Topical Book Recommendations

This page features a topical guide to books that I strongly recommend for readers: lists are in alphabetical order and will continue to be updated in the future. Underlined books are especially recommended.

APOLOGETICS
A Biblical History of Israel - Iain Provan, V. Philips Long, and Tremper Longman III

A Survey of Old Testament Introduction - Gleason L. Archer
Against Apion - Flavius Josephus

Answering Jewish Objections to Jesus, 5 Volumes - Michael Brown

Can I Really Trust the Bible? - Barry Cooper
Can You Believe It's True? - John Feinberg
Christianity and Religious Diversity - Harold A. Netland
Chronological Aspects of the Life of Christ - Harold W. Hoehner
Daniel in the Critics' Den - Josh McDowell
Defending Your Faith: An Introduction to Apologetics - R.C. Sproul
Dissonant Voices: Religious Pluralism and the Question of Truth - Harold A. Netland
Easter Faith and History - Daniel P. Fuller
Eternity in Their Hearts - Don Richardson
Evidence that Demands a Verdict, 2 Volumes - Josh McDowell
He is There and He is Not Silent - Francis Schaeffer
How Should We Then Live? - Francis Schaeffer
Israel in Egypt: The Evidence for the Authenticity of the Exodus Tradition - James K. Hoffmeier
Miracles - C.S. Lewis
Misquoting Truth - Timothy Paul Jones
On the Incarnation - Athanasius
On the Reliability of the Old Testament - Kenneth Kitchen
Orthodoxy - G.K. Chesterton

Rays of Messiah's Glory - David Baron
Signs of Intelligence - W. Dembski & J. Kushiner
The Abolition of Man - C.S. Lewis
The Authority of the Bible - John Stott
The Bible Among the Myths - John N. Oswalt

The Case for Christ - Lee Strobel
The Case for the Resurrection - G. Habermas & M. Licona
The Inspiration and Authority of the Bible - Benjamin B. Warfield
The New Testament Documents: Are They Reliable? - F.F. Bruce
The Resurrection Factor - Josh McDowell
The Resurrection of Jesus - James Orr
The Ring of Truth - J.B. Phillips
The Scandal of Jesus - Vinoth Ramachandra
The Virgin Birth of Christ - James Orr

The Word of God and the Mind of Man - Ronald H. Nash

Unearthing the Bible - Titus Kennedy

BIOGRAPHY & HISTORY
A Short Life of Jonathan Edwards - George Marsden
Biblical Authority: Infallibility and Inerrancy in the Christian Tradition - John Woodbridge

Calvin's Company of Pastors - Scott M. Manetsch

Confessions of St. Augustine - Augustine

Grace Abounding to the Chief of Sinners - John Bunyan
Here I Stand: A Life of Martin Luther - Roland Bainton
John Bunyan - Frank Mott Harrison
Massacre at Mountain Meadows - Ronald Walker, Richard Turley, & Glen Leonard
Memoir of the Early Life of William Cowper - William Cowper
Out of the Depths - John Newton
Reply to Sadoleto - John Calvin
Spurgeon - Arnold Dallimore
Surprised By Joy - C.S. Lewis
The Early Church - Henry Chadwick

The Force of Truth - Thomas Scott
The Hiding Place - Corrie Ten Boom
Theology of the Reformers - Timothy George
Tortured for Christ - Richard Wurmbrand

CHRISTIAN LIVING
A Conversation with Jesus: Renewing Your Passion for Ministry - Stephen Seamands

A Gospel Primer for Christians - Milton Vincent

A Grief Observed - C.S. Lewis

A Praying Life - Paul E. Miller
A Theory of Agape: On the Meaning of Christian Love - Stephen G. Post
Agape Leadership - Alexander Strauch & Robert Peterson
Amaze Them With God - Kevin DeYoung

Boyhood and Beyond - Bob Schultz
Church Elders - Jeramie Rinne
Classic Christianity - Bob George
Continuous Revival - Norman Grubb

Devoted: Great Men and Their Godly Moms - Tim Challies
Discipleship By Grace - Derek Levendusky

Discipling: How to Help Others Follow Jesus - Mark Dever
Exhortation to Martyrdom, Addressed to Fortunatus - Cyprian

Family Driven Faith - Voddie Baucham
Fill These Hearts: God, Sex, and the Universal Longing - Christopher West

Foxe's Book of Martyrs - John Foxe

God in the Dark: The Assurance of Faith Beyond a Shadow of Doubt - Os Guinness
How Long, O Lord: Reflections on Suffering and Evil - D.A. Carson
How to Be Free from Bitterness - Jim Wilson
Humility - Andrew Murray
Leadership and Self-Deception - The Arbinger Institute
Life Together - Dietrich Bonhoeffer
Love or Die - Alexander Strauch
Man's Search for Meaning - Viktor Frankl
Men and Women, Equal Yet Different - Alexander Strauch

Ministry in the Image of God: The Trinitarian Shape of Christian Service - Stephen Seamands

Missional Motherhood: The Everyday Ministry of Motherhood in the Grand Plan of God - G. Furman
Missions: How the Local Church Goes Global - Andy Johnson

Navigating the Deeper Life - Brent Trockman
On Becoming Baby Wise - Gary Ezzo & Robert Bucknam
On the Freedom of a Christian - Martin Luther

Pastoral Graces: Reflections on the Care of Souls - Lee Eclov
Preaching and Preachers - Martyn Lloyd-Jones

Recovering Biblical Manhood & Womanhood - J. Piper & W. Grudem
Revolutionary Love - Festo Kivengere

Seven Epistles of Saint Ignatius - Ignatius
Shepherding a Child's Heart - Tedd Tripp

Thankfulness and Confession - Brad Scheelke
The Benedict Option - Rod Dreher

The Bruised Reed - Richard Sibbes

The Christian Mind - Harry Blamires
The Cost of Discipleship - Dietrich Bonhoeffer

The Five Dysfunctions of a Team - Patrick Lencioni

The Greatest Thing in the World - Henry Drummond
The Hospitality Commands - Alexander Strauch
The Lord's Work in the Lord's Way - Francis Schaeffer

The Mystery of Marriage - Mike Mason
The Myth of Certainty: The Reflective Christian and the Risk of Commitment - Daniel Taylor

The Pastor as Scholar & the Scholar as Pastor - John Piper & D.A. Carson
The Pilgrim's Progress - John Bunyan
The Spirit of Truth - Art Katz
The Tragedy of American Compassion - Marvin Olasky
The Weight of Glory - C.S. Lewis

Walking with God Through Pain and Suffering - Timothy Keller

We Would See Jesus - Roy Hession

When Helping Hurts - Steve Corbett and Brian Fikkert

DEVOTIONAL
Daily Light on the Daily Path - Samuel Bagster
Faith's Checkbook - Charles Spurgeon
He Won them for Christ - Eric Hayden
In Him Will I Trust - Basilea Schlink

Morning and Evening - Charles Spurgeon
The Book of Common Prayer
The Life of Christ in Stereo - Johnston M. Cheney
The Valley of Vision - Arthur Bennett

ESCHATOLOGY
Daniel and the Latter Days - Robert D. Culver
Jerome's Commentary on Daniel - Jerome
Revelation 20 and the Millennial Debate - Matthew Waymeyer
The Blessed Hope - George E. Ladd
The Case for Progressive Dispensationalism - Robert Saucy
The Gospel of the Kingdom - George E. Ladd
The Hope of Christ's Second Coming - Samuel P. Tregelles

EVANGELISM
Evangelism: How the Whole Church Speaks of Jesus - J. Mack Stiles

Hell's Best Kept Secret - Ray Comfort
Principles of War - Jim Wilson
Speaking the Truth in Love to Mormons - Mark Cares
Tactics - Gregory Koukl
The Free Offer of the Gospel - John Murray
Words to Winners of Souls - Horatius Bonar

ISRAEL
Dachau: A Silent Witness - Art Katz
Fact or Fraud? The Protocols of the Elders of Zion - Goran Larsson
Future Israel - Barry E. Horner
Israel in the Plan of God - David Baron
The History of the Ten "Lost" Tribes - David Baron
The Holocaust: Where was God? - Art Katz
The Jerusalem Sinner Saved - John Bunyan
Zechariah: A Commentary on His Visions and Prophecies - David Baron

GENERAL THEOLOGY
A Word for the World: Calvin on the Extent of the Atonement - Paul Hartog
Christ Crucified - Adolph Saphir
Christianity and Liberalism - J. Gresham Machen
Commentary on Galatians - Martin Luther
Epistle to Diognetus - Mathetes
Evil and the Cross - Henri Blocher
Faith and Saving Faith - Gordon H. Clark
General Revelation: Historical Views & Contemporary Issues - Bruce Demarest
God's Integrity and the Cross - Richard S. Taylor
God's Way of Peace - Horatius Bonar
In Search of Ancient Roots: The Christian Past & the Evangelical Identity Crisis - Kenneth J. Stewart

Justification Reconsidered - Stephen Westerholm
Love, Freedom, and Evil - Thaddeus J. Williams
Perspectives on Spirit Baptism - Chad Owen Brand
Preaching in the New Testament - Jonathan Griffiths
Sermons on the Death and Resurrection of Jesus - C.H. Spurgeon
Sinners in the Hands of an Angry God - Jonathan Edwards
Spurgeon v. Hyper-Calvinism - Iain H. Murray
The Apostolic Preaching of the Cross - Leon Morris
The Atonement and the Modern Mind - James Denney
The Christian Doctrine of Reconciliation - James Denney
The Church Before the Watching World - Francis Schaeffer
The Cross: The Vindication of God - Martyn Lloyd-Jones
The Cross of Christ - John Stott
The Death of Christ - James Denney
The Death of Christ - Norman Douty

The Deep Things of God: How the Trinity Changes Everything - Fred Sanders
The Difficult Doctrine of the Love of God - D.A. Carson
The Divine Unity of Scriptures - Adolph Saphir
The End for Which God Created the World - Jonathan Edwards
The Everlasting Righteousness - Horatius Bonar
The Freedom of the Will - Jonathan Edwards
The God Who Loves - John MacArthur
The Great Meaning of Metanoia - Treadwell Walden
The Immortality of the Soul or the Resurrection of the Body? - Oscar Cullmann
The Johannine Logos - Gordon H. Clark
The Justification of God - John Piper

The Progress of Dogma - James Orr

The Tome of Leo - Leo I

Words of Life - Timothy Ward

RECOMMENDED ARTICLES
4 Steps to a Friendlier Church (The G.I.F.T. Plan) - Karl Vaters
4 Ways to Make Hierarchy Less Awful - Erika Andersen

10 Strengths (and 10 Dangers) of Systematic Theology - Tim Challies
A Brief History of Complementarian Literature - Owen Strachan

A Brief Theology of Sleep - John Piper
A Dying Man Taught Me How to Live - Ivan Mesa
A Few Reflections on the Christian Music Industry - Warren Cole Smith

A God-Centered Understanding of Sin - Stephen Witmer
A Non-Polemical Reading of 1 John - Terry Griffith

A Reply to R.C. Sproul (1939-2017) and John MacArthur on the Love of God - Tony Byrne
A Review of a Review - Francis Schaeffer
A Second Critique of R.C. Sproul on the Love of God - Tony Byrne
Abortion and the Lonely Modern Woman - John Frame
Amillennialism  vs  Premillennialism - Gary Vaterlaus
Annihilationism, Traditionalism, and the Problem of Hell - Shawn Bawulski
Are We Too Distracted for Revival? - Brett McCracken

Assembly Required: 25 Reasons to Regularly Participate in Public & Corporate Worship - H.B. Charles

Balancing Act: How the Renaissance Ideal Became a Pointless Hustle - Benjamin & Jenna Storey

Biblical Calvinists Acknowledge That God Loves All People - Mark Horne

Calvinists are Uncommonly Good at Affirming Free Will - Wyatt Graham

Can We Pray to the Holy Spirit? - Gregg Allison

Catholicism Made Me Protestant - Onsi A. Kamel
Critical Theory and Christianity - Neil Shenvi & Pat Sawyer
Do We Have Free Will? Yes - Wyatt Graham

Does God Need Our Obedience? A Brief Thought on the Necessity of Sacrifice - Derek Rishmawy
Euthanasia Abandons Despairing People to Worst Fears - Wesley J. Smith
Everlasting Punishment and the Problem of Evil - Henri Blocher
Faith in Future Grace vs. Anxiety - John Piper
Faith that Moves Mountains: What Jesus Didn't Mean - Thomas Schreiner
False Comfort: The Treacherous Gospel of Wrathless Universalism - Andrew Moody
Finishing the Task: The Unreached Peoples Challenge - Ralph Winters & Bruce Koch
Five Effective Ways to Avoid Boredom in Expository Preaching - Peter Adam
Five Steps for Racial Reconciliation on Sunday at 11 a.m. - D.A. Carson
Fury Not in God - Thomas Chalmers

God's Genuine Love for All - Travis Campbell
God Without Mood Swings - Phil Johnson
God's Indiscriminate Proposals of Mercy - R.L. Dabney
How Can We Reconcile the Love and the Transcendent Sovereignty of God? - D.A. Carson
How I Found God at Columbia - Dennis Prager
How (Not) to Discover Your Spiritual Gifts - Thomas Schreiner

How to Identify a Great Deacon - Matt Smethurst
How to Stay Married - Ericka Andersen

How to Think About Secularism - Wolfhart Pannenberg
Is America Really Getting Gayer? - Joseph Blackholm

Is God's Glory His Only Goal? - Christopher Morgan
Is Learning Greek and Hebrew Really Worth It? - Marc Cortez
Islam's Future in America - Adam Francisco
Islam's Rule of Thumb - David Wood
It Was Very Good - Gordon L. Wilson
Jesus of Nazareth: How Historians Can Know Him and Why It Matters - Craig Blomberg
Jewish Resistance to the Gospel - David N. Brickner
Joyless Christianity is Dangerous - Jim Johnston
Judas's Demise in Matthew 27 & Acts 1: Do They Contradict? - James Bejon
Knowledge, Not Mystery, the Basis of Religion - James Denney
Letter to an Aspiring Theologian - Kevin J. Vanhoozer
Luther's Rules for How to Become a Theologian - John Piper
Must a Scholar of Religion Be Methodologically Atheistic or Agnostic? - Michael Cantrell
Mystery and Fulfillment - D.A. Carson
New Testament Use of the Old Testament - Craig A. Evans
Of the Trinity and a Christian - John Bunyan

On Certain Modern Writers and the Institution of the Family - G.K. Chesterton

On Obstinacy in Belief - C.S. Lewis

Open Theism and Divine Foreknowledge - John Frame
Pastors Around the World Apply Romans 13 - Elliot Clark

Perseverance and Assurance: A Survey and a Proposal - Thomas Schreiner
Preaching and Biblical Theology - Peter J.H. Adam
Priestesses in the Church? - C.S. Lewis
Reclaiming the M-Word: The Legacy of Missions in Nonwestern Societies - Robert Woodberry

Reflections on Assurance - D.A. Carson

Roger Olson, Arminianism and the Death of Exegesis - Andrew Wilson
Semper Reformanda - Michael Horton

"Silent in the Churches": On the Role of Women in 1 Corinthians 14:33b-36 - D.A. Carson

Sins Within and Sins Without: An Interpretation of 1 John 5:16-17 - David M. Scholer

Six Reasons to Leave a Church (Plus 3 Things to Do First) - Josh Taylor

Smart Kids and Dumb Phones - Douglas Wilson
Spurgeon's Theology: Embracing Biblical Paradox - Randy Alcorn
Stereoscopic Calvinism - Tony Byrne
The Bible is a Unified Unfolding Mystery Drama - Ardel Caneday

The Essence of Femininity: A Personal Perspective - Elisabeth Elliot
The Fear of God - J. Gresham Machen
The Good War Against Moods: How Stubborn Faith Overcomes Feelings - Joe Rigney

The Heart of Middle-School Meanness - Kristen Hatton
The Humanitarian Theory of Punishment - C.S. Lewis
The Mind is the Opposite of a Computer - Michael Egnor

The Purpose of Pleasure - Rodolfo A.C. de Souza
The Question - Eugene Genovese

The Rout of Traditionalist Conservatism - Rod Dreher

The SBJT Forum: Neglected Matters in Evangelism - D.A. Carson

The Secret to Prayer - Samuel Whitefield
The Ultimate Meaning of True Womanhood - John Piper
The Unknown Slavery: In the Muslim World, That Is — and It's Not Over - John J. Miller

The Virtue of Noticing: Refusing Numbness and Recovering Wonder - L.M. Sacasas

Three Types of Evangelistic Contexts: Contact, Context, and Friendship - Jerry Root
Understanding Conservative Anti-Capitalism - Julio Publius

When Doctrine Sparks Delight in Messy Relationships - Dave Harvey
When God Answers 'No' to Our Prayers - John Piper
When the Chariot of Guilt Rolls into Town - Erik Raymond
When the Darkness Doesn't Yield - Gavin Ortlund
Where Did Satan Come From? - Guy M. Richard
Who Chose the New Testament Books? - Charles E. Hill
Why Did Jesus Say He Will Crush Some to Pieces? - Steve Mathewson
Why I Believe Again - A.N. Wilson

Why People Don't Leave Social Media - Tim Suffield
Why You Should Be Praying the Psalms - Donald Whitney
Women, Callings, and Having It All - Jennifer A. Marshall

Women Need Accountability, Too - Tori Campbell
Your Single Most Important Habit - David Mathis

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