I Don’t Have Enough Faith to Be an Atheist is written by Norman Geisler and Frank Tourek. This book was published by Crossway books in 2004. I bought the book when I heard Frank Tourek speak on apologetics at a recent conference I attended. I felt his presentation was quite good. I base this opinion on the evidence I acquired after reading The Case for Christ (Zondervan 1998) and The Case for Faith by Lee Strobel (Zondervan 2000).

Geisler, who published a book on ethics, is somewhat pedantic in his writing. Most philosophers tend to write like that. I Don’t Have Enough Faith to be an Atheist is not so much that way. It goes into great detail in defending the faith against the claims of atheists and those who worship science. Interestingly, these authors use lists of facts to document their positions defending Christianity against the objections of unbelievers. It is quite detailed and marshals all the evidence available to support the historicity of Christianity.

The Case for Faith by Lee Strobel is written by a journalist who interviewed a series of atheists and Christians to find out why people believed that Jesus was the son of God. He found out. He addressed all the objections that are commonly raised in today’s society to reject belief.

In his earlier book The Case for Christ, Strobel asks if the biographies of Jesus are true. He reaches the conclusion that they are.

I have to admit I never read Josh McDowell’s book More Than a Carpenter (Tyndale House 1977), but now I have. This was one of the early books on apologetics along with Clark Pinnock’s Set Forth Your Case. I read the latter book early in my Christian walk and was satisfied with his evidence. McDowell did in 1977 what Geisler and Tourek and Strobel do in their books. He wrote it, however, for the consumption of college students so it is short and to the point. It is so popular that it has sold more than 10,000,000 copies.

These four books are quite detailed in their message marshaling all the evidence to support the conclusion that Jesus was the son of God and that Christianity is true. The one thing missing in all of them, however, is how the work and person of the Holy Spirit is responsible for dramatic changes in the believer. Paul summed it up in Colossians 1:27. “To them God has chosen to make known among the Gentiles the glorious riches of this mystery, which is Christ in you, the hope of glory.” This supernatural occurrence is the basic change occurring in believers that testifies to the truth of Christianity. Sadly, mankind seeks rational evidence. We do not take readily to the supreme mystery of our faith. If you want a brief exposition read McDowell. If you want a very detailed academic exposition read Geisler and Tourek.