October was a strong month for new Christian books. I tried to keep you in the loop week by week, but I also wanted to provide a roundup for the end of the month. Of all the books that came our way in October, here are the ones that most stood out to me, arranged in what I think is a nice new format. As always, I’ve included the publisher’s editorial description for each.
Book of the Month
Crossway · Hardcover · 736 pages
The Westminster Confession of Faith: A Comprehensive Commentary on Its History, Theology, and Application
If I had to put one book on the top of the stack this month, it would probably be this commentary on the Westminster Confession of Faith—and I say that as a Baptist who respects, but does not hold to, the WCF. The contributors include Sinclair Ferguson, Chad Van Dixhoorn, and Kevin DeYoung. This is a reference work that pastors and serious readers will want to add to their libraries.
“This essential collection of essays presents an accessible guide to the Westminster Confession of Faith for 21st-century readers. Each chapter is devoted to a section of the historic document, carefully studying its context, its significance to the faith, and its application, as well as any controversies.”
Buy it at Amazon · Westminster Books
For Your Own Soul
Books for any thoughtful Christian reader.
Crossway · Hardcover · 264 pages
Finally Home: The Christian Hope of Heaven
In this book, Dane Ortlund (Gentle and Lowly) turns his attention to heaven. He draws on Scripture, of course, and also on writers like Thomas Goodwin, Jonathan Edwards, and C. S. Lewis.
“If we are not in Christ, this life is the best we will ever experience. If we are in Christ, this life is the worst we will ever experience. … In Finally Home, Dane Ortlund plunges into the word of God and the wisdom of the saints to help us rightly think about heaven, and to draw strength from our coming future more deeply than we ever have before.”
Buy it at Amazon · Westminster Books
IVP · Paperback · 192 pages
Everyday Discipleship: How Faith Shapes the Most Practical Areas of Life
This is a practical book that teaches how following Jesus extends into every part of life, including those that are very ordinary, like meals, work, rest, and technology. It includes a discussion guide for groups.
“Pastor Jeremy Treat understands this disconnect. In Everyday Discipleship, he dismantles the harmful sacred-secular divide that leaves many Christians feeling spiritually compartmentalized, uncertain about how faith applies to ordinary life, and unable to fully enjoy Christ in the entirety of our lives.”
Buy it at Amazon
Banner of Truth · Clothbound · 248 pages
God Is Our Refuge and Strength: 150 Devotionals Through the Psalms
Every Banner of Truth release is noteworthy, isn’t it? This one offers a short devotional reading to accompany each of the 150 psalms.
“You need the Psalms. The Psalms are the Bible’s devotional heart. … Through brief, practical expositions of all 150 psalms, this volume proclaims, explains, and applies each one in light of the New Testament and the finished work of Jesus Christ the Lord.”
Buy it at Amazon · Westminster Books
Counseling & Care
Resources to care for Christians.
One Measure Ministries · Redemption Press · Paperback workbooks
SoulCare Groups™ Workbooks: Anxiety, Grief, and Sexual Integrity
I am excited about the SoulCare Groups™ workbooks, which came out this month. Each is a twelve-week group study meant to be used alongside a few trusted biblical counseling books. The first three volumes cover anxiety, grief, and sexual integrity.
“SoulCare Groups™, a biblical counseling workbook series from One Measure Ministries, equips churches to offer groups-based care through structured twelve-week topical studies.”
Buy them at Amazon: Anxiety · Grief · Sexual Integrity
For the Church and Its History
Books to understand the history of the church.
Crossway · Hardcover · 416 pages
Church History for Everyone, Volume 1
Kevin DeYoung tells the early history of the Christian church through twenty lives. This book, which will soon be followed by a second volume, reaches from the fall of Jerusalem to the pre-Reformation. It would serve well for family reading or for a small group.
“In Church History for Everyone, Kevin DeYoung examines the development of the church from AD 70 to 1415 through the lives of key figures—including world leaders, theologians, martyrs, and the early monks—and their historical moments, connecting the dots with what came before and after while also highlighting the tensions that endure today.”
Buy it at Amazon · Westminster Books
Reformation Heritage Books · 13-volume hardcover set
An Ongoing Legacy: Metropolitan Tabernacle Pulpit, 1905–1917, Volumes 51–63
These 13 volumes complete Reformation Heritage Book’s reissue of all 63 volumes of Spurgeon’s sermons. That is no small achievement for a publisher, and reading them all would be no small achievement for a reader!
“Spurgeon’s final sermons rolled off the press in 1917, concluding an epic project known as the Metropolitan Tabernacle Pulpit. His publisher wanted to continue, but paper shortages during World War I finally forced the venture to end. Now these final messages are available again in the fifth and final set released by Reformation Heritage Books and Midwestern Seminary.”
Buy it at Amazon
Baker Academic · Paperback · 320 pages
Justification and the Churches: Pastoral Questions at the Heart of Protestant, Catholic, and Orthodox Theology
This is a careful comparison of how the Protestant, Catholic, and Orthodox traditions approach justification. Each offers a response from a representative of the three traditions. This will serve those who wish to better understand the similarities and differences between them.
“In Justification and the Churches, Gerald Hiestand explores one of the most debated doctrines in Christian theology—justification and salvation—by asking a deceptively simple question: What if Protestants, Catholics, and Orthodox Christians aren’t just giving different answers but are answering different pastoral questions?”
Buy it at Amazon
For Thinking Well
Books that help engage a changing world for Christ.
Baker Books · Paperback · 222 pages
Irreplaceable: Humanity, Vocation, and the Limits of Technology
This is a timely book on technology and AI that grounds its answers in the doctrine of vocation—a subject Veith has written on before.
“From the invention of the wheel to the rise of AI, humans have always made tools to extend our work—but what happens when our tools begin to supplant us? … In this book Gene Veith and A. Trevor Sutton show how vocation—the life God has assigned us in our relationships, commitments, and everyday callings—is not only bigger than our jobs but more resilient than our technology.”
Buy it at Amazon
Zondervan Academic · Hardcover · 368 pages
Apologetics at the Cross, Second Edition: An Introduction for Christian Witness
This is a revised and expanded edition of a popular apologetics textbook that is built around 1 Peter and the example of Jesus.
“Apologetics at the Cross offers a comprehensive, classroom-ready introduction to the study and practice of Christian apologetics. Using Jesus as the model and 1 Peter as a guiding text, this textbook equips students to defend the faith with clarity, humility, and confidence. … The authors emphasize not only what to say but how to say it—training readers to give reasoned answers with gentleness and respect.”
Buy it at Amazon
For the Study
Commentaries and reference works.
Crossway · Premium Hardcover · Two boxed sets
ESV Expository Commentary: Old Testament Set and New Testament Set
The full series of the excellent ESV Expository Commentary is now available in two boxed sets, Old Testament (7,328 pages) and New Testament (3,816 pages). I think it’s the best commentary of its kind, and it is ideal for pastors or general readers alike.
“Editors Iain M. Duguid, James M. Hamilton Jr., and Jay Sklar have gathered a team of experienced pastor-theologians to provide a new generation of pastors and other teachers of the Bible around the world with a globally-minded commentary rich in biblical theology and broadly Reformed doctrine, making the message of redemption found in all of Scripture clear and available to all.”
Old Testament: Amazon · Westminster Books
New Testament: Amazon · Westminster Books
Eerdmans · Hardcover · 464 pages
Joshua (The Pillar Old Testament Commentary)
It is always a big deal when the Pillar series adds a new volume. I expect this volume on Joshua will soon be proven a must-have commentary.
“In this new contribution to the Pillar Old Testament commentary series, John D. Currid illuminates the book of Joshua by examining its historical, archaeological, and theological significance. … The commentary features Currid’s own translation of the Hebrew text. His careful attention to exegetical detail gives preachers a solid foundation for their exposition.”
Buy it at Amazon
Coming in November
Here are some of the books I’m looking forward to in November.
