When it comes to what we believe, differences of opinions can become so divisive. This seems to be especially true in the church when it comes to our biblical and doctrinal beliefs. Many of us struggle to prioritize our relationships over standing by our convictions on matters that are not important to our faith. Many of these controversies not only damage individual relationships, but have caused most of the denominational divisions we know today. In truth, the origins of most of these controversies comes down to not knowing which doctrines are essential and which one are essential to our faith. It makes us ask the question: how do we learn how to tell which of our beliefs are essential to our faith?

​In his book Christian Convictions, Chad Ragsdale walks his readers through the difference between beliefs that are essential, important, and preferential, to help them better understand the nature of our own beliefs. Through carefully examination, you discover that there are not as many doctrines that are essential as most of us think and that many of us have a tendency to prioritize our belief into the wrong category, which can negatively impact our relationships with people we disagree with. With this short but impactful book, you will be given the tools needed to discern the importance of your doctrines and beliefs and the ability to bridge the gap between other Christians’ personal preferences. This book is one that I highly recommend. Get your copy today.

When it comes to peer pressure, teens in today’s culture deal with more than any generation before them. The culture around them tries to force them to accept the most mainstream views of hot-button topics with the goal of convincing them to believe their version of the story. They are taught that truth is subjective to each person and that they can believe or do whatever they want with absolutely no consequences for themselves or those around them. Christian teens have a more difficult time than ever before trying to figure out how to live in a way that honors the Lord in a culture that tries to convince them that they should honor themselves. It makes us ask the question: is there a way to learn how to stand strong for Christ in today’s culture?

​In her book Stand Up, Stand Strong, author Sara Barratt walks Christian teens through how to rethink popular issues in our culture today through a Christian worldview in hopes that they will learn how to stand strong in their convictions. After explaining the concept of a worldview and the consequences of living in a “post-truth” world, Barratt breaks down many areas where the post-truth mentality has taken hold, and explains how the mainstream perspectives hold up against a biblical worldview. With a voice of strength and courage, teens that read this book will be inspired to not only understand why they believe what they believe, but also how to defend it with grace-filled truth. Barratt speaks with both conviction and compassion on many important issues in our culture today, from sexual identity and orientation to injustice and abortion. With discussion questions and recommended readings for each topic addressed, this book is a great resource for high school students who want to build a biblical worldview or adults who want to help youth do the same. Get your copy today!

* I received an advanced copy of this book from the publisher for the purpose of this review

​When I was a kid, I was mostly familiar with C.S. Lewis from the Chronicles of Narnia. I remember being pleasantly surprised when I started learning about the books he wrote and genres he tackled during his writing career. One of the first books I was compelled to read was Mere Christianity. Despite having never read an apologetics book and being a high school student, I was surprised at how well the book was written, how well I understood his arguments as a high school student, and how relevant the arguments and examples were despite being such an old book. I was convinced this was true all the more when I read the book again in college for my apologetics class. If you are looking into reading any of C.S. Lewis’ great works, Mere Christianity is a great place to start ~ Bethel

​It is becoming harder and harder to defend Christianity in our world today. As our world is becoming more and more opposed to morality, objective truth, and objective reality, Christianity is seen as ancient, unnecessary, and even offensive. Most of us, if we are put on the spot, struggle to explain the logic behind our beliefs, which is why don’t bring it up in conversation, hoping we never get asked. Meanwhile, we know we should be able to defend our beliefs, but we don’t know where to start learning how to do so. It makes us ask the questions – how do I better understand why I believe what I believe?

​In his book Mere Christianity, beloved author C.S. Lewis shares his insights on the difficult subject of apologetics as he explains, defends, and persuades in the belief in Christianity from a standpoint of basic logic. Compiled from a series of radio interviews, this book is divided into four books that contain a complete picture of what makes the choice to believe in Christianity a logical decision. Addressing everything from morality to Christian beliefs and behaviors to the Trinity, this book covers a wide variety of topics that will appeal to the well-established believer and the skeptic alike. This book is very well written and is one of the best books available on this subject. Lewis has the incredible ability to take major theological concepts and put them in laymen’s terms but in a way that still satisfies the scholarly mind. The examples and illustrations he uses are written in such a way that they are just as relevant to his audience today as it was when it was first broadcast on the radio. It is also incredible to be reading a book from the perspective of one that formerly claimed to be an atheist. This made his arguments all the more persuasive, since he once convinced of the evidence on the other side. This is evident by the many accounts of many who were once atheists that were influenced by this book. This book is a great apologetic resource that I would recommend this book to anyone.

​This book completely changed the way I understand my faith. I was very curious about the book when it was assigned reading my first semester of college. When I finally read it, I could not put it down. I was compelled by the sheer volume of evidence that supports and validates the Bible’s account of the life, death, and resurrection of Jesus. It was also powerful to see that even the most stanch of atheists converted when he finally added up the evidence and saw a genuine heart change in his wife. I later came to read more of Lee’s books, hear him speak in person, and eventually lead studies through two of his student books. But this book left the greatest mark and gave me a passion for apologetics that I still have to this day. This is a book that every Christian needs to read, end of story ~ Bethel

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​Evidence. Many claim that the Bible lacks any real evidence outside of itself to support what it says, especially when it comes to the accounts of the life of Jesus. These same people claim that they need to see it in order to believe it. But yet, they tend to live by their feelings that give way to bias against God and hardens their hearts toward anything the Bible says. What can be worst is when this tension between faith in God and faith in nothing is brought into a marriage. Many think there is no way for the marriage to survive, or for the unbelieving spouse to be converted. This situation lead one man ask the question: is there actually evidence that supports the case for Christ?

​In his bestselling book, The Case for Christ, Lee Strobel presents a powerful collection of evidence in favor of Christ that started when he wanted to disprove the newfound faith of his wife, Leslie. As an investigative journalist working for the Chicago Tribune, atheist Lee decided to find the best experts available on different areas of biblical scholarship to try and find the holes in Christianity. The book takes you through about two years of interviews with these experts in their given fields. In this accessible interview style, these experts walked with Lee through the ability to verify the manuscripts for the Bible as we know it today, the validity of the existence of Jesus, the validity of his messiahship, and the validity of his death, burial, resurrection, and ascension. What you find is that many of the presumed holes in the Bible or in the Christian faith are quickly closed with a little research. And what Lee discovered after two years of investigation is that when you put all the evidence together, it would have taken greater faith to hold onto his atheism than to accept Christianity. Also brought to the faith by the loving faithfulness of his wife, Lee accepted Christ as his Savior and has used this book to support the case for Christ.

​This book is well-written, informative, but also accessible to anyone on any level. The combination of the powerful evidence and the personal story at the heart of it makes it one of the best resources on apologetics available today. If you haven’t yet read this book, especially if you have questions about Jesus, then this book is a must read. Get your copy today!

Other Resources

​If you like Lee’s book, then there are some other resources you should also check out:

​Other Books by Lee Strobel – Lee went on to write so many other books in a similar series to that of The Case for Christ. But the two most popular that I personally recommend are The Case for Faith, and The Case for a Creator. Reviews on these books will come at a future date!

​This is an awesome book. From the time I heard they this book was happening, I was so excited. When it came out during my last semester of college, I finish it in only a few weeks’ time, even on top of all the reading I had to do for class! I was already a big fan of Jeff from his YouTube channel, but seeing Jeff’s heart and life story written out in this way was a confirmation of why I enjoyed his work so much. This book is still in my opinion of the best books written from a millennial viewpoint of the subject of Christianity. Jeff’s desire to help his audience find a more intimate relationship is undeniable and that desire guides his audience to a good place when they are finished. Especially after I helped launched two of his other books (It’s Not What You Think and Love that Lasts), I definitely recommend this book ~ Bethel

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Religion has been around for a long time, but most of us don’t really understand all that it implies in our world today. Although the essence of religion was created by God, what it has become is a far cry from the vibrant relationship He wants us to find in His Son. Through human misunderstanding, practicing religion has become distorted into a list of rules that are impossible for us to keep in our imperfection. There have been many consequences to this distortion, including many falling into either theological arrogance (assuming they can earn merit with God through rule-keeping) or making the choice to give up on religion (because the standards are impossible to achieve). These two extremes create tension, and everyone in between feels like they are caught in the middle of the hypocrisy or ignorance of those involved in the argument. It makes us ask the question: Is there something better than the rule-keeping of religion?

In his first book, Jesus > Religion, Jefferson Bethke helps us understand that there is a big different between the rule-keeping of religion and the freedom in obedience we should have in the saving grace of Jesus Christ. After his spoken word on the same subject when viral (Why I Hate Religion, but Love Jesus), Jeff decided he wanted to write a book to further explain his position. The result is a book that takes much of what we thought we knew about Christianity and turns it on its head. He breaks down many of the issues that subscribing to a religion brings and points to the greater ways that Jesus taught throughout His ministry. When we are able to truly learn that we have receive grace as soon as we accept it, it will allow to live a more abundant life that is not bogged down by rule-keeping. However, we do also learn that grace doesn’t absolve us from sin, but instead allows us to have hope that we can remain anchored in Christ, even if we mess up, as long as we have an attitude of repentance. These truths and much more are told within the framework of the spoken word that inspired the book as well as personal stories from his own life that make his points relevant.

​Although this was Jeff’s first book, published when he was only twenty-three, this book has a wisdom beyond his years. His theology is strong, but his writing is understandable to everyone and relevant to all of us. I honestly think that every Christian needs to read this book. Get your copy today!