Skip to content ↓

The Collected Best Christian Books of 2016

The Collected Best Christian Books of 2016

For the past couple of weeks my RSS feeder has been humming with list after list of the best books of 2016. It seems that just about every avid reader I follow is eager to share his or her picks for the year that was. I love these lists and decided I’d compile them to look for patterns and repeats. Here, then, are the collected best Christian books of 2016. Each one of these is from a blog or web site I read regularly.

Updated on December 19 with 3 more lists (scroll to the bottom)

We will begin with 7 titles that found their way onto at least 3 best-0f lists:

If you are looking for something to read or something to buy for a gift, you probably can’t go wrong with any of them!

And now here are each of lists of the best Christian books of 2016. You can visit the sites to read the rationales or to purchase the books. Alternatively, I’ve supplied links to Amazon.

The Gospel Coalition (read their reviews)

Desiring God (read their reviews)

Kevin DeYoung (read his reviews)

Trevin Wax (read his reviews)

Jared C. Wilson (read his reviews)

Erik Raymond (read his reviews)

David Qaoud (read his reviews)

Melissa Kruger (read her reviews)

Aaron Armstrong (read his reviews)

Russell Moore (read his reviews)

Andrew Wilson (read his reviews)

Christine Hoover (read her reviews)

Jen Oshman (read her review)

Steven Kryger (read his reviews)

Jesse Johnson (read his review)

Christianity Today (read their reviews and complete picks)

Me (read my reviews)

Al Mohler (read his reviews)

I’ll add Dr. Mohler’s list as well, though this is not a list of the year’s best as much as a list of recommended winter reading.

Sam Storms (read his reviews)

Mike Leake (read his reviews)

Derek Rishmawy (read his reviews)


  • The Phrase that Altered My Thinking Forever

    This week the blog is sponsored by P&R Publishing and is written by Ralph Cunnington. Years ago, I stumbled repeatedly on an ancient phrase that altered my thinking forever.  Distinct yet inseparable. The first time I encountered this phrase was while studying the Council of Chalcedon’s description of the two natures of Christ. Soon after,…

  • Always Look for the Light

    Always Look for the Light

    For many years there was a little potted plant on our kitchen window sill, though I’ve long since forgotten the variety. Year after year that plant would put out a shoot and from the shoot would emerge a single flower. And I observed that no matter how I turned the pot, the flower would respond.…

  • A La Carte Collection cover image

    A La Carte (March 18)

    A La Carte: God is good and does good—even in our pain / Dear bride and groom / Sin won’t comfort you / Worthy of the gospel / From self-sufficiency to trusting God’s people / The gods fight for our devotion / and more.

  • Confidence

    God Takes Us Into His Confidence

    Here is another Sunday devotional—a brief thought to orient your heart toward the Lord. God takes the initiative in establishing relationship by reaching out to helpless humanity. He reveals himself to the creatures he has made. But what does it mean for him to provide such revelation of himself? John Calvin began his Institutes by…

  • A La Carte Collection cover image

    Weekend A La Carte (March 16)

    A La Carte: I believe in the death of Julius Caesar and the resurrection of Jesus Christ / Reasons students and pastors shouldn’t use ChatGPT / A 1.3 gigpixel photo of a supernova / What two raw vegans taught me about sharing Jesus / If we realize we’re undeserving, suddenly the world comes alive /…

  • Ask Pastor John

    Ask Pastor John

    I admit it: I felt a little skeptical about Ask Pastor John. To be fair, I feel skeptical about most books that begin in one medium before making the leap to another. Books based on sermons, for example, can often be pretty disappointing—a powerful sermon at a conference can make a bland chapter in a…