In this day, as in every age, Christians are constantly challenged in their beliefs by a swirl of cultural and intellectual currents. Clarence Boomsma, a greatly respected pastor with an active church ministry for six decades, knows those challenges firsthand. In this candid little book Boomsma reveals his own existential crisis of faith and then just as honestly shares his heartfelt, hard-won conclusion: the reality of the resurrection of Jesus Christ is indeed the linchpin of the Christian faith. Written in the thoughtful but fervent style that also marked Boomsma's sermons during his long preaching career, Why I Still Believe the Gospel is the distilled fruit of this wise pastor's passionate quest to know and declare the truth and consequences of Jesus' resurrection.

For anyone who feels caught in the tension between the beauty of God's story and the ugliness of human hypocrisy, Why I Still Believe offers a stirring story of hope. Why would anyone be a Christian when there is so much hypocrisy in the church? Mary Jo Sharp shares her journey as a skeptical believer who still holds to a beautiful faith despite wounding experiences in the Christian community. At a time when de-conversion stories have become all too common, this is an earnest response - the compelling conversion of an unlikely believer whose questions ultimately led her to irresistible hope. Sharp addresses her own struggle with the reality that God's people repeatedly give God's story a bad name and takes a careful look at how the current church often inadvertently produces atheists despite its life-giving message. For those who feel the ever-present tension between the beauty of salvation and the dark side of human nature, Why I Still Believe is a candid and approachable case for believing in God when you really want to walk away. With fresh and thoughtful insights, this spiritual narrative presents relevant answers to haunting questions like: Isn't there too much pain and suffering to believe? Is it okay to have doubt? What if Jesus' story is a copy of another story? Is there any evidence for Jesus' resurrection? Does atheism explain the human experience better than Christianity can? How can the truth of Christianity matter when the behaviors of Christians are reprehensible? At once logical and loving, Sharp reframes the gospel as it truly is: the good news of redemption. With firmly grounded truths, Why I Still Believe is an affirming reminder that the hypocrisy of Christians can never negate the transforming grace and truth of Christ.

I (Still) Believe explores the all-important question of whether serious academic study of the Bible is threatening to one’s faith. Far from it—faith enhances study of the Bible and, reciprocally, such study enriches a person’s faith. With this in mind, this book asks prominent Bible teachers and scholars to tell their story reflecting on their own experiences at the intersection of faith and serious academic study of the Bible. While the essays of this book will provide some apology for academic study of the Bible as an important discipline, the essays engage with this question in ways that are uncontrived. They present real stories, with all the complexities and struggles they may hold. To this end, the contributors do two things: (a) reflect on their lives as someone who teaches and researches the Bible, providing something of a story outlining their journey of life and faith, and their self-understanding as a biblical theologian; and (b) provide focused reflections on how faith has made a difference, how it has changed, and what challenges have arisen, remained, and are unresolved, all with a view toward the future and engaging the book’s main question. engaging the book’s main question.

Challenges to the reliability of Scripture are perennial and have frequently been addressed. However, some of these challenges are noticeably more common today, and the topic is currently of particular interest among evangelicals. In this volume, highly regarded biblical scholar Craig Blomberg offers an accessible and nuanced argument for the Bible's reliability in response to the extreme views about Scripture and its authority articulated by both sides of the debate. He believes that a careful analysis of the relevant evidence shows we have reason to be more confident in the Bible than ever before. As he traces his own academic and spiritual journey, Blomberg sketches out the case for confidence in the Bible in spite of various challenges to the trustworthiness of Scripture, offering a positive, informed, and defensible approach.

Let the critics take their best shot. When the smoke clears, Christianity is still standing. Lots of books have been written on apologetics---savvy defenses of the Christian faith. But should your faith really depend on your ability to outsmart every critic? I Still Believe invites doubters, skeptics and others to open fire through candid interviews with a wide range of unbelievers, from the gentle offended to the angry antagonist. Rather than making a case for faith, it turns the tables by asking unbelievers to make their case for unbelief. When you truly listen, you gain a better understanding of their underlying feelings and mind-set; suggesting a deeper, unspoken reason millions reject Christian truth. See for yourself why the burden of proof lies with the unbeliever, not you. I Still Believe lets you eavesdrop on conversations with people who find Christianity hard to swallow. Hear what they've got to say with a compassionate heart, but also an objective mind. You'll understand them better. But in the end, you'll also be able to look them confidently in the eye and say, 'I still believe.'

A Clear Guide to Help Readers Understand Why They Can Trust the Bible We are often told we can no longer assume that the Bible is trustworthy. From social media memes to popular scholarship, so many attacks have been launched on the believability of Scripture that many have serious questions about the Bible, such as: Did Jesus actually live? Did the biblical writers invent their message? How can we trust the gospels since they were written so long after Jesus lived? How can we believe a Bible that is full of internal contradictions with itself and external contradictions with science? Aren't the biblical manuscripts we have just copies of copies that are so corrupted they don't represent what the original authors wrote? Why should we believe the books that are in the Bible, since many good ones were left out, like the Gospel of Thomas? Why trust the Bible when there are so many contradictory translations of it? If you find yourself unable to answer questions such as these, but wanting to, Why I Trust the Bible by eminent Bible scholar and translator William Mounce is for you. These questions and more are discussed and answered in a reasoned, definitive, and winsome way. The truth is that the Bible is better attested and more defensible today than it ever has been. Questions about the Bible are perhaps the most significant challenge confronting Christian faith today, but they can be answered well and in a way which will lead to a deeper appreciation for the truth and ongoing relevance of the Bible.

Contrary to those who reject the Harry Potter books as a threat to Christian faith, Neal demonstrates how the lessons in these books reinforce the central messages of the Bible.

The NIV Voices of Faith Devotional Bible combines Scriptural insights from both the past and present to reveal God’s truth for your life today. Writers such as C.S. Lewis and Eugene Peterson, Oswald Chambers and Joni Eareckson Tada, St. Augustine and Brennan Manning, Thomas à Kempis and Dallas Willard—voices from yesterday and voices from today—join together to address a topic for a timeless and relevant devotional experience every day.