My 2023 Christian Books

Normally for my January newsletter, I review my reading list from the past year. Sadly, that is not possible this year. It’s a bit difficult to include reviews for forty-six books. The document I was using to hold all my reviews got up to thirteen pages and over seven thousand words in October. That is simply too much. So, I decided to share my reviews of the Christian books I read this year, eleven in total. These books are in the order that I read them this year. So, without further rambling let’s dive in.

Suffering by Paul David Tripp

I suffered through this book. I wanted to love this book. I’ve read other books by Tripp, and they were amazing, this one is not. It took me forever to get through this book. There just wasn’t enough depth to warrant its already short length. Tripp has two key insights: suffering exposes our idols, and our suffering is compounded by bad theology. The book falls short in many respects. It drones on and on repeating basic concepts with new lipstick from chapter to chapter. The Christian virtue of hope just isn’t loud enough or deep enough. The local church barely makes it into the book. I love Tripp and I wanted to love this book, but this book was difficult to read. I apologize to the small group I recommended it to before having read it myself. I kept wanting more and kept getting the same thing over and over again. I read another review that said this book would have made a good chapter in another book, I must agree. 2.5 out of 5

The Contemplative Pastor by Eugene Peterson

Written by a mystic pastor to pastors, Peterson’s book strikes out to return us to the art of spiritual direction. In many ways, this book strips away and is critical of the modern ways we pastor. Peterson’s main critique is that we’ve lost touch with our historical roots of pastoral calling. In this book, he artfully encourages pastors to be unbusy, subversive, and apocalyptic. There are many chapters in this book that were a balm to my soul. I thought for sure this book was headed to a 5-star rating. Alas, that is not the case. Some chapters are confusing, and I think unnecessary. Peterson spends an entire chapter walking through the works of a non-Christian mystic writer. I find that his poetry before chapters grows tedious about halfway through the book. Sometimes the structure of the book soars with clarity and effectiveness. Other times it seems like chapters were lifted from other unfinished works. Overall, if you’re a pastor, especially a weary pastor this is well worth a read. 4 out of 5

What God Has to Say about Our Bodies by Sam Allberry

This is a very good book. In this book, Sam tackles so much in such a short amount of time. The material is accessible, relevant, and biblical. I picked up this book thinking it would provide me clarity of thought surrounding the modern gender and sexuality discussion. While this book does that, it provides so much more. Sam’s book is comprehensive. Sam talks about food, exercise, sleep, body shame, and much more. There were times I was moved to misty eyes as Sam pinpointed my own insecurities about my body and the beauty of God’s love and design. This book isn’t a theological get-over-it beatdown about issues of the body. Sam’s writing is quite possibly some of the most understanding and compassionate theology I’ve ever read. Sam gets it, and his grace and truth are perfectly mixed so that neither are sacrificed. I’d encourage you to pick this book up. It corrects your thinking around your own body. If you’ve got a teenager, I think it could be a good book to read together. Take it slow and don’t forget to discuss the material. Sam covers questions we all have, and I can guarantee our culture is demanding teens to ask. 4.5 out of 5

One Assembly Jonathan Leeman

In this book, Jonathan Leeman lays out the case for a Church being one local assembly. This book reexamines the modern American impulse towards multiservice and multisite church models. In many ways this book soars. One Assembly is short, thorough, and well-written. His arguments are compelling and biblical. Skeptics will find great value in the introduction and chapter three. His argument is at its best when he is engaging with the churches found in scripture. He carefully and concisely takes us to Corinth, Rome, Jerusalem, and many other locations to show us that as far as scripture is concerned a church is a singular assembly. Many reviews take issue with Leeman’s tone. He draws bright lines and is sarcastic at times. His repeated “picking a fight with Jesus” line is a bit much. I think Leeman is being a bit tongue-in-cheek. If you can handle getting poked, I think you can move past the potentially off-putting tone. The other major issue is that the book purports to take on multiservice churches, but it gets more of a sideswipe. Multisite bears the full brunt of Leeman’s argument. Overall, I think this book is very good. I’m compelled by his argument. I just wouldn’t be so sarcastic, and I wouldn’t draw such a bright line. 4 out of 5

The Intentional Father by Jon Tyson

This book seeks to equip and encourage fathers to not just let fatherhood happen to them. Jon has written in a way that is incredibly easy to read, making each chapter go by quickly. Each chapter is laced with Barna infographics that aid in painting the urgency of being an Intentional Father. The book is written with the teen years in mind to help dads guide their sons into manhood. At that, it does a great job. I found the exercises to be helpful as I think about who I want my son to become and then how to foster growth in that direction. It helped give me a vision for fatherhood. I have three slight drawbacks. First, Jon Tyson is a pastor, and yet the Biblical aspect of this book is lacking. Second, a lack of focus on early childhood. I would have loved even just a chapter on fathering an infant, toddler, or school-aged son. It’s not his focus, but I would have been grateful for the content. The last drawback is a lack of non-expensive examples. A lot of his examples of rites of passage or celebrations or the gap-year chapter are out of touch. Not many of us can spend thousands of dollars or take a months’ worth of vacation to hike through Spain with our sons. I see this as a big problem and, using himself as an example, he sets the bar impossibly high. He mentions that he’s a pastor and they are not typically well paid, but Jon is a pastor of a very large church in Manhattan who has written several books. This is probably my biggest gripe with the book, but with a little bit of imagination, it can be overcome. Not everything in this book is practical or doable for the average dad, but it’s a good starting point for dads to craft their own son’s pathway into manhood. 4.5 out of 5

Don’t Miss It by Reggie Joiner

This book goes back to my Youth and Children’s Pastor days. It is a short book 78 pages in total. Its format shortens the book even more. Half of the pages are summary graphics that could be read in about five minutes. The other half contains a couple of paragraphs each. I read the entire book in about 45 minutes. If you’re busy or not much of a reader this is a great resource. This book highlights the reality that we only have a short amount of time with our kids. It encourages us to stay engaged and not to miss any of the stages kids experience. The reality is that we only get 52 weeks with our newborn until he becomes a 1-year-old. Each stage has its challenges and blessings. We are called not to wish away the phases, but to be awake to what God is forming in each phase. This book ends with 3 helpful reminders and takeaways. This book is a good baseline for a new parent or a parent looking to do better. I’d recommend this book to new parents especially. It’s a good book to have on the shelf to reread as your kiddo grows. 5 out of 5

Prayer by John Onwuchekwa

This is a fine book on prayer. Nothing here will blow your mind or give you a silver bullet. This book is focused on the Lord's Prayer and the lost prayer meeting. It's a good short book for church leaders. 4 out of 5

Losing Our Religion by Russel Moore

This is the book of the moment for evangelical Christians. I know for many it contains hard truths and it will be disorienting. But for others like me, this book will put your thoughts and feelings over the past several years into words. The American evangelical church is a drift and being torn apart. Whether is the forces of Donald Trump, Christian nationalism, racial injustice, sexual predation, disgraced leaders, or cover-ups millions of believers are left wondering, can the church survive? Moore calls on all of us to “lose our religion”, to stop playing games, to see the ways we’ve twisted the gospel, and to return to Christ. He helps us avoid cynicism and complicity. Russell Moore has been put through political witch hunts and seen a denomination gaslight sexual abuse victims. He helps us navigate the uncomfortable questions. Does anyone really believe? Is there hope for the church? Was all this simply a power game? This is a book every evangelical should read. I found myself grieved to tears as Moore put into words my own discomfort with much of what passes for evangelicalism. And yet as long as there is Christ there is hope. 5 out of 5

Conversion by Michael Lawrence

What a good little book to refocus us on what we mean when we say conversion. Most chapters pit a false concept of conversion against the real deal. I found the format incredibly well done and helpful when reading. Lawrence seeks to rip away the over-individualized and commercial concepts of conversion that have been built up by the megachurch and seeker-sensitive movements. I at times found myself wondering where he was going but every time it was toward a more faithful understanding of conversion. 5 out of 5

Expositional Preaching by David R. Helm

This would be an excellent book for anyone just starting their ministry journey. Perhaps, if a church was running an internship program or wanted to run its elders through a preaching crash course. It is a brief and good overview of the task of preaching. For myself, I'd say this was a good book with several helpful reminders. I felt that David Helm took some potshots at devotional practices that were unnecessary. Reading for preaching and reading for devotion are two completely different things. In tearing down a historically rooted devotional practice he makes it seem as though a preacher can only engage scripture through rigorous study. It's certainly a balance, we don't want dusty preachers who are spiritually dry, but we also don’t want spiritual preachers lacking substance. That is my principal critic of the book. Otherwise like I said I think this is a great introductory resource for preaching and would recommend it as a resource. 4 out of 5

Revelation for the Rest of Us by Scot McKnight

I enjoyed McKnight's "A Church Called Tov" and thought I'd check out more of his work. There are parts of this book that are chef's kiss five star. On the other hand, there are parts that are bad. Let me start with the good. When it says "for the Rest of Us" it means it. There is a sanity to McKnight's approach that will be a balm to those weary of fundamentalist readings. McKnight shows us a different way of reading the book without diving into rank speculation. That part of the book is fantastic, and the appendices are great snapshots. This issue comes in for me in what I call getting too cute. McKnight tends to invent a new term or phrase for a concept and then beat it like a dead horse. If I never see the phrase dissident disciple again, I'd die a happy man. I swear there was a stretch where it seemed every sentence had "dissident disciple" in it somewhere. Some of the writing is prone to hyperbole and mischaracterization. His points about hymns vs spirituals were overstated. The spiritual point was apt, but it did not necessitate a hit-and-run of hymns. His point on militarism perhaps isn't fleshed out enough or simply doesn't rest in reality. He lists all of these massive casualty numbers from wars going back to the American Civil War and decries the carnage. Then he seems to suggest no real solution other than war is bad. Is the suggestion that bad actors should simply have free reign and Christian civil authorities should willing off up their populace as martyrs? It just smacked of middle school reasoning that war is bad with no real solution for the here and now. At times he seems to discredit the inspiration of the book, but then he reaffirms it. I think he overstates his points on reading Revelation like a fantasy novel to the great degradation of the scriptures. Part five of the book is highly political and while he does take some shots at progressives it’s far from an even split. He has some very valid concerns for conservative Christians but seems blind to the ways in which his cultural politics has shaped his entire reading of the book of Revelation. I could go on and on. In many ways this was a very good book, but the issues just started to stack up for me. The approach was a breath of fresh air, but started to stink as he got closer to application. 3.5 out of 5

Overall, this year I read good Christian books and some very disappointing books. There were books that challenged me, encouraged me, and provided me with clarity. If any of these books seemed good to you, I’d encourage you to seek them out. If you’re wondering about the other 35 books, I read this year I have reviews on my personal Goodreads account. Blessings on your 2024 TBR, may you never run out of books and always find a new favorite.