Books & Resources
We’re all at different stages of our faith, and I believe one of the greatest ways for us to grow in our faith during our personal time is to read the great works of our brothers and sisters in Christ. Christian commentaries, books, articles, podcasts, videos, and sermons can encourage us when we are in grief or doubt, bolster our faith, increase our understanding of a topic, or simply entertain us in a way that is glorifying to God.
We live in an incredible time where we can access so much wonderful content from the minds of Augustine, John Calvin, Martin Luther, John Owen, Charles Spurgeon, Michael Horton, Kevin DeYoung, and many, many, MANY more!
But we also live in a time where we are overwhelmed with options. Browsing local bookstores and mass-appeal websites are not always the most discerning when it comes to scriptural works. Just because a work is found on a Christian site doesn’t guarantee it is, and just because someone brings up God, prayer, or faith doesn’t automatically guarantee he/she is a Christian whose advice/claims we should believe!
For that reason, I wanted to include a page dedicated to recommended resources. This doesn’t guarantee that all will be perfect or that you should only lean upon my “expertise.” Rather, this serves as a “starting point” for some who have no idea where to begin and “here’s another good read” for those voracious readers who want to know what else to read. I pray this is a blessing for you as I know it would have been for me when I was younger!
Books To Read
Books are amazing! For me, they have served as a source of encouragement and conviction, information and entertainment. There is such a comfort to have a resource which helps me feel that I am not alone in my faith in Christ or that I am the only one dealing with a particular problem.
Here I’ve recommended just a sampling and far from exhaustive (which will be frequently updated). There are many more books, but I tried to limit myself to only books I’ve read or can personally endorse without having read. This doesn’t mean I 100% agree with the author or content, but I find these books especially valuable for every Christian. Hopefully this allows you to explore more books from these authors!
“What is the Christian Faith?”
The Explicit Gospel by Matt Chandler
Christian Beliefs: Twenty Basics Every Christian Should Know by Wayne Grudem
Knowing God by J.I. Packer
“What is Reformed theology? What do Presbyterians believe?”
Predestined for Joy by Jonathan Shirk
Does God Really Desire All to Be Saved? By John Piper
Systematic Theology: An Introduction to Christian Belief by John Frame
The Christian Faith: A Systematic Theology for Pilgrims on the Way by Michael Horton
What is Reformed Theology? by R.C. Sproul
Institutes of the Christian Religion by John Calvin
“I or someone I know is depressed”
Depression, Anxiety, and the Christian Life: Practical Wisdom from Richard Baxter by Michael S. Lundy
Preventing Suicide: A Handbook for Pastors, Chaplains, and Pastoral Counselors by Karen Mason
Encouragement for the Depressed by Charles Spurgeon
Someone I Know is Grieving by Ed Welch
Spurgeon’s Sorrows: Realistic Hope for those who Suffer from Depression by Zack Eswine
Commentaries to Help Interpret Scripture
Volume Sets:
ESV Expository Commentary Series
Preaching the Word Commentary Series
Reformed Expository Commentary Series
Commentaries by John Calvin (free online)
https://www.ccel.org/ccel/calvin/commentaries.i.html
Commentaries by Charles Spurgeon (free online)
https://www.romans45.org/spurgeon/misc/c&c.htm
All-in-Ones:
The Tony Evans Bible Commentary
Matthew Henry’s Concise Commentary on the Whole Bible
Matthew Poole’s Commentary on the Holy Bible
Books About How To Read The Bible
The Most Misused Verses in the Bible by Eric Bargerhuff
The Most Misused Stories in the Bible by Eric Bargerhuff
Misreading Scripture Through Western Eyes: Removing Cultural Binders to Better Understand the Bible by E. Randolph Richards and Brandon O’Brien
How to Read the Bible for All Its Worth by Gordon Fee and Douglas Stuart
Christian Life
Crazy Busy: A (Mercifully) Short Book About a (Really) Big Problem by Kevin DeYoung
Do Not Be True to Yourself: Countercultural Advice for the Rest of Your Life by Kevin DeYoung
Finding the Right Hills to Die On: The Case for Theological Triage by Gavin Ortlund
Disciplines of a Godly Man (Updated Edition) by R. Kent Hughes
The Exemplary Husband by Stuart Scott
Safeguards: Shielding Our Homes and Equipping Our Kids by Julie Lowe
Loving Your Adult Children: The Heartache of Parenting and the Hope of the Gospel by Gaye Clark
Finishing Well to the Glory of God: Strategies from a Christian Physician by John Dunlop, MD
Culture and Other Hot Topics
Bloodlines: Race, Cross, and the Christian by John Piper
Can You Be Gay and Christian?: Responding With Love and Truth to Questions About Homosexuality by Michael Brown, PhD
Five Lies of Our Anti-Christian Age by Rosaria Butterfield
Live Your Truth and Other Lies: Exposing Popular Deceptions That Make Us Anxious, Exhausted, and Self-Obsessed by Alisa Childers
Christless Christianity: The Alternative Gospel of the American Church by Michael Horton
The Call to Follow: Hearing Jesus in a Culture Obsessed with Leadership by Richard Langer and Joanne J. Jung
What the Bible Says about Birth Control, Infertility, Reproductive Technology, and Adoption by Wayne Grudem
Digital Liturgies: Rediscovering Christian Wisdom in an Online Age by Samuel James
Christian Unity by Richard Baxter
Recovering Our Sanity: How the Fear of God Conquers the Fears that Divide Us by Michael Horton
Counter Culture: Following Christ in an Anti-Christian Age by David Platt
Scrolling Ourselves to Death: Reclaiming Life in a Digital Age by Brett McCraken
“I want to learn more about church history”
Luther on the Christian Life: Cross and Freedom by Carl Trueman
Spurgeon on the Christian Life: Alive in Christ by Michael Reeves
When Christians Disagree: Lessons from the Fractured Relationship of John Owen and Richard Baxter by Tim Cooper
5 Minutes in Church History: An Introduction to the Stories of God's Faithfulness in the History of the Church by Stephen Nichols
Church History in Plain Language (Updated 4th or 5th Edition) by Bruce Shelley
Liberty in Non-Essentials: The Story of the Evangelical Presbyterian Church by Donald Fortson III
Books Read Over the Last Five Years
Seeking Allah, Finding Jesus: A Devout Muslim Encounters Christianity by Nabeel Qureshi
Rediscovering Jonah: The Secret of God's Mercy by Tim Keller
The Insanity of God: A True Story of Faith Resurrected by Nik Ripkin
Contemporary Worship Music: A Biblical Defense by John Frame
The Imperfect Pastor: Discovering Joy in Our Limitations Through a Daily Apprenticeship with Jesus by Zack Eswine
Precious Remedies Against Satan’s Devices by Thomas Brooks
Online Bookstores
Bookstores are great to browse through and learn about new authors & books. Signing up for free memberships and for email notifications often gives you great discounts (which gets me into trouble), and all of these sites will offer reliable books. I don’t endorse every book these bookstores publish, but they are generally safe books written and reviewed by established Christians. Some of these bookstores are even based here in Grand Rapids and have physical locations!!
Crossway Publishing
My hands-down favorite publishing company, and have published some of my favorite authors and books. I highly recommend you sign up for their free membership, which automatically gets you 30% off every book on their site and 50% off every e-book. Also, with the membership, every physical book purchase gives you a digital copy for free!
https://www.crossway.org/books/
Ligonier Ministries
Solidly reformed and contains the greatest minds of the 21st century. Ligonier also has a magazine (Tabletalk) and study materials. They offer some e-books/booklets for free as well as deals every Friday!
Desiring God
Co-founded by John Piper, Piper has a personal philosophy to help as many people get access to his books. Because of that, he offers digital copies for many of his books for free!
https://www.desiringgod.org/books/all
Banner of Truth
A wonderful site that offers mostly Puritan and Reformation-Era books. Exceptional bookstore if you want to dive into older Christian works.
https://banneroftruth.org/us/browsing-tools/author-index/
New Growth Press
This publishing company focuses mostly on small groups, children’s books, and counseling. Some of my favorite modern kids books are published here (including The Ology)! Their counseling books are top notch, and they cover issues like sexuality & relationships with incredible tact and truth.
Westminster Bookstore
The online bookstore for Westminster Theological Seminary, I visit this site very frequently. While it may seem to be a bookstore for seminarians, this has highly approachable and applicable books for the layman, even kids books! They also frequently have sales and a worthwhile loyalty program.
Reformed Heritage Books
Like Banner of Truth, Heritage has many books from the Puritan and Reformation Era, and even offers guidance on what books to read first. Founded by Dr. Joel Beeke and based here in Grand Rapids, they will often have books not offered by Amazon! Books are carefully monitored by Beeke and strongly reformed in nature.
Canon & Creed Reformed Books
A more recent find, they will often offer books at cheaper prices than other online bookstores. Run by a family who live in Grand Rapids, it offers a nice variety of books.
https://ccrbooks.org/?srsltid=AfmBOopK1UJAlp02MNg5FA4NXSIKvXjOVz_4cHbWkqpSgi2MjjdiUJRI
Online Articles
Sometimes we don’t have time to read lengthy books, but we have a specific question about a topic and need a quick but thoughtful answer. Articles are wonderful for this. Sometimes you’ll have an author condense his main points from a book into an article. Some articles seem so specific, it feels like it was written just for you!
Here are some recommended websites that have consistently reputable articles. This doesn’t mean I endorse every contributor or every article, but I often use these sites to help me get the impression of other theologian’s views on a subject, or if I need to give a quick recommendation for someone’s question.
Crossway
Crossway is a Publishing company which also offers articles written by theological, and yet practical, people. Some of my favorite articles are here and are usually tied to a book Crossway published.
https://www.crossway.org/articles/
Sample articles:
-“What Does It Really Mean to Take the Lord’s Name in Vain?” by Kevin DeYoung
-“Does God Single Out the Sin of Homosexuality? (Romans 1)” by Robert Yarbrough
https://www.crossway.org/articles/does-god-single-out-the-sin-of-homosexuality-romans-1/
-“10 Things You Should Know About Reformed Theology” by Joel Beeke and Paul M. Smalley
-“Why the Church is Vitally Important for Every Christian” by Stephen Nichols
White Horse Inn
White Horse Inn was founded by Michael Horton. Much deeper in nature, these articles read more like articles you would find in a magazine. They are not quick reads or flashy, but they are theologically rich, thoughtful, and beneficial if you have the time.
Sample Articles:
-“Should We Keep Religion Out of Politics?” By Michael Horton
https://whitehorseinn.org/resource-library/articles/should-we-keep-religion-out-of-politics/
-“What do Progressive Christians Believe?” by Alisa Childers
https://whitehorseinn.org/resource-library/articles/what-do-progressive-christians-believe/
-“Justification by Works Alone?” by Shane Rosenthal
https://whitehorseinn.org/resource-library/articles/justification-by-works-alone/
-“Has the Gospel-Centered Emphasis Gone Too Far?”
https://whitehorseinn.org/resource-library/articles/has-the-gospel-centered-emphasis-gone-too-far/
Desiring God
Founded by John Piper, this organization seeks to answer questions and help people see the wonders of God. Piper and other writers address multiple topics, and while I do not always agree with every article, I find Piper to be especially relational and practical while also being scriptural. You can also find messages and manuscripts here as well.
https://www.desiringgod.org/articles
Sample Articles:
-“Why Won’t Heaven Be Boring?” by Samuel Parkison
https://www.desiringgod.org/articles/why-wont-heaven-be-boring
-“How is AI Shaping You” by Samuel James
https://www.desiringgod.org/articles/how-is-ai-shaping-you
-“What Should We Sing?: How to Identify a Good Worship Song” by Bob Kauflin
https://www.desiringgod.org/articles/what-should-we-sing
-“Suicide and Salvation” by John Piper
https://www.desiringgod.org/interviews/suicide-and-salvation
Ligonier Ministries
Founded by the late, great R.C. Sproul, Ligonier features some of the greatest theological minds of the 21st Century. You’ll mostly find here articles which cover questions about reformed theology, but can admittedly use some highly theological language.
Sample articles:
“How Can God Bring Good Out of Evil?” by R.C. Sproul
https://learn.ligonier.org/articles/how-can-god-bring-good-out-evil
Did God Need to Kill His Own Son? By Cory Brock
https://learn.ligonier.org/articles/did-god-need-to-kill
“How Did Martin Luther Die?” by Stephen Nichols
https://learn.ligonier.org/articles/martin-luthers-death-and-legacy
“Reformed and Always Reforming” by W. Robert Godfrey
https://learn.ligonier.org/articles/reformed-always-reforming
Online Podcasts
Some of us love to have something uplifting, informative, and spiritual playing in the background while we do chores or drive. This is when podcasts are ideal. These are beneficial for our growth during the day-to-day and are sometimes less intimidating than trying to read several books. Here are some selections of podcasts I have sampled over the years. As always, I don’t give blanket endorsements towards all of the content, so always be discerning.
The Crossway Podcast
Crossway Publishing Company has a podcast which interviews authors and theologians about various topics, or sometimes there will be short audio essays read by someone. The length can vary from less than ten minutes to more than thirty. The content is usually highly practical and fascinating. It’s hard to not find an episode that won’t pique your interest.
Sample Episodes:
-“The Case for Abortion –And How to Refute it” featuring Scott Klusendorf
-“How Old Creeds Speak to New Problems” featuring Carl Trueman
-“Should Our Churches Be Political?” featuring Alan Strange
-“What Your Teenager Needs Most” featuring Paul David Tripp
(found on YouTube, Spotify, and Apple Podcasts)
Ask Pastor John (hosted by Tony Reinke)
“Ask Pastor John” comes from John Piper’s organization “Desiring God.” The typical format is listeners sending questions for Pastor John to answer. These are highly personal and feel very conversational.
Sample Episodes:
-“Are Parents to Blame for Prodigals?”
-“Should the Church ‘Bless’ Same-Sex Relationships?”
-“Am I Abusing Caffeine?”
-“John Piper on ChatGPT”
(found on YouTube, desiringgod.org, Spotify, and Apple Podcasts)
White Horse Inn / Sola Media
White Horse Inn and Modern Reformation are branches of the parent organization, Sola Media, with their YouTube channel being “Sola Media.” White Horse Inn typically features four men from varying denominations (Reformed/Presbyterian, Baptist, Anglican, and Lutheran) as they have multiple series over practical and theological topics. Despite being from different denominations, they are always jovial and never combative. The focus is usually what they agree on and demonstrates the importance in fellowship between denominations. Easily one of my favorites on car rides.
Sample Episodes:
-“What the Bible Says About Angels”
-“Theorizing Evil: Is There Still A Place for Apologetics?”
-“Nicaea and Modern Heresies: Mormonism, Oneness Pentecostalism, Jehovah’s Witness, and More”
-“Inside the Evangelical Movement that Failed a Generation”
(found on whitehorseinn.org, YouTube, Spotify, and Apple Podcasts)
Renewing Your Mind (hosted by Nathan Bingham)
From Ligonier Ministries, this podcast regularly features theologians from Ligonier and usually takes a more theological than practical approach. Still, the information shared in this podcast is so rich and beneficial for Christians that there is a reason why it is treasured by so many.
Sample Episodes:
-“Finding a Job that Fits” featuring R.C. Sproul
-“Cures for Antinomianism” featuring Sinclair Ferguson
-“Be Angry, but Don’t Sin” featuring R.C. Sproul
-“Introduction to the Middle Ages” featuring W. Robert Godfrey
(found on YouTube, Spotify, and Apple Podcasts)
