Question Regarding the Apocrypha

I recently received an email from a member of my church inquiring about the Apocrypha. For those who may be unfamiliar with the Apocrypha, this term most commonly refers to disputed books that Protestants reject and Roman Catholics and Orthodox communions accept into the Old Testament. The word apocrypha means "hidden" or "doubtful." So those who accept these documents prefer to call them "deuterocanonical," or books of "the second canon." [1]

So, are the Apocrypha books reliable? Should they be included in the biblical canon? To answer these questions, and to consider some of the arguments put forth by it's defenders, I would like to offer the following helpful resources.

In this article, apologist Josh McDowell answers the questions 1) What is the Apocrypha? 2) Why aren't these books found in Protestant Bibles? McDowell's article is a great place to start your study if you are new to the Apocrypha books.

Moreover, Dr. Norman Geisler, in a two part article, weighs the arguments for and against accepting the Apocrypha into the biblical canon. Check out part 1 here and part 2 here.

I hope these resources help!

Courage and Godspeed,
Chad
Resources:

1. Norman Geisler, Baker Encyclopedia of Christian Apologetics, "Apocrypha, Old and New Testaments," p. 28.