Trustworthiness and Truthfulness of the Bible

*H.C. Felder, The African American Guide to the Bible (Christian Faith Publishing, 2018)

• Part I of this book, “Why Trust the Bible,” provides a clear, concise, and easily understandable overview of why Christians ought to trust the Bible as authoritative and true.

Norman Geisler and William Roach, Defending Inerrancy: Affirming the Accuracy of Scripture for a New Generation (Baker Books 2011)

• A solid presentation of the issues, debates, and players in recent debates over biblical authority.

John Hannah, editor, Inerrancy and the Church (Moody Press, 1984)

• If you want a detailed history of Christian views on the complete trustworthiness and truth of the Scriptures from the time of the early church to the first half of the twentieth century, this is the book for you.

F. David Farnell, General Editor, Vital Issues in the Inerrancy Debate (Wipf and Stock, 2015)

• A helpful compendium of articles about recent debates over inerrancy.

Defending Inerrancy [website] 

• A website devoted to discussing and defending the inerrancy of the Bible.

Historical Reliability of the Bible

*TrueU: Is the Bible Reliable?

• Taught by Stephen Meyer, this video series is a must-view for anyone who wants a better grounding in the historical reliability of the Bible. Great for both teens and adults. Perfect for home use and small groups.
• DVD or Amazon Prime 

*Expedition Bible [YouTube channel]

• A terrific YouTube channel with lots of free videos and documentaries about the historical accuracy of the Bible, drawing on the discoveries of archeology. Two of the most helpful documentaries are listed below.
• Jericho Unearthed: The Archaeology of Jericho Explained
• The Jesus Tomb… UNMASKED!

*Joel Kramer, Where God Came Down: The Archeological Evidence (Sourceflix, 2020)

• Joel Kramer provides a wonderful introduction to the archeological evidence for key sites mentioned in the Bible. Filled with lots of full-color photos. An indispensable guide if you ever visit the Holy Land, but also great for arm-chair explorers. 

Gary Habermas, The Historical Jesus: Ancient Evidence for the Life of Christ (College Press, 1996)

• Good compendium of all the evidence outside the Bible for the life of Jesus Christ.

Matthew D’Ancona and Carston Thiede, Eyewitness to Jesus (Doubleday, 1996)

• Fascinating account of one scholar’s redating of a papyrus fragment of Matthew to the first century AD. Even if you don’t accept his view, this book provides an interesting glimpse into the assumptions used by scholars in trying to date biblical manuscripts. There is also a documentary based on this book (see below).

*Eyewitness to Jesus

• DVD or Amazon Prime 

Titus Kennedy, Unearthing the Bible: 101 Archeological Discoveries that Bring the Bible to Life (Harvest House, 2020); Excavating the Evidence for Jesus: The Archaeology and History of Christ and the Gospels (Harvest House, 2022); The Essential Archaeological Guide to Bible Lands (Harvest House, 2023) 

• Three books by biblical archeologist Titus Kennedy that provide a good introduction to the kinds of archeological evidence that exists that shows the accuracy of both the Old and New Testaments.

*Lydia McGrew, Testimonies to the Truth: Why You Can Trust the Gospels (DeWard Publishing, 2023), The Eye of the Beholder: The Gospel of John as Historical Reportage (DeWard Publishing, 2021), The Mirror or the Mask: Liberating the Gospels from Literary Devices (DeWard Publishing, 2019), and Hidden in Plain View: Undesigned Coincidences in the Gospels and Acts (DeWard Publishing, 2017)  

• An analytic philosopher, McGrew does not believe in inerrancy. But she nevertheless has a high regard for the accuracy of the Scriptures. In these three books, she provides a fresh and detailed look at how the Gospels provide evidence of their own accuracy.

Craig Blomberg, The Historical Reliability of the New Testament (B&H Academic, 2016)

• A thorough academic study of the historical reliability of the New Testament that engages with the latest scholarship from those who deny the reliability of the New Testament. Caution: Blomberg doesn’t accept traditional inerrancy, and his disparagement of some conservative scholars who disagree with him as “far right” is off-putting and unfortunate. Nevertheless, many of his points are sound and useful. 

Associates for Biblical Research [website]

• Explores how archeology illuminates and corroborates the Bible. Filled with lots of free articles and other resources.

APXAIOC Institute of Biblical Archeology [website]

• Website for biblical archeologist Titus Kennedy. Many articles on how archeology sheds light on the events and teachings recorded in the Bible. 

Influence of the Bible on History and Culture

*Alvin Schmidt, How Christianity Changed the World (Zondervan, 2004)

• Superb overview of the historical influence of the Bible on medicine, politics, sex, the sanctity of life, music, science, human rights, and other areas. A must-have!

Vishal Mangalwadi, The Book that Made Your World: How the Bible Created the Soul of Western Civilization (Thomas Nelson, 2012)

• Indian Christian thinker Vishal Mangalwadi provides a fresh examination of all the ways the Bible helped create Western civilization. 

Bible Difficulties and Other Topics

Gleason Archer, Encyclopedia of Bible Difficulties (Zondervan, 1982)

• A classic book-by-book guide to difficult passages in the Bible with possible explanations. Not the definitive source for some of the issues discussed, but still very helpful. 

Michael Rydelnik and Edwin Blum, The Moody Handbook of Messianic Prophecy (Moody Publishers, 2019)

• For those who want to dig deeper into how the Old Testament remains relevant to Christians, this is an excellent place to start. A detailed explication of many of the Old Testament passages that point to Christ.

*Bruce Ware, God’s Lesser Glory: The Diminished God of Open Theism (Crossway, 2000)

• A thorough and convincing critique of the idea of “open theism,” which denies that God has complete foreknowledge of future events.

Christianity’s Impact on the History of Science

*Michael Keas, Unbelievable: Seven Myths about the History and Future of Science and Religion (ISI Books, 2019)

*“God’s Handiwork: The Religious Origins of Science,” chapter two in Rodney Stark, For the Glory of God: How Monotheism Led to Reformations, Science, Witch-Hunts, and the End of Slavery (Princeton University Press, 2003)

*Michael Keas, “Three Big Myths about the History of Christianity and Science” , and “Three Big Ways Christianity Supported the Rise of Modern Science”

Nancy Pearcey and Charles Thaxton, The Soul of Science: Christian Faith and Natural Philosophy (Crossway, 1994)

Relationship between Christianity and Science

*William Dembski, Casey Luskin, Joseph Holden (editors), The Comprehensive Guide to Science and Faith (Harvest House, 2021)

*Stephen C. Meyer, Return of the God Hypothesis: Three Scientific Discoveries that Reveal the Mind Behind the Universe (HarperOne, 2021)

J.P. Moreland, Stephen C. Meyer, Christopher Shaw, Ann K. Gauger, Wayne Grudem (editors), Theistic Evolution: A Scientific, Philosophical, and Theological Critique (Crossway, 2017)

*John G. West, “Nothing New Under the Sun” and “Having a Real Debate,” in Jay Richards, editor, God and Evolution: Protestants, Catholics, and Jews Explore Darwin’s Challenge to Faith (DI Press, 2010)

John G. West, “The Debate over Design in the Early Church”

Evidence of Intelligent Design in Nature

*TrueU: Does God Exist?

• Taught by Stephen Meyer, this video series is a must-view for anyone who wants a better grounding in the scientific evidence that points to a Creator. Great for teens and adults. Perfect for home use and small groups.
• DVD or Amazon Prime

*IntelligentDesign.org [website]

• Web portal to free videos, articles, and resources about the intelligent design of nature.

*Secrets of the Cell with Michael Behe [YouTube series]; *Science Uprising [YouTube series]; Long Story Short [YouTube series] 

• Fast-paced, short videos exploring the evidence of design and purpose in nature and critiquing scientific materialism. Good for all ages.

PragerU Series on Religion and Science with Stephen Meyer [YouTube series] 

Stephen C. Meyer, Scientific Evidence for a Creator [free digital mini-book]

*Privileged Species.com [website and videos]

• Features videos with biologist Michael Denton on how our planet is designed for human life.

*Marcos Eberlin, Foresight: How the Chemistry of Life Reveals Planning and Purpose (DI Press, 2019)

Michael Denton, The Miracle of Man (DI Press, 2021)

*Steve Laufmann and Howard Glicksman, Your Designed Body (DI Press, 2022)

Impact of Scientific Materialism on Culture

* John G. West, Darwin’s Three Big Ideas that Impacted Humanity [free digital minibook], 

*John G. West, Darwin Day in America: How Our Politics and Culture Have Been Dehumanized in the Name of Science (ISI Books, revised edition, 2015)

John G. West, editor, The Magician’s Twin: C.S. Lewis on Science, Scientism, and Society (DI Press, 2012)

*John West, “Darwin’s Corrosive Idea”

John G. West, “The Tragedy of Francis Collins’s Model for Science-Faith Integration”

John G. West, “Francis Collins’s Troubling Record at NIH”

John W. Cooper, Body, Soul, and Life Everlasting: Biblical Anthropology and the Monism-Dualism Debate (Eerdmans, 2000)

Resources for Children and Youth

*William Steig, Yellow and Pink (Square Fish, 1988)

• Classic picture book by noted secular author; raises the issue of whether we were created in an inventive way that can spark great discussions with small children. 

*Melissa Cain Travis, How Do We Know God Created Life? (Apologia Educ. Ministries, 2017)

Discovering Intelligent Design [science enrichment curriculum for middle school-age students to adults]

*Secrets of the Cell with Michael Behe [YouTube series]; *Science Uprising [YouTube series]; Long Story Short [YouTube series] 

*TrueU: Does God Exist? DVD or Amazon Prime

Douglas Ell, Proofs of God: A Conversation between Doubt and Reason (Covenant Books, 2020)

Overview and Cultural Background

*David J. Ayers, After the Revolution: Sex and the Single Evangelical (Lexham Press, 2022)

• Perhaps the best single recent resource about current state of sexuality in the culture and in the church. It explores current data and trends, Biblical teaching, and resources for parents and more. The final chapter provides an agenda for Christians and churches to promote and encourage sexual purity. 

*Nancy Pearcey, Love Thy Body: Answering Hard Questions about Life and Sexuality (Baker Books, 2018)

• Astute cultural analysis and practical insights into our culture’s view of sex, including transgender issues. 

John G. West, Darwin Day in America: How Our Politics and Culture Have Been Dehumanized in the Name of Science (ISI Books, revised edition, 2015)

• Chapter 12 (“Junk Science in the Bedroom”) and Chapter 13 (“Sex Miseducation”) provide a history of how we got here, including a critical history of sex education efforts.

Sex and Marriage

Christian Resources for Strengthening Your Marriage (Focus on the Family)

David Closson, Biblical Principles for Human Sexuality (Family Research Council, 2022), 

Maggie Gallagher, “Why Marriage Is Good for You” (City Journal, Autumn 2000)

Glenn Stanton, “The Health Benefits of Marriage” (Focus on the Family, 2012), 

Bridget Maher, “The Benefits of Marriage” (Family Research Council, 2005)

Ryan and Selena Frederick, Fierce Marriage: Radically Pursuing Each Other in Light of Christ’s Relentless Love (Baker, 2018)

Sex Education

Christian Resources for Educating Your Children about Sex (Focus on the Family)

Cathy Ruse, Sex Education in the Schools (Family Research Council, 2020) 

Stop Comprehensive Sexuality Education (website)

Same-Sex Issues

*Kevin DeYoung, What Does the Bible Really Teach about Homosexuality? (Crossway, 2015)

• Clear and winsome summary of the Bible’s teaching about homosexuality.

Robert A.J. Gagnon, The Bible and Homosexual Practice: Texts and Hermeneutics (Abingdon, 2002 edition)

• Definitive scholarly treatment of the Bible’s teaching about homosexual practice.

Transgender Issues

Ryan Anderson, When Harry Became Sally (Encounter, 2019)

• Important book about transgenderism and children. Banned by Amazon, so you will need to purchase elsewhere, such as Barnes and Noble.com or Books a Million.

Nancy Pearcey, “How These Parents Helped Their Son Reject Transgender Lies and Affirm His Real Identity,” The Federalist (January 3, 2023)

Walt Heyer, “How a 10-Year-Old Girl’s Mom Saved Her from Going Transgender,” The Federalist (June 30, 2021)

Policy Organizations

Family Research Council [website]

• National organization dealing with family policy issues. Provides lots of free information and resources.

State Family Policy Councils [webpage]

• Listing of family policy organizations in each state.

The Bible, Christianity, and Racism

*H.C. Felder, The African American Guide to the Bible, second Kindle edition (Christian Faith Publishing, 2018)

• Detailed exploration of the issues of race, ethnicity, slavery, etc. in the Bible and the Christian tradition.

*Alvin Schmidt, “Chapter 11: Slavery Abolished: A Christian Achievement,” How Christianity Changed the World (Zondervan 2004)

• Helpful overview of Christian efforts to address slavery and racial discrimination from New Testament times to twentieth century America.

*Kevin DeYoung, Thinking Theologically about Racial Tensions

• If you want to explore how to think theologically about race, human dignity, and racism, this short digital book is a great place to start. DeYoung strives to be fair and accurate in his description of competing views, even while he puts forward his own views on what the Bible teaches.

History of Racism in America

Human Zoos: America’s Forgotten History of Scientific Racism

• Christians need to know a lot more about the history of racism in America. This documentary and its accompanying educational website explore one particular strand of the impact of racism on American society: “scientific” racism, including some of the Christians who opposed it.

Antiracism/Critical Race Theory

*Voddie Baucham, Jr., Fault Lines: The Social Justice Movement and Evangelicalism’s Looming Catastrophe (Salem Books, 2021)

• A very clear and accessible critique of the theological problems of the antiracist movement by a noted African-American theologian.

*Neil Shenvi—Apologetics [website]

• Christian apologist Neil Shenvi writes thoughtful critical reviews of many books by antiracist writers. His website is a great place to find quick information about books you may be hearing about at your church or school.

*Neil Shenvi and Pat Sawyer, Critical Dilemma: The Rise of Critical Theories and Social Justice Ideology—Implications for the Church and Society (Harvest House, 2023)

• Perhaps the definitive examination of critical theory (including critical race theory) from an orthodox Christian standpoint. Detailed and nuanced.

Darrell Harrison and Virgil Walker, Just Thinking: About Ethnicity (Founders Press, 2024)

Carol Swain and Christopher Schorr, Black Eye for America: How Critical Race Theory Is Burning Down the House (Be the People Books, 2021)

Coleman Hughes, The End of Race Politics: Arguments for a Colorblind America (Thesis, 2024)

John McWhorter, Woke Racism: How a New Religion Has Betrayed Black America (Portfolio, 2021)

Walter E. Williams, Race & Economics: How much can be blamed on discrimination? (Hoover Institution Press, 2011)

Curriculum

*1776 Unites [website]

• A thoughtful, inspiring, and balanced curriculum about the black experience in America created by a bipartisan group of scholars and writers. If your Christian school wants to teach about the history of race relations in the United States, it should consider making use of this curriculum.

Poverty, Homelessness, Education

*Marvin Olasky, The Tragedy of American Compassion (Regnery Publishing, 1992)

• Seminal text exploring the vastly different implications of secular materialism and the Bible when it comes to helping the poor. 

*John G. West and Sonja West, editors, The Theology of Welfare: Protestants, Catholics, and Jews in Conversation about Welfare (University Press of America, 2000)

• Exploration of how our theological beliefs influence our views about how to help the poor.

Fix Homelessness [website]

• Features original reporting and analysis of the growing homelessness crisis in America. Articles focus on the roots of homelessness that are too often downplayed in most reporting.

Ian Rowe, Agency: The Four Point Plan for ALL Children to Overcome the Victimhood Narrative and Discover Their Pathway to Power (Templeton Press, 2022)

Free to Believe: The Intensifying Intolerance Toward Christians in the West (Family Research Council, 2024)

*David Closson, Biblical Principles for Religious Liberty (Family Research Council, 2022)

• Succinct explanation of the biblical basis of religious liberty.

First Liberty Institute [website]

• News, information, and resources on religious liberty from a public interest law firm that defends religious liberty.

*Religious Freedom Protection Kits

• Free digital booklets from First Liberty Institute giving concrete guidance to religious schools, churches, students, teachers, military personnel, and religious non-profits on how to protect their religious liberty rights.

*Religious Liberty in the States

• A database of information on legal safeguards for the rights of conscience in each state.

Here are resources and tools for you and your family to obtain news, information, and entertainment. 

Sources for News and Analysis

*WORLD News Group

• Original reporting, commentary, podcasts, and more from a Biblical Christian perspective. Requires subscription for full access.

*The Christian Post

• Original reporting and commentary on issues relating to the Christian community from around the world. Reporting and commentary from an evangelical Christian perspective. Free resource.

*The Epoch Times

• Daily original reporting (print and video) on politics, health, culture, entertainment, business, and more. The Epoch Times aspires to be a full-service news reporting outlet that offers news stories that are impartial. If you seek one main national news source equivalent to something like The New York Times, this is a good option. The Epoch Times is not a Christian outlet. Its owners are apparently members of Falun Gong, an Eastern religious movement from China. But most of the reporting at The Epoch Times does not focus on Falun Gong, although the outlet does emphasize critical reporting about Communist China (which has persecuted the Falun Gong movement as well as Christians). In addition to text reporting, the Epoch TV division provides television news. A weekly national print edition is also produced. Requires subscription for full access.

*Just the News

• Original investigative reporting focused mostly on political news. Produced by veteran journalists, the content at Just the News is framed in a neutral voice and strives to provide old-fashioned reporting rather than simply commentary. In addition to articles, the outlet also produces video and audio content. One added benefit of this outlet is that it is known for providing links to original documents and sources cited in its articles, making it much easier to dig deeper and review the raw data for yourself. Free access.

*LifeSite News

• Original reporting and commentary on issues relating to life, family, liberty, and culture. Some reporting and commentary reflects a Catholic perspective. Free access.

LifeNews

• Original reporting from a pro-life perspective on abortion and related issues. Focused on a narrower range of issues than LifeSite News. Free access.

The Stream

• Political and cultural news and commentary from theologically conservative Protestant and Catholic perspectives. Free access.

Evolution News and Science Today

• News and analysis relating to evolution, intelligent design, the origin of life, cosmology, neuroscience, science and faith, and other issues. Produced by Discovery Institute. Free access.

Mind Matters News

• News and analysis relating to artificial intelligence, tech censorship, transhumanism, and similar issues. Produced by Discovery Institute. Free access.

*Assist News

• Original reporting about persecution of Christians around the world. Free access.

Search Engines

https://www.seekfind.org

https://resulthunter.com

https://tusksearch.com

https://search.brave.com

• There are an increasing number of search alternatives to Google Search. More are being developed. These other options are less likely to bias your search results in an ideological manner, although bias can still be a problem.

Online Encyclopedias

https://encyclosearch.org

https://encycloreader.org

• Larry Sanger, co-founder of Wikipedia, has helped pioneer Encyclosearch and Encycloreader, which allows you to search for articles from dozens of different encyclopedias at once. Gives you a much better range of options than just Wikipedia.

Entertainment Resources

*Movieguide

• Movieguide maintains a database of reviews of films and video content from a Christian perspective. This is a great place to go to help you evaluate whether a film is something you or your children should see. It also provides information you can use to critically discuss a film with your family after you have watched it.

Plugged In 

• Like Movieguide (but more limited), Plugged In also provides reviews of media content for families. Plugged In is operated by Focus on the Family.

*VidAngel

• In addition to producing its own family-friendly content, VidAngel supplies a video filtering service, allowing you to filter out gratuitous sex, profanity, violence, and other content from major films and television shows based on your own preferences. VidAngel was started by entrepreneurs who are members of the Church of Jesus Christ, Latter Day Saints (Mormons). VidAngel won’t tell you whether a movie is worth watching or whether its worldview is Christian-friendly or not. But it is an extremely helpful tool if you want to watch a film or television show but not subject yourself to certain kinds of gratuitous content. Even if you choose not to filter out certain things, VidAngel provides detailed information of just how much profanity, violence, sex, etc. are contained in a television episode or film. Subscription required.

Parents Television and Media Council

• Group that advocates for more family-friendly programming and conducts studies of television and streaming content that are not family-friendly.

*John G. West, “Ten Questions to Ask When Evaluating a Christian College”

• Many Christian parents want to send their children to a Christian college, hoping they will be equipped there to deepen their faith. Unfortunately, many Christian colleges may not be the places you think. This short article describes 10 eye-opening questions you can ask when considering a Christian college.

The Toughest Test in College

• Documentary exploring the spiritual, worldview, and lifestyle challenges Christian students will face on attending college. Great video for parents to watch with their teens who will eventually be attending college. Can also be shown to youth groups or as part of a church-wide college-prep night.

TrueU: Is the Bible Reliable? and TrueU: Does God Exist?

• Teaching series on foundational issues designed for teens and their parents. Excellent resource to prepare your teens before they head off to college. 

J. Budziszewski, How to Stay Christian in College (TH1NK, 2014) and Alex Chediak, Thriving at College (Tyndale House, 2011)

• Two books written by college professors designed to help Christian students survive—and even thrive—when they go to college.