I‘m Gary Zacharias, professor of English and an avid reader. I‘m also passionate about Christian apologetics, which has to do with making a case for the truth of Christianity. In this podcast I‘d like to introduce you to various books that have meant a lot to me over the years and have a prominent place on my bookshelf.
Episodes
Saturday Nov 04, 2023
The Secular Creed | The Apologist’s Bookshelf
Saturday Nov 04, 2023
Saturday Nov 04, 2023
Rebecca McLaughlin covers five contemporary claims that challenge Christianity. In this podcast I go through one of her chapters that examines the slogan "Women's Rights Are Human Rights."
Wednesday Nov 01, 2023
Defending Your Faith | The Apologist’s Bookshelf
Wednesday Nov 01, 2023
Wednesday Nov 01, 2023
Dan Story, a good friend and excellent writer, gives reliable answers in this book for a new generation of seekers and skeptics. I cover his first chapter, entitled "Why Does God Want Our Defense?" He tells of the advantages of apologetics.
Saturday Oct 28, 2023
Talking With Your Kids About God | The Apologist’s Bookshelf
Saturday Oct 28, 2023
Saturday Oct 28, 2023
Natasha Crain has an important chapter in her book than deals with a tough question for many Christians: How Can God Be Three Persons in One? She does a wonderful job dealing with this topic.
Wednesday Oct 25, 2023
The Case for the Resurrection of Jesus | The Apologist’s Bookshelf
Wednesday Oct 25, 2023
Wednesday Oct 25, 2023
Gary Habermas, a solid researcher, professor and author, has spent a great deal of time reading what other historians say about the events surrounding the resurrection of Jesus. In this podcast I deal with the minimal facts he says almost all historians agree on.
Saturday Oct 21, 2023
The Challenge of the Cults and New Religions | The Apologist’s Bookshelf
Saturday Oct 21, 2023
Saturday Oct 21, 2023
Ron Rhodes, researcher, author, and teacher, has written a book that provides a great resource for Christians. I discuss chapter 5, which looks at three major movements in the mind sciences religious concept--Christian Science, the United Church of Religious Science, and the Unity School of Christianity. I focus especially on Christian Science since it's the best known of the three.
Wednesday Oct 18, 2023
Faith Is Not Wishing | The Apologist’s Bookshelf
Wednesday Oct 18, 2023
Wednesday Oct 18, 2023
Greg Koukl, a wonderful apologist, has written a short but powerful book that contains thirteen essays for Christian thinkers. This podcast goes through his second chapter, which deals with the charge that God is just a crutch for many people.
Saturday Oct 14, 2023
Am I Just My Brain? | The Apologist’s Bookshelf
Saturday Oct 14, 2023
Saturday Oct 14, 2023
Sharon Dirckx deals with an important question in chapter 5--Is free will an illusion? If we are just our brains, are we really free in any meaningful sense?
Wednesday Oct 11, 2023
Approaching Jehovah’s Witnesses in Love | The Apologist’s Bookshelf
Wednesday Oct 11, 2023
Wednesday Oct 11, 2023
The author, Wilbur Lingle, discusses twelve claims made by Jehovah's Witnesses that attempt to prove they are God's organization. He effectively refutes these. I cover several of the claims and refutations in this podcast.
Saturday Oct 07, 2023
Street Smarts | The Apologist’s Bookshelf
Saturday Oct 07, 2023
Saturday Oct 07, 2023
Greg Koukl, author of this new book, is a terrific apologist with his clear-thinking defense of Christianity. I go over his first two chapters, which explains the purpose of the book and focuses on a key principle he develops: before there can be any harvest, there has to be a season of gardening.
Wednesday Oct 04, 2023
Can We Still Believe the Bible? | The Apologist’s Bookshelf
Wednesday Oct 04, 2023
Wednesday Oct 04, 2023
Noted scholar Craig Blomberg deals with current questions about the Bible. In this podcast I review his section on the canon of the Old Testament--are these the books that were accepted by all Jews?