As I read books and watch videos, some of the resources merit a deeper dive.
I hope these reviews help you identify stepping stones in your own journey towards God.
Find a Great Book:
Cold-Case Christianity by J. Warner Wallace – A Book Review
Cold-Case Christianity, by retired cold-case detective J. Warner Wallace, has been strongly endorsed by Rick Warren, Lee Strobel, Craig Hazen, and Greg Koukl. And either due to a tremendous marketing campaign or great word of mouth (or both), the book has racked up nearly 200 “Five Star” reviews on Amazon.com in its first year of…
Delighting in the Trinity by Michael Reeves — A Book Review
Recently a subscriber to Reasons for God wrote and asked me, "Can you recommend any in-depth books on the Trinity?" This question spurred me to research, and ended with me encountering one of the most enjoyable, practical, and insightful theological texts I've ever read: Delighting in the Trinity by Michael Reeves. From the first few…
Escape from Camp 14 by Blaine Harden – A Book Review
Escape from Camp 14, by Blaine Harden and Shin In Geun, is a powerful expose of the ongoing horror story that is North Korea. As you read, consider the question: is evil real? Is the North Korean prison system evil - or is that just a word we use to describe our personal feelings about it?By retelling the story of Shin, a North Korean…
Flight: The Genius of Birds – A Review
As you may have heard, there is a tremendous debate about the best explanation for the emergence of all the many varieties of living things on our planet. As the documentary Flight: the genius of birds notes, we have discovered over a million animal species, with perhaps five million more to be discovered! How did all of this diversity…
I Told Me So by Gregg Ten Elshof – A Book Review
In a culture that often prizes authenticity above all else, there is no greater sin than self-deception. Ironically, this facilitates self-deception, because the intensified pressure to be authentic significantly raises the cost of admitting to our ongoing self-deception. So says Dr. Gregg Ten Elshof in his witty, enjoyable, and yet…
Is God a Moral Monster? by Dr. Paul Copan – A Book Review
About a year ago while I was at Harvard, talking with one of the students I regularly mentored, it happened that two of his friends walked by and stopped to say hello. We began to talk about their perspective on life and it quickly became clear that they were staunch atheists with a strong aversion to Christianity. Out of curiosity I…
Knowledge and Christian Belief by Alvin Plantinga — A Book Review
During my undergraduate studies in philosophy at Rhodes College, under Dr. Larry Lacy, and at St. Catherine's College, Oxford, one of the questions that preoccupied me was this: how can we know that God exists? It still seems to me that, for all of us, this is perhaps the most important question we could ever resolve! Ever since…
Mastering Monday by John Beckett – A Book Review
Mastering Monday, by John Beckett, provides excellent guidance for integrating the Christian faith with the responsibilities of work. By all accounts, Beckett practices what he preaches, and this book is, as far as I can tell, written by a person of integrity, love, and genuine faith in God. The book is organized into three sections:…
Nine Books For A New Apologist
I want to recommend nine books for starting an apologetics library. These books are accessible to a motivated high school student (and middle schooler), but also respect the intelligence of adult readers of all ages. They are serious books for a serious subject. In general, my thinking behind these nine books is that they each give a…
On Guard by William Lane Craig – A Book Review
On Guard, by Dr. William Lane Craig, is an excellent introductory text on Christian apologetics. It is, therefore, a good resource for both Christians and those interested in Christianity alike. The book is organized in a logical fashion, starting with the nature of apologetics ('the defense of the Christian faith') and the significance…
Radical: Taking Back Your Faith From the American Dream by David Platt – A Book Review
Ghandi is reported to have said, “I like your Christ. I do not like your Christians. They are so unlike your Christ." And what could be more different than the example of a homeless, penniless, persecuted, despised, and finally crucified person - and his followers waking up in multimillion dollar homes, watching the morning news on…
SEAL of God by Chad Williams – A Book Review
Looking for a fast-paced, exciting story about how a trouble-making washout became a highly-trained Navy SEAL who loved to party, but then gave his life to Christ and became a full-time evangelist? Then SEAL of God is the book for you. I don't know of any other book quite like it. It is a quick and easy read - I finished it in a few…
Seeking Allah, Finding Jesus by Dr. Nabeel Qureshi – A Book Review
Nabeel is a friend and colleague of mine; my review of his book is therefore ‘biased’ in the sense that I do not have a studied distance by which to evaluate it. But then again, that is also part of why I feel it is important to share my impressions of the book: knowing not only the power of Nabeel’s story in Seeking Allah, Finding…
Tactics by Greg Koukl – A Book Review
Want more friends? Better conversations? Frequent, life-changing spiritual encounters? But wait, there’s more! What if you could also avoid dead-end discussions, pointless arguments, and go-nowhere debates? Then you should be interested in Tactics, a book by Greg Koukl, the President of Stand to Reason Ministries. The fact is that…
The Case for the Resurrection of Jesus by Gary Habermas and Michael Licona — A Book Review
Are you considering if you want to become a Christian? Then you need to know if Jesus bodily rose from the dead. Are you already a Christian? Then you need to know if Jesus bodily rose from the dead - both for greater confidence in your own beliefs and to be prepared to answer the most important question your curious friends have about…
The Devil’s Delusion by David Berlinski – A Book Review
Bias. In order to undercut an unpleasant argument, just claim that prejudicial self-interest blinds another person from seeing the error of their ways. So what to make of Dr. Berlinksi, with a Ph.D. from Princeton and time spent as a postdoctoral fellow in mathematics and molecular biology at Columbia University, who opens his critique…
The Making of a Leader by Robert Clinton – A Book Review
This is a book about spiritual dynamics. Effective spiritual ministry flows out of being, and God is concerned with our being. He is forming it. The patterns and processes He uses to shape us are worthwhile subjects for leadership study. Those who study patterns and processes, and use insights from them in life and ministry, will be…
The Next Christians by Gabe Lyons – A Book Review
The Next Christians, by Gabe Lyons, offers a provocative but ultimately encouraging vision for the flourishing of the Christian faith in 21st century America. Both big-picture vision and practical ideas come together in this intriguing book; as the subtitle indicates, The Next Christians offers "seven ways you can live the gospel and…
The Prodigal God by Tim Keller – A Book Review
What is the most important question in the world? That’s hard to say, but one weighty contender has to be the question, “Who is God?” Whether you’re Richard Dawkins or a Bible-thumping KJV Christian, how you answer that question is of great consequence. In Prodigal God, Tim Keller argues that, in a set of three parables in Luke…
The Reason for God by Tim Keller – A Book Review
The Reason for God, by Tim Keller, is an outstanding response to the biggest questions of our day. (In the very unlikely chance that anyone is wondering: no, there is no connection whatsoever between Tim Keller and this website). Tim Keller is the highly regarded pastor of Redeemer Presbyterian Church in New York City, a church with…
Washed and Waiting: Reflections on Christian Faithfulness and Homosexuality by Wesley Hill – A Book Review
Would you be willing to share your 'darkest' secrets in order to serve others? Have you ever bared your most intimate struggles, on a highly controversial issue, knowing that the mean-spirited will use your weaknesses against you? If someone else did this, would you be interested to hear their story? Dr. Hill has offered us, his…