Faith. Worldview. Culture. Truth.
Join our women's book club and discussion group as we read engaging apologetics books (books on evidence for the faith), think deeply, and discuss the truth of Christianity in weekly Zoom book discussions.
welcome
We are a diverse community of women from around the world and the U.S. who gather online to read and discuss books that explore the truth and beauty of Christianity. We learn and laugh together and make deep connections with like-minded women. Some women are brand new to the field, some are seekers, and some know quite a bit about apologetics. All are welcome: bring your questions! We have also had the privilege of hosting almost every author of the books we've read for probing Q&As at the end of each book discussion series. We have also had several Special Presentations on Talking to Missionaries at your Door, Christmas Apologetics, and Biblical Archeology.
You are welcome to use the Discussion Questions that we created for books we've read in your own book club!
To receive updates about our upcoming book discussions and special presentations, sign up here.
how it works
We meet Tuesday evenings on Zoom, 5-6pm PST (8-9pm EST). Once you sign up for a book discussion, we will email you the Zoom link, the reading/discussion schedule for the book, and the discussion questions for the week's reading. The discussion questions are a guideline for our discussions, not mandatory. Depending upon the book's popularity, we've had as few as 7 and as many as 35 women in a discussion group. To sign up for our current discussion, click here.
our next book discussion
This 7-week book discussion will run May 26 - July 7, 2026
Beyond the Wager
The Christian Brilliance of Blaise Pascal
by Douglas Groothuis
Blaise Pascal, the seventeenth-century French philosopher and scientist, is perhaps best known for his "wager," an argument about the existence of God. But there was much more to Pascal and his brilliance.
In this accessible and well-documented study, philosopher Douglas Groothuis introduces readers to Pascal's life as well as the breadth of his intellectual pursuits, including his contributions to mathematics, science, ethics, and theology. Groothuis overviews the key points of Pascal's Pensées, which captures his thoughts about God, humanity, and Jesus Christ. Readers will also explore Pascal's views on a range of topics, including culture, politics, Islam, and miracles.
Often quoted and often misunderstood, Pascal is a complex figure whose writings have charmed, puzzled, and inspired readers across the centuries. With guidance from a leading Christian thinker and longtime student of Pascal, Beyond the Wager takes you on a journey to discover the riches Pascal has to offer today.
REVIEWS
"This is a stunningly good and meticulously researched yet lively look at the work of the pioneering Christian thinker Blaise Pascal. Groothuis masterfully does for a new generation what needs to be done over and over, introducing this creative mind anew to show the importance of his tremendous insights for our time, and all times."
- Tom Morris
author of Philosophy for Dummies and Making Sense of It All
“I have been reading Blaise Pascal’s writings as well as other contemporary writers and apologists who have discussed Pascal and his ideas for at least three decades. Beyond the Wager: The Christian Brilliance of Blaise Pascal is one of the finest introductions to this amazing Christian thinker available. Douglas Groothuis’s fine book is both substantive and accessible—a must-read for all of us contemporary Pascalians.”
- Kenneth Samples
senior scholar with Reasons to Believe
"Philosopher Douglas Groothuis has devoted decades to studying, teaching, and writing about Blaise Pascal, and it shows. Groothuis skillfully addresses Pascal's fascinating life, scientific achievements, theological controversies, apologetic efforts, and more. His adept presentation of Pascal's unique anthropological argument for Christianity is particularly superb. Beyond the Wager is an excellent resource for seasoned Pascal readers and those new to the compelling insights gleaned from the works of the French polymath."
- Robert Velarde
author of A Visual Defense: The Case For and Against Christianity
“A fine introduction to the breadth of Pascal’s apologetics, Douglas Groothuis’s Beyond the Wager is accessible without oversimplification and careful without pedantry. It includes intriguing discussions of little-known or overlooked arguments and ideas in Pascal’s thought, such as those concerning the status of messianic prophecies as evidence for the truth of Christianity and the rational appraisal of non-Christian religions.”
- Michael Rota
professor of philosophy at the University of St. Thomas (Minnesota) and author of Taking Pascal’s Wager
“Blaise Pascal is a genius for the ages, though he’s often misunderstood and sometimes maligned. Douglas Groothuis’s treatment is admirable—one of the ablest philosophers of our day writing on one of the ablest of all time. No thoughtful defense of faith today can afford to avoid engagement with the brilliance and the passion of Pascal’s Pensées.”
- Os Guinness
author of Fool’s Talk
about the author
Dr. Douglas Groothuis serves as the Distinguished University Research Professor of Apologetics and Christian Worldview at Cornerstone Theological Seminary in Grand Rapids, Michigan. He has fire in his bones for the Christian message and many irons in the fire to explain, defend, and apply it. He also brings a wealth of experience as a scholar, teacher, mentor, author and renowned public intellectual. His body of work and public speaking challenges the church, culture and students to examine scripture’s perspective and wisdom on today’s most debated issues in the context of their historical roots.
He is the author of numerous books, including Christian Apologetics, Fire in the Streets, Philosophy in Seven Sentences, Unmasking the New Age, Truth Decay, On Pascal, On Jesus, and Walking Through Twilight. He has also published over 30 academic articles in journals such as Academic Questions and Philosophia Christi as well as dozens of pieces in publications such as The Chronicle of Higher Education and The Christian Research Journal. His encouragement to pastors appears regularly at “The Focused Pastor” on the Focus on the Family online portal, and he writes about jazz at the All About Jazz website. Since 1983, he has been featured in a broad range of national publications, participated in numerous academic and church presentations and debates, and has appeared on hundreds of radio programs and podcasts.
"But in your hearts honor Christ the Lord as holy, always being prepared to make a defense to anyone
who asks you for a reason for the hope that is in you; yet do it with gentleness and respect."
1 Peter 3:15
"Let your conversation be always full of grace, seasoned with salt, so that you may know how to answer everyone."
Colossians 4:6
