2013: The Year’s Best Books, Web, and More! An Apologist’s Year in Review

Who doesn’t love to look back on the year and reflect on the things done and learned? I’m sure plenty of people don’t! But I do! So here’s my reflection on the year simply highlighting the “bests” that I’ve read/watched/etc. from an apologetic perspective throughout the year. I have not included all the books I read in 2013; rather, only books/movies/etc. which came out/were active/etc. in 2013 are eligible.

Best Books

Best Apologetics Book

J. Warner Wallace, Cold-Case Christianity. I think this book is, hands down, the most important introductory level book for the historical reliability of the New Testament.  I reviewed this fantastic book here. Wallace does a fantastic job introducing hard topics in readable ways. His experience as a cold-case detective allows him to draw on his knowledge to make the “detective work” of history exciting and engaging. I highly recommend this book to any and all, whether they are interested in apologetics or not.

Best Advanced Apologetics Book

Stephen Parrish, The Knower and the Known. In this advanced work of epistemology and metaphysics, Parrish provides a comprehensive case against physicalism. However, not content with merely the via negativa, he also provides readers with an extensive positive case for substance dualism. I analyzed and reviewed this work in two parts: part 1 focused on the case against naturalism; part 2 focused on the case for dualism.

Best Movie for Discussing Worldview

“Ender’s Game”- The movie “Ender’s Game” is one of the more philosophical movies to have come out this year. Although its core is a kind of race-against-time action movie, the film explores issues of just war, innocence, morality, and more. I reviewed it with a focus on worldview issues here; I also reviewed the award-winning science fiction book on which it is based.

Best Podcast- For the Best Overall Podcast

The Dividing Line– The podcast of the Calvinist theologian and apologist James White, “The Dividing Line” is consistently interesting and engaging–even when I disagree. White’s emphasis revolves around worldview issues, Calvinist theology, and apologetics–particularly those issues which deal with textual criticism. He is one of the few apologists I know of who consistently engages Muslims. “The Dividing Line” is one of the few podcasts which I listen to every single time. Whether or not you agree with White–and I find I do disagree on several points–you will find his level of engagement with primary materials high, and his critiques will force one to rethink their positions where they disagree.

Best Apologetics Site- For the Best Site focused upon Apologetics

The Poached Egg– I do, of course, mean “best” apart from this one! Okay, not really… I don’t actually think this is the best apologetics blog on the internet… not by a long shot. Anyway, “The Poached Egg” is a kind of apologetics-resource site which features a number of blog articles daily. Greg West runs it and he consistently has an excellent range of resources featured so that people interested in apologetics and related issues may continually interact with new articles of interest. I highly recommend that any readers of this site go and immediately begin following (or at least routinely checking) The Poached Egg.

Best Theological Topics Blog- For the Best Blog on topic(s) specifically related to Theology

Baker Book House Church Connection– Yep, this is a blog about books. That not only means it gets immediate bonus points from me, but it also means that the author, Louis McBride, has a whole slew of topics available. The posts on the blog are generally centered around works the McBride has browsed recently, with brief quotes and reflection upon the content. The  broadness of the blog’s content is its greatest draw. I highly recommend following this blog and reading every post for thought-provoking and wide-ranging theological content.

Best Worldview Blog- For The Best Blog on a topic(s) related to the Christian Worldview

The CBE Scroll– The CBE Scroll is the official blog for Christians for Biblical Equality, a group which advocates for the full equality in the home and ministry for men and women. Whether one agrees or disagrees with this perspective, the blog raises a number of highly important arguments with which one must contend.

Best Creation Issues Blog

Naturalis Historia– The issue of the time and length of creation is a highly controversial one among evangelicals today. Here, “The Natural Historian” covers a wide range of topics related to the evidence for the age of the earth, as well as occasionally reflecting upon theological topics. Every single post on this site is worth reading and will inspire much thinking in related areas. I highly, highly recommend this site.

Best Non-Traditional Presentation Apologetics/Theology Blog- For the best blog that utilizes method other than pure text or video to convey its meaning

No Apologies Allowed– Who doesn’t like comics? That’s right, nobody. No Apologies Allowed is a site that uses comics as its primary means to get across apologetic and theological insights. The site is always entertaining and the conversation is quite interesting. Be sure to swing by.