As you know, I like to do my best to sort through the new Christian books that are released each month to see what stands out as being not only new, but also particularly notable. I received quite a number of new titles in March and narrowed the list down to the ones below. I have included the editorial description for each. I hope there’s something here that catches your eye!

Cloud of Witnesses: A Treasury of Prayers and Petitions through the Ages, edited by Jonathan W. Arnold & Zachariah M. Carter. “Throughout history, Christians have sought guidance to bolster their spiritual walk with Christ and life of prayer. Even Christ’s disciples would ask, “Lord, teach us to pray” (Luke 11:1). But in our current individualistic culture, it’s almost too easy to neglect the wisdom of those who came before us. To restore a love of historic Christian tradition, theology, and practice, this comprehensive anthology combines prayers and petitions of the greatest figures throughout the formation of the church, continuing through the medieval, Reformation, and modern eras. Editors Jonathan W. Arnold and Zachariah M. Carter provide context for each prayer through expert introductions, commentary, and biographical explorations. Ultimately readers will be encouraged in their faith as they learn the importance of prayer and witness the hearts and struggles of the saints.” (Buy it at Amazon)

Rebel to Your Will: A Story of Abuse, Father Hunger and Gospel Hope by Sean Demars. “Emotional and raw, Sean DeMars tells his story of a life turned around. It is a tale of two families: one scarred by brokenness, another renewed by grace. In his storytelling, the tragedy and horror of his early years are punctuated with the beauty of restoration evident in the life he now leads. Abandoned by a father and abused by a mother, his search for a father finds a home with the King of heaven who graces him with love and sonship. Follow his journey through abuse, drugs and prison, across the battlefield and mission field and into marriage, family and ministry in this personal, engaging and honest testament to God’s grace. As his life and his church are turned around, their stories become a platform to display how God chooses the nothings of the world. His story is the story of every sinner saved by grace: once a victim and rebel, now redeemed and reconciled.” (Buy it at Amazon or Westminster Books)

Make the Most of Your Productivity: A Guide to Honoring God with Your Time by Ana Ávila. “Many people today idolize achievement, driven by validation, status, or financial gain. Others lack self-discipline and motivation altogether. How can Christians pursue healthy, biblical goal-setting that avoids extremes? In this user-friendly guide, Ana Ávila teaches 6 principles to help you honor God with all you have and reflect his character through your creativity. Along with a gospel-centered perspective on life, you’ll learn skills to increase efficiency, such as forming healthy habits, using productivity tools, creating tasks and projects, and more. Whether you are achievement-oriented or struggle with discipline, Ávila will show you how to reorient your time, boundaries, decisions, focus, habits, and tools around God’s main design for productivity: serving him and helping others.” (Buy it at Amazon)

Ask Pastor John: 750 Bible Answers to Life’s Most Important Questions by Tony Reinke. “Navigating the Christian life in a secular world will inevitably stir questions in the lives of thoughtful believers. Motivated by the need for sound biblical advice, Ask Pastor John was created, a podcast featuring pastor-theologian and bestselling author John Piper’s answers to audience-proposed questions about life’s toughest topics. Podcast episodes have been played over 230 million times and have become a staple in the lives of Christians around the world. In this unique book, Ask Pastor John host Tony Reinke summarizes and organizes ten years of their most insightful and popular episodes into accessible, thematic sections. Readers will be able to quickly and systematically access Piper’s insights on hundreds of topics including Bible reading, dating, social media, mental health, and more. We discover afresh how asking good questions strengthens faith and grows our understanding of God’s word.” (Buy it at Amazon or Westminster Books)

A Call to Contentment: Pursuing Godly Satisfaction in a Restless World by David Kaywood. “While the Bible not only encourages contentment, but commands it, it can feel like a vague, fleeting, unachievable goal. David Kaywood’s helpful book begins by moulding our understanding of what it means to be content. Do you find yourself worrying, coveting, grumbling, giving way to unrighteous anger, or dwelling unhealthily on the past or the future? You might be discontent – and it might be leading you into all sorts of other sins. He tackles three common areas of discontentment – money and possessions; pain and suffering; success and work – and digs into the reality of our desires. Ultimately, Kaywood invites readers to focus on Jesus: the God who became poor for us and suffered for us, and who calls us to work for him. The final chapter includes eight rules for contentment. These are practical steps you can take to increase the godly satisfaction in your life. The book also includes discussion questions to guide conversations on these issues with friends. If you are looking to live a life of contentment, start by reading this book.” (Buy it at Amazon or Westminster Books)

Hebrews: A Mentor Commentary by Robert J Cara. “New Testament professor Robert J. Cara’s addition to the Mentor Commentary series highlights the timely message of Hebrews to persevere in Christ. Bringing a particularly Reformed viewpoint, Robert J. Cara underscores the presentation of Jesus as the Son and high priest. In a letter written to encourage and exhort the believers, Cara uncovers how the superior person and superior work of Jesus is broadcast loud and clear to draw back hearts tempted to drift from this glorious reality. Cara’s love for studying God’s word shines through this comprehensive and clarifying commentary. He connects God’s word to God’s world and brings each section to a close by culminating with a personal reflection that encourages us to delight in and absorb the glorious truth on display. An essential guide to understanding, enjoying and applying Hebrews; rediscover the supremacy of Christ and respond with rekindled affection.” (Buy it at Amazon or Westminster Books)

ESV Systematic Theology Study Bible: Theology Rooted in the Word of God. “Theology should, first and foremost, be rooted in God’s Word. In order to develop a solid understanding of God, humanity, sin, salvation, and eternity, the ESV Systematic Theology Study Bible explores the doctrines of the Christian faith and how they arise from the pages of Scripture. In this expanded edition, notes from the ESV Student Study Bible provide additional insight into the biblical text and make studying systematic theology easier than ever. Over 400 in-text mini-articles connect Christian beliefs to specific Bible passages, 25 articles explain important theological topics in greater depth, and introductions highlight the unique ways each book contributes to the whole of Christian theology. This resource will help Christians better connect what they believe about God with the very words of Scripture, strengthening their confidence in the truths of his Word.” (Buy it at Amazon or Westminster Books)

The Return of the Kingdom: A Biblical Theology of God’s Reign by Stephen Dempster. “The biblical story begins and ends with God as king. Human beings rebel, however, rather than fulfilling their royal calling to rule creation on behalf of their Sovereign–and the world became enslaved to the rule of a dark, serpentine lord. In this volume of IVP Academic’s Essential Studies in Biblical Theology, Stephen Dempster traces the themes of kingship and kingdom throughout Scripture, illuminating the challenges, pain, and ultimate hope that the Bible offers. The story of God’s kingship is ultimately the fulfillment of a promise, a promise to restore the rightful rule of humanity over creation by defeating sin and death and to establish a world of peace and justice. Essential Studies in Biblical Theology (ESBT), edited by Benjamin L. Gladd, explore the central or essential themes of the Bible’s grand storyline. Taking cues from Genesis 1-3, authors trace the presence of these themes throughout the entire sweep of redemptive history. Written for students, church leaders, and laypeople, the series offers an introduction to biblical theology.” (Buy it at Amazon or Westminster Books)

Defeating Evil: How God Glorifies Himself in a Dark World by M. Scott Christensen. “Revised, adapted, and condensed for a broader audience, this companion edition to Scott Christensen’s lauded What about Evil? shows how sin, evil, corruption, and death fit into redemptive history. Exploring the storyline of Scripture and addressing practical concerns, Christensen shows that God’s ultimate end in creation is to maximize his glory before his image-bearers by defeating evil through Christ’s atoning work.” John MacArthur says this about it: “The problem of evil is widely considered the hardest of all theological conundrums: If God is omnipotent, sovereign, and good, why does evil exist? Where did it come from? Why does it persist, if a benevolent God has the power to eliminate it? Scripture is full of truths that shed light on those questions, and Scott Christensen skillfully brings them together in this helpful, insightful, and ultimately satisfying analysis. As a matter of fact, the ultimate biblical answer to the problem of evil is condensed and implied in this book’s title and subtitle: Defeating Evil: How God Glorifies Himself in a Dark World. I don’t know of a better or more readable unfolding of that truth than Scott’s excellent, well-written work.” (Buy it at Amazon or Westminster Books)

A Short Guide to Gospel Generosity: Giving as an Act of Grace by Nathan W. Harris. “We live in a possession and money obsessed culture. The normal American has far more than they need, yet still feel incredibly insecure, needing to grasp it all tightly and continue to gain more. This isn’t just true with our acquisition of things, but also in the way we approach all resources that God has given to us: our time, gifts and talents, our families, and our lives themselves. What is the solution to this problem? Throughout Gospel Generosity you will see how the answer to our obsession with possessions is turning to the Gospel. It’s only in the Gospel can we find the type of life transformation that enables us to turn our focus from ourselves to others, to give generously, and follow the way of Christ. God has modeled generosity throughout redemptive history, culminating in the gift of His Son, and this sacrificial generosity is the basis of true gospel generosity. Readers of this book will be called to consider all of their resources and gifts from God that are to be held loosely, ready to be used for God’s purposes. Everything is His anyway.” (Buy it at Amazon)

Pivot Points: Adventures on the Road to Christian Contentment by Marvin Olasky. “Whenever we pivot in life, freedom from fear requires either a colossal ego or a colossal God. Ego leads us to grab what is not ours. The path to contentment starts with faith in God. In this sequel to Lament for a Father, Marvin Olasky first describes his journey from Judaism to atheism to Marxism to Christ and then his adventures in evangelical, conservative, compassionate, and journalistic circles.” (Buy it at Amazon or Westminster Books)

As another year draws to a close, I wanted to take some time to consider the books I read in 2023 and to assemble a list of my top picks. Apart from the first book, which I consider the best I read this year, the rest are in no particular order. In each case I’ve included a brief excerpt from my review. (You can read my reviews of these books and many others here.)

Reforming Criminal Justice: A Christian Proposal by Matthew Martens. I rank this as the best largely because it got me to think about things I’ve never really considered before and pushed me to think about them in a distinctly Christian way. Most of us probably assume that the criminal justice system in our country is generally sound. We may believe that it needs some tweaks here and there. We may understand that because it exists in a fallen world it will in some ways reflect the sins and weaknesses of the people who control and oversee it. But rarely do we pause to ask questions like this: If we had to design a criminal justice system from scratch and do so in a way that is consistent with Scripture, what might it look like? What principles would we embed within it? And how closely would it resemble the system we currently have? These are the question this fascinating book answers from a distinctly Christian perspective. (Buy it at Amazon or Westminster Books; read my review)

Digital Liturgies: Rediscovering Christian Wisdom in an Online Age by Samuel James. Samuel James’ Digital Liturgies is meant to help you think about digital technologies and the social internet they enable. For these are not harmless or inconsequential tools. Neither can they be exactly compared to any tools that we have previously experienced in human history, for they alone provide a “disembodied electronic environment that we enter through connected devices for the purpose of accessing information, relationships, and media that are not available to us in a physical format.” Our use of these technologies and our increasing immersion in them essentially brings us into a whole new kind of world in which we leave aside so much of what makes us who we are. (Buy it at Amazon or Westminster Books; read my review)

David Livingstone: Missionary, Explorer, Abolitionist by Vance Christie. There are some historical figures whose every sin seems to get overlooked and whose every virtue seems to get amplified. Conversely, there are other historical figures whose every virtue seems to get overlooked and whose every sin seems to get amplified. I would place the modern understanding of David Livingstone squarely in the latter category. Though he was most certainly a flawed individual, it seems that today he is known only for those flaws rather than for his many strengths. It’s for this reason that Vance Christie’s weighty new biography of Livingstone is so timely and so important. (Buy it at Amazon or Westminster Books; read my review)

Timothy Keller: His Spiritual and Intellectual Formation by Collin Hansen. I wasn’t expecting to enjoy this book as much as I did. I enjoy reading a good biography as much as anyone, but was perhaps a bit skeptical about a book that, instead of focusing on an individual’s life and accomplishments, instead describes his spiritual and intellectual formation. Yet what could have been a mite dry was actually very compelling. Whether you have been influenced by Keller or not, whether you admire him or not, I believe you will enjoy this account of his life framed around his intellectual and spiritual development. Told through the pen of an especially talented a writer, it is a fascinating and compelling narrative. It may just get you thinking about who has formed you and compel you to praise God for the people, the preachers, the books, and the organizations that have made you who you are. (Buy it at Amazonor Westminster Books; read my review)

The Gender Revolution: A Biblical, Biological and Compassionate Response by Patricia Weerakoon, Robert Smith, and Kamal Weerakoon. This is a book that has been written to provide a biblical, biological, and compassionate response to the modern day gender ideology that has been flooding our world and sweeping away so many victims. It is written by a fascinating combination of authors: Patricia Weerakoon who is a now-retired medical doctor, counsellor, sex therapist, speaker, writer and academic; Kamal Weerakoon (Patricia’s son) who is a missions director at a Presbyterian church; and Robert Smith who is a long-time lecturer in theology, ethics and music ministry at Sydney Missionary & Bible College. (Buy it at Amazon or Westminster Books; read my review)

Remaking the World: How 1776 Created the Post-Christian West by Andrew Wilson. The book’s big idea is that the year “1776, more than any other year in the last millennium, is the year that made us who we are.” In this case, the “us” refers to those who live in what we might call the modern, industrialized West. I very much enjoyed reading Remaking the World. It is an enjoyable book, a well-paced book, and one written with verve. It takes on an audacious thesis and, as far as I can tell (even while admitting I’m entirely unqualified to judge), one the author defends well. I think you’re likely to enjoy it just as much as I did. (Buy it at Amazon or Westminster Books; read my review)

Memorable Loss: A Story of Friendship in the Face of Dementia by Karen Martin. This is Karen Martin’s account of the days from immediately prior to her friend Kathleen’s diagnosis of dementia all the way to her passing. It explains Alzheimer’s and dementia and shows how though they necessarily reduce the patient’s capacities, they do not reduce her personhood. It tells of some of the trials that caretakers must endure and some of the agonizing decisions they need to make on behalf of the one they love. And it does all of this through the highest quality of prose. It’s an achingly beautiful account that leaves the reader groaning with the sorrow of this world but rejoicing in its delights and longing for the day when death and mourning, when crying and pain, will have passed away. (Buy it at Amazon or Westminster Books; read my review)

You Are Still a Mother: Hope for Women Grieving a Stillbirth or Miscarriage by Jackie Gibson. There is no path through this life that does not involve hardship. There is no path through this life that does not involve sorrow and loss. One of the most common sorrows, the most common losses, is that of a child who dies through miscarriage or stillbirth. So many parents are familiar with the agony of losing a child they never truly got to know, yet loved with their whole heart. Writing specifically for mothers who have become members of a club that no one wants to join, Jackie Gibson’s message to them is this: You are still a mother. (Buy it at Amazon or Westminster Books; read my review)

Among my responsibilities as an elder/pastor within a local church is meeting with people to offer counsel and guidance. I have never lost the wonder of being given so sobering a privilege—to listen to people as they share their deep sorrows or ask their big questions and to then attempt to bring the Word of God to bear in wisdom, comfort, and direction.
I recently spent some time pondering the situations that seem to arise on a regular basis. While some circumstances are entirely unique, many more have a number of similarities between them. And as I pondered these, I realized that the most common counsel I offer is this: Stop thinking in terms of “should” and “ought” and start thinking in terms of “wise” and “want.”
When Christians meet trials and difficulties or when they come to hard decisions or forks in the road, they naturally want to know “How do I please God in this situation?” This is a wonderful instinct and a very good question to ask. Christians should always be concerned to do what God commands and to avoid what God forbids. I love to hear, “I want to honor God in my decision. I want to bring glory to him in my situation.”
Yet in most of life, God does not give us clear commands. A parent may tell his child, “go and play in the yard.” The parent doesn’t care what game the child plays, as long as he stays inside the fence. And kind of like that, God sets the moral boundaries and then gives us great freedom within them. We like to ask “should” questions: Should I join this church or that one? Should I go to this college or that one? Should I pursue this potential spouse or that one? Should I have this number of children or that number? We use the word “should” very naturally when we ask such questions, yet that word can trip us up because it implies that there is some level of moral rightness and wrongness in our situation, that there is one way that will please God and other that will displease him—one way that will gain his blessing and another that will lead to some kind of negative consequence. We then look for clear guidance from God and hesitate when we fail to receive it.
Something I often say is “What if God doesn’t really care?” I am deliberately overstating the matter and need to explain myself, of course. But what I mean to convey is that God may not be too concerned about which decision you make—not concerned enough, that is, to reveal it to you. After all, God is our Father and a father supports his children. If a dad tells his child to go out in the yard and play, he doesn’t want his child to plead to tell him whether to play tag, hide-and-seek, or catch. He just wants his child to play—to play whatever game delights his heart in that moment.
God wants us to live. He wants us to make our own decisions.Share
And like that, God wants us to live. He wants us to make our own decisions. He provides the boundaries of his will in those matters the Bible makes clear, but then leaves it to us to operate according to wisdom and desire. He leaves it to us to evaluate the wisest course of action and then to consider our desires—wisdom and desires that have been shaped by the Word and molded by the Spirit.
And so my most common pastoral counsel is designed to help people stop thinking they need to make their decisions on the basis of what they should do or ought to do but to instead make decisions on the basis of what’s wise and what they want. Observing that they have inadvertently made the moral will of God much more expansive than it actually is, I help them see how they are already within the boundaries of what God has revealed and that he is now pleased to give them freedom—freedom to choose many different paths and be sure of his blessing no matter which one they take. In other words, they need to stop thinking in terms of “should” and “ought” and start thinking in terms of “wise” and “want.”