10 best apologetics books for teens in 2025
When it comes to the best apologetics books for teens, I like recommending short and engaging books that are relatively easy to read — yet don’t skip diving into the larger, complex problems of faith. Like many of us, they benefit from relatable and engaging stories, visuals, and modern examples such as movies.
Thinking back to my own teenage interests, I was seeking answers to explain my beliefs, but I didn’t have the attention span, time, or inclination to dive into an intellectual and jargon-filled explanation of faith. If a book felt like an academic textbook, I wasn’t going to pick it up.
Now, as an adult, I volunteer with my church’s youth program, and it’s clear that students want to engage with the real issues. They hear things on social media or in school, and they’re wrestling with the big issues of faith, such as whether science and faith are mutually exclusive, or how God views sexuality vs. how the culture does. Providing teens with resources on apologetics is one way to build their confidence in their faith.
Of course, that’s not the case for every teen. Some are designed for a more academic study of apologetics and should be directed to different books. But for the sake of this guide, I’m sharing apologetics books for teens and students that have a track record with this age group.
For teens ready to explore faith: Discover the 10 best apologetics books for teens.
Top 10 apologetics books for teens
1. ‘More Than a Carpenter’ by Josh McDowell
Josh McDowell, a skeptic and agnostic in college, ridiculed Christians and set out to disprove Jesus' claims through research. Yet the evidence convinced him that Jesus is God, leading to his conversion. He wrote the book to share his personal journey and has updated “More Than a Carpenter” for its second edition to tackle questions such as, “How can I find meaning?”
2. ‘10 Questions Every Teen Should Ask (and Answer) about Christianity’ by Rebecca McLaughlin
Rebecca McLaughlin wrote “10 Questions Every Teen Should Ask (and Answer) about Christianity” specifically with students and teenagers in mind. Growing up in London in a Christian home, she attended a school where Christianity was viewed as irrelevant. She told Spine Magazine, "I was either brave enough or foolish enough to call an assembly at school, when I was about 12, on why I was a Christian." This book is a more accessible adaptation of her apologetics books, “Confronting Christianity,” and is designed to help young people wrestle with modern doubts and cultural pressures.
3. ‘The Case for Christ Student Edition’ by Lee Strobel
As a journalist, Lee Strobel was an atheist who decided, when his wife became a Christian, to prove that she was wrong. He used his interviewing and investigative skills to review the historical evidence for Jesus, which was published as a book and has since been adapted as a movie. “The Case for Christ Student Edition” shares relatable stories, such as being 14 years old and learning about Darwin’s theory of evolution in biology class. He lost faith in God in a high school science class, but importantly, he shares how his investigation led to his decision as an adult to become a Christian.
4. ‘Tactics’ by Greg Koukl
As a young man in the 1960s, Greg Koukl rejected Christianity, viewing God as a restrictive killjoy and believing he was too smart for faith. A broken relationship prompted him to reexamine his worldview, leading to his conversion. Drawing from decades of honest conversations, he wrote “Tactics” to equip everyday Christians — not just experts — with simple, graceful strategies to navigate discussions confidently. For example, he shares how to use “Columbo” tactics to ask clarifying questions, such as, “What do you mean by that?’
5. ‘True for You, But Not for Me’ by Paul Copan
Paul Copan, a philosopher and apologist who attended a Bible college, wrote “True for You, But Not for Me” to help Christians who are unsure how to respond to the culture’s growing acceptance of relativism and pluralism. The book deflates common slogans that leave believers speechless, providing concise, thoughtful rebuttals to help navigate school and cultural conversations about Christianity, including common objections and assertions.
6. ‘Cold-Case Christianity’ by J. Warner Wallace
J. Warner Wallace grew up in a secular, nominally religious home and defaulted to atheism through his teens and young adult years, going so far as mocking Christians. He became a cold-case homicide detective, and while attending church with his wife as an adult, he decided to use his investigative skills to examine the Gospels as an eyewitness account, just as he would as a detective. What he discovered convinced him of the reliability of Jesus and the resurrection, leading to his conversion. He wrote “Cold-Case Christianity” to share this detective approach, making the case for Christianity's truth accessible and exciting through stories and visuals. He’s also written a “Cold-Case Christianity for Kids.”
7. ‘Mere Christianity’ by C.S. Lewis
C.S. Lewis was raised in a Christian family but rejected faith in his early teens, becoming a committed atheist after his mother's death. He lived as an atheist through his 20s until intellectual discussions with friends like J.R.R. Tolkien led to his reluctant conversion in his early 30s. “Mere Christianity” originated as WWII BBC radio broadcasts where Lewis, as a layman and former skeptic, explained and defended the core beliefs shared by all Christians — focusing on "mere" essentials to unite believers weary from war and facing uncertainty.
8. ‘Confronting Christianity’ by Rebecca McLaughlin
Raised in a Christian family in the UK, Rebecca McLaughlin boldly called a school assembly at age 12 to explain why she was a Christian, despite attending secular schools where faith was seen as odd. Drawing from years of facilitating conversations at The Veritas Forum with top academics, she wrote “Confronting Christianity” to tackle 12 hard questions head-on, turning apparent roadblocks like suffering, science, and sexuality into signposts pointing to Jesus, equipping believers and inviting skeptics to engage.
9. ‘I Don't Have Enough Faith to Be an Atheist’ by Norman Geisler and Frank Turek
Norman Geisler attended a non-denominational evangelical church from age nine but resisted conversion until his late teens, finally committing to Christianity at age 18. Frank Turek grew up in a Catholic family in New Jersey, where he wrestled with more profound questions about faith and belief as a teenager. When writing “I Don't Have Enough Faith to Be an Atheist,” they drew from decades of experience teaching apologetics as part of a campus ministry. Their book presents a logical, step-by-step case showing Christianity is more reasonable than atheism or other worldviews.
10. ‘On Guard’ by William Lane Craig
As a junior in high school, William Lane Craig first heard the Gospel message from a classmate. He was overwhelmed by the realization that God loves him personally. He went on to earn two doctorates (in philosophy and theology) and wrote academically-oriented theology and apologetics books. Urged by his wife to make his scholarly work more accessible, he wrote “On Guard” as a concise, illustrated training manual with clear philosophical arguments and practical tools to equip everyday Christians — especially motivated students — to defend their faith confidently with reason and precision.
Looking for more book recommendations? Check out our central hub for Christian book recommendations. You may also enjoy the following guides:
➡️ Ultimate guide to apologetics books
➡️ Guide to the best apologetics books for beginners
➡️ Guide to the best Christian testimony books
Mackenzie Ryan Walters is the author of “Faith Storytellers: Unleash the Power of Your Story,” and the editor of the Faith Storytellers website, which shares Christian testimonies and stories, as well as curated lists about Christian books, gifts, and more. A national award-winning journalist who’s covered a presidential campaign and been inside NASA, Mackenzie is passionate about lifting up and sharing the story God is actively writing in the world.
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