You probably saw recent research about the rise of the “Nones” in America (people who claim no religious affiliation whatsoever), and books by aggressive atheists like Richard Dawkins and Sam Harris often make the bestseller lists. In this kind of climate, I try to read a couple of apologetics books every year. Here are a couple of good ones:

Truth Matters: Confident Faith in a Confusing World by Andreas Kostenberger, Darrell Bock, and Josh Chatraw [Not sure how long it’ll last, but the Kindle edition is currently only 99 cents]

A lot of people know about Bart Ehrman, professor of religion at the University of North Carolina with an adjunct professorship at Duke University. He teaches religion, but he’s agnostic when it comes to faith in God and spends much of his time writing and speaking about how the Bible—particularly the gospels—can’t be trusted. He’s written several bestselling books about why the Jesus who is portrayed in the New Testament isn’t true to history—it was created by Christians who wrote to support their own agenda, not to convey historical truth. Truth Matters is written to help equip Christians to understand the evidence for the historicity of Christianity and the veracity of the gospels. It’s written in a casual tone, presumably for college students who grew up in Christian homes but who are now facing arguments against their faith from college professors, peers, books, or blogs. I’d recommend this book to any preacher who wants to understand how to respond to the arguments that are currently being circulated. I’d also give it to a mature high school or college student who is capable of and interested in thinking through some difficult apologetic issues.

The Reason for God: Belief in an Age of Skepticism by Tim Keller

I recommended Keller’s book on preaching last week, and he’s also done some good apologetic work. Some research suggests that the classical arguments for God (teleological, cosmological, etc.) aren’t as effective with late-modern (or postmodern) people as they were a generation or two ago. Regardless, this book is typical Tim Keller—well-written, carefully thought out, and helpful. He deals with many of the questions people ask about the Christian faith: Can Christianity be the only way? Will God really send millions of people to hell? What about all of the suffering in the world?, and others. This book is worth your time—I used it to help prepare for a Sunday night sermon series in which I addressed some of these difficult questions.

Recent articles that I recommend:

9 Things You Should Know About Refugees in America by Joe Carter (Sept 15, 2015)

If I’m honest, I’d have to admit that I haven’t kept up with the refugee crisis as much as I should have. Maybe that’s a typical America isolationist perspective—if it doesn’t affect me (or us), then I don’t pay much attention. But this is a big problem, because millions of souls are being affected. If you want a primer on the issue, this article is a good start.

Is Baptism Required for Church Membership? by Matt Smethurst (Sept 17, 2015)

Smethurst doesn’t believe that the Bible teaches that baptism is for the forgiveness of sins, but I found this article interesting because it reflects a growing interest in and appreciation of baptism among people in the broader Christian world. You might want to read this article and file it away for future use. If nothing else, it’ll help you know what people out there are saying.

Evangelicals Won’t Cave: Why Evangelicals Will Not Be Surrendering to the Sexual Revolution by Russell D. Moore (October 2015)

If you click on nothing else in this blog post, click this one. Russell Moore is one of my favorite writers, especially on cultural issues. Christians now—and almost certainly more so in the future—are facing difficult challenges to what the Bible teaches about sexuality and marriage. Moore’s comments are on point.