The Collected Best Christian Books of 2018

For the past couple of weeks my RSS feeder has been humming with list after list of the best books of 2018 (or, if not the best, the favorite books of 2018). 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 2018. Each one of these is from a blog or web site I read regularly.

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

• Gay Girl, Good God: The Story of Who I Was, and Who God Has Always Been by Jackie Hill Perry (5 lists)
• Apologetics at the Cross: An Introduction for Christian Witness by Joshua D. Chatraw and Mark D. Allen (4 lists)
• The Storm-Tossed Family: How the Cross Reshapes the Home by Russell Moore (3 lists)

This year there was little overlap with the best-of lists, so I thought I would also give mention to some books that ended up onto 2 best-of lists:

• All That’s Good: Recovering the Lost Art of Discernment by Hannah Anderson
• Suffering: Gospel Hope When Life Doesn’t Make Sense by Paul Tripp
• Evangelism in a Skeptical World by Sam Chan
• Seeing God: The Beatific Vision in Christian Tradition by Hans Boersma
• Love Thy Body: Answering Hard Questions about Life and Sexuality by Nancy R. Pearcey
• Christian Hospitality and Muslim Immigration in an Age of Fear by Matthew Kaemingk
• Expository Exultation: Christian Preaching as Worship by John Piper
• The Coddling of the American Mind by Greg Lukianoff and Jonathan Haidt

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 2018. You can visit the sites to read the rationales or to purchase the books. Alternatively, I’ve supplied links to Amazon. Please note that I am simply listing these books without endorsing them. In the majority of cases I have not read them!

The Gospel Coalition (read their reviews)

• All That’s Good: Recovering the Lost Art of Discernment by Hannah Anderson
• The Devil’s Redemption by Michael J. McClymond
• Faith Among the Faithless: Learning from Esther How to Live in a World Gone Mad by Mike Cospe
• Prayer: How Praying Together Shapes the Church by John Onwuchekwa
• Christianity at the Crossroads: How the Second Century Shaped the Future of the Church by Michael Kruger
• Apologetics at the Cross: An Introduction for Christian Witness by Joshua D. Chatraw and Mark D. Allen
• Love Thy Body: Answering Hard Questions about Life and Sexuality by Nancy R. Pearcey
• Gay Girl, Good God: The Story of Who I Was, and Who God Has Always Been by Jackie Hill Perry

Trevin Wax (read his reviews)

• Witness by Whittaker Chambers
• Platitudes in the Making Precepts and Advices for Gentlefolk by G. K. Chesterton
• Reagan by Bob Spitz
• Frederick Douglass: Prophet of Freedom by David W. Blight
• Voices from Chernobyl by Svetlana Alexievich
• The Coddling of the American Mind by Greg Lukianoff and Jonathan Haidt
• Praying for Sheetrock by Melissa Fay Greene
• Apologetics at the Cross: An Introduction for Christian Witness by Joshua D. Chatraw and Mark D. Allen
• Identity Theft: Reclaiming the Truth of our Identity in Christ by Melissa Kruger, Jen Wilkin and others. 
• Evangelism in a Skeptical World by Sam Chan

Bob Kellemen (read his reviews)

(Bob focuses exclusively on books for counseling.)

• Biblical Counseling Basics: Roots, Beliefs, and Future by Jeremy Lelek
• Caring for One Another: 8 Ways to Cultivate Meaningful Relationships by Edward T. Welch
• Catching Foxes: A Gospel-Guided Journey to Marriage by John Henderson
• Child Proof: Parenting by Faith, Not Formula by Julie Lowe
• Debilitated and Diminished: Help for Christian Women in Emotionally Abusive Marriages, by Anne Dryburgh
• Addictive Habits: Changing for Good by David Dunham
• After an Affair: Pursuing Restoration by Michael Gembola
• Contentment: Seeing God’s Goodness by Megan Hill
• Doubt: Trusting God’s Promises by Elyse Fitzpatrick
• Grief: Walking with Jesus by Bob Kellemen
• Pornography: Fighting for Purity by Deepak Reju
• Diehard Sins: How to Fight Wisely Against Destructive Daily Habits, by Rush Witt
• Domestic Abuse: Help for the Sufferer by Darby Strickland
• Domestic Abuse: Recognize, Respond, Rescue by Darby Strickland
• God’s Grace in Your Suffering by David Powlison
• Grace-Based Recovery: A Safe Place to Heal and Grow by Jonathan Daugherty
• Graciousness: Tempering Truth with Love by John Crotts
• Prodigal Children: Hope and Help for Parents by Robert Jones
• Raising Kids in a Screen-Saturated World by Eliza Huie
• Raising Kids in the Way of Grace by Bob Kellemen
• Schizophrenia: A Compassionate Approach, by Todd Stryd
• Suffering: Gospel Hope When Life Doesn’t Make Sense by Paul Tripp
• Treasure in the Ashes: Our Journey Home from the Ruins of Sexual Abuse Sue Nicewander and Maria Brookins
• Why Worry?: Getting to the Heart of Your Anxiety by Robert Jones

Darryl Dash (read his reviews)

• Susie: The Life and Legacy of Susannah Spurgeon, wife of Charles H. Spurgeon  by Ray Rhodes
• Even in Our Darkness: A Story of Beauty in a Broken Life by Jack Deere
•  Gay Girl, Good God: The Story of Who I Was, and Who God Has Always Been by Jackie Hill Perry
• With: Reimagining the Way You Relate to God by Skye Jethani
• Make Time: How to Focus on What Matters Every Day by Jake Knapp and John Zeratsky
• This Is Marketing: You Can’t Be Seen Until You Learn to See by Seth Godin
• Sell Your Book Like Wildfire: The Writer’s Guide to Marketing and Publicity by Rob Eagar
• When: The Scientific Secrets of Perfect Timing by Daniel Pink
• It Doesn’t Have to be Crazy at Work by Jason Fried
• Moon Shot: The Inside Story of America’s Apollo Moon Landings by Jay Barbree, Deke Slayton and Alan Shepard
• Life at the Dakota: New York’s Most Unusual Address by Stephen Birmingham
• A River in Darkness: One Man’s Escape from North Korea by Masaji Ishikawa

Gentle Reformation (read their reviews)

• Remembrance, Communion and Hope – Rediscovering the Gospel at the Lord’s Table by J. Todd Billings
• Barracoon – The Story of the Last Black Cargo by Zora Neale Hurston
• Reality Is Not What It Seems – The Journey To Quantum Gravity by Carlo Rovelli
• J.C. Ryle – Prepared to Stand Alone by Iain H. Murray
• Christian Hospitality and Muslim Immigration in an Age of Fear by Matthew Kaemingk
• Made for Friendship, The Relationships that Halves Sorrows and Doubles Our Joy by Drew Hunter
• Redeeming Money, How God Reveals and Reorients Our Hearts by Paul David Tripp
• Hitting the Marks, Restoring the Essential Identity of the Church by Barry York
• John Wesley, a Biography by Stephen Tomkins
• The Life of Arthur W. Pink by Iain Murray

David Qaoud (read his reviews)

• Apologetics and the Christian Imagination by Holly Ordway
• Is God a Moral Monster?: Making Sense of the Old Testament God by Paul Copan
• Christ, Baptism and the Lord’s Supper: Recovering the Sacraments for Evangelical Worship by Leonard Vander Zee
• Letters to the Church: A Survey of Hebrews and the General Epistles by Karen H. Jobes
• A New Heaven and a New Earth: Reclaiming Biblical Eschatology by J. Richard Middleton 
• Acts (Tyndale New Testament Commentaries (IVP Numbered)) by I. Howard Marshall
• The Imperfect Disciple: Grace for People Who Can’t Get Their Act Together by Jared C. Wilson
• When Life Goes Dark: Finding Hope in the Midst of Depression by Richard Winter
• On Writing: 10th Anniversary Edition: A Memoir of the Craft by Stephen King
• Letters of Francis A. Schaeffer: Spiritual Reality in the Personal Christian Life  by Francis Schaeffer

David Steele (read his reviews)

• From Death to Life: How Salvation Works by Allen S. Nelson IV
•  The Kremlin Conspiracy by Joel Rosenberg
• Holy Sexuality and the Gospel by Christopher Yuan
• Three Days in Moscow: Ronald Reagan and the Fall of the Soviet Empire by Brett Baier
• Always in God’s Hands: Day by Day in the Company of Jonathan Edwards by Owen Strachan
• Christian Ethics: An Introduction to Biblical Moral Reasoning by Wayne Grudem
• Reformed Preaching by Joel Beeke
• Expository Exultation by John Piper
• Suffering by Paul David Tripp
• The Preacher’s Catechism by Lewis Allen

Andrew Bunt (read his reviews)

• Dominion and Dynasty: A Theology of the Hebrew Bible by Stephen Dempster
• Death and the Afterlife: Biblical Perspectives on Ultimate Questions by Paul Williamson
• Interpreting the Pentateuch: An Exegetical Handbook by Peter Vogt
• A Better Story: God, Sex & Human Flourishing by Glynn Harrison
• People to be Loved: Why Homosexuality is Not Just an Issue by Preston Sprinkle
• A War of Loves: The Unexpected Story of a Gay Activist Discovering Jesus by David Bennett
• When Harry Became Sally: Responding to the Transgender Moment by Ryan Anderson
• The Robots Are Coming: Us, Them & God by Nigel Cameron
• 12 Ways Your Phone is Changing You by Tony Reinke
• God’s Lavish Grace by Terry Virgo
• Living the Cross Centered Life: Keeping the Gospel the Main Thing by C.J. Mahaney

The Good Book Blog (read their reviews)

• Prisoners of Geography by Tim Marshall
• None Like Him by Jen Wilkin
• Walking With God Through Pain and Suffering by Timothy Keller
• Notes From a Small Island by Bill Bryson
• Hope When It Hurts by Sarah Walton and Kristen Wetherell
• Salamis : The Greatest Naval Battle of the Ancient World by Barry Strauss
• Sapiens: A Brief History of Humankind by Noah Yuval Hariri
• I Married A Soldier by Brenda Hale and Rachel Farmer
• How to Think: A Survival Guide for a World at Odds by Alan Jacobs
• The Ascent by Peter Grant

Jared Wilson (read his reviews)

• Movie Nights with the Reagans: A Memoir by Mark Weinberg
• Why Should the Devil Have All the Good Music?: Larry Norman and the Perils of Christian Rock by Gregory Thornbury
• Believe Me: The Evangelical Road to Donald Trump by John Fea
• God’s Forever Family: The Jesus People Movement in America by Larry Eskridge
• Evangelical History in Australia: Spirit, Word, and World by Stuart Piggin
• Apologetics at the Cross: An Introduction for Christian Witness by Joshua D. Chatraw and Mark D. Allen
• Peace Like a River by Leif Enger
• Black Preacher to White America: The Collected Writings of Lemuel Haynes, 1774-1833 by Lemuel Haynes
• Dying Thoughts by Richard Baxter
• Communion with the Triune God by John Owen

Tony Reinke (read his reviews)

•  The Beauty of the Lord: Theology as Aesthetics by Jonathan King
• Expository Exultation: Christian Preaching as Worship by John Piper
• The Storm-Tossed Family: How the Cross Reshapes the Home by Russell Moore
• Gay Girl, Good God: The Story of Who I Was, and Who God Has Always Been by Jackie Hill Perry
• On Reading Well: Finding the Good Life through Great Books by Karen Swallow Prior
• Lewis on the Christian Life: Becoming Truly Human in the Presence of God by Joe Rigney
• Finding Favour in the Sight of God: A Theology of Wisdom Literature by Richard P. Belcher Jr.
• Paul: A Biography by N. T. Wright
• The Gospel of Matthew Through New Eyes, Volume One: Jesus as Israel by Peter Leithart
• Seeing God: The Beatific Vision in Christian Tradition by Hans Boersma

Christine Hoover (read her reviews)

• Gay Girl, Good God: The Story of Who I Was, and Who God Has Always Been by Jackie Hill Perry
• The Passion of the King of Glory by Russ Ramsey
• The Call by Os Guinness
• God Counts by Irene Sun
• If You Only Knew by Jamie Ivey
• Therefore I Have Hope by Cameron Cole
• Love Thy Body by Nancy Pearcy
• Endurance by Alfred Lansing
• Crossway Scripture Journal: New Testament
• Love Big, Be Well by Winn Collier
• Envy by Tilly Dillehay
• All That’s Good by Hannah Anderson

Kevin DeYoung (read his reviews)

• Help for the New Pastor: Practical Advice for Your First Year of Ministry by Charles Malcolm Wingard
• Suicide of the West by Jonah Goldberg
• The Coddling of the American Mind by Greg Lukianoff and Jonathan Haidt
• How the Nations Rage: Rethinking Faith and Politics in a Divided Age by Jonathan Leeman
• It’s Better than It Looks: Reasons for Optimism in an Age of Fear by Greg Easterbrook
• Them: Why We Hate Each Other–and How to Heal by Ben Sasse
• Endure: Mind, Body, and the Curiously Elastic Limits of Human Performance by Alex Hutchinson
• The Spirit of Early Evangelicalism: True Religion in a Modern World by D. Bruce Hindmarsh
• The Preacher’s Catechism by Lewis Allen
• Reformation Worship: Liturgies from the Past for the Present by Jonathan Gibson and Mark Earngey (eds)

Christianity Today  (read their reviews)

• Evangelism in a Skeptical World by Sam Chan
• The Gospel Comes with a House Key byRosaria Butterfield
• The Storm-Tossed Family: How the Cross Reshapes the Home by Russell Moore
• Preaching as Reminding: Stirring Memory in an Age of Forgetfulness by Jeffrey D. Arthurs
• The Forgotten Church: Why Rural Ministry Matters for Every Church in America by Glenn Daman
• Perfectly Human: Nine Months with Cerian by Sarah C. Williams
• White Picket Fences: Turning Toward Love in a World Divided by Privilege by Amy Julia Becker
• Subversive Sabbath: The Surprising Power of Rest in a Nonstop World by A.J. Swoboda
• Christian Hospitality and Muslim Immigration in an Age of Fear by Matthew Kaemingk
• Scars Across Humanity: Understanding and Overcoming Violence Against Women by Elaine Storkey
• The Spirit of Early Evangelicalism: True Religion in a Modern World by Bruce Hindmarsh
• The Kingdom of God Has No Borders: A Global History of American Evangelicals  by Melani McAlister
• Christianity in the Twentieth Century: A World History by Brian Stanley
• Megachurch Christianity Reconsidered: Millennials and Social Change in African Perspective by Wanjiru M. Gitau
• Cultural Insights for Christian Leaders: New Directions for Organizations Serving God’s Mission by Douglas McConnell
• Seeing God: The Beatific Vision in Christian Tradition by Hans Boersma
• Dying and the Virtues by Matthew Levering

For the Church (read their reviews)

• Churchill: Walking with Destiny by Andrew Roberts
• Tolkien: Maker of Middle-Earth edited by Catherine McIlwaine
• 40 Questions About Salvation by Matthew Barrett
• Eschatological Discipleship: Leading Christians to Understand Their Historical and Cultural Context by Trevin Wax
• The Storm-Tossed Family: How the Cross Reshapes the Home by Russell Moore
• Parenting: 14 Gospel Principles That Can Radically Change Your Family by Paul David Tripp
• Apologetics at the Cross: An Introduction for Christian Witness by Joshua Chatraw and Mark Allen
• That God May Be All in All: A Paterology Demonstrating That the Father is the Initiator of All Divine Activity by Ryan Rippee
• Justification (2 Volumes) by Michael Horton
• Gay Girl, Good God: The Story of Who I Was and Who God Has Always Been by Jackie Hill Perry
• Lewis on the Christian Life: Becoming Truly Human in the Presence of God by Joe Rigney

WORLD magazine (read their reviews)

• The Wizard and the Prophet by Charles C. Mann
• The Once and Future Worker by Oren Cass
• No Turning Back by Rania Abouzeid
• A Nation Forged by Crisis by Jay Sexton
• Therefore I Have Hope by Cameron Cole
• The Essential Jonathan Edwards by Owen Strachan & Douglas Sweeney
• Remember Death by Matthew McCullough
• The Rule of Love by Jonathan Leeman
• Theodicy of Love by John C. Peckham