Recommended Reading
A church deacon reads a book in his study.
There are many fine books on Christian apologetics written by eminent Christian authors. The list below is by no means exhaustive. I have read the books in the list, and I bear witness they are enlightening. I will expand the list over time by adding more recent readings at the top of the appropriate category. Keep in mind you may not always agree with an author’s expounding on the fine points of Scripture. Regardless, there is still much we can learn from the authors.
Books at a Layman Level
The Prophets of Israel: Walking the Ancient Paths, by James K. Hoffmeier
Tactics: A Game Plan for Discussing Your Christian Convictions, by Gregory Koukl
Is God Real?: Exploring the Ultimate Question of Life, by Lee Strobel
Rescuing Inerrancy: A Scientific Defense, by Hugh Ross
Testable Faith: A Reasons to Believe Anthology, by Fazale Rana, Hugh Ross, Kenneth Richard Samples, and Jeff Zweerink
Broken Signposts: How Christianity Makes Sense of the World, by N. T. Wright
Is Atheism Dead?, by Eric Metaxas
The Case for a Creator, by Lee Strobel
The Case for Christ, by Lee Strobel
The Case for Grace, by Lee Strobel
The Questions Christians Hope No One Will Ask, by Mark Mittelberg
Hard Questions, Real Answers, by William Lane Craig
Stealing from God, by Frank Turek
Jesus Under Fire, edited by Michael J. Wilkins and J. P. Moreland
Seeking Allah, Finding Jesus, by Nabeel Qureshi
Reinventing Jesus, by J. Ed Komoszewski, M. James Sawyer, and Daniel B. Wallace
Books About Astronomy and the Bible
God and Galileo, by David L. Block and Kenneth C. Freeman
The Fingerprint of God, by Hugh Ross
The Creator and the Cosmos, by Hugh Ross
Why the Universe is the Way it Is, by Hugh Ross
Beyond the Cosmos, by Hugh Ross
A Matter of Days, by Hugh Ross
Creation and Time, by Hugh Ross
The Genesis Question, by Hugh Ross
Books at an Intermediate Level
Set Apart: How Genesis Stands Alone, by J. R. Miller
When Skeptics Ask: A Handbook on Christian Evidences, by Norman L. Geisler and Ronald M. Brooks
The Genesis of Science: How the Christian Middle Ages Launched the Scientific Revolution, by James Hannam
The Crucifixion of Jesus: A Medical Doctor Examines the Death and Resurrection of Christ, by Joseph W. Bergeron
Why God Makes Sense in a World That Doesn’t, by Gavin Ortlund
Evidence that Demands a Verdict, by Josh McDowell and Sean McDowell
On Guard, by William Lane Craig
God’s Undertaker, by John C. Lennox
Seven Days that Shook the World, by John C. Lennox
Books at an Advanced Level
Cosmic Chemistry: Do God and Science Mix?, by John C. Lennox
Reasonable Faith: Christian Truth and Apologetics, Third Edition, by William Lane Craig
The Resurrection of the Son of God, by N. T. Wright
The Son Rises, by William Lane Craig
Books About Difficult, Misunderstood, or Misused Passages in the Bible
The Destruction of the Canaanites: God, Genocide, and Biblical Interpretation, by Charlie Trimm
The Most Misused Stories in the Bible: Surprising Ways Popular Bible Stories Are Misunderstood, by Eric J. Bargerhuff
Why is That in the Bible?: The Most Perplexing Verses and Stories-and What They Teach Us, by Eric J. Bargerhuff
Why Did God Do That?: Discovering God’s Goodness in the Hard Passages of Scripture, by Matthew Tingblad and Josh McDowell
Is God a Vindictive Bully?: Reconciling Portrayals of God in the Old and New Testaments, by Paul Copan
Is God a Moral Monster?, by Paul Copan
Did God Really Command Genocide?, by Paul Copan and Matthew Flannagan
Books About Theology
What Love is This?: Calvinism’s Misrepresentation of God, By Dave Hunt
Elect in the Son: A Study in the Doctrine of Election, by Robert Shank
Life in the Son: A Study in the Doctrine of Perseverance, by Robert Shank
Determined to Believe: The Sovereignty of God, Freedom, Faith, & Human Responsibility, by John C. Lennox
Books About the Textual Accuracy of Our Bibles
Myths and Mistakes in New Testament Textual Criticism, edited by Elijah Hixson and Peter J. Gurry
Note: The books listed below are rebuttals to books written by Bart Ehrman, who is an agnostic. Ehrman wrote Misquoting Jesus and The Orthodox Corruption of Scripture. He argued that our New Testament text was corrupted over time. While I do not endorse any book about the Bible written from a skeptic’s viewpoint, I do believe it may be profitable to first read Ehrman’s books (just to learn the kinds of arguments skeptics make against the accuracy of the New Testament text), and then read the books listed below. The rebuttals to Ehrman’s books are written by eminent evangelical Christian scholars. I am aware that a believer could be stumbled by the arguments in Ehrman’s books, so I suggest caution if you choose to read them. But be assured, evangelical scholars have demolished those arguments, as you will see when you read the books listed below.
Misquoting Truth, by Timothy Paul Jones
Revisiting the Corruption of the New Testament, by Daniel B. Wallace
Books About Biblical Archaeology
Nineveh and the Old Testament, by Andre Parrot
Nineveh and Its Remains, by Austen Henry Layard
This book describes the excavations of ancient Nineveh and Babylon performed in the 1800s. The amazing archaeological discoveries at Nineveh provide many independent confirmations of biblical people, places, and events.
Nineveh and Babylon, by Austen Henry Layard
This book provides additional details about the excavations of ancient Nineveh and Babylon performed in the 1800s.
Books About Ancient Israel
A History of Israel, Fourth Edition, by John Bright
Books About the Historical Accuracy of the Bible
On the Reliability of the Old Testament, by K. A. Kitchen
The Historical Jesus of the Gospels, by Craig S. Keener
Books About Miscellaneous Topics of Interest to Bible History
King of the World: The Life of Cyrus the Great, by Matt Waters
Although King Cyrus of Persia was a pagan, he is very important in Bible history. It was Cyrus who freed the Jewish captives in Babylon and sent them back to their ancestral homeland. He also instituted a long era of Persian tolerance and respect for the religions of conquered peoples, including the Jewish faith.
Cuneiform, by Irving Finkel and Jonathan Taylor
Cuneiform is the oldest known writing. Many Old Testament people, places, and events are recorded in cuneiform script on ancient Assyrian tablets recovered by archaeologists. Some tablets from ancient Babylon also recorded Old Testament people, places, and events. Cuneiform records from Assyria and Babylon support the historical accuracy of the Old Testament.