Christian Books and Reading: 40+ Resources
Most reading lists are just lists. These come with people attached: RENEW.org writers who read the book, weighed it against Scripture, and said plainly what they found.
Below is where to start if you are building a shelf from scratch, help for reading Scripture itself with fresh eyes, and reviews of the books shaping Christian conversation right now. Some of the reviews are warm and some are not, which is rather the point of asking.
Where to Start
Why this matters: If you are building a reading life rather than finishing a single book, the order matters more than the volume.
Reading Scripture Itself
Why this matters: No book on this page outranks the one they are all about. These resources are for reading Scripture with attention, and for the seasons when that goes flat.
- Matt Dabbs"Five Reasons You Need to Read The Old Testament"
- Daniel McCoy"The Old Testament Scriptures: What They Are and Why We Read Them"
- Daniel McCoy and Andrew Jit"6 Ways People Read the Bible"
- Jon Sherwood and Daniel McCoy"Overcoming Staleness in Bible Reading"
- Bobby Harrington and Tina Wilson"The Best New Year's Resolution: Step Into Scripture Daily"
- Jonathan Ciecka"A Brief History of the Bible: From Creation to Now"
Reviews: Faith in a Skeptical Age
Why this matters: A wave of books is arguing that belief deserves a second look, and these reviews work through these claims.
- Chad Ragsdale"Review of Ross Douthat's 'Believe: Why Everyone Should Be Religious'"
- John Whittaker"Review of Justin Brierley's 'The Surprising Rebirth of Belief in God'"
- John Whittaker"Review of Jordan Peterson's 'We Who Wrestle with God'"
- David Young"Is there Neurological Evidence for the Soul? A Review of Egnor and O'Leary's 'The Immortal Mind'"
- John Whittaker"Review of 'The Greatest Story Ever Told: An Eyewitness Account,' by Bear Grylls"
Reviews: Theology and the Church
Why this matters: These are the books shaping how churches teach, disciple, and understand the gospel right now.
- John Whittaker"Review of 'The Missing Messiah' by Kyle Idleman & Mark Moore"
- John Whittaker"Review of Dallas Willard's 'The Scandal of the Kingdom: How the Parables of Jesus Revolutionize Life with God'"
- John Whittaker"Review of 'Practicing the Way' by John Mark Comer"
- Paul Huyghebaert"Book Review: Deep Discipleship by J.T. English"
- Curtis Erskine"Why the Gospel? by Matthew Bates: A Book Review"
- Bobby Harrington"Ready for Real Relationship? A Review of Jim Putman's 'RelationShift'"
- David Young"Singing the Song of the Lamb: A Review of Jonathan Young's Commentary on Revelation"
- Chad Ragsdale"Review of 'The Gospel After Christendom'"
- Chad Ragsdale"Review of 'Joyful Outsiders: Six Ways to Live Like Jesus in a Disorienting Culture'"
- Curtis Erskine"Do We Need Other Books Besides the Bible?"
Reviews: Where Christians Disagree
Why this matters: Some books are influential and wrong, and saying so carefully is more useful than ignoring them. Other books are in-house debates within biblical Christianity, and it’s important to engage them while not exaggerating the stakes. These reviews engage the argument rather than the author.
- Guy Layfield"Rising Above Religion: A Review of Richard Rohr's 'The Universal Christ'"
- Jon Sherwood"Review of Rob Bell's What Is the Bible"
- John Whittaker"Review of Richard and Christopher Hays's 'The Widening of God's Mercy'"
- John Whittaker"Review of Max Lucado's 'What Happens Next: A Traveler's Guide Through the End of This Age'"
- Renée Sproles"Book Review: Jen Hatmaker's Fierce, Free, and Full of Fire"
- Guy Layfield"Are White Evangelicals Responsible for Corrupting the Faith and Fracturing a Nation? A Review of 'Jesus and John Wayne'"
- John Whittaker"Review of Eric Metaxas's 'Letter to the American Church' the Movie"
- Chad Ragsdale"Review of Daniel Darling's 'In Defense of Christian Patriotism'"
- Daniel McCoy"Review of 'God & Country' Documentary"
- Chad Ragsdale"Review of Paul Kingsnorth's 'Against the Machine'"
- Chad Ragsdale"Review of 'Scrolling Ourselves to Death'"
- John Whittaker"Review of Austin Fischer's 'Young, Restless, and No Longer Reformed'"
Reviews: Gender, Sexuality, and the Body
Why this matters: This is the area where the reading matters most and the tempers run hottest. Each review states the book's case before responding to it.
- John Whittaker"Review of Preston Sprinkle's 'From Genesis to Junia'"
- Guy Layfield"Is Complementarianism Oppressive? A Review of Beth Allison Barr's The Making of Biblical Womanhood"
- Rick Oster"Review of Sandra L. Glahn's 'Nobody's Mother: Artemis of the Ephesians in Antiquity and the New Testament'"
- William Butt"Review and Reflections on 'Embodied' by Preston Sprinkle"
- Bob Turner"Review of Louise Perry's 'The Case Against the Sexual Revolution'"
- Guy Layfield"Is there Really a Transgender 'Craze' Seducing our Daughters? A Review of Abigail Shrier's 'Irreversible Damage'"