids by J. Warner Wallace
Forensic Faith for Kids: Learn to Share the Truth from a Real Detective by J. Warner Wallace, Susie Wallace, Rob Suggs
Case for Christ for Kids by Lee Strobel, Robert Suggs Robert Elmer
Case for Faith for Kids by Lee Strobel, Robert Suggs Robert Elmer
Case for a Creator for Kids by Lee Strobel, Robert Suggs Robert Elmer
CSB Apologetics Study Bible for Students by CSB Bibles by Holman, Dr. Sean McDowell
A Student’s Guide to Culture by John Stonestreet, Brett Kunkle

New Testament Documents/ The Biblical Reliability:
The New Testament Documents, F.F. Bruce
Unbreakable, Andrew Wilson
A General Introduction to the Bible, Norman Geisler
Fabricating Jesus: How Modern Scholars Distort the Gospels, Craig A. Evan
Can We Still Believe the Bible?, Craig L. Blomberg
Can We Trust the Gospels? by Peter J. Williams
A Handbook of New Testament Exegesis, Craig L. Blomberg
The Historical Reliability of the Gospels, Craig L. Blomberg
Myths and Mistakes in New Testament Textual Criticism by Elijah Hixson, Peter J. Gurry
Miracles: The Credibility of the New Testament Accounts, Craig S. Keene
A Biblical-Theological Introduction to the New Testament: The Gospel Realized by Michael J. Kruger

Philosophy/Logic:
Come Let Us Reason, Norman Geisler
The Last Superstition: A Refutation of the New Atheism, Edward Feser
Love Your God With All Your Mind, J.P. Moreland

Worldview & Theology:
Jesus Among Other Gods, Ravi Zacharias
Why Jesus?, Ravi Zacharias
The Moody Handbook of Theology by Paul Enns
Christian Theology by Millard J. Erickson
Systematic Theology by Wayne A. Grudem
Basic Theology: A Popular Systematic Guide to Understanding Biblical Truth by Charles C. Ryrie
Evangelical Dictionary of Theology by Daniel J. Treier, Walter A. Elwell
Systematic Theology: In One Volume by Norman L. Geisler
Systematic Theology, Volume 1, Fourth Edition by Jr James Leo Garrett (Not Calvinistic World View)
Systematic Theology, Volume 2, Second Edition by Jr James Leo Garrett (Not Calvinistic World View)
Christian Theology: Biblical, Historical, and Systematic by Adam Harwood (Not Calvinistic World View)

Science/ Age of the Earth/ Creation/ Evolution:
Seven Days That Divide The World, John C. Lennox
God’s Undertaker: Has Science Buried God?, John C. Lennox
Can Science Explain Everything? (Questioning Faith) by John C. Lennox
The Edge of Evolution: The Search for the Limits of Darwinism, Michael Behe
Hidden Treasures in the Book of Job: How the Oldest Book in the Bible Answers Today’s Scientific Questions, Hugh Ross
The Second Coming of the New Age: The Hidden Dangers of Alternative Spirituality in Contemporary America and Its Churches, Josh Peck, Steven Bancarz
Science and the Mind of the Maker: What the Conversation Between Faith and Science Reveals About God by Melissa Cain Travis

Sexual Ethics:
The Secret Thoughts of an Unlikely Convert, Rosaria Champagne Butterfield
What Does the Bible Really Teach About Homosexuality?, Kevin DeYoung
Is God Anti-Gay?
, Sam Alberry
Holy Sexuality and the Gospel: Sex, Desire, and Relationships Shaped by God’s Grand Story by Christopher Yuan
Why Does God Care Who I Sleep With? (Questioning Faith) by Sam Allberry
A Practical Guide to Culture: Helping the Next Generation Navigate Today’s World by John Stonestreet, Brett Kunkle
Out of a Far Country: A Gay Son’s Journey to God. A Broken Mother’s Search for Hope. by Christopher Yuan, Angela Yuan
The Bible and Homosexual Practice: Texts and Hermeneutics by Robert A. J. Gagnon

Islam:
Seeking Allah, Finding Jesus: A Devout Muslim Encounters Christianity, Nabeel Qureshi
Reasoning from the Scriptures with Muslims by Ron Rhodes
The 10 Things You Need to Know About Islam by Ron Rhodes
What Every Christian Needs to Know About the Qur’an by James R. White
Understanding Islam and Christianity: Beliefs That Separate Us and How to Talk About Them by Josh McDowell, Jim Walker
Answering Islam: The Crescent in Light of the Cross by Norman L. Geisler, Abdul Saleeb
No God but One: Allah or Jesus?: A Former Muslim Investigates the Evidence for Islam and Christianity by Nabeel Qureshi

Progressive/Liberal Christianity, Postmodernism, New Age & New Apostolic Reformation:
Christianity and Liberalism by J. Gresham Machen
Postmodernizing the Faith: Evangelical Responses to the Challenge of Postmodernism by Millard Erickson
Telling the Truth: Evangelizing Postmoderns by D. A. Carson
Relativism: Feet Firmly Planted in Mid-Air by Francis J. Beckwith, Gregory Koukl
Truth Decay: Defending Christianity Against the Challenges of Postmodernism by Douglas Groothuis
The Ten Commandments of Progressive Christianity by Michael J. Kruger
Another Gospel?: A Lifelong Christian Seeks Truth in Response to Progressive Christianity by Alisa Childers
A New Apostolic Reformation?: A Biblical Response to a Worldwide Movement, R. Douglas Geivett and Holly Pivec
God’s Super-Apostles: Encountering the Worldwide Prophets and Apostles Movement, R.Douglas Geivett and Holly Pivec
The Second Coming of the New Age: The Hidden Dangers of Alternative Spirituality in Contemporary America and Its Churches by Josh Peck, Steven Bancarz, Dr. Michael S. Heiser
Deceived No More: How Jesus Led Me out of the New Age and into His Word  by Doreen Virtue
Kingdom Come: A Biblical Response to Dominion Theology by Don Pirozok
Defining Deception: Freeing the Church from the Mystical-Miracle Movement by Costi W. Hinn, Anthony G. Wood
A Hidden Path: Bethel Redding and Beyond by Sound Word
God, Greed, and the (Prosperity) Gospel: How Truth Overwhelms a Life Built on Lies by Costi W. Hinn
Saving Christianity?: The Danger in Undermining Our Faith — and What You Can Do about It by Michael Youssef
The Challenge of the Cults and New Religions: The Essential Guide to Their History, Their Doctrine, and Our Response by Ron Rhodes

Christian History/Historic Christianity:
Church History in Plain Language: Fourth Edition, Bruce Shelley
The Question of Canon: Challenging the Status Quo in the New Testament Debate by Michael J. Kruger
The Complete Ante-Nicene & Nicene and Post-Nicene Church Fathers Collection: 3 Series, 37 Volumes, 65 Authors, 1,000 Books, 18,000 Chapters, 16 Million Words
Christianity at the Crossroads: How the Second Century Shaped the Future of the Church by Michael J. Kruger
Fabricating Jesus: How Modern Scholars Distort the Gospels by Craig A. Evans
The Heresy of Orthodoxy by Andreas J. Köstenberger, Michael J. Kruger
Canon Revisited: Establishing the Origins and Authority of the New Testament Books by Michael J. Kruger
How God Became Jesus: The Real Origins of Belief in Jesus’ Divine Nature—A Response to Bart Ehrman by Michael F. Bird, Dr. Craig A. Evans, Simon Gathercole, Charles E. Hill
History of Christian Doctrines by Louis Berkhof
Defending Substitution: An Essay on Atonement in Paul (Acadia Studies in Bible and Theology) by Simon Gathercole, Craig Evans, Lee McDonald
Tried by Fire: The Story of Christianity’s First Thousand Years, William J. Bennett
The Mosaic of Christian Belief: Twenty Centuries of Unity and Diversity by Roger E. Olson

Devotional/Christian Living:
Confessions, St. Augustine
My Utmost for His Highest, Oswald Chambers
The Cost of Discipleship, Dietrich Bonhoeffer
The Pursuit of God, A.W. Tozer
Voice of A Prophet: Who Speaks for God? A.W. Tozer
Knowing God, J.I. Packer
Orthodoxy by G. K. Chesterton
The Call, Os Guinness
The Insanity of God, Nik Ripken
Not a Fan: Becoming a Completely Committed Follower of Jesus, Kyle Idleman
Encountering The Old Testament, Bill T. Arnold
Encountering the New Testament, Walter A. Ewell

Calvinism:
Arminian Theology: Myths and Realities, Roger E. Olson
Against Calvinism: Rescuing God’s Reputation from Radical Reformed Theology, Roger E. Olson
Calvinism: A Biblical and Theological Critique by David L. Allen, Steve W Lemke
The Potter’s Promise: A Biblical Defense of Traditional Soteriology by Leighton Flowers
Anyone Can Be Saved: A Defense of “Traditional” Southern Baptist Soteriology by David L. Allen, Eric Hankins, Adam Harwood
The Extent of the Atonement: A Historical and Critical Review by David L. Allen
The Foundation of Augustinian-Calvinism by Ken Wilson
Does God Love All or Some?: Comparing Biblical Extensivism and Calvinism’s Exclusivism by Ronnie W. Rogers
Debating Calvinism: Five Points, Two Views by Dave Hunt, James White
Calvin’s Dilemma: God’s Sovereignty vs. Man’s Free Will by Dave Hunt
Whosoever Will: A Biblical-Theological Critique of Five-Point Calvinism by David L. Allen, Steve W Lemke
The Atonement: A Biblical, Theological, and Historical Study of the Cross of Christ by David L. Allen
Determined to Believe?: The Sovereignty of God, Freedom, Faith, and Human Responsibility by John C. Lennox
Predestination & Free Will: Four Views of Divine Sovereignty & Human Freedom by David Basinger, Randall Basinger
Chosen But Free: A Balanced View of God’s Sovereignty and Free Will by Norman L. Geisler
Four Views on Eternal Security by J. Matthew Pinson, Michael S. Horton, Norman L. Geisler, Stephen M. Ashby, J. Steven Harper
Four Views on Divine Providence (Counterpoints: Bible and Theology) by Dennis Jowers, Stanley N. Gundry, Paul Kjoss Helseth, Gregory A. Boyd, Ron Highfield, William Lane Craig

Other Great Resources:
Apologetics Study Bible, Holman Bible Staff
Against The Flow: The Inspiration of Daniel in an Age of Relativism, John C. Lennox

P.S. Keep on checking as I add new books on regular basis.
(Updated 10/17/2022)

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Written by
Paul Natekin
Paul Natekin

Paul Natekin

Paul Natekin is the Chief Editor of “Мир Вашему Дому” Peace to Your Home magazine and a teaching fellow at Emmaus School and the Great Commission Missionary School. He also writes apologetic blogs aimed at questioning Christians and sincere skeptics.

As a disciple of Christ, I aspire to lead others to Him through my actions. His transformative grace and plan is crafting my simple life into a marvel beyond comprehension.

Stay Hungry for the meaning of life.