The Collected Best Christian Books of 2019

For the past couple of weeks my RSS feeder has been humming with list after list of the best books of 2019 (or, if not the best, the favorite books of 2019). 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 2019. 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:

• Confronting Christianity: 12 Hard Questions for the World’s Largest Religion by Rebecca McLaughlin (5 lists)
• Adorning the Dark: Thoughts on Community, Calling, and the Mystery of Making by Andrew Peterson (4 lists)
• 7 Myths about Singleness by Sam Alberry (3 lists)
• His Testimonies, My Heritage: Women of Color on the Word of God Edited by Kristie Anyabwile (3 lists)
• Digital Minimalism: Choosing a Focused Life in a Noisy World by Carl Newport (3 lists)
• Working: Researching, Interviewing, Writing by Robert Caro (3 lists)
• On the Road with Saint Augustine: A Real-World Spirituality for Restless Hearts by James K.A. Smith (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:

• Delighting in the Trinity: An Introduction to the Christian Faith by Michael Reeves
• Talking to Strangers: What We Should Know About the People We Don’t Know by Malcolm Gladwell

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 2019. 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!

Erik Raymond (read his reviews here)

• Budgeting for a Healthy Church by Jamie Dunlop
• Reformed Preaching by Joel Beeke
• 7 Myths about Singleness by Sam Alberry
• Digital Minimalism: Choosing a Focused Life in a Noisy World by Cal Newport
• Cotton Mather: The First American Evangelical by Rick Kennedy
• Remember Death: The Surprising Path to Living Hope by Matthew McCullough
• The Accidental Creative: How to Be Brilliant at a Moment’s Notice by Todd Henry
• Delighting in the Trinity: An Introduction to the Christian Faith by Michael Reeves
• Devoted to God: Blueprints for Sanctification by Sinclair Ferguson

Christianity Today (read their reviews here)

• Confronting Christianity: 12 Hard Questions for the World’s Largest Religion by Rebecca McLaughlin
• Cultural Apologetics: Renewing the Christian Voice, Conscience, and Imagination in a Disenchanted World by Paul M. Gould
• Christobiography: Memory, History, and the Reliability of the Gospels by Craig Keener
• Reading Romans with Eastern Eyes: Honor and Shame in Paul’s Message and Mission by Jackson W.
• Far From Home: A Story of Loss, Refuge, and Hope by Sarah Parker Rubio
• Jesus and the Lions’ Den: A True Story about How Daniel Points Us to Jesus by Alison Mitchell
• The Common Rule: Habits of Purpose for an Age of Distraction by Justin Whitmel Earley
• We Too: How the Church can Respond Redemptively to the Sexual Abuse Crisis by Mary DeMuth
• Be the Bridge: Pursuing God’s Heart for Racial Reconciliation by Latasha Morrison
• The Care of Souls: Cultivating a Pastor’s Heart by Harold Senkbeil
• What Is a Girl Worth?: My Story of Breaking the Silence and Exposing the Truth About Larry Nassar and USA Gymnastics by Rachael Denhollander
• His Testimonies, My Heritage: Women of Color on the Word of God Edited by Kristie Anyabwile
• Write Better: A Lifelong Editor on Craft, Art, and Spirituality by Andrew Le Peau
• Adorning the Dark: Thoughts on Community, Calling, and the Mystery of Making by Andrew Peterson

For The Church (read their reviews here)

• Reenchanting Humanity: A Theology of Mankind by Owen Strachan
• Gatsby’s Oxford: Scott, Zelda, and the Jazz Age Invasion of Britain: 1904-1929 by Christopher A. Snyder
• On the Road with Saint Augustine: A Real-World Spirituality for Restless Hearts by James K.A. Smith
• His Testimonies, My Heritage: Women of Color on the Word of God Edited by Kristie Anyabwile
• Who Is an Evangelical?: The History of a Movement in Crisis by Thomas S. Kidd
• Hearers and Doers: A Pastor’s Guide to Making Disciples Through Scripture and Doctrine by Kevin Vanhoozer
• None Greater: The Undomesticated Attributes of God by Matthew Barrett
• Theoretical and Practical Theology: Faith in the Triune God vol. 2 by Petrus Van Mastricht
• The Feasts of Repentance: From Luke-Acts to Systematic and Pastoral Theology by Michael J. Ovey

Growing in Grace (read his reviews here)

• The Holiness of God by R.C. Sproul
• Adorning the Dark by Andrew Peterson
• Delighting in the Trinity by Michael Reeves
• Romans commentary (14 Volumes) by Martyn Lloyd-Jones
• The Count of Monte Cristo by Alexandre Dumas
• Spiritual Gifts: What They Are and Why They Matter by Thomas R. Schreiner
• The Unsaved Christian by Dean Inserra
• Mere Calvinism by Jim Scott Orrick
• Crazy Busy by Kevin DeYoung

Gospel Relevance (read his reviews here)

• Why I Am Not an Arminian by Robert A. Peterson and Michael D. Williams
• Finding Faithful Elders and Deacons by Thabiti Anyabwile
• Don’t Just Send a Resume: How to Find the Right Job in a Local Church by Benjamin Vrbicek
•  New Bible Commentary edited by Gordon Wenham, D.A. Carson, and others
• 15 Things Seminary Couldn’t Teach Me edited by Collin Hansen and Jeff Robinson Sr.
• Help for the New Pastor: Practical Advice for Your First Year of Ministry by Charles Wingard
• On Pastoring: A Short Guide to Living, Leading, and Ministering as a Pastor by H. B. Charles Jr.
• Preaching: Communicating Faith in an Age of Skepticism by Tim Keller
• 21 Servants of Sovereign Joy  by John Piper
• The Cross and Christian Ministry: Leadership Lessons from 1 Corinthians by D. A. Carson

The Good Book (read their reviews here)

• The Solace of Open Spaces by Gretel Ehrlich
• Settle My Soul – 100 Quiet Moments to Meet with Jesus by Karen Ehman & Ruth Schwenk
• The Gospel Comes With a House Key by Rosaria Butterfield
• Paul: A Biography by Tom Wright
• Get Her Off The Pitch! by Lynne Truss
• The Gormenghast Trilogy by Mervyn Peake
• Women of the Word by Jen Wilkin
• Joy In The Sorrow by Matt Chandler
• Treasures of the Snow by Patricia St John
• The Coddling of The American Mind by Jonathan Haidt and Greg Lukianoff

Kevin DeYoung (read his reviews here)

• Liberty in the Things of God: The Christian Origins of Religious Freedom by  Robert Louis Wilken
• Making Evangelical History: Faith, Scholarship and the Evangelical Past by Andrew Atherstone and David Ceri Jones
• The Madness of Crowds: Gender, Race, and Identity by Douglas Murray
• Digital Minimalism: Choosing a Focused Life in a Noisy World by Carl Newport
• Working: Researching, Interviewing, Writing by Robert Caro
• A Big Gospel in Small Places: Why Ministry in Forgotten Communities Matter  by Stephen Witmer
• No Is a Beautiful Word: Hope and Help for the Overcommitted and (Occasionally) Exhausted by Kevin G. Harney
• Disestablishment and Religious Dissent: Church-State Relations in the New American States 1776-1833 by Carl H. Esbeck
• Systematic Theology by Robert Letham
• God’s Salesman: Norman Vincent Peale and the Power of Positive Thinking by Carol V. R. George

Jared Wilson (read his reviews here)

• Chaos: Charles Manson, the CIA, and the Secret History of the Sixties by Tom O’Neill with Dan Piepenbring
• Remember Death: The Surprising Path to Living Hope by Matthew McCullough
• The Care of Souls: Cultivating a Pastor’s Heart by Harold L. Senkbeil
• Who is an Evangelical?: The History of a Movement in Crisis by Thomas S. Kidd
• The Haunting of Hill House by Shirley Jackson
• J.I. Packer: An Evangelical Life by Leland Ryken
• Virgil Wander by Leif Enger
• Interpreting Scripture with the Great Tradition: Recovering the Genius of Premodern Exegesis by Craig A. Carter
• Sketches of the Life and Character of Lemuel Haynes by Timothy Mather Cooley
• On the Road with Saint Augustine: A Real-World Spirituality for Restless Hearts by James K.A. Smith

Trevin Wax (read his reviews here)

• Pensees by Blaise Pascal
• Christianity for Modern Pagans by Peter Kreeft
• Working: Researching, Interviewing, Writing by Robert Caro
• Confronting Christianity: 12 Hard Questions for the World’s Largest Religion by Rebecca McLaughlin
• Victoria the Queen by Julia Baird
• Beyond Racial Gridlock: Embracing Mutual Responsibility by George Yancey
• Pagans and Christians in the City by Steven D. Smith
• Merchants of Truth: The Business for News and the Fight for Facts by Jill Abramson
• Born a Crime: Stories From a South African Childhood by Trevor Noah
• Talking to Strangers: What We Should Know About the People We Don’t Know by Malcolm Gladwell
• Dominion: How The Christian Revolution Remade the World by Tom Holland

Russell Moore (read his reviews here)

• What I Stand On: The Collected Essays of Wendell Berry, 1969-2017 by Wendell Berry
• Reading Buechner: Exploring the Work of a Master Memoirist, Novelist, Theologian, and Preacher by Jeffrey Munroe
• Balm in Gilead: A Theological Dialogue with Marilynne Robinson by Timothy Larsen and Keith L. Johnson, eds.
• Biloxi: A Novel by Mary Miller
• Adorning the Dark by Andrew Peterson
• Fyodor Dostoevsky, Walker Percy, and the Age of Suicide by John F. Desmond
• Who Is An Evangelical?: The History of a Movement in Crisis by Thomas S. Kidd
• Can We Trust the Gospels? by Peter J. Williams
• The Common Rule by Justin Whitmel Earley
• How to Disappear: Notes on Invisibility in a Time of Transparency by Akiko Busch
• Country Music: An Illustrated History by Dayton Duncan and Ken Burns
• Doomsday Clock by Geoff Johns and Gary Frank

The Gospel Coalition 2019 Book Awards (read their reviews here)

• Free to Believe: The Battle Over Religious Liberty in America by Luke Goodrich
• The Cross Before Me: Reimagining the Way to the Good Life by Rankin Wilbourne and Brian Gregor
• ‘He Descended to the Dead’: An Evangelical Theology of Holy Saturday by Matthew Y. Emerson
• Confronting Christianity: 12 Hard Questions for the World’s Largest Religion by Rebecca McLaughlin
• Dark Clouds, Deep Mercy: Discovering the Grace of Lament by Mark Vroegop
• The Care of Souls: Cultivating a Pastor’s Heart by Harold Senkbeil
• A Big Gospel in Small Places: Why Ministry in Forgotten Communities Matter  by Stephen Witmer
• Theological Retrieval for Evangelicals: Why We Need Our Past to Have a Future by Gavin Ortlund
• Sophie and the Heidelberg Cat by Andrew Wilson and Helena Perez Garcia (illustrator)
• Between Life and Death: A Gospel-Centered Guide to End-of-Life Medical Care by Kathryn Butler
• Adorning the Dark: Thoughts on Community, Calling, and the Mystery of Making by Andrew Peterson
• His Testimonies, My Heritage: Women of Color on the Word of God Edited by Kristie Anyabwile

TGC Editorial Staff (read their reviews here)

• The Knowledge: How to Rebuild Civilization in the Aftermath of a Cataclysm by Lewis Dartnell
• The Ten Commandments: What They Mean, Why They Matter, and Why We Should Obey Them by Kevin DeYoung
• The Collapse of Parenting: How We Hurt Our Kids When We Treat Them Like Grown-Ups by Leonard Sax
• Reforming Apologetics by J. V. Fesko
• Authorized: The Use and Misuse of the King James Bible by Mark Ward
• The Preacher’s Wife: The Precarious Power of Evangelical Women Celebrities by Kate Bowler
• The Golden Tresses of the Dead: A Flavia DeLuce Novel by Alan Bradley
• A Fortunate Man by Henrik Pontoppidan
• Stalingrad by Vasily Grossman
• The Cross Before Me: Reimagining the Way to the Good Life by Rankin Wilbourne and Brian Gregor
• 7 Myths about Singleness by Sam Alberry
• The Plot Against America by Philip Roth
• ‘Fundamentalism’ and the Word of God  by J. I. Packer
• Reappearing Church: The Hope for Renewal in the Rise of Our Post-Christian Culture by Mark Sayers
• Love Thy Body: Answering  Hard Questions about Life and Sexuality by Nancy Pearcey
• A House for My Name by Peter Leithart
• Working: Researching, Interviewing, Writing by Robert Caro
• The Way of Kings by Brandon Sanderson
• The Streak: Lou Gehrig, Cal Ripken Jr., and Baseball’s Most Historic Record by John Eisenberg
• The Accidental President: Harry S. Truman and the Four Months That Changed the World by A. J. Blaime
• Evidence Not Seen: A Woman’s Miraculous Faith in the Jungles of World War II by Darlene Deibler Rose
• Open: An Autobiography by Andre Agassi
• Shadow Divers: The True Adventure of Two Americans Who Risked Everything to Solve One of the Last Mysteries of World War II by Robert Kursow
• Free to Believe: The Battle Over Religious Liberty in America by Luke Goodrich
• The Rational Optimist: How Prosperity Evolves by Matt Ridley

Andrew Wilson (read his reviews here)

• The Road to Somewhere: The New Tribes Shaping British Politics by David Goodhart
• The Unthinkable: Who Survives When Disaster Strikes—And Why by Amanda Ripley
• The Spy and the Traitor by Ben Macintyre
• 7 Myths about Singleness by Sam Alberry
• Matthew by Frederick Dale Bruner
• Confronting Christianity: 12 Hard Questions for the World’s Largest Religion by Rebecca McLaughlin
• After Tamerlane: The Rise & Fall of Global Empires, 1400-2000 by John Darwin
• Dominion: The Making of the Western Mind by Tom Holland
• Eleanor Oliphant is Completely Fine by Gail Honeyman
• The Anarchy: The Relentless Rise of the East India Company by William Dalrymple

Darryl Dash (read his reviews here)

• On the Road with Saint Augustine by James Smith
• Surprised by Paradox by Jen Pollock Michel
• Confronting Christianity: 12 Hard Questions for the World’s Largest Religion by Rebecca McLaughlin
• Change Maker by John Berardi
• The Ruthless Elimination of Hurry by John Mark Comer
• Your Future Self Will Thank You by Drew Dyck
• The Common Rule by Justin Whitmel Earley
• Digital Minimalism by Cal Newport
• Talking to Strangers by Malcom Gladwell
• Space at the Table by Brad Harper
• The Personality Brokers by Merve Emre