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A Daily Defense: 365 Days ( plus one) to Becoming a Better Apologist
Do you want to learn how to defend and explain…The existence of God…The reliability of the Bible…The Real Presence of Christ in the Eucharist…The authority of the pope and the Church…and scores of other truths that we Catholics believe— but you don’t have a lot of time? Don’t worry. Jimmy Akin has done the hard work for you. All you need is five minutes a day. In A Daily Defense, Jimmy compiles 365 challenges that Catholics often hear from skeptics and non-Catholics—about God, Jesus, Scripture, morality, Mary, history, and a host of doctrines—and teaches you how to answer them. Combining deep learning with decades of experience explaining Catholic belief and practice on a popular level, he cuts to the heart of each subject, offering pithy but powerful replies that are both effective and easy to master. A Daily Defense is perfect reading before bed or during breakfast, for down time or prayer time, part of a regular routine or picked up on the go. Whenever your day is like, spending just a few minutes in these pages is guaranteed to equip you with the knowledge and skills you need to defend the Catholic Faith.
747 pages, Kindle Edition
Published October 17, 2016
165 people are currently reading
300 people want to read
About the author
Jimmy Akin
41 books166 followersJimmy Akin (b. 1965) was born in Texas, grew up nominally Protestant, but at age 20 experienced a profound conversion to Christ. Planning on becoming a Protestant pastor or seminary professor, he started an intensive study of the Bible. But the more he immersed himself in Scripture the more he found to support the Catholic faith. Eventually, he was compelled in conscience to enter the Catholic Church, which he did in 1992. His conversion story, "A Triumph and a Tragedy," is published in Surprised by Truth. Besides being an author, Jimmy is a Senior Apologist at Catholic Answers, a contributing editor to This Rock magazine, and a weekly guest on "Catholic Answers Live."
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Displaying 1 - 16 of 16 reviews
November 14, 2016
I have become quite found of books in the format of reading a short page a day. In Catholic circles these usually involve the writings of a specific saint, saints in general, or other spiritual topics. This is a good format that you can always make time for and I have found them to be quite worthwhile.
Still I have never seen this format used for a specifically apologetics work. I have been taking A Daily Defense a day at a time for the review instead of just rush-reading the whole. Now I more than suspected that this would contains clear and concise summaries on typical apologetic topics as is Jimmy Akin’s style. What I had not quite expected was how often they were presented in a fresh way. As an avid reader and listener of Catholic radio I suspect I have heard the vast majority of questions and answers on these topics. Yet the daily topic on Sola Scriptura was quite different than the usual objections. Just cut to the quick regarding what it would mean in application for much of the life of the Church.
Even the presentation of common arguments was enjoyable just for their precision and deft use of analogies. Plus no surprise that even Star Trek gets referenced and put to use.
So while this is a daily format book, it is also intended as a resource. At the end of the book is an Alphabetical Index where you can quickly look up topics you might be interested in. Plus throughout when topics are linked in some way to another topic, this is referenced with the related topic number.
Just excellent.
Still I have never seen this format used for a specifically apologetics work. I have been taking A Daily Defense a day at a time for the review instead of just rush-reading the whole. Now I more than suspected that this would contains clear and concise summaries on typical apologetic topics as is Jimmy Akin’s style. What I had not quite expected was how often they were presented in a fresh way. As an avid reader and listener of Catholic radio I suspect I have heard the vast majority of questions and answers on these topics. Yet the daily topic on Sola Scriptura was quite different than the usual objections. Just cut to the quick regarding what it would mean in application for much of the life of the Church.
Even the presentation of common arguments was enjoyable just for their precision and deft use of analogies. Plus no surprise that even Star Trek gets referenced and put to use.
So while this is a daily format book, it is also intended as a resource. At the end of the book is an Alphabetical Index where you can quickly look up topics you might be interested in. Plus throughout when topics are linked in some way to another topic, this is referenced with the related topic number.
Just excellent.
December 30, 2022
Such a great daily companion with short but impactful replies. In 2023 Jimmy Akin is doing it as a daily podcast.
February 2, 2017
The history of Christianity is one of debate. As the gospels reveal, Jesus was challenged right from the start. Rival schools like the Pharisees and Sadducees posed pointed questions to him, trying to trap him in his words and even to get him in trouble with the authorities. ...I'm really glad I received a review copy of this book because otherwise I probably wouldn't have picked it up. This excellent book provides an easy daily reminder of our beliefs and how to defend and explain them. Each day presents a challenge to the Catholic faith, a (one-sentence) defense, and an explanation of the belief. Sometimes there is also a final one-sentence tip which may range from a cogent summary to a reading recommendation to directing the reader to a related page with a different wrinkle on the topic.
Our world is very different from the one in which Jesus lived, but the more things change, the more they stay the same. If people posed challenges to Jesus, they will do so to us as well.
Some of the objections are that I just don't encounter such as "Matthew's genealogy of Jesus omits some generations and thus is wrong" or "The Bible originally taught reincarnation, but the relevant passages were struck out by the Council of Nicaea." For me the answers to these are academic, but interesting.
Many, though, are those I am familiar with. I love the way that Akin's defense statements often turn my usual thoughts on the subject into a new direction. The explanations are thorough and often include information or positions I wouldn't have thought of. And I thought I knew a lot about how to explain some of these topics.
Highly recommended.
June 10, 2017
This was the third book that I finished by Jimmy Akin this year, but it was the first I started late last year. This book is intended as a daily devotional. But to be honest I could not put it down and often read an extra day. From the introduction Jimmy has you hooked he states:
"The history of Christianity is one of debate. As the Gospels reveal, Jesus was challenged right from the start. Rival schools like the Pharisees and Sadducees posed pointed questions to him, trying to trap him in his words and even to get him in trouble with the authorities.
…
Our world is very different from the one in which Jesus lived. But the more things change, the more they stay the same. If people posed challenges to Jesus, they will do so to us as well."
This book has a devotion for each day of the year, and that extra one for leap years. As soon as I finished reading this the first time I started again, this time just doing the 1 reading a day. When buying physical devotions book, I usually flip to the day that would be my birthday if they are set out to follow the calendar and read that one first as a sample, there were so many incredible pieces in this book I figured I would share that one with you as a sample:
"DAY 24
The Moral Argument
CHALLENGE
"Why shouldn't I believe in scientific materialism-the view that only physical matter and energy exist and that science is the key to all knowledge?"
DEFENSE
Because morality points us beyond the purely material and beyond what science is capable of establishing.
Moral values are real. Some things are objectively right and some are objectively wrong. Showing compassion for the poor and the weak is good; torturing babies for fun is evil. Belief in moral values is a human universal that exists in all cultures. It is built into human nature, and it cannot be suppressed. Even those who profess philosophies denying moral realism cannot maintain the pretense. They invariably slip back into realist thinking and language, expressing either appreciation for acts they sense are good or outrage at acts they sense are evil.
But science is not capable of establishing moral values (one of several limitations it has; see Day 333). It may be capable of studying what people consider morally good and bad, but it is not capable of establishing what is morally good and bad.
This is known in philosophy as the "is-ought problem." Certain statements are descriptive, describing the way the world is. Others are prescriptive, describing the way the world ought to be. Science is capable of investigating the former, but it does not have the ability to investigate the latter. As philosophers have often put it, you cannot derive an ought-statement from an is-statement.
The reason is that science involves an empirical methodology-one based on things that can be detected and measured by the physical senses or by physical extensions of them (e.g., telescopes, microscopes, radio wave detectors). But moral good and evil cannot be detected and measured in this way. They are non-empirical qualities. You cannot detect moral goodness with a technical instrument or torture someone in a lab and use an evil-ometer to determine how bad the act is.
We thus have good reason, based on the universal human belief in moral realism, to hold that moral values are objectively real, but they transcend the empirical. This shows that there is a transcendental realm that goes beyond the purely material and the abilities of science.
TIP
To help skeptics see the point, you may wish to propose examples of concrete things they will regard as morally evil."
Now to be honest there were a number of readings that I went back and reread a few times. This book is not simple fluff - raw raw I am a Christian - stuff. It is the real meat and potatoes of the faith. I would be surprised if you could read this book and not be challenged on some point of theology. Unless you have had incredible formation in your spiritual life, this book will not only give you tools to defend the faith, it will also help you have a more solid spiritual footing in your own life.
This book could be read by anyone in high school through to well past retirement age, and they would benefit from its instruction. After You read this book some of the topics tackled might not be immediately applicable, but I am sure there are a few you will think 'I wish I could have used this when …' and that is what the book will do. In easily digestible pieces it gives you a lot of tools in your apologetics tool belt. Even for the more difficult topics Jimmy writes in a very engaging manner, and to be honest, many days you will finish the reading and want more. And Day 366 gives you a long list of books to use to go deeper.
A wonderful book that I highly recommend.
Read the review on my blog Book Reviews and More and reviews of other books by Jimmy Akin.
Note: This book is part of a series of reviews: 2017 Catholic Reading Plan!
"The history of Christianity is one of debate. As the Gospels reveal, Jesus was challenged right from the start. Rival schools like the Pharisees and Sadducees posed pointed questions to him, trying to trap him in his words and even to get him in trouble with the authorities.
…
Our world is very different from the one in which Jesus lived. But the more things change, the more they stay the same. If people posed challenges to Jesus, they will do so to us as well."
This book has a devotion for each day of the year, and that extra one for leap years. As soon as I finished reading this the first time I started again, this time just doing the 1 reading a day. When buying physical devotions book, I usually flip to the day that would be my birthday if they are set out to follow the calendar and read that one first as a sample, there were so many incredible pieces in this book I figured I would share that one with you as a sample:
"DAY 24
The Moral Argument
CHALLENGE
"Why shouldn't I believe in scientific materialism-the view that only physical matter and energy exist and that science is the key to all knowledge?"
DEFENSE
Because morality points us beyond the purely material and beyond what science is capable of establishing.
Moral values are real. Some things are objectively right and some are objectively wrong. Showing compassion for the poor and the weak is good; torturing babies for fun is evil. Belief in moral values is a human universal that exists in all cultures. It is built into human nature, and it cannot be suppressed. Even those who profess philosophies denying moral realism cannot maintain the pretense. They invariably slip back into realist thinking and language, expressing either appreciation for acts they sense are good or outrage at acts they sense are evil.
But science is not capable of establishing moral values (one of several limitations it has; see Day 333). It may be capable of studying what people consider morally good and bad, but it is not capable of establishing what is morally good and bad.
This is known in philosophy as the "is-ought problem." Certain statements are descriptive, describing the way the world is. Others are prescriptive, describing the way the world ought to be. Science is capable of investigating the former, but it does not have the ability to investigate the latter. As philosophers have often put it, you cannot derive an ought-statement from an is-statement.
The reason is that science involves an empirical methodology-one based on things that can be detected and measured by the physical senses or by physical extensions of them (e.g., telescopes, microscopes, radio wave detectors). But moral good and evil cannot be detected and measured in this way. They are non-empirical qualities. You cannot detect moral goodness with a technical instrument or torture someone in a lab and use an evil-ometer to determine how bad the act is.
We thus have good reason, based on the universal human belief in moral realism, to hold that moral values are objectively real, but they transcend the empirical. This shows that there is a transcendental realm that goes beyond the purely material and the abilities of science.
TIP
To help skeptics see the point, you may wish to propose examples of concrete things they will regard as morally evil."
Now to be honest there were a number of readings that I went back and reread a few times. This book is not simple fluff - raw raw I am a Christian - stuff. It is the real meat and potatoes of the faith. I would be surprised if you could read this book and not be challenged on some point of theology. Unless you have had incredible formation in your spiritual life, this book will not only give you tools to defend the faith, it will also help you have a more solid spiritual footing in your own life.
This book could be read by anyone in high school through to well past retirement age, and they would benefit from its instruction. After You read this book some of the topics tackled might not be immediately applicable, but I am sure there are a few you will think 'I wish I could have used this when …' and that is what the book will do. In easily digestible pieces it gives you a lot of tools in your apologetics tool belt. Even for the more difficult topics Jimmy writes in a very engaging manner, and to be honest, many days you will finish the reading and want more. And Day 366 gives you a long list of books to use to go deeper.
A wonderful book that I highly recommend.
Read the review on my blog Book Reviews and More and reviews of other books by Jimmy Akin.
Note: This book is part of a series of reviews: 2017 Catholic Reading Plan!
March 18, 2024
I gave this book low marks because I felt it focused too much time on bureaucratic minutiae. It wastes time on Pharisee-like questions and has little time to teach Jesus’ message.
Sola Scritura: is the principle that beliefs must be proven by scripture alone. Ironically, this doesn’t meet it’s own test, since it’s not contained in scripture.
Original Sin: Consider a rich man who gambles away his fortune and is unable to pass it on to his children. The gambler was personally at fault, but his children experience the deprivation and poverty.
Philosophically the burden of proof (WRT the existence of God) does not intrinsically fall on either party. You assume the burden of proof when you try to convince someone else of a position. If we really have no evidence, then the existence of a thing is just as likely as it’s non-existence; neither side can claim an advantage.
Sola Scritura: is the principle that beliefs must be proven by scripture alone. Ironically, this doesn’t meet it’s own test, since it’s not contained in scripture.
Original Sin: Consider a rich man who gambles away his fortune and is unable to pass it on to his children. The gambler was personally at fault, but his children experience the deprivation and poverty.
Philosophically the burden of proof (WRT the existence of God) does not intrinsically fall on either party. You assume the burden of proof when you try to convince someone else of a position. If we really have no evidence, then the existence of a thing is just as likely as it’s non-existence; neither side can claim an advantage.
December 6, 2017
I read several of these. My wonderful mother-in-law gave it to me for Christmas last year. The plan was to read two each day. One when I log on my computer upon arriving to work, and one when I log off for the day. It worked for a little while. I'm just being realistic. I probably won't finish right now. Especially not since a got a class coming up! Akin is solid on essential Christian doctrine for the most part. However, Martin Luther would wipe the floor with this guy. I think most other average Protestants could probably take him too. The arguments against Protestantism/for Catholicism just aren't there, unless you really want them to be.
December 30, 2018
The most value can be gained from this book by truly reading one a day. I did not do that, and now I find I'd like to do a re-read "properly," to better absorb the nuggets Jimmy Akin offers to novice apologists. Even if you are only practicing apologetics within your own family (often the most fraught of arenas!), a dip into A Daily Defense will go a long way toward bolstering your own understanding of Catholicism.
December 31, 2024
Amazing Jimmy Akin level arguments. The only complaint I had was that the book could’ve been a bit better organized. The arguments themselves were great, but it was a lot of unconnected information each day. It’s hard to retain. I feel like there is a better way to connect main ideas (although that’s not entirely the purpose of this book). I also feel like there is an index could be a bit more detailed.
March 11, 2019
Not a lot of the details, but a good start on why Catholics are useful to learn more about Christians.
I rated this book at five stars because I like Jimmy Akins answers on the radio.
This is a good book to read if you are Christian, but not Catholic and wanting to understand more about Catholics.
I rated this book at five stars because I like Jimmy Akins answers on the radio.
This is a good book to read if you are Christian, but not Catholic and wanting to understand more about Catholics.
December 28, 2024
My New Year’s resolution was to finish this book by the end of the year and I did. It covers a wide range of topics. If Jimmy really and I mean REALLY wanted to impress me he’d write a 365 volume set of books on these issues. Very impressive though that he is able to narrow down the key defense in each question. It leaves the reader who is a believer satisfied, yet hungry for more.
October 20, 2019
This is a simple one page a day book to help you become a better apologist. I've listened to Jimmy Akin on Catholic Answers for years, and this book is a continuation of the same questions from the show. Each page begins with an objection to the faith. Jimmy offers a refutation and then expands into the reasoning. I had a harder time with the answers that were highly scientific or were using the logical fallacies. It's been so long since I studied them it was harder to follow. There are a lot of questions regarding answering atheists, which I found interesting. There is a helpful index to look up a certain topic. Overall, a page a day isn't my favorite type of book.
December 21, 2020
Good commentaries and insights to common objections to Catholicism. I recommend reading one or two passages a daily and not reading all at once. It can be a bit dry to digest in marathon reading. Good reference to come back to. I'm keeping it on the shelf, handy for apologetics!
April 10, 2023
This book is great for defending the Catholic faith. I either learned content or language for developing arguments in many pages.
November 4, 2016
Every year around this time, Christian publishers of all denominations come out with the one-a-day devotionals. Catholic publishers are not innocent in this respect either. There have been some very good ones, such as the little leatherette ones that TAN Books, and there have been some just okay ones. Personally, I don't like this style of book. Instead of getting a full text, you get a little snippet. I'd rather just read the whole work and put the snippet in its proper context. When I was offered a review copy of Catholic Answers' A Daily Defense: 365 Days (Plus One) to Becoming a Better Apologist, I admit that I groaned a little and initially declined. However, I was promised this wasn't your typical daily devotional, so I gave the book a shot. Here are my thoughts.
The book is laid out in a page-a-day manner. There is not a specific calendar day, i.e., January 1st, but instead Day One, Day Two, etc. At the beginning of each day a specific challenge to the Faith that Catholics face every day from atheists, agnostics, and sadly other Christians. This challenge is followed by a one-line defense to this challenge. The defense is then further elaborated on using Scripture, Church Documents, and the Catechism. At the end of most days is a tip for further reading on the subject. Here is a brief example from Day One:
Challenge: "I consider myself spiritual rather than religious. Why isn't that enough?"
Defense: Because God loves you and wants even better things for you.
Tip: A good book on the evidence for faith is the Handbook of Catholic Apologetics by Peter Kreeft and Ronald Tacelli.
Other challenges included in this book are Apostolic Tradition, Infant Baptism, Science, and the Resurrection to name a few. I found myself pleasantly surprised by this book. The amount of information that Jimmy Akin is able to pack into one page (roughly five minutes of reading time) is astounding. This daily book is not a devotional, it is a crash course in the faith. It is not just a book to help you deepen your faith, but one to help you defend it as well. So if you are looking for one book to read in 2017, I highly recommend A Daily Defense, and if you have students entering college, pick them up one as well, as they will most likely face attacks to the faith that they have never experienced before.
The book is laid out in a page-a-day manner. There is not a specific calendar day, i.e., January 1st, but instead Day One, Day Two, etc. At the beginning of each day a specific challenge to the Faith that Catholics face every day from atheists, agnostics, and sadly other Christians. This challenge is followed by a one-line defense to this challenge. The defense is then further elaborated on using Scripture, Church Documents, and the Catechism. At the end of most days is a tip for further reading on the subject. Here is a brief example from Day One:
Challenge: "I consider myself spiritual rather than religious. Why isn't that enough?"
Defense: Because God loves you and wants even better things for you.
Tip: A good book on the evidence for faith is the Handbook of Catholic Apologetics by Peter Kreeft and Ronald Tacelli.
Other challenges included in this book are Apostolic Tradition, Infant Baptism, Science, and the Resurrection to name a few. I found myself pleasantly surprised by this book. The amount of information that Jimmy Akin is able to pack into one page (roughly five minutes of reading time) is astounding. This daily book is not a devotional, it is a crash course in the faith. It is not just a book to help you deepen your faith, but one to help you defend it as well. So if you are looking for one book to read in 2017, I highly recommend A Daily Defense, and if you have students entering college, pick them up one as well, as they will most likely face attacks to the faith that they have never experienced before.
March 28, 2023
Linked pages
This book is wonderful! But it would be better if the days that complement each other were linked. For example days 70, 88, 185, 191 and 202 should have been linked to facilitate reading. there would be no need to search for them one by one.
This book is wonderful! But it would be better if the days that complement each other were linked. For example days 70, 88, 185, 191 and 202 should have been linked to facilitate reading. there would be no need to search for them one by one.
December 14, 2016
Useful for identifying criticism of Catholic doctrine and formulating your own defense from what Mr. Akin shares.
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