Welcome to the online home of Tim Challies, blogger, author, and book reviewer.
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Of all the books that come my way, how do I choose the ones I’ll actually read and perhaps even review? I was asked the question at a recent Ask Me anything event and provided this answer… How do you choose which books to read and review? How do you decide when to give a negative review? How do I decide what books to review? It’s really kind of random, to be honest. I mean, okay, if you misspell the …
As was true of so many other children of the 70s (and surrounding generations), Laura Ingalls Wilder played a surprisingly prominent role in my childhood. Her “Little House” books were first read to me by my mother. Then, when I was old enough to read on my own, I went through them so many times I lost count. As far as I was concerned, she was the consummate pioneer. Her descriptions of frontier life were vivid and exciting and, to …
A friend made the request. He’s looking for books to read and to recommend to others. “Give me a list of 50 or 60 authors you’ve read and a representative book by each of them.” His wish is my command. Here are 50 or 60 contemporary authors I’ve read and a book by each of them you may enjoy. (I’ll work on classic authors next.) As far as possible, I’ve made that book representative, by which I mean I chose …
Today I’ve got two short videos for you. The first is about the three books that have impacted me the most while the second discusses whether Christians really need to tithe. Both are drawn from my recent Ask Me Anything event in London. Transcript What have been the most impactful book for you as a Christian? When it comes to impactful books, I usually go to three books. Which would be The Holiness of God by RC Sproul, The …
There are lots of ways to qualify what constitutes a “good” Christian book. We might consider the quality of the author’s writing, the originality of the author’s approach, or, most importantly, the faithfulness of the author’s use of Scripture. By those measures, we who speak English and read Christian books here in the twenty-first century are much blessed. We have countless thousands of books to turn to when we want to read something that will shape our lives and strengthen …
Welcome to another edition of 3 Minute Thursdays. Every year I get literally hundreds of books in the mail. That’s one of the perks of being a book reviewer. As they come in, I take a look at them, I put them in a big old stack right down here and then from time to time I take the big stack, I turn it into a little stack, so I can tell you about some of the new and notable …
You’ve been told not to judge a book by its cover, right? I understand the sentiment, but we really can’t help ourselves. Covers contain crucial information both in their design and in their words. There is some information on a book’s cover that many people don’t know how to decipher. Let me tell you how to make sense of the information about authors, co-authors, editors, and contributors. “And” When you see the names of two authors separated by the word “and,” it …
It is always a big deal when Nancy Pearcey releases a new book. It’s a special pleasure when that release is timed for the beginning of a new year. Such is the case with Love Thy Body: Answering Hard Questions about Life and Sexuality. In this new work she brings her unique voice to some of the most pressing moral issues of our day. “In Love Thy Body,” she promises, “we will move beyond click-bait headlines and trendy slogans to …
In 1974, Jim and Tammy Bakker founded a little television program they called The PTL Club. It began inauspiciously in a former furniture store, but by the mid-80s had exploded into a bona fide phenomenon and a ministry that reached around the globe. They traveled the world, dined with presidents, and gathered countless millions of followers. They became rich and powerful, owners of a massive 2,300-acre ministry center and theme park. They also became almost unbelievably corrupt. By 1987 it …
For the past couple of weeks my RSS feeder has been humming with list after list of the best books of 2017. 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 2017. Each one of these is from a blog or web …