To All The World
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Since the fall of Christendom, Christians in Western countries can no longer assume their neighbors share basic familiarity with the Bible or even a sense for God. We now face a strange mixture of apathy and antagonism toward the gospel. Some people view Christianity as yesterday’s news. For others, it’s the source of today’s problems. Lately, though, more and more are open to the idea that Christianity may be tomorrow’s hope.
Amid these confusing and conflicting shifts, we need apologetics for the whole church and not just for those who enjoy arguing. Cultural apologetics can help uncover opportunities to proclaim the gospel as the only way to fulfill longings for truth, beauty, and goodness. Churches that embrace this approach can be strengthened and renewed as they demonstrate an appealing and convicting way of life that stands out in the world.
In The Gospel after Christendom, scholars and practitioners from The Keller Center for Cultural Apologetics define cultural apologetics, explain its biblical and historical grounding, and demonstrate its importance for the church today. Their diverse viewpoints, united in the gospel, offer a balanced approach that can guide Christians to share the Good News with their neighbors in this challenging but exciting time.
Published by Zondervan Reflective. Releases September 16, 2025.
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Sam Chan (PhD, Trinity Evangelical Divinity School) is the lead mentor and trainer at EvQ School of Evangelism, a ministry of City Bible Forum. Based in Australia, he’s the author of several books including Evangelism in a Skeptical World and How to Talk About Jesus (Without Being That Guy). Sam speaks at conferences around the world on storytelling, apologetics, and the practice of evangelism in a post-Christian culture, and he blogs at Espresso Theology.
Joshua Chatraw is the Beeson Divinity School Billy Graham chair for evangelism and cultural engagement at Samford University. His recent books include The Augustine Way, Surprised by Doubt, and Telling a Better Story. He also serves as an inaugural fellow with The Keller Center for Cultural Apologetics and a fellow at The Center for Pastor Theologians.
James Eglinton is Meldrum senior lecturer in Reformed theology at the University of Edinburgh. He is the author of Bavinck: A Critical Biography. You can follow him on X.
Skyler Reed Flowers (MDiv, Reformed Theological Seminary) is the associate program director at The Keller Center. He serves as an associate pastor at Grace Bible Church in Oxford, Mississippi and is also working toward his Ph.D. in systematic theology at the University of Aberdeen. He is married to Brianna, and they have two kids.
Rachel Gilson (MDiv, Gordon-Conwell Theological Seminary) serves on the leadership team of theological development and culture with Cru. Her writing has appeared at Christianity Today, Desiring God, and The Gospel Coalition, and she regularly speaks at churches and on college campuses. She is the author of Parenting Without Panic in an LGBT-Affirming World and Born Again This Way. Rachel is pursuing a PhD in public theology at Southeastern Baptist Theological Seminary. She lives in the Boston area with her husband and daughter.
Collin Hansen serves as vice president for content and editor in chief of The Gospel Coalition, as well as executive director of The Keller Center for Cultural Apologetics. He hosts the Gospelbound podcast and has written and contributed to many books, including Timothy Keller: His Spiritual and Intellectual Formation and Rediscover Church: Why the Body of Christ Is Essential. He has published with the New York Times and the Washington Post and offered commentary for CNN, Fox News, NPR, BBC, ABC News, and PBS NewsHour. He edited the forthcoming The Gospel After Christendom and The New City Catechism Devotional, among other books. He is an adjunct professor at Beeson Divinity School, where he also co-chairs the advisory board.
Rebecca McLaughlin holds a PhD from Cambridge University and a theology degree from Oak Hill Seminary in London. She is the author of several books, including Confronting Christianity, The Secular Creed, Jesus Through the Eyes of Women, and Does the Bible Affirm Same-Sex Relationships?. You can follow her on X, Instagram, or her website.
Ivan Mesa (PhD, The Southern Baptist Theological Seminary) is editorial director for The Gospel Coalition, where he has served since 2014. He’s the founder of Inkling Editing and editor of several books, including Scrolling Ourselves to Death: Reclaiming Life in a Digital Age. He and his wife, Sarah, have four children, and they live in eastern Georgia.
Alan Noble (PhD) is author of Disruptive Witness, You Are Not Your Own, and On Getting Out of Bed and is associate professor of English at Oklahoma Baptist University.
Gavin Ortlund (PhD, Fuller Theological Seminary) is a pastor, author, speaker, and apologist for the Christian faith. He serves as the president of Truth Unites, visiting professor of historical theology at Phoenix Seminary, and theologian-in-residence at Immanuel Nashville. He is the author of several books, including The Art of Disagreeing, Why God Makes Sense in a World That Doesn’t, and What It Means to Be Protestant.
Derek Rishmawy is the Reformed University Fellowship (RUF) campus minister at University of California Irvine and a PhD candidate at Trinity Evangelical Divinity School. He cohosts the Mere Fidelity podcast. You can follow him on X or read more at his blog.
Daniel Strange is director of Crosslands Forum, vice president of The Southgate Fellowship, and in theological leadership at The London Project (City to City). He is a fellow of The Keller Center for Cultural Apologetics and is the author of Their Rock Is Not like Our Rock, Plugged In, and Making Faith Magnetic. He is a contributing editor for Themelios and an elder of Hope Community Church, Gateshead, United Kingdom, which is part of the Fellowship of Evangelical Churches (FIEC).
Bob Thune (MA, Reformed Theological Seminary) is founding and lead pastor of Coram Deo Church in Omaha, Nebraska, and a Council member of The Gospel Coalition. He is the author of Gospel Eldership, coauthor of The Gospel-Centered Life and The Gospel-Centered Community, and creator of the Daily Liturgy podcast. In addition to his work as a pastor and writer, he coaches and trains church leaders and helps to lead a classical Christian school.
Chris Watkin (PhD, University of Cambridge) is an Australian Research Council Future Fellow and associate professor in European languages at Monash University in Melbourne, Australia. He has written many books, including the award-winning Biblical Critical Theory: How the Bible’s Unfolding Story Makes Sense of Modern Life and Culture. You can follow him on X, his academic website, or his Christian resources website.
Trevin Wax is vice president of research and resource development at the North American Mission Board and a visiting professor at Cedarville University. A former missionary to Romania, Trevin is a regular columnist at The Gospel Coalition and has contributed to The Washington Post, World, and Christianity Today. He has taught courses on mission and ministry at Wheaton College and has lectured on Christianity and culture at Oxford University. He is a founding editor of The Gospel Project, has served as publisher for the Christian Standard Bible, and is currently a fellow for The Keller Center for Cultural Apologetics. He is the author of multiple books, including The Thrill of Orthodoxy, The Multi-Directional Leader, Rethink Your Self, This Is Our Time, and Gospel Centered Teaching. His podcast is Reconstructing Faith. He and his wife, Corina, have three children. You can follow him on Twitter or Facebook, or receive his columns via email.
“At a time when some say Christianity has become culturally obsolete, this book, the best introduction to cultural apologetics on the market, provides demonstrations—rational, artistic, and practical—that the story of God with and for us, the gospel of Jesus Christ, is as necessary as ever for the pursuit of truth, goodness, and beauty, the sum and substance of human flourishing in all areas of life.”
—Kevin J. Vanhoozer, research professor of systematic theology, Trinity Evangelical Divinity School
"In an era where cultures collide and Christianity is often dismissed in many of them or worn with a facade that is not the real thing, we need an approach that is culturally aware and says the gospel is better than the variety of things currently being offered to people. These chapters point the way for all of us to accomplish the calling God gives believers to represent God well in a challenging world. It calls for boldness and care in a way that listens to others’ longings and engages with a biblical response full of grace and truth. Well done."
—Darrell L. Bock, executive director of cultural engagement at the Hendricks Center, and senior research professor of New Testament studies at Dallas Theological Seminary
"This wonderful book represents so many great things all at once: a practical handbook on evangelism, a treasure trove of both biblical and cultural insight, a powerful apologetic for cultural apologetics itself, and the fruit of the joyous collegiality we’ve found together at the Keller Center. I can’t think of another book I’d rather have close to hand when thinking about engaging western culture with the beautiful message of Jesus Christ.
—Sam Allberry, associate pastor, Immanuel Nashville; author, Is God Anti-Gay? and Why Does God Care Who I Sleep With?
"Culture is a moving target. Thus, Christians must be deliberate, nimble, and shrewd in the practice of cultural apologetics. The Gospel After Christendom is a helpful resource in developing the grace and dexterity to effectively evangelize in the culture, while maintaining the courage and convictions to reject the idols of the culture."
—Justin E. Giboney, president of AND Campaign
"Many fellow believers are used to preaching Christ in non- Christian and anti-Christian cultures. American Christians are not. We need to be. Read this book to discover how."
—Michael Horton, J. Gresham Machen Professor of Systematic Theology and Apologetics, Westminster Seminary California
"This volume brings together some of today’s most creative Christian thinkers to tackle the problem of how to make the case for faith to cynical, secular Westerners who think they’ve already heard it all. The result is both an encouragement and a challenge to twenty- first- century believers."
—Molly Worthen, author of Spellbound: How Charisma Shaped American History from the Puritans to Donald Trump
In The Gospel After Christendom, readers will find: