All believers need to be able to explain why they believe in the resurrection. "He lives within my heart" or "I spoke to him this morning" may be fine as part of that, but it can't be the sum total of it. The bodily resurrection of Christ is a historical fact or Christianity is a joke.
The truth is that the resurrection of Christ is a story no one would make up. If you've never read that series before, please do. In all, I can combine that into one speech about 20 minutes long — and that is still leaving out some of the evidence.
Here I will boil it down into versions that can be shared in a few minutes or less.
(Bold is for subject headings/barest statements of facts. Normal text gives the thumbnail of the argument. Italics give explanatory comments that you can go into if time allows and if necessary.)
1. The death, burial, and resurrection of Jesus all happened publicly.
Jesus was executed in a public place and buried in a public cemetery. After his resurrection, his tomb was empty for all to see. Many of his post-resurrection appearances were in public places.
It is impossible to believe that Christianity could have begun in Jerusalem, within a short walk of Christ's tomb, unless that tomb was empty. The Jewish and Roman leaders would have been happy to produce Jesus' body to silence those who claimed he'd been raised from the dead (c.f., Acts 4). Instead, the oldest Jewish argument against the resurrection (the disciples stole the body) assumes an empty tomb.
2. The story contains many embarrassing elements that would have been omitted if untrue.
If first century Jews were to make up a story to start a new religion, it would not have included the founder being executed in what that society saw as the lowest, most degrading manner. They would not have women be the primary witnesses to the resurrection because that society viewed women as unreliable witnesses. They would not have made themselves look bad, being petty and argumentative and never understanding Jesus. And they wouldn't have included the fact that Jesus' own family didn't believe in him.
It's hard to grasp how that looked to people in their day. In modern terms, this story is as implausible as if the founder was put to death in the electric chair, the witness to the resurrection was the town drunk, his followers were childish high school dropouts, and Jesus' family had tried to have him committed to a mental hospital. It's not that these elements can't be true. It's that you wouldn't make these elements up if you were making things up.
3. There are many different appearance stories.
Jesus appeared to his followers under a variety of circumstances. It happened individually and in groups of varying sizes (from 2 to 500). He appeared in private rooms and in public places. He touched people and things. He even appeared to some who weren't his followers.
Some claim that the post-resurrection appearances were dreams, visions, or grief- (or drug-) induced hallucinations. But the variety of the appearances prevents that from being plausible. One person might convince himself that he saw Jesus, but not 500. They touched him. He cooked them lunch. Dreams don't cook.
4. There is no other explanation for the changes the resurrection caused.
Two changes that have to be explained are the changes in the disciples and the changes they made in their traditions. Cowards now boldly proclaimed that their crucified leader was Lord of the universe under threat of violence. And they proceeded to change the use and meaning of traditional ceremonies based on their belief that Jesus was the resurrected Lord.
First century Jews were very big on tradition. There was a right way to do everything, and it was the old way. But after Easter this group of Jews took the Passover meal and turned it into communion saying that there was a new covenant that did away with the centuries old sacrificial system. And these men, who ran and hid when Jesus was arrested, continued to teach this after being arrested and beaten and even when people started killing members of their group.
5. The story was prophesied long before it happened.
Dozens of elements of this unlikely story were foretold hundreds of years before it happened. Things no mere man could have controlled had to come together to fulfill these prophecies. Pick just eight prophecies — lots cast for His clothes, death by crucifixion, silent before accusers, badly beaten, killed with criminals, buried with rich, resurrection, betrayed for money. The odds of someone orchestrating those eight elements are 1 in a hundred million billion. Dozens of prophecies were fulfilled in the life, death, and resurrection of Christ.
One in a hundred million billion is a hard number to picture. A useful illustration goes like this: Cover the state of Texas two feet deep with silver dollars. Mark one of them and throw it out at random. Blindfold someone and let them walk as far as they want; then they pick up one silver dollar. The odds that they picked up the one you marked are the same as Christ fulfilling just eight prophecies.
These five elements of this story make for a story that you wouldn't, couldn't make up. That's why I believe it.
This argument requires that you believe that miracles are possible; that only requires that God exists. It also requires that you trust the Bible as a reliable source of information.
The above is drawn from many sources, chiefly The Case for Christ by Lee Strobel.
Wednesday, January 21, 2015
Crib Sheets: Why Do I Believe the Bible?
We need to be able to explain why people should take the Bible seriously. If the only explanation is "it works" or "I just believe it," it has nothing more to offer than the Koran or the Hindu Vedas.
But that's not why we should believe the Bible.
(Bold is for subject headings. Normal text gives the thumbnail of the argument. Italics give explanatory comments that you can go into if time allows and if necessary.)
The Bible is a reliable collection of historical documents ...
We have ample evidence that we have, within a reasonable degree of certainty, what the Biblical authors wrote.
It is frequently claimed that modern Bibles are based on translations of translations that take us far away from the original writings of the Bible. That is false. We have thousands of copies of the Biblical texts in the original languages. We also have thousands of early translations. We also have quotations from the Bible in the writings of saints of the past. With all of these sources, we can determine what the original text really said.
We also have ample evidence that the authors wanted to and were able to honestly record what happened.
The authors tell us they wrote what they heard and saw or what they carefully researched. They share embarrassing or confusing things they could easily have left out. Where they can be checked against archeology, they have held up.
...written by eye witnesses to supernatural events...
These people wrote about what they saw, and what they saw were things that couldn't have happened by natural means. From a handful of men routing armies to the raising of the dead, the authors recorded a series of impossible things.
...that occurred in accordance with specific prophecies demonstrating the Bible's divine origin.
Those impossible things were, in many cases, foretold. Prophecies come true throughout the Bible — for example, the destruction of Tyre or Cyrus' returning the Jews to Israel — but most center around Jesus. There are more than a dozen very specific prophecies fulfilled in the life, death, and resurrection of Jesus. Those prophecies and the supernatural events they foretold are the proof that the Bible was not written merely by men. God is the ultimate author of this book.
This argument is the strongest for the New Testament. If we have to further bolster the case for the Old Testament, I argue that the support of a man who died and rose from the grave gives it more than enough credibility.
The above borrows heavily from The Ever-Loving Truth by Voddie Baucham and The Case for Christ by Lee Strobel.
But that's not why we should believe the Bible.
The Bible is a reliable collection of historical documents written by eye witnesses to supernatural events that occurred in accordance with specific prophecies demonstrating the Bible's divine origin.This sentence can constitute an answer to "why should I believe the Bible." The key points of this sentence can then be expanded as necessary for argumentation or explanation. Again, whole books have been written on this subject, but this is a thumbnail argument.
(Bold is for subject headings. Normal text gives the thumbnail of the argument. Italics give explanatory comments that you can go into if time allows and if necessary.)
The Bible is a reliable collection of historical documents ...
We have ample evidence that we have, within a reasonable degree of certainty, what the Biblical authors wrote.
It is frequently claimed that modern Bibles are based on translations of translations that take us far away from the original writings of the Bible. That is false. We have thousands of copies of the Biblical texts in the original languages. We also have thousands of early translations. We also have quotations from the Bible in the writings of saints of the past. With all of these sources, we can determine what the original text really said.
We also have ample evidence that the authors wanted to and were able to honestly record what happened.
The authors tell us they wrote what they heard and saw or what they carefully researched. They share embarrassing or confusing things they could easily have left out. Where they can be checked against archeology, they have held up.
...written by eye witnesses to supernatural events...
These people wrote about what they saw, and what they saw were things that couldn't have happened by natural means. From a handful of men routing armies to the raising of the dead, the authors recorded a series of impossible things.
...that occurred in accordance with specific prophecies demonstrating the Bible's divine origin.
Those impossible things were, in many cases, foretold. Prophecies come true throughout the Bible — for example, the destruction of Tyre or Cyrus' returning the Jews to Israel — but most center around Jesus. There are more than a dozen very specific prophecies fulfilled in the life, death, and resurrection of Jesus. Those prophecies and the supernatural events they foretold are the proof that the Bible was not written merely by men. God is the ultimate author of this book.
This argument is the strongest for the New Testament. If we have to further bolster the case for the Old Testament, I argue that the support of a man who died and rose from the grave gives it more than enough credibility.
The above borrows heavily from The Ever-Loving Truth by Voddie Baucham and The Case for Christ by Lee Strobel.
Crib Sheets: Why Do I Believe in God?
These are the arguments for the existence of God I find most compelling. There are others. Use what appeals to you, the ones you find compelling.
(Bold is for subject headings. Normal text gives the thumbnail of the argument. Italics gives explanatory comments that you can go into if time allows and if necessary.)
1. The Cosmological Argument
A. Whatever began to exist has a cause. The universe began. Therefore the universe must have a cause.
Something cannot come from nothing. Even subatomic particles that arise from vacuum fluctuations aren't coming from "nothing" but from an energy-rich quantum field. If anything has ever come from nothing, anything can come from nothing.
However, God doesn't need a cause because God did not begin. There cannot be a continual, infinite progression of causes. It must stop somewhere. True infinities do not exist. There must be a first cause, and that is God (see B).
But the universe did begin. That the universe began to exist is a necessary result of the Second Law of Thermodynamics and General Relativity (among other physical observations). It is simply not possible that the universe has always existed.
If the universe didn't always exist, and if something can't come from nothing, something created the universe.
B. If the conditions for the creation of the universe were always met, the universe would have always existed. The universe has not always existed. Therefore some condition had to change. The physical conditions could not change, so it had to be a decision on the part of the creator — thus the creator has to be personal, not simply some force.
2. The Design Argument
The fine-tuning of the universe is due to either physical necessity, chance, or design. It is not due to physical necessity or chance. Therefore, it is due to design.
The design in the universe is unmistakable. There are dozens of physical parameters in the universe that have to be just so before life — any life, not just human — is even conceivable. One example is the cosmological constant which drives the expansion of the universe. If it were different by one part in 10 to the power of 120 (or 10^120; 10^9 is a billion) life couldn't exist.
These numbers don't have to be anything like they are, but if they weren't what they are, no one would be here. The odds of all of them being what they are simply by chance are beyond ridiculous — it would be like one person winning the lottery millions of times.
Therefore the features of the universe that make life possible must have been designed by an intelligent, personal designer.
3. The Moral Argument
If God does not exist, objective moral values and duties do not exist. Objective moral values and duties do exist. Therefore, God exists.
Notice that this is NOT arguing that atheists cannot be good. It's arguing that if God doesn't exist, there is no such thing as objective "good." If humans are just unusually advanced animals, murder is not wrong. One man killing another is no more wrong than a lion killing a gazelle. There is no moral obligation to help each other. Selfishness is nothing worse than the lion failing to share with the hyena.
But we all know instinctively that murder is wrong. Rape is wrong. Stealing is wrong. It is good to help people who are in need. We feel bad when we do wrong and when we fail to do right because this morality is ingrained in us. When someone does evil we do not respond as if the rules for a well-functioning society have been violated. We respond as if something evil has been committed. Those few who seem not to recognize morality do not disprove morality any more than the colorblind disprove the existence of color.
This inborn, universal knowledge of objective moral values and duties shows that God must exist.
The above only proves that a god exists. It takes more to prove the existence of the Christian God. For that you have to move from here to the case for believing the Bible and for the resurrection of Christ.
Whole books have been written on these topics. This is of necessity a brief summary. I encourage you to study so that you can explain these arguments in more detail where it is needed.
The above borrows heavily from On Guard by Williams Lane Craig.
(Bold is for subject headings. Normal text gives the thumbnail of the argument. Italics gives explanatory comments that you can go into if time allows and if necessary.)
1. The Cosmological Argument
A. Whatever began to exist has a cause. The universe began. Therefore the universe must have a cause.
Something cannot come from nothing. Even subatomic particles that arise from vacuum fluctuations aren't coming from "nothing" but from an energy-rich quantum field. If anything has ever come from nothing, anything can come from nothing.
However, God doesn't need a cause because God did not begin. There cannot be a continual, infinite progression of causes. It must stop somewhere. True infinities do not exist. There must be a first cause, and that is God (see B).
But the universe did begin. That the universe began to exist is a necessary result of the Second Law of Thermodynamics and General Relativity (among other physical observations). It is simply not possible that the universe has always existed.
If the universe didn't always exist, and if something can't come from nothing, something created the universe.
B. If the conditions for the creation of the universe were always met, the universe would have always existed. The universe has not always existed. Therefore some condition had to change. The physical conditions could not change, so it had to be a decision on the part of the creator — thus the creator has to be personal, not simply some force.
2. The Design Argument
The fine-tuning of the universe is due to either physical necessity, chance, or design. It is not due to physical necessity or chance. Therefore, it is due to design.
The design in the universe is unmistakable. There are dozens of physical parameters in the universe that have to be just so before life — any life, not just human — is even conceivable. One example is the cosmological constant which drives the expansion of the universe. If it were different by one part in 10 to the power of 120 (or 10^120; 10^9 is a billion) life couldn't exist.
These numbers don't have to be anything like they are, but if they weren't what they are, no one would be here. The odds of all of them being what they are simply by chance are beyond ridiculous — it would be like one person winning the lottery millions of times.
Therefore the features of the universe that make life possible must have been designed by an intelligent, personal designer.
3. The Moral Argument
If God does not exist, objective moral values and duties do not exist. Objective moral values and duties do exist. Therefore, God exists.
Notice that this is NOT arguing that atheists cannot be good. It's arguing that if God doesn't exist, there is no such thing as objective "good." If humans are just unusually advanced animals, murder is not wrong. One man killing another is no more wrong than a lion killing a gazelle. There is no moral obligation to help each other. Selfishness is nothing worse than the lion failing to share with the hyena.
But we all know instinctively that murder is wrong. Rape is wrong. Stealing is wrong. It is good to help people who are in need. We feel bad when we do wrong and when we fail to do right because this morality is ingrained in us. When someone does evil we do not respond as if the rules for a well-functioning society have been violated. We respond as if something evil has been committed. Those few who seem not to recognize morality do not disprove morality any more than the colorblind disprove the existence of color.
This inborn, universal knowledge of objective moral values and duties shows that God must exist.
The above only proves that a god exists. It takes more to prove the existence of the Christian God. For that you have to move from here to the case for believing the Bible and for the resurrection of Christ.
Whole books have been written on these topics. This is of necessity a brief summary. I encourage you to study so that you can explain these arguments in more detail where it is needed.
The above borrows heavily from On Guard by Williams Lane Craig.
Staying Ready to Defend the Faith
One day I was eating lunch and had a puzzling thought:
I collect knives. I have big knives and small knives. I have pretty knives and scary knives. I have knives with lights in them, knives with tools in them, and knives with knives in them.
So why am I cutting my chicken with a spoon?
Having all the knives in the world does me no good if I don't have one with me when I need it.
Christendom has all the tools it needs to defend the faith. They will do you no good if you don't appropriate them. And even if you go out and buy some good books, having all the books in the world will do you no good if you don't remember what is in them.
I've read quite a few theology and apologetics books. I've also read blogs and magazine articles. I've watched tv shows and listened to podcasts.
And a couple of years later I couldn't recall half of what I had once learned.
So I decided I should create some "crib sheets" I could review from time to time to jog my memory — or that I could flat out pull out in a pinch. (People choke under pressure. Don't be ashamed. Be prepared.)
I encourage you to do something like this on your own, but in the meantime, these notes are something you can refer to if you need them. You can even copy them into a memo on your phone or bookmark them in your browser if you want. Use them however you need if you find them helpful.
Apologetics crib sheets:
Why do I believe in God?
Why do I believe the Bible?
Why do I believe in the resurrection of Christ?
I collect knives. I have big knives and small knives. I have pretty knives and scary knives. I have knives with lights in them, knives with tools in them, and knives with knives in them.
So why am I cutting my chicken with a spoon?
Having all the knives in the world does me no good if I don't have one with me when I need it.
Christendom has all the tools it needs to defend the faith. They will do you no good if you don't appropriate them. And even if you go out and buy some good books, having all the books in the world will do you no good if you don't remember what is in them.
I've read quite a few theology and apologetics books. I've also read blogs and magazine articles. I've watched tv shows and listened to podcasts.
And a couple of years later I couldn't recall half of what I had once learned.
So I decided I should create some "crib sheets" I could review from time to time to jog my memory — or that I could flat out pull out in a pinch. (People choke under pressure. Don't be ashamed. Be prepared.)
I encourage you to do something like this on your own, but in the meantime, these notes are something you can refer to if you need them. You can even copy them into a memo on your phone or bookmark them in your browser if you want. Use them however you need if you find them helpful.
Apologetics crib sheets:
Why do I believe in God?
Why do I believe the Bible?
Why do I believe in the resurrection of Christ?
Tuesday, December 16, 2014
Preparing to Defend the Faith
We need to be able to explain what we believe and why we believe it. It's not hard to do, but it does require some effort on our part. The best place to get this is from books, but that's not the only place. There are radio programs and podcasts that cover this as well as online classes. I highly recommend BiblicalTraining.org's classes on the Bible, theology, and apologetics — all free.
But don't run away from reading. If the average reader can spend just 30 minutes a day reading, he can go through 5 or so good books a year. And there are books on tape/mp3 (visit ChristianAudio.com). Some Kindles will read to you, too. (I have my Kindle plugged into the aux port in my car stereo, and it reads to me every day as I commute to and from work.)
In short, there are a lot of ways you can equip yourself if you’re willing to put the time and effort into it. After you start learning, you need to practice. Basically, start up discussions with your friends — get used to using the information, and try to learn the arguments that can come up against them. You also might want to read a little anti-Christian literature. This is an area where it is important to test yourself against the other side or you won’t grow. So at first find Christian friends to play devil’s advocate, and then find people who are actually on the devil’s side. It’s a painful growth process, but you’ll be glad you did.
Preparation is the key here. You have to prepare before you’re in trouble. If you wait until you need this, it’s too late.
Last, after you’ve prepared, and after you’ve practiced, repeat! If you don’t use it, you lose it. Think about all that math you used to know. It's gone now due to lack of use, right? If you don’t keep refreshing yourself, you’ll start to forget.
So what should you read? Theology and apologetics. What does that mean?
Theology focuses on drawing what we believe out of the Bible. Systematic Theology tries to gather up everything the Bible says on certain topics. This is mostly what I'm talking about (not that other types of theological study don't have value, too). There are good books on certain theological topics (eg, the nature of God or the deity of Christ) — both large and small. There are a number of good single-volume systematic theologies. There are also multi-volume sets. You can go as shallow or as deep as you want. You could just read one quality systematic theology and call it done, or you could read a few and see what differences there are and work out what you personally believe. I recommend reading at least one single-volume systematic theology.
5-Minute Theologian is the shortest book I've found that can be called a systematic theology. It's the bare minimum, but it's something. Read one short "5 minute" chapter a day and you'll have a fair survey of systematic theology in just over a month.
But if you can go a little heavier, there are good single-volume texts by Ryrie, Grudem, Erickson, and Geisler. (A word of warning, most systematic theologies are written by theologians of a Calvinist bent; they're all written from some theological system or another. Don't let it bother you if they don't teach everything you believe.) Some are written for a popular audience, and some are aimed at theology majors or even graduate students; check descriptions and reviews so you aren't surprised, but while the popular may give you all you need, you might find you enjoy the deeper studies.
Remember that theology is just what we believe. Some people can make it dry, but studying the nature of God, the person and work of Christ, and the ministry of the Holy Spirit can be powerfully moving. You will probably find yourself drawn to worship as you read about the working of God. It's not for nothing that Paul so frequently slipped into doxology as he explained God's nature and plans.
As for apologetics, you can break it up into different topics. What I call historical apologetics refers to questions about whether or not the Bible is reliable or whether Christ really rose – things like that. A great introduction to that topic is Lee Strobel’s The Case for Christ. Besides being a good book, its best feature is that at the end of each chapter on the different topics it gives you a good list of books to read if you want to go deeper. Josh McDowell’s More Than a Carpenter is a popular and shorter book, though it’s narrower in focus.
Scientific apologetics gets into questions regarding the origin of the universe and the origin of life. Strobel has another of his survey/introduction books called The Case for a Creator that you might want to check out. Two books I really got a lot out of are Hugh Ross’ The Creator and the Cosmos and The Fingerprint of God.
(I should probably step off on a tangent here. Ross is what is called an old-earth creationist – he believes God made everything billions of years ago. Many evangelical Christians are what is called a young-earth creationist – they believe that God made everything a few thousand years ago. I don’t care which you are as long as you believe God created everything. But if you are a young earther, and you come across a typical non-Christian who believes the earth is 4 billion years old, your choices are to spend a lot of time trying to convince them that everything he believes about the universe is wrong or you can use what he believes to show that God must have created the universe. The second is a lot more likely to succeed. Believe whatever you think is true, but meet your atheist friend where he is.)
Philosophical apologetics is really just answering those more generalized questions – does God really exist, how can a good God allow evil, things like that. C.S. Lewis’ Mere Christianity is considered one of the classics of the field; it also gets into some theological stuff. The oh so prolific Lee Strobel has another book called The Case for Faith that deals with these kinds of questions too. William Lane Craig's On Guard covers this well with a bit on the reality of the resurrection as well; it's my new favorite.
5 Minute Apologist (written by the same author as 5 Minute Theologian) has a book with those same brief chapters that covers the gamut on apologetics in obviously less detail, but if that's all you can do, or if you need a primer to get started, do what you have to do.
These are just my suggestions. There are lots of great books out there, and if you’ve got some, or if someone’s recommended some others, that’s fine. This is a resource for those who don’t have any idea where to start.
This is all general stuff. If you need to answer questions regarding a particular religion or cult or issues impacting our society right now – like the stem cell debate – you may have to do more specific reading. But if you’ve never read a single book on the Jehovah’s Witnesses, yet you’re very familiar with Christian theology, you will be equipped to deal, at least on a basic level, with JW questions that arise. We can’t be specialists in everything, but we can be broad generalists, and that will help you know where to go when you need more specific information.
What matters is to prepare. Decide you're going to do it, buy a book or download some mp3's, and set a time to go through the material. The other side's information is everywhere, ready to assault hearts and minds. You are the defense. Arm yourself.
But don't run away from reading. If the average reader can spend just 30 minutes a day reading, he can go through 5 or so good books a year. And there are books on tape/mp3 (visit ChristianAudio.com). Some Kindles will read to you, too. (I have my Kindle plugged into the aux port in my car stereo, and it reads to me every day as I commute to and from work.)
In short, there are a lot of ways you can equip yourself if you’re willing to put the time and effort into it. After you start learning, you need to practice. Basically, start up discussions with your friends — get used to using the information, and try to learn the arguments that can come up against them. You also might want to read a little anti-Christian literature. This is an area where it is important to test yourself against the other side or you won’t grow. So at first find Christian friends to play devil’s advocate, and then find people who are actually on the devil’s side. It’s a painful growth process, but you’ll be glad you did.
Preparation is the key here. You have to prepare before you’re in trouble. If you wait until you need this, it’s too late.
Last, after you’ve prepared, and after you’ve practiced, repeat! If you don’t use it, you lose it. Think about all that math you used to know. It's gone now due to lack of use, right? If you don’t keep refreshing yourself, you’ll start to forget.
So what should you read? Theology and apologetics. What does that mean?
Theology focuses on drawing what we believe out of the Bible. Systematic Theology tries to gather up everything the Bible says on certain topics. This is mostly what I'm talking about (not that other types of theological study don't have value, too). There are good books on certain theological topics (eg, the nature of God or the deity of Christ) — both large and small. There are a number of good single-volume systematic theologies. There are also multi-volume sets. You can go as shallow or as deep as you want. You could just read one quality systematic theology and call it done, or you could read a few and see what differences there are and work out what you personally believe. I recommend reading at least one single-volume systematic theology.
5-Minute Theologian is the shortest book I've found that can be called a systematic theology. It's the bare minimum, but it's something. Read one short "5 minute" chapter a day and you'll have a fair survey of systematic theology in just over a month.
But if you can go a little heavier, there are good single-volume texts by Ryrie, Grudem, Erickson, and Geisler. (A word of warning, most systematic theologies are written by theologians of a Calvinist bent; they're all written from some theological system or another. Don't let it bother you if they don't teach everything you believe.) Some are written for a popular audience, and some are aimed at theology majors or even graduate students; check descriptions and reviews so you aren't surprised, but while the popular may give you all you need, you might find you enjoy the deeper studies.
Remember that theology is just what we believe. Some people can make it dry, but studying the nature of God, the person and work of Christ, and the ministry of the Holy Spirit can be powerfully moving. You will probably find yourself drawn to worship as you read about the working of God. It's not for nothing that Paul so frequently slipped into doxology as he explained God's nature and plans.
As for apologetics, you can break it up into different topics. What I call historical apologetics refers to questions about whether or not the Bible is reliable or whether Christ really rose – things like that. A great introduction to that topic is Lee Strobel’s The Case for Christ. Besides being a good book, its best feature is that at the end of each chapter on the different topics it gives you a good list of books to read if you want to go deeper. Josh McDowell’s More Than a Carpenter is a popular and shorter book, though it’s narrower in focus.
Scientific apologetics gets into questions regarding the origin of the universe and the origin of life. Strobel has another of his survey/introduction books called The Case for a Creator that you might want to check out. Two books I really got a lot out of are Hugh Ross’ The Creator and the Cosmos and The Fingerprint of God.
(I should probably step off on a tangent here. Ross is what is called an old-earth creationist – he believes God made everything billions of years ago. Many evangelical Christians are what is called a young-earth creationist – they believe that God made everything a few thousand years ago. I don’t care which you are as long as you believe God created everything. But if you are a young earther, and you come across a typical non-Christian who believes the earth is 4 billion years old, your choices are to spend a lot of time trying to convince them that everything he believes about the universe is wrong or you can use what he believes to show that God must have created the universe. The second is a lot more likely to succeed. Believe whatever you think is true, but meet your atheist friend where he is.)
Philosophical apologetics is really just answering those more generalized questions – does God really exist, how can a good God allow evil, things like that. C.S. Lewis’ Mere Christianity is considered one of the classics of the field; it also gets into some theological stuff. The oh so prolific Lee Strobel has another book called The Case for Faith that deals with these kinds of questions too. William Lane Craig's On Guard covers this well with a bit on the reality of the resurrection as well; it's my new favorite.
5 Minute Apologist (written by the same author as 5 Minute Theologian) has a book with those same brief chapters that covers the gamut on apologetics in obviously less detail, but if that's all you can do, or if you need a primer to get started, do what you have to do.
These are just my suggestions. There are lots of great books out there, and if you’ve got some, or if someone’s recommended some others, that’s fine. This is a resource for those who don’t have any idea where to start.
This is all general stuff. If you need to answer questions regarding a particular religion or cult or issues impacting our society right now – like the stem cell debate – you may have to do more specific reading. But if you’ve never read a single book on the Jehovah’s Witnesses, yet you’re very familiar with Christian theology, you will be equipped to deal, at least on a basic level, with JW questions that arise. We can’t be specialists in everything, but we can be broad generalists, and that will help you know where to go when you need more specific information.
What matters is to prepare. Decide you're going to do it, buy a book or download some mp3's, and set a time to go through the material. The other side's information is everywhere, ready to assault hearts and minds. You are the defense. Arm yourself.
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