Go deeper
Every ENGAGE! card ends with a book or a website for a reason. The card gets you into the conversation. This page helps you get ready for the next one.
These are the people, books, and ministries we trust and use ourselves. They're sound in doctrine, clear about the gospel, and honest about the hard questions. You don't have to read them all. Pick one and start.
"...always being prepared to make a defense to anyone who asks you for a reason for the hope that is in you; yet do it with gentleness and respect..."
1 Peter 3:15 (ESV)
Start here
New to apologetics? Begin with these. They're short, practical, and built for ordinary Christians, not just scholars.
- Reason for Hope Ministries (Dr. Jacob Haywood and Pastor Jesse Haywood), the ministry behind ENGAGE!, with teaching, articles, and resources for defending the faith and finding hope in suffering
- Why Do Bad Things Happen? (Reason for Hope), a short, honest gospel tract for the hurting that you can read free online or order to hand out
- 1 Peter 3:15–16 (ESV.org), the passage that gives Reason for Hope its name: always be ready to give a reason for the hope in you, with gentleness and respect
- Tactics (Greg Koukl, Zondervan), the best single book on keeping a faith conversation going without a fight, built on simple questions like "What do you mean by that?"
- GotQuestions.org (Got Questions Ministries), short, Scripture-based answers to thousands of questions people actually ask
- CSB Apologetics Study Bible (Holman / B&H), study notes and over 100 short articles from leading apologists, right beside the text of Scripture
Ministries we trust
These ministries have spent years answering hard questions with careful thinking and a clear gospel. Bookmark a few.
- Reasonable Faith (William Lane Craig), deep, rigorous work on the existence of God and the resurrection, plus short animated videos
- Cross Examined (Frank Turek), fast, practical apologetics for students and parents, built on I Don't Have Enough Faith to Be an Atheist
- Stand to Reason (Greg Koukl and team), training to think clearly, answer graciously, and keep a conversation going
- Cold-Case Christianity (J. Warner Wallace), a former homicide detective tests the claims of the Gospels like evidence in a case
- Mama Bear Apologetics (Hillary Morgan Ferrer and team), helps parents spot bad ideas and equip their kids, with humor and grace
- CARM (Christian Apologetics and Research Ministry, Matt Slick), thousands of articles on doctrine, cults, and world religions
- Ratio Christi (Ratio Christi), campus apologetics chapters for college and high school students and faculty
- Text & Canon Institute (Phoenix Seminary), clear answers on how we got the Bible and why its text can be trusted
- Center for the Study of New Testament Manuscripts (Daniel B. Wallace), photographs and studies of the actual ancient manuscripts of the New Testament
- C.S. Lewis Institute (C.S. Lewis Institute), discipleship and apologetics in the spirit of C.S. Lewis
- Colson Center (John Stonestreet and team), founded by Chuck Colson, equipping Christians to think and live a biblical worldview, home of the daily BreakPoint commentary
- Summit Ministries (Summit Ministries), worldview training for students, especially before college
- Impact 360 Institute (Impact 360 Institute), worldview and leadership training for high school and college-age students
- L'Abri Fellowship (founded by Francis and Edith Schaeffer), the "shelter for honest questions" where Schaeffer gave honest answers to honest questions
- BibleProject (BibleProject), free animated videos that show how the whole Bible fits together and leads to Jesus
- Apologetics315 (Apologetics315), a well-organized hub of articles, interviews, and reading lists for beginners
Want formal study?
- The Southern Baptist Theological Seminary (Louisville, Kentucky), where Jacob earned his PhD and Jacob and Jesse both earned their MDiv, with residential and online degrees for pastors and ministry leaders
- Master of Arts in Apologetics (Houston Christian University), an online or residential MA whose faculty includes Mike Licona and Nancy Pearcey
- Christian Apologetics (Talbot School of Theology, Biola University), one of the longest-running apologetics graduate programs
People worth hearing
When you want to hear how a careful Christian thinker answers a hard question, start with these.
- John Lennox (personal site), Oxford mathematician who answers the claim that science has buried God
- Wesley Huff (personal site), clear and friendly on the history of the Bible and its manuscripts
- Gavin Ortlund (Truth Unites), Baptist pastor and theologian who brings calm, charitable depth to hard questions
- R. Albert Mohler Jr. (AlbertMohler.com), president of Southern Seminary, reading the news through a Christian worldview
- Greg Koukl (Stand to Reason), the teacher to learn from if you freeze in conversations; he makes apologetics feel doable
- Frank Turek (Cross Examined), clear and quick on campus, especially good at showing how skeptics borrow from God to argue against Him
- Sean McDowell (personal site), Biola professor who helps young people and parents think through faith and culture
- William Lane Craig (Reasonable Faith), philosopher and debater who has made the case for God and the resurrection on hundreds of university stages
- J. Warner Wallace (Cold-Case Christianity), former cold-case detective who explains the evidence for the Gospels in plain, memorable terms
- Gary Habermas (personal site), the leading scholar on the "minimal facts" case for the resurrection
- Mike Licona (Risen Jesus), New Testament scholar and historian focused on the resurrection, now teaching at Houston Christian University
- Lee Strobel (personal site), former atheist and legal journalist, author of The Case for Christ
- Alisa Childers (personal site), former CCM singer who walked through doubt and now helps believers spot "progressive Christianity"
- Natasha Crain (personal site), equips parents to have the hard conversations with their kids first
- Nancy Pearcey (personal site), Francis Schaeffer's former student, writing on worldview, the body, and culture
- Timothy Paul Jones (personal site), Southern Seminary apologetics professor and author of Why Should I Trust the Bible?
- Paul Copan (personal site), philosopher who answers hard questions about the Old Testament and ethics
- Douglas Groothuis (personal site), philosopher and apologist at Cornerstone University who argues for Christianity with rigor and writes honestly about lament and loss
- Peter J. Williams (Crossway author page), Cambridge scholar and author of Can We Trust the Gospels?
Podcasts for the drive
- The Pastor Brothers and Grief Speak (Reason for Hope), Jacob and Jesse's own podcasts on faith, ministry, and hope in grief
- The Briefing (R. Albert Mohler Jr.), a daily look at the news from a Christian worldview
- Reasonable Faith Podcast (William Lane Craig), Craig on current questions, plus his long-running Defenders class
- Stand to Reason Podcasts (Greg Koukl and team), listener questions answered with clarity and charity
- I Don't Have Enough Faith to Be an Atheist (Frank Turek, Cross Examined), weekly apologetics with guests and Q&A
- Cold-Case Christianity Podcast (J. Warner and Jimmy Wallace), evidence, worldview, and culture from a detective's view
- The Sean McDowell Show (Sean McDowell), interviews with scholars, skeptics, and thinkers on the biggest questions about faith and culture
- Think Biblically (Sean McDowell and Scott Rae, Biola University), faith and culture conversations from a biblical view
- The Alisa Childers Podcast (Alisa Childers), conversations on truth, doubt, and spotting counterfeit Christianity
- Mama Bear Apologetics Podcast (Mama Bear Apologetics), for parents raising kids who think
- Ask Pastor John (Desiring God), John Piper answers listener questions in short episodes
- Gospel in Life Podcast (Timothy Keller), Keller's sermons, many of them aimed at skeptics
Channels to subscribe to
- Reason for Hope (Reason for Hope Ministries), videos from Jacob and Jesse
- ReasonableFaithOrg (William Lane Craig), talks, debates, and Q&A
- drcraigvideos (Reasonable Faith), short animated videos on the arguments for God and the resurrection
- Cross Examined (Frank Turek), campus Q&A and short answers to common objections
- Stand to Reason (Greg Koukl and team), short clips on tactics and tough questions
- Sean McDowell (Sean McDowell), interviews with scholars and skeptics, often on the hottest questions of the moment
- Cold-Case Christianity (J. Warner and Jimmy Wallace), evidence for the faith in short, sharp videos
- Gary Habermas (Gary Habermas), lectures and interviews on the resurrection
- Wes Huff (Wesley Huff), the history and reliability of the Bible
- John Lennox (John Lennox), talks on science, God, and the gospel
- Alisa Childers (Alisa Childers), clear responses to progressive Christianity and deconstruction
- Mama Bear Apologetics (Mama Bear Apologetics), help for parents
- Truth Unites (Gavin Ortlund), careful, gracious theology and apologetics
- Testify (Testify), well-researched videos on the historical reliability of the New Testament
- BibleProject (BibleProject), animated overviews of every book of the Bible
- Ligonier Ministries (R.C. Sproul and others), solid Bible teaching and theology
Books by topic
Many of these are the same books named on the ENGAGE! cards. Pick the topic your friend keeps asking about.
Does God exist? 8 books
- On Guard (William Lane Craig, David C Cook), the best arguments for God, written for everyday Christians, with handy summary diagrams
- I Don't Have Enough Faith to Be an Atheist (Norman Geisler and Frank Turek, Crossway), a step-by-step case from truth to God to Jesus
- Mere Christianity (C.S. Lewis, HarperOne), the classic case from the moral law to the Christian faith
- The Reason for God (Timothy Keller, Penguin), thoughtful answers to the biggest doubts, then a case for belief
- Christian Apologetics (Douglas Groothuis, IVP Academic), a thorough, comprehensive case for the Christian faith, from the existence of God to the resurrection to the problem of evil
- God's Crime Scene (J. Warner Wallace, David C Cook), a detective looks at the evidence for God in the universe
- Uncreated God (Jacob Haywood), a picture book that helps parents teach children that God is real and that He made everything
- Uncreated God Parent Resource (Reason for Hope), a free guide for parents using the book with their kids
Can I trust the Bible? 6 books
- Can We Trust the Gospels? (Peter J. Williams, Crossway), short, careful, and packed with evidence
- Cold-Case Christianity (J. Warner Wallace, David C Cook), the Gospels tested like eyewitness statements
- The Case for Christ (Lee Strobel, Zondervan), a former atheist journalist interviews scholars about Jesus
- Evidence That Demands a Verdict (Josh and Sean McDowell, Thomas Nelson), the big reference book on the evidence for the faith
- Taking God at His Word (Kevin DeYoung, Crossway), what the Bible says about itself, and why it's enough
- Another Gospel? (Alisa Childers, Tyndale), how to hold on to the real Jesus when "progressive" teaching shakes your trust in Scripture
Did Jesus really rise? 3 books
- The Case for the Resurrection of Jesus (Gary Habermas and Michael Licona, Kregel), the "minimal facts" case, with practical tips for sharing it
- The Resurrection of Jesus: A New Historiographical Approach (Michael Licona, IVP Academic), the deep-dive version for serious students
- The Case for Easter (Lee Strobel, Zondervan), a short book you can hand to a friend in April
Why does God allow evil and suffering? 5 books
- Battles in the Promised Land (Jacob Haywood, Wipf and Stock), Jacob's book on losing his twin sister and finding that God is faithful in suffering
- Battles in the Promised Land, publisher page (Wipf and Stock), order directly from the publisher
- Walking with God through Pain and Suffering (Timothy Keller, Penguin), both the philosophy of suffering and how to walk through it
- The Problem of Pain (C.S. Lewis, HarperOne), Lewis's short, sharp answer to the hardest question
- If God Is Good (Randy Alcorn, Eternal Perspective Ministries), a pastoral and thorough look at evil and suffering
Science and faith 4 books
- God's Undertaker (John Lennox, Lion Hudson), an Oxford mathematician asks whether science has buried God
- Can Science Explain Everything? (John Lennox, The Good Book Company), the short version, great to give away
- The Case for a Creator (Lee Strobel, Zondervan), interviews with scientists on cosmology, physics, and biology
- Signature in the Cell (Stephen C. Meyer, HarperOne), the case that DNA's information points to a mind
Other religions and worldviews 4 books
- The Universe Next Door (James W. Sire, IVP), a clear map of the major worldviews and how they compare
- Neighboring Faiths (Winfried Corduan, IVP), a fair, readable guide to what other religions actually teach
- The Kingdom of the Cults (Walter Martin, Bethany House), the standard reference on groups that claim Jesus but deny the gospel
- Total Truth (Nancy Pearcey, Crossway), why Christianity is true about all of life, not just Sunday
Ethics and culture 6 books
- How Should We Then Live? (Francis A. Schaeffer, Crossway), Schaeffer's classic on how ideas shape cultures
- Love Thy Body (Nancy Pearcey, Baker Books), a compassionate case for the Christian view of life and sexuality
- Strange New World (Carl R. Trueman, Crossway), how our culture came to think the way it does about identity
- The Rise and Triumph of the Modern Self (Carl R. Trueman, Crossway), the longer, deeper version of the same story
- Is God a Moral Monster? (Paul Copan, Baker Books), honest answers about the hard passages in the Old Testament
- Christian Ethics (Wayne Grudem, Crossway), a thorough, Bible-first guide to the moral questions of our day
Free courses and training
- Defenders Class (William Lane Craig, Reasonable Faith), Craig's long-running Sunday school class on doctrine and apologetics, free to stream
- Defending Your Faith (R.C. Sproul, Ligonier Ministries), a teaching series on the foundations of apologetics
- TGC Courses (The Gospel Coalition), free, self-paced courses taught by seminary professors
- BiblicalTraining.org (BiblicalTraining), free seminary-level classes in Bible, theology, and apologetics
- BibleProject Classroom (BibleProject), free in-depth courses on reading the Bible well
- Christianity Explored (Christianity Explored Ministries), a free course to walk through Mark's Gospel with a friend who is curious about Jesus
Know what you believe
Good apologetics rests on good theology. Know the faith you're defending.
- The Baptist Faith and Message 2000 (Southern Baptist Convention), the SBC's confession of faith, article by article, with Scripture references
- What Is the Gospel? (Greg Gilbert, Crossway), the gospel in four words: God, man, Christ, response
- What Is the Gospel? (9Marks), a short online answer you can read in five minutes
- The New City Catechism (The Gospel Coalition), 52 questions and answers on the core of the faith, great for families
- The Cross of Christ (John Stott, IVP), the classic on what Jesus did on the cross and why it matters
- He Is There and He Is Not Silent (Francis A. Schaeffer, Crossway), Schaeffer on why we can know God because He has spoken
- ESV.org (Crossway), read and search the English Standard Version, the translation used on every ENGAGE! card
Now go use it
Reading won't make you bold. Taking the next step will. Draw a card, pray, and go have the conversation. When a question stumps you, come back here and dig in.
Have a friend who is asking real questions? Send them to engagecardgame.com/honest-answers, or to engagecardgame.com/truth for the gospel in five verses.