Books for your Christmas list

Great books should be on the Christmas list of every Christian who can read. Podcasts and videos are helpful (and much shorter) but books can allow you to go deep on important subjects and think well about them. As Philippians 4:8 says, “whatever is true, whatever is honourable, whatever is just, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is commendable, if there is any excellence, if there is anything worthy of praise, think about these things.” To help you give (and ask for) good books, I’ve put together this list, with two suggestions for each topic.

My apologies to those of you who love biographies or fiction: I haven’t included any of these because it felt harder to choose just two of each, especially when people’s tastes are so different (though I would without hesitation choose Gilead by Marilynne Robinson and The Lord of The Rings by J.R.R. Tolkien in the fiction category).

I’ve read most of the books on this list and the others have been recommended by people I trust. Only the Bible is perfect so don’t expect that any of the other books here will be but I do think there is plenty in each of them to help you grow in your knowledge and love of God.

Apologetics
The Reason for God, Timothy Keller
If God, Then What?, Andrew Wilson

The Bible
How to Read the Bible for All Its Worth, Gordon D. Fee and Douglas Stuart
Why Trust the Bible?, Amy Orr-Ewing

Children: pre-school
The Jesus Storybook Bible, Sally Lloyd-Jones
Tales That Tell The Truth series, from The Good Book Company

Children: primary school
Hands-On Bible 365 Devotions for Kids, Jennifer Hooks
The Action Bible, Doug Mauss and Sergio Cariello

Christian Living
Desiring God, John Piper
You Are What You Love, James K.A. Smith

Church
What On Earth is the Church For?, David Devenish
The Spirit-Filled Church, Terry Virgo

Daily readings
For The Love of God, D.A. Carson
Morning and Evening, Charles Spurgeon

Devotion
The Weight of Glory, C.S. Lewis
The Pursuit of God, A.W. Tozer

God
The Good God, Michael Reeves
None Like Him, Jen Wilkin

Habits 
Your Future Self Will Thank You, Drew Dyck
Celebration of Discipline, Richard Foster

Holy Spirit 
Surprised by the Power of the Spirit, Jack Deere
Everyday Supernatural, Mike Pilavachi and Andy Croft

Humility
 Humble Roots, Hannah Anderson
Humility, Andrew Murray

Guidance 
All That’s Good, Hannah Anderson
Just Do Something, Kevin DeYoung

Jesus 
Christ Our Life, Michael Reeves
Simply Jesus, Tom Wright

Leadership 
Hero Maker, Dave Ferguson
Replenish, Lance Witt

Marriage 
You and Me Forever, Francis and Lisa Chan
The Meaning of Marriage, Timothy and Kathy Keller

Miracles 
Surprised By the Power of the Spirit, Jack Deere
The Case for Miracles, Lee Strobel

Mission 
Global Humility, Andy McCulloch
The Mission of God, Christopher J.H. Wright

Money
Money, Possessions and Eternity, Randy Alcorn
Consumer Detox, Mark Powley

Parenting 
Raising Faith, Katharine Hill and Andy Frost
The Parenting Book, Nicky and Sila Lee

Prayer 
How to Pray, Pete Greig
A Praying Life, Paul E. Miller

Sexuality and Gender 
People to Be Loved, Preston Sprinkle
God and the Transgender Debate, Andrew Walker

Singleness 
7 Myths about Singleness, Sam Allberry
Redeeming Singleness, Barry Danylak

Suffering 
God on Mute, Pete Greig
The Life You Never Expected, Andrew and Rachel Wilson

Technology
The Tech-Wise Family, Andy Crouch
12 Ways Your Phone is Changing You, Tony Reinke

Work
Thank God It’s Monday, Mark Greene
Every Good Endeavour, Timothy Keller