The Collected Best Christian Books of 2016 | Tim Challies

For the past two weeks, my RSS feed has been buzzing with list after list of the best books of 2016. It seems like just about every avid reader I follow is eager to share their picks for the year that was. I love these lists and decided to compile them to look for patterns and repetitions. Here, then, are the Best Collected Christian Books of 2016. Each of these is from a blog or website that I regularly read.

updated Dec 19 with 3 more listings (scroll down)

You are reading: List of 2016 christian books

We’ll start with 7 titles that made it to at least 3 top 0f lists:

• none like him by jen wilkin (5)
• a peculiar glory by john piper (5)
• making sense of god by tim keller (5)
• you are what you love by james k.a. smith (4)
• hillbilly elegy by j.d. vance (4)
• the whole christ by sinclair b. ferguson (4)
• the fractured republic by yuval levin (3)
• do more better for me (3)

If you’re looking for something to read or something to buy as a gift, you probably can’t go wrong with either!

And now here are each of the lists of the best Christian books of 2016. You can visit the sites to read the basics or buy the books. alternatively, I have provided links to amazon.

gospel coalition (read their reviews)

• they say we’re unfaithful by mindy belz
• none like him by jen wilkin
• the life we ​​never expected by andrew and rachel wilson
• sensitive preaching to the sexually hurt by serious sam
• political church by jonathan leeman
• christopher hitchens faith by larry alex taunton
• strong and weak by andy crouch
• there is no god but one by nabeel qureshi

desiring god (read his reviews)

• the esv reader’s bible, crossway six volume set
• union with christ by rankin wilbourne
• c.s. lewis’s ‘mere christianity’: a biography of george marsden
• a peculiar glory of john piper
• there is no god but one by nabeel qureshi
• you are what you love by james k.a. smith
• dignity and destiny by john kilner
• the scars that have formed me by vaneetha rendall risner
• habits of grace by david mathis
• the vine project by colin marshall and tony payne
• living in the light by john piper
• what about free will? by scott christensen
• the family life of a christian leader by ajith fernando
• none like him by jen wilkin
• the radical children’s book by champ thorton
• dedicated to god by sinclair b. ferguson

kevin deyoung (read his reviews)

• initially it was the word by mark a. noll
• immutable testimony by s. Donald Fortson III and Rollin B. grams
• the enduring authority of christian scripture by d.a. carson, ed.
• hillbilly elegy by j.d. vance
• a biblical-theological introduction to the old testament by thousands v. van pelt, ed.
• a biblical-theological introduction to the new testament by michael j. kruger, ed.
• not tragically colored by ismael hernandez
• invoking the name of the lord by j. gary millar
• zeal without exhaustion by christopher ash
• the esv reader’s bible, six volume set by crossway

trevin wax (read his reviews)

• strong and weak by andy crouch
• carol and philip zaleski’s community
• miss prim’s awakening by natalie sanmartin fenollera
• making sense of god by tim keller
• they say we are unfaithful by mindy belz
• silence by shusaka endo
• silence and beauty by makoto fujirama
• good faith by david kinnaman and gabe lyons
• manalive! by gk chesterton
• happiness by randy alcorn
• the fractured republic by yuval levin

See Also: Margaret Peterson Haddix – New York Times Bestselling Author

jared c. wilson (read his reviews)

• the secret place of tana french
• the imperfect shepherd of zack eswine
• the cases that haunt us of john douglas and mark olshaker
• when people are big and god is small by ed welch
• me and the world by ta-nehisi coates
• hillbilly elegy by j.d. vance
• biblical authority after babel by kevin vanhoozer
• the kingdom of speech by tom wolfe
• the whole christ by sinclair b. ferguson
• silence by shusaka endo

erik raymond (read his reviews)

• tolerance intolerance by d. a. carson
• knowing the creeds of justin holcomb
• discipling mark dever
• a peculiar glory of john piper
• a place in time by wendell berry
• making more better by tim challies
• the life we ​​never expected by andrew and rachel wilson
• shining bride by evan welcher
• deep work by cal newport
• the whole christ by sinclair b. ferguson

david qaoud (read his reviews)

• kingdom named by amy l. sherman
• doing more better by tim challies
• living together by dietrich bonhoeffer
• walking with god through pain and suffering by timothy keller
• evangelization by j. mack stiles
• transforming grace by jerry bridges
• bird by bird by anne lamott
• god’s people mission by christopher wright
• the meaning of marriage by timothy keller
• preaching and preachers by martyn lloyd-jones

melissa kruger (read her reviews)

• none like him by jen wilkin
• praying together for megan hill
• a heart set free by christina fox
• waiting seasons by betsy childs howard
• humble roots by hannah anderson
• the radical children’s book by champ thorton
• precious remedies against satan’s devices by thomas brooks
• from garden to glory by courtney doctor
• 1 peter by jen wilkin

aaron armstrong (read his reviews)

• rooted by j.a. medders and brandon d. smith
• true worshipers by bob kauflin
• understanding the authority of the congregation by jonathan leeman
• time outlaws by n.d. wilson
• the saga of wingfeather by andrew peterson
• a tale of two cities by charles dickens
• as you wish by cary elwes
• between me and the world by ta-nehisi coates
• must say by martin short
• dc universe: rebirth by geoff johns, gary frank, et al.
• grayson vol 4 by tom king and tim seeley
• queen and country by greg rucka

russell moore (read his reviews)

• scriptural echoes in the gospels by richard b. hayes
• adventures in evangelical civility by richard j. mouw
• c.s. Lewis’s ‘Mere Christianity’: A Biography of George Marsden
• Love, Henri by Henri J.M. nouwen
• destroyer of the gods by larry w. stolen
• larry tye’s bobby kennedy
• yuval levin’s fractured republic
• a peculiar glory of john piper
• biblical authority after babel by kevin vanhoozer
• a little porch by wendell berry

andrew wilson (read his reviews)

• humble roots of hannah anderson
• christian dogmatics of michael allen and scott swain
• the persecuting god of josh ryan butler
• this is london by ben judah
• making sense of god by tim keller
• freed from the elements of the world by peter leithart
• the fractured republic by yuval levin
• inventing the individual by larry siedentop
• you are what you love by james k.a. smith
• none like him by jen wilkin

christine hoover (read her reviews)

• when breath becomes air by paul kalanthini
• none like him by jen wilkin
• the run of his life by jeffrey toobin
• the ology by marty machowski
• the residence by kate anderson brower
• being there by dave furman
• the nightingale by kristin hannah
• parting the waters by taylor branch
• tribe by sebastian junger
• unashamed by lecrae
• galatians for you by timothy keller
• unbroken by laura hlilenbrand

jen oshman (read her review)

• the heat of other suns by isabel wilkerson

See Also: Books We Love: Recommended reading for romance : NPR

steven kryger (read his reviews)

• jesus, continue… by j.d. greear
• you are what you love by james k.a. smith
• old ways, new power by daniel henderson
• god’s folly by nik ripken and gregg lewis
• pilgrim’s progress by john bunyan

jesse johnson (read his review)

• a peculiar glory of john piper

Christianity Today (read their full reviews and picks)

• making sense of god by tim keller
• crossing the waters by lesliefields
• saving the saved by bryan loritts
• how to preach and teach the old testament for all its worth by christopher wright
• the confessions of x by suzanne wolfe
• the promise of jesse woods by chris fabry
• kierkegaard: to life bachelor by stephen backhouse
• religion by kenneth woodward
• you are what you love by james k.a. smith
• seeking refuge by stephan bauman
• biblical authority after babel by kevin vanhoozer

me (read my reviews)

• sexual morality in a world without christ by matthew rueger
• married for god by christopher ash
• conscience by andy naselli & jd crowley
• sojourner songs by ben palpant
• black and reformed by anthony carter
• rescating the gospel by erwin lutzer
• for the glory by duncan hamilton
• the temple and tabernacle by j. daniel hays
• great beliefs by david helm
• fundamental christianity by michael horton
• when breath becomes air by paul kalanthini
• devoted to god by sinclair b. ferguson
• the whole christ by sinclair b. ferguson
• church history 101 by sinclair b. ferguson

al mohler (read his reviews)

I’ll add dr. Mohler’s list as well, though this isn’t so much a list of the year’s best as a list of recommended winter reading.

• hero of the empire by candice millard
• a torch that william f. buckley jr.
• the quest for power by richard j. evans
• hillbilly elegy by j.d. vance
• pearl harbor by craig nelson
• true believer by kati marton
• the earth is crying by peter cozzens
• religion by kenneth me woodward
• the new york times book of the dead by william mcdonald, ed.
• the general vs. the president by h.w. brands

sam storms (read his reviews)

• the invisible realm by michael s. heiser
• supernatural by michael s. heiser
• the enduring authority of christian scripture by d.a. carson, ed.
• the unfinished reformation by gregg allison and chris castaldo
• why the reformation matters by michael reeves and tim chester
• talking to catholics about the gospel by chris castaldo
• making sense of god by timothy keller
• progressive covenantalism by stephen j. Wellum and Brent E. parker, ed.
• the kingdom of god through god’s covenants by peter j. Gentry and Stephen J. wellum, ed.
• bearing false witness by rodney stark
• a peculiar glory by john piper
• when god is not there by david bowden
• scriptural echoes in the gospels by richard hays
• and free will? by scott christensen

mike leae (read his reviews)

• make more better by tim challies
• under the unpredictable plant by eugene peterson
• heroes and monsters by josh riebock
• designed to lead by eric geiger and kevin peck
• bible church revival by brian croft
• a hobbit, a wardrobe and a great war by joseph loconte
• church that disappears by mark sayers
• the president and the assassin by scott miller
• elegy hillbilly by j.d. vance
• the whole christ by sinclair b. ferguson

derek rishmawy (read his reviews)

See Also: Kendra Elliot – Book Series In Order

• Who will climb the mountain of the Lord? by l michael morales
• fleming rutledge’s crucifixion
• making sense of god by timothy keller
• fred sanders’ triune god
• freed from the elements of the universe by peter leithart