Recommended Reading Lists

We recommend the following books for your Christian growth and encouragement. Books are arranged by category.

GOD

• Knowing God by J. I. Packer
• The Pleasures of God by John Piper
• The Sovereignty of God by A.W. Pink
• The Holiness of God by R. C. Sproul
• Chosen by God by R.C. Sproul
• The Existence and Attributes of God by Stephen Charnock
• The Doctrine of God by John Frame

JESUS

• Through the Looking Glass by Kris Lundgaard
• The Person of Christ by Donald MacLeod
• The Work of Christ by Robert Letham
• The Glory of Christ by Peter Lewis

HOLY SPIRIT

• The Holy Spirit by Edwin Palmer
• The Holy Spirit by Sinclair Ferguson
• Keep in Step with the Spirit by J.I. Packer
• He Who Gives Life: The Doctrine of the Holy Spirit by Graham Cole
• Engaging with the Holy Spirit: Real Questions, Practical Answers by Graham Cole
• God’s Empowering Presence by Gordon Fee
• The Holy Spirit by John Owen

THE TRINITY

• The Holy Trinity by Robert Letham
• The Three are One by Stuart Olyott
• God the Holy Trinity: Reflections on Christian Faith and Practice edited by Timothy George

THEOLOGY

• Systematic Theology by Louis Berkhof
• Systematic Theology by Wayne Grudem
• Abstract of Systematic Theology by James P. Boyce
• Essential Truths of the Christian Faith by R. C. Sproul
• Know the Truth by Bruce Milne
• Concise Theology by J.I. Packer

THE BIBLE

• Scripture: Its Power, Authority, and Relevance by Robert Saucy
• The Origin of the Bible by F.F. Bruce
• The Canon of Scripture by F.F. Bruce
• The New Testament Documents: Are They Reliable by F.F. Bruce
• The Inspiration and Authority of the Bible by B.B. Warfield
• How We Got the Bible by John H. Sailhammer
• The Missing Gospels: Unearthing the Truth Behind Alternative Christianities by Darrell L. Bock
• Inerrancy ed. by Norman Geisler
• Explaining Inerrancy by R.C. Sproul

INTERPRETING THE BIBLE

• Principles of Biblical Interpretation by Louis Berkhof
• Hermeneutics by Henry Virkler
• Exegetical Fallacies by D.A. Carson
• How to Understand Your Bible by T. Norton Sterrett
• Knowing Scripture by R.C. Sproul
• The Drama of Scripture by Craig Bartholomew and Michael Goheen
• God’s Big Picture: Tracing the Story-Line of the Bible by Vaughan Roberts
• According to Plan: The Unfolding Revelation of God in the Bible by Graeme Goldsworthy
• What’s In The Bible? by R. C. Sproul and Robert Wolgemuth
• Preaching the Whole Bible as Christian Scripture by Graeme Goldsworthy

THE GOSPEL

• The Cross of Christ by John Stott
• The Shadow of the Cross by Walt Chantry
• Today’s Gospel by Walt Chantry
• Redemption Accomplished and Applied by John Murray
• Pierced for Our Transgressions by Steve Jeffery, Michael Ovey, and Andrew Sach
• In My Place Condemned He Stood by J.I. Packer and Mark Dever
• In Christ Alone: Reflections on the Heart of the Gospel by Sinclair Ferguson
• The Gospel for Real Life by Jerry Bridges
• Mission Accomplished by Michael Scott Horton
• The Message of the Cross by Derek Tidball
• The Apostolic Preaching of the Cross by Leon Morris
• The Heart of the Cross by James Montgomery Boice and Philip Graham Ryken
• The Truth of the Cross by R.C. Sproul
• The Death of Death by John Owen

HEAVEN AND HELL

• Hell on Trial: The Case for Eternal Punishment by Robert A. Peterson
• Biblical Teaching on the Doctrines of Heaven and Hell by Edward Donnelly
• Heaven by Randy Alcorn
• A Taste of Heaven by R.C. Sproul

TRUSTING GOD IN TRIALS AND DIFFICULTIES

• How Long, O Lord? by D. A. Carson
• Suffering and the Sovereignty of God by John Piper and Justin Taylor
• Is God Really in Control? by Jerry Bridges
• Trusting God by Jerry Bridges
• The Invisible Hand by R.C. Sproul

DEALING WITH DEPRESSION AND SORROW

• Spiritual Depression by Martyn Lloyd-Jones
• When the Darkness Will Not Lift by John Piper
• Depression A Stubborn Darkness by Ed Welch
• Anxiety Attacked by John MacArthur
• Running Scared by Ed Welch

GROWTH IN CHRIST

• Holiness by J.C. Ryle
• The Discipline of Grace by Jerry Bridges
• The Pursuit of Holiness by Jerry Bridges
• The Enemy Within by Kris Lundgaard
• God’s Way of Holiness by Horatius Bonar
• Living the Cross Centered Life by C.J. Mahaney
• The Gospel Mystery of Sanctification by Walter Marshall
• Future Grace by John Piper
• Humility by Wayne Mac

MARRIAGE

• Strengthening Your Marriage by Wayne Mack
• Sacred Marriage by Gary Thomas
• When Sinners Say I Do by Dave Harvey
• Sexual Intimacy in Marriage by William Cutrer and Sandra Glahn
• The Excellent Wife by Martha Peace

FAMILY

• Your Family God’s Way by Wayne Mack
• Christian Living in the Home by Jay Adams
• Disciplines of a Godly Family by Kent and Barbara Hughes
• Family Worship by Donald Whitney

PARENTING

• Don’t Make Me Count to Three: A Mom’s Look at Heart-Oriented Discipline by Ginger Plowman
• Shepherding a Child’s Heart by Ted Tripp
• Sacred Parenting by Gary Thomas
• Withhold Not Correction by Bruce A Ray
• Age of Opportunity by Paul Tripp (for parents of teens)
• How to Stay Christian in College by J. Budziszewski
• The Christian Mom’s idea Book: Hundreds of Ideas, Tips, and Activities to Help You Be a Great Mom by Ellen Banks Elwell
• The Christian Grandma’s Idea Book – Hundreds of Ideas, Tips, and Activities to Help You Be a Good Grandma by Ellen Banks Elwell
• Everyday Talk by John A. Younts
• Truth Made Simple by John Todd
• Instructing a Child’s Heart by Tedd and Margy Tripp

THE CHURCH

• The Deliberate Church by Dever and Alexander
• Life in the Body of Christ by Curtis Thomas
• What is a Healthy Church Member? by Thabiti M. Anyabwile
• How to Behave in Church by Peter Jeffery
• Principles and Practices for Baptist Churches by Edward Hiscox
• Biblical Foundations for Baptist Churches by John Hammett
• Polity edited by Mark Dever
• The Baptism of Disciples Alone (contra infant baptism) by Fred Malone
• The Church by Ed Clowney
• The Courage to be Protestant by David F. Wells

VOCATION, WORK, AND CULTURAL MANDATE

• Culture Making: Recovering Our Creative Calling by Andy Crouch
• The Callings: The Gospel in the World by Paul Helm
• God at Work: Your Christian Vocation in All of Life by Gene Edward Veith
• Redeeming the Time: A Christian Approach to Work and Leisure by Leland Ryken
• Business for the Glory of God by Wayne Grudem
• Politics According to the Bible by Wayne Grudem
• The Call (on all callings) by Os Guiness
• Total Truth by Nancy Pearcy

EVANGELISM AND MISSIONS

• Let the Nations be Glad by John Piper
• A Vision for Missions by Tom Wells
• Evangelism and the Sovereignty of God by J.I. Packer
• Jesus the Evangelist by Richard D. Philips
• Today’s Evangelism by Ernest Reisinger
• God-Centered Evangelism by R.B. Kuyper
• The Gospel and Personal Evangelism by Mark Dever
• Tell the Truth by Will Metzger
• Christian Mission by John Stott
• Ministries of Mercy by Tim Keller

BIOGRAPHY

• C.H. Spurgeon Autobiography by Charles Haddon Spurgeon
• Martin Lloyd-Jones by Iain Murray (2 vols)
• Spurgeon: Prince of Preachers by Lewis Drummond
• Here I Stand (on Martin Luther) by Roland Bainton
• Jonathan Edwards: A New Biography by Iain Murray
• A Life of John Calvin by Alistair McGrath
• Life and Letters of John A Broadus by A. T. Robertson
• William Tyndale by David Daniell
• The Life and Diary of David Brainerd edited by Jonathan Edwards
• Faithful Witness (William Carey) by Timothy George
• In the Shadow of the Almighty by Elizabeth Elliot
• Through the Gates of Splendor by Elizabeth Elliot

IN DEFENSE OF THE FAITH

• Who Made God? by Edgar Andrews
• The Reason for God by Tim Keller
• If You Could Ask God One Question by Paul Williams and Barry Cooper
• Every Thought Captive by Richard Pratt
• Apologetics for the Glory of God by John Frame
• Defending Your Faith by R.C. Sproul
• God in the Dock by C.S. Lewis
• Darwin on Trial by Phil Johnson
• Darwin’s Black Box by Michael Behe
• More Than Meets the Eye by Richard A. Swenson
• Trilogy by Francis Schaeffer

CULTS AND WORLD RELIGIONS

• A Guide to New Religious Movements edited by Ronald Enroth
• The Compact Guide to World Religions edited by Dean C. Halverson
• The Kingdom of the Cults by Walter Martin
• Encyclopedic Dictionary of Cults, Sects, and World Religions edited by Nichols, George, Mather, and Schmidt
• The Challenge of the Cults and New Religions by Ron Rhodes
• Scripture Twisting: Twenty Ways Cults Misread the Bible by James W. Sire
• Christianity at the Religious Roundtable: Evangelicalism in Conversation with Hinduism, Buddhism, and Islam by Timothy C. Tennent
• Jesus Among Other Gods: The Absolute Claims of the Christian Message by Ravi Zacharias

CHURCH HISTORY

• Church History in Plain Language by Bruce Shelley
• Sketches From Church History by S.M. Houghton
• Turning Points by Mark Noll
• Our Legacy by John Hannah
• The History of Christian Doctrines by Louis Berkhof
• By His Grace and for His Glory: A Historical, Theological, and Practical Study of the Doctrines of Grace in Baptist Life by Tom Nettles
• Theology of the Reformers by Timothy George
• The Story of Christianity (Volume 1) (Volume 2) by Justo L. Gonzalez
• Exploring Church History by James Eckman
• A History of Christianity (Volume 1) (Volume 2) by Kenneth Scott Latourette

IMPORTANT CLASSICS

• Institutes of the Christian Religion by John Calvin (2 Vols)
• The Christian’s Great Interest (on assurance) by William Guthrie
• The True Bounds of Christian Freedom (on law, gospel, covenants) by Samuel Bolton
• Preaching and Preachers (on preaching) by D. Martin Lloyd-Jones
• The Christian Ministry (on pastoral ministry) by Charles Bridges
• The Religious Affections (on genuine conversion) by Jonathan Edwards
• The Works of John Bunyan by John Bunyan (3 Vols)
• The Works of Andrew Fuller by Andrew Fuller
• A Body of Doctrinal Divinity by John Gill
• A Body of Practical Divinity by John Gill
• The Cause of God and Truth by John Gill
• Morning and Evening by Charles Spurgeon (devotional)
• The Valley of Vision by Authur Bennett (devotional)
• Mere Christianity by C.S. Lewis
• God, Revelation, and Authority by Carl F.H. Henry (5 Vols)