
Welcome to The Apologist’s Bookshelf, a podcast dedicated to exploring the best books in Christian apologetics. I’m Gary Zacharias, a professor of English, avid reader, and passionate follower of Jesus Christ. This podcast is for anyone curious about the intellectual foundation of the Christian faith—whether you’re a believer seeking to deepen your understanding, or a skeptic exploring the truth claims of Christianity. Each episode, I feature a key book on topics like the existence of God, the historical evidence for Jesus, the reliability of the Bible, creation and design in the universe, and how to engage unbelievers with wisdom and grace. These are the books that have earned a permanent place on my apologetics bookshelf—and I want to share them with you. If you’re interested in faith and reason, defending the Christian worldview, or simply love diving into thought-provoking Christian books, this podcast is for you.
Episodes

Saturday Oct 12, 2024
Hope in Times of Fear--Part 2 | The Apologist's Bookshelf
Saturday Oct 12, 2024
Saturday Oct 12, 2024
This podcast completes the discussion of Keller's first chapter in his book.

Wednesday Oct 09, 2024
Hope in Times of Fear--Part 1 | The Apologist's Bookshelf
Wednesday Oct 09, 2024
Wednesday Oct 09, 2024
Tim Keller, one of my favorite authors, wrote this book to focus on the resurrection and Easter. I cover his opening chapter dealing with Christianity as a historical and reasonable faith.

Saturday Oct 05, 2024
Apatheism | The Apologist's Bookshelf
Saturday Oct 05, 2024
Saturday Oct 05, 2024
Kyle Beshears tells us how to deal with non-Christians who simply don't care about spiritual matters. This podcast goes over his introduction, in which he explains the cultural conditions that lead to apathy among non-believers.

Wednesday Oct 02, 2024
Share Jesus without Fear | The Apologist's Bookshelf
Wednesday Oct 02, 2024
Wednesday Oct 02, 2024
William Fay covers thirty-six objections to Christianity that he has heard and includes useful answers. In this podcast I look at seven of them.

Saturday Sep 28, 2024
A New Kind of Apologist | The Apologist's Bookshelf
Saturday Sep 28, 2024
Saturday Sep 28, 2024
In his introduction to this collection of essays, Sean McDowell says we need a new approach to apologetics. The first chapter suggests four important questions we can ask when talking to someone whose beliefs are different from our own.

Wednesday Sep 25, 2024
Making Sense of God--Part 2 | The Apologist's Bookshelf
Wednesday Sep 25, 2024
Wednesday Sep 25, 2024
This is a continuation of the previous podcast, which deals with the claim that religion is simply based on faith while secularism is based on evidence. Tim Keller shows this is a false view.

Saturday Sep 21, 2024
Making Sense of God--Part 1 | The Apologist's Bookshelf
Saturday Sep 21, 2024
Saturday Sep 21, 2024
Tim Keller, respected author and teacher, wrote this book for people who aren't sure about the existence of God. Chapter two explores answers to an often-expressed question: Isn't religion based on faith and secularism on evidence? This podcast covers a portion of his answer.

Wednesday Sep 18, 2024
Understanding the Times | The Apologist's Bookshelf
Wednesday Sep 18, 2024
Wednesday Sep 18, 2024
This book surveys several important worldviews to show the superiority of Christianity. In this podcast we go over the chapter on ethics and how various worldviews deal with the concept of right and wrong.

Saturday Sep 14, 2024
The Story of Reality | The Apologist's Bookshelf
Saturday Sep 14, 2024
Saturday Sep 14, 2024
Greg Koukl's book attempts to clarify Christianity for a new generation. Chapter 18, titled "The Rescue," explains why Jesus came to earth. It wasn't for social justice.

Thursday Sep 12, 2024
Should Christians Support Israel? | The Apologist's Bookshelf
Thursday Sep 12, 2024
Thursday Sep 12, 2024
Here's a new book dealing with the terrible war between Hamas and Israel that continues to rage in the Middle East. The author, Jeff Myers of Summit Ministries, tells in chapter 4 the Biblical aspects of Israel and the Jewish people.