As I look back over 50+ years of Bible-based training, studying and ministry, there are a few books that have had a profound effect on my thinking. This is the first of several posts on some of those books, and why they impacted me. Note that EBS may earn a small commission off any merchandise purchased through links on this page.
Evidence That Demands a Verdict, by Josh McDowell. This was not the first book on Christian evidences I bought, but it was the most comprehensive and logically compelling. The foundation tenets of the Christian faith are rooted in history. While some appeal to “science” as if it is the be all and answer to all, much of what we all know and/or believe is rooted not in science (a fairly recent invention as we know it), but in history – evidences, eyewitnesses, documents, monuments, etc.
Over the years Josh McDowell has continued to expand and refine his writings in this area. But this title was instrumental in making me re-think what I had accepted on unsupported faith as a child and then had heard denied (also without evidence) in university philosophy and religion classes.
In a world where many consider truth relative and have no good reason for believing what(ever) they do believe, this approach to Christian truths is fundamental!
I wrote the original version of this post in 2009, and have now done only a very minor update before posting it again.