The authors in this category have written a number of works in the fields of apologetics and polemics. They seek to uphold the essentials of Christianity against false ideas from outside and inside the church.
Gosh, just about all these guys are good. Blamires' The Christian Mind is a must-read, and Schaeffer's books are also classics. Abanes and Johnson are always good. Also generally excellent are Ankerberg, Craig, Geisler, Moreland, and (with some exceptions) Carson and Ross.
Richard Abanes (b. 1961) - conservative evangelical who formerly worked with the Christian Research Institute and whose specialty is combating cults and false teaching. He has also ministered at Saddleback and performed in several major musicals. His works oppose not only cults but also extreme forms of Christianity such as end-time fanaticism, militia movements, and conspiracy theory. Titles: American Militias; Cults, New Religious Movements, and Your Familiy; Defending the Faith; "Embraced by the Light" and the Bible; End-Time Visions; Fantasy and Your Family; Harry Potter and the Bible; One Nation Under Gods; The Less Traveled Road and the Bible; The Truth Behind The Da Vinci Code. (Note: the name Abanes rhymes with adonis.)
John Ankerberg (b. 1948) - Baptist former pastor, now host of The John Ankerberg Show. Engages in debates against liberals and cult leaders, and hosts debates on other controversial issues. With John Weldon, he has co-written books and booklets on dozens of topics from the Masonic Lodge to evolution to Islam to the King James Only controversy. Titles (most with John Weldon): The Case for Jesus the Messiah; Cult Watch; Darwin's Leap of Faith; Encyclopedia of Cults and New Religions; Encyclopedia of New Age Beliefs; One World: Biblical Prophecy and the New World Order; The Secret Teachings of the Masonic Lodge; booklet series The Facts On...; Fast Facts; What You Need to Know.
Harry Blamires (b. 1916) - conservative Anglican protege of C. S. Lewis. An astute cultural critic who urged a distinctly Christian worldview (a "Christian mind") and fought the predominance of secular ways of thinking in the church. Many of his early fears about secularization, written in the early 1960s, have been realized both in England and America in the decades since. He has also written books on English literature. Titles: The Christian Mind; How Should Christians Think; Knowing the Truth about Heaven and Hell; The New Doomsday Book: A Guide through Ulysses; The Penguin Guide to Plain English; The Post Christian Mind; The Queen's English; Recovering the Christian Mind; A Short History of English Literature; Where Do We Stand? (Note: the name Blamires rhymes with inquires.)
Craig Blomberg (b. 1955) - conservative New Testament scholar at Denver Seminary. Writes on a wide range of issues and is an expert on cults and new religions. While he has a mostly complementarian view of gender roles, he supports gender-neutral Bible translations such as the TNIV. Blomberg helped produce the NLT and ESV and was a reviewer for the HCSB. Titles: The Historical Reliability of the Gospels; The Historical Reliability of John's Gospel; How Wide the Divide? (on Mormons); Interpreting the Parables; Jesus and the Gospels; Making Sense of the New Testament; Neither Poverty Nor Riches; Preaching the Parables; Two Views on Women in Ministry (Ed.); and the best commentary on Matthew. He was also one of the editors of The Quest Study Bible.
F. F. Bruce (1910-1991) - known as "the dean of evangelical scholars" at the University of Manchester; a world-renowned expert on the Old and New Testaments and defender of their truthfulness. One of the editors of the New International Commentary series, and a special reviewer for the NLT. Titles: The Canon of Scripture; Hard Sayings of the Bible; Hard Sayings of Jesus; Israel and the Nations; Jesus: Lord and Savior; The New International Bible Commentary (Ed.); The New Testament Documents: Are They Reliable?; New Testament History; Paul, Apostle of the Heart Set Free; and commentaries on John's writings, Acts, Hebrews, and most of Paul's letters.
Don (D. A.) Carson (b. 1946) - Reformed evangelical at Trinity Evangelical Divinity School. His theology is similar to that of Wayne Grudem except on charismatic issues, where his view may be described as "open but cautious." Carson's tendency is to strive for balance and amicability in disputes but is uncompromising on the essentials of the faith. Like Blomberg, he is a complementarian but supports gender-neutral Bible translations. Carson also helped produce the NLT. Titles: A Call to Spiritual Reformation; The Cross and Christian Ministry; The Difficult Dotrine of the Love of God; Divine Sovereignty and Human Responsibility; Exegetical Fallacies; For the Love of God; The Gagging of God; The Inclusive Language Debate; Introduction to the New Testament; New Testament Commentary Survey; Scripture and Truth (Ed. with John Woodbridge); Worship by the Book; and commentaries on Matthew and John. He also edits the New Studies in Biblical Theology book series.
William Lane Craig (b. 1949) - dispensational evangelical with Talbot School of Theology who often debates non-Christian scholars. He holds to a middle knowledge view of God's providence, and believes that God dwells within time, rather than timelessly. His strongest topics are the existence of God and the bodily resurrection of Christ. Titles: God, Time, and Eternity; Hard Questions, Real Answers; Jesus' Resurrection: Fact or Figment?; The Kalam Cosmological Argument; Naturalism: A Critical Analysis; The Only Wise God; Philosophy of Religion (Ed.); Reasonable Faith; The Son Rises; Will the Real Jesus Please Stand Up (debate with John Dominic Crossan). Not to be confused with New Testament scholar William Lane.
William A. Dembski (b. 1960) - conservative evangelical leader in the intelligent design movement. Formerly a science professor at Baylor, the primary Baptist college in Texas, he was demoted for derogatory comments about evolution. Titles: Debating Design: From Darwin to DNA; The Design Inference; The Design Revolution; Intelligent Design; Mere Creation (Ed.); Signs of Intelligence; Unapologetic Apologetics (Ed.); Uncommon Dissent.
Norman Geisler (b. 1932) - dispensational evangelical; groundbreaking evidential apologist and president of Southern Evangelical Seminary. He has also written against both open theism and Calvinism. Titles: Answering Islam; Baker Encyclopedia of Christian Apologetics (Ed); Chosen but Free; Christian Apologetics; Christian Ethics; Come, Let Us Reason; From God to Us; A General Introduction to the Bible (w/ William E. Nix); I Don't Have Enough Faith to Be an Atheist; Inerrancy (Ed.); A Popular Survey of the Old Testament; When Critics Ask (w/ Thomas Howe); Why I Am a Christian (Ed.). He has also begun releasing a multi-volume Systematic Theology.
Douglas Groothuis (b. 1957) - conservative evangelical professor at Denver Seminary and regular columnist for Moody Magazine. Primarily a writer against cults and occultic practices. He has also taken on postmodernism and is an outspoken egalitarian. Titles: Are All Religions One?; Confronting the New Age; Dictionary of Contemporary Religion in the Western World (Ed.); On Jesus; Revealing the New Age Jesus; The Soul in Cyberspace; Truth Decay; Unmasking the New Age. Groothuis' last name ends with an ice sound.
Hank Hanegraaff (b. 1950) - conservative evangelical known to radio listeners as "The Bible Answer Man." president of Christian Research Institute, which focuses on exposing doctrinal error and warning against aberrant religious groups. Most noted for his opposition to the Word of Faith and to Calvinism, and more recently for his embracing of a partial preterist view of end-time prophecy. Hanegraaff is known for applying memory techniques to apologetics. His ministry has been plagued with controversy due to his no-holds-barred criticism of false teaching and a long-standing dispute over his succession of Walter Martin as head of CRI. Titles: The Bible Answer Book; Christianity in Crisis; Counterfeit Revival; The Covering; The Da Vinci Code: Fact or Fiction?; The FACE that Demonstrates the Farce of Evolution; The Last Disciple; 99 Reasons Why No One Knows When Christ Will Return; The Prayer of Jesus; Resurrection; The Third Day.
Phillip E. Johnson (b. 1940) - Reformed evangelical expert in biology and criminal law from the University of California at Berkeley. A Christian apologist who speaks out against evolution, naturalism, and postmodernism. He is one of the leaders of the intelligent design movement. Titles: Darwin on Trial; Darwinism Defeated?; Defeating Darwinism by Opening Minds; Doubts about Darwin; Men and Women in the Church; Reason in the Balance; The Right Questions; The Wedge of Truth.
Harold Lindsell (1913-1998) - conservative evangelical famous for exposing liberalism in Baptist seminaries. He helped spur on the conservative resurgence in the SBC, during which he was president of the Baptist Faith and Message Fellowship. Also former vice president of Fuller Seminary. Turned charismatic in his later years. Titles: Abundantly Above; The Armageddon Spectre; The Battle for the Bible; The Bible in the Balance; A Christian Philosophy of Missions; The Gathering Storm; Handbook of Christian Truth; The Holy Spirit in the Latter Days; The Lindsell Study Bible; World Events and the Return of Christ; The World, the Flesh, and the Devil. He also helped edit the Harper Study Bible. Not to be confused with Baptist pastor Homer Lindsay, Jr.
Paul Little (1928-1975) - evangelism director for InterVarsity Christian Fellowship who helped promote an intellectual basis for Christian belief during the rise of the new evangelicals. He later taught at Trinity Evangelical Divinity School. Many of his writings were aimed at college-age believers. Titles: Affirming the Will of God; The Bold Claims of Jesus; Certainty; How to Give Away Your Faith; How to Give Away Your Life; Know What You Believe; Know Who You Believe; Know Why You Believe; Paul's Little Why and Why Not Book.
Walter Martin (1928-1989) - charismatic evangelical; founder of the Christian Research Institute. Martin may be the most influential post-WW2 countercult apologist, especially since so many of today's popular defenders of the faith have worked with CRI. Trained at a nontraditional though accredited university. Titles: Essential Christianity; Jehovah of the Watchtower; The Kingdom of the Cults; The Maze of Mormonism; The New Age Cult; The New Cults; The Riddle of Reincarnation; The Rise of the Cults; Through the Windows of Heaven. Not to be confused with biblical scholar Ralph P. Martin
Josh McDowell (b. 1942) - conservative evangelical apologist who works closely with Campus Crusade for Christ and True Love Waits. McDowell makes use of both main approaches to apologetics (evidential and presuppositional) in confronting worldly philosophies, and he works to promote a positive self-image and godly living among youth. His most recent works encourage parents to instill in their children a view of absolute truth as a foundation for Christian convictions. Titles: Answers to Tough Questions Skeptics Ask (w/ Don Stewart); Beyond Belief; Don't Check Your Brains at the Door (w/ Bob Hostetler); The Disconnected Generation; Evidence that Demands a Verdict; Handbook of Today's Religions; His Image, My Image; More Than a Carpenter; The New Tolerance; A Ready Defense; Right From Wrong; The Teenage Q & A Book; Why Wait?.
John W. Montgomery (b. 1931) - evangelical Lutheran apologist in England. An evidentialist who holds eight college degrees and debates prominent atheists. He has worked with many apologists in America, and is especially concerned with the encroachment of liberal ideas in many denominations. Titles: Christianity for the Tough-Minded; Christians in the Public Square; Crisis in Lutheran Theology; Damned Through the Church; Defending the Biblical Gospel; Demon Possession; Faith Founded on Fact; God's Inerrant Word; History and Christianity; Human Rights and Human Dignity; In Defense of Martin Luther; Law and Gospel; Myth, Allegory, and Gospel; Principalities and Powers; The Quest for Noah's Ark; The Shaping of the Past; The Suicide of Christian Theology.
J. P. Moreland (b. 1948) - evangelical professor of philosophy at Talbot and Biola; also worked with Campus Crusade for Christ in the early 1970s. Moreland is a friend of William Lane Craig and one of the leading proponents of intelligent design theory. Much of his work is directed against liberal challenges to traditional Christianity. Titles: Beyond Death; Christianity and the Nature of Science; The Creation Hypothesis; Does God Exist?; Jesus Under Fire (Ed. w/ Michael J. Wilkins); Loving God with All Your Mind; Naturalism: A Critical Appraisal.
Bernard Ramm (1916-1992) - apologist among the first generation of the new evangelical that parted ways with fundamentalism, though he did not espouse as great a commitment to social engagement as others in the movement. Ramm urged that Christians not be afraid of education and the sciences. A bold defender of inerrancy in his earlier works, but he later embraced an element of theistic evolution in his view of creation. Titles: After Fundamentalism: The Future of Evangelical Theology; The Christian View of Science and Scripture; Christianity in Culture (w/ Charles H. Kraft); An Evangelical Christology; The Evangelical Heritage (w/ Kevin Vanhoozer); The Devil, Seven Wormwoods, and God; God's Way Out; Offense to Reason; Protestant Biblical Interpretation; Special Revelation and the Word of God; Varieties of Christian Apologetics.
Ron Rhodes (b. 1957) - dispensational evangelical and founder of Reasoning from the Scriptures Ministries. He teaches at Golden Gate Baptist Theological Seminary and is a former associate editor for the Christian Research Journal. Most of his works explain how to witness to people in false religions and other dangerous movements. Titles: Alien Obsession; Angels Among Us; Christ Before the Manger; The Complete Book of Bible Answers; The Challenge of the Cults; The Counterfeit Christ of the New Age Movement; Find It Fast in the Bible; Miracles Among Us; Reasoning from the Scriptures series; The 10 Most Important Things series; What You Need to Know Quick Reference Guide series; What Did Jesus Mean?; When Cultists Ask (w/ Norman Geisler).
Hugh Ross (b. 1945) - conservative evangelical astrophysicist and head of Reasons to Believe. Ross also serves as evangelism coordinator at Sierra Madre Congregational Church. An old-earth creationist, Ross is adamantly inerrancy and opposed to evolution, and uses the age and size of the universe, the theory of relativity, and the scientific accuracy of Genesis as apologetic tools. Excellent as an apologist, but his over-dependence on theoretical physics makes him somewhat shaky when applying general revelation to weighty theology questions. Titles: Creation and Time; The Creator and the Cosmos; The Fingerprint of God; The Genesis Question; Lights in the Sky and Little Green Men; A Matter of Days; The Origins of Life (w/ Fazale Rana).
Francis Schaeffer (1912-1984) - Reformed evangelical, one of the most influential apologists of the 20th century. He focused on philosophy and once served as a missionary to Switzerland, emphasizing the application of Christian principles to every aspect of social life. Schaeffer saw relativism as the inevitable outcome of secularism and was also one of the first evangelicals to urge environmental responsibility. Titles: Addicted to Mediocrity; Art and the Bible; A Christian Manifesto; Escape from Reason; The Finished Work of Christ; Genesis in Space and Time; The God Who Is There; He Is There and He Is Not Silent; How Should We Then Live?; Marks of the Christian; Pollution and the Death of Man; True Spirituality.
Bailey Smith (b. 1939) - conservative evangelical who served as president of the Southern Baptist Convention early in its conservative resurgence and is currently a full-time evangelist. One of the most effective Baptist soul-winners, Smith is uncompromising in his criticism of today's American "Barabbas culture," totally rejects inclusivism, and joins John MacArthur in preaching the necessity of Lordship salvation. Titles: The Grace Escape; Nothing But the Blood; Real Evangelism: Exposing the Subtle Substitutes; Real Evangelistic Preaching; Real Revival Preaching; Taking Back the Gospel.
Lee Strobel (b. 1952) - former atheist and journalist for the Chicago Tribune, now a teaching pastor at Saddleback Valley Community Church and board member for Willow Creek, the model church for seeker sensitivity. Strobel specializes in apologetics and evangelism, seeing the lost as seeking God and aware of their need to be saved. His strength is communicating philosophical and theological concepts in easy-to-understand words. Titles: The Case for a Creator; The Case for Christ; The Case for Easter; The Case for Faith; Experiencing the Passion of Jesus; God's Outrageous Claims; Inside the Mind of Unchurched Harry and Mary; Surviving a Spiritual Mismatch in Marriage (w/ Leslie Strobel); What Would Jesus Say?.
Philip Yancey (b. 1949) - conservative evangelical author and editor of Christianity Today. A outspoken critic of both liberal and fundamentalism, but especially of abusive churches. Yancey's writings focus on the individual Christian's relationship with God, especially in hard times. He is also an outspoken defender of gender-neutral Bible translation. Titles: The Bible Jesus Read; Church: Why Bother?; Disappointment with God; The Jesus I Never Knew; Reaching for the Invisible God; Rumors of Another World; Soul Survivor; What's So Amazing About Grace?; Where Is God When It Hurts?. Yancey also helped produce The Student Bible.
Ravi Zacharias (b. 1946) - conservative evangelical who confronts contemporary postmodern culture and religious pluralism. Like Geisler, Zacharias is an evidential apologist as well as an evangelist, often making use of his Asian background to address other religions. Titles: Can Man Live Without God?; Cries of the Heart; Deliver Us from Evil; Hitler's Cross (w/ Erwin Lutzer); I, Isaac, Take Thee, Rebekah; Is Your Church Ready?; Jesus Among Other Gods; Light in the Shadow of Jihad; The Lotus and the Cross; The Prince and the Prophet; Recapture the Wonder; Sense and Sensuality; Who Made God?.
For a statement of my beliefs, see my Declaration of Faith.
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