Great Books from 2020 (and Beyond)
We love books. It would be a surprise to me that our team of staff writers and editors would not be voracious readers as well. With the conclusion of 2020 upon us, I asked our staff team to identify a “best of” list of books published in 2020. But knowing that our tendency can be towards what C.S. Lewis termed “chronological snobbery,” I also asked them to identify a “best book” they read this last year that was written by someone who is now with the Lord. By pairing our current reading with reading the words of saints with Christ, we can gain perspective on this present moment and be comforted by the truths of God that are for all time.
Great Books Published in 2020
The Rise and Triumph of The Modern Self: Cultural Amnesia, Expressive Individualism, and the Road to the Sexual Revolution, Carl R. Trueman, Crossway
“The Rise and Triumph is a book that will not only aid our apologetics and expose the brittle foundation on which secularism stands. It will also fuel our prayers and help us discern the best course for navigating our current cultural climate. I would say it has been one of the most informative and well-researched books I have read in years, one that I undoubtedly will be referencing for a long time.” - Zach Barnhart
Everyday Faithfulness: The Beauty of Ordinary Perseverance in a Demanding World, Glenna Marshall, Crossway
“Glenna wrote the book I wish I’d written. Too often, we assign the deep things of God to lofty moments of grandeur, yet what is required most often are the simple steps of faithfulness in the everyday moments of life. Everyday Faithfulness was a gentle grounding, a call to see the moments that matter that might otherwise pass by.” - Chris Thomas
Born Again This Way: Coming Out, Coming to Faith, and What Comes Next, Rachel Gilson, The Good Book Company
“I read this book cover to cover in one day. Gilson shares her own story with vulnerability and warmth, always pointing to what’s good, noble, and true. It’s memoir plus theology, grace plus truth. This book will serve those inside and outside the church well. Always Christ-exalting, always compassionate, always realistic. Biblically rich and so helpful.” - Jen Oshman
Talking Back to Purity Culture: Rediscovering Faithful Christian Sexuality, Rachel Joy Welcher, InterVarsity Press
“Rachel Joy Welcher carefully holds aspects of purity culture up to the light of Scripture to see which are given by God and reflect his holiness and which may be man-made and miss that mark. She also highlights the necessity of talking; of bringing into the light of community what has too long been kept in the darkness of isolation.” - Myra Dempsey
Enough about Me: Finding Lasting Joy in the Age of Self, Jen Oshman, Crossway
I loved the book so much because as Oshman tells her story of awakening to God’s gospel, she also tells my story. And although the details may be different, if Christ has captured your heart, she’s telling your story too. Jen Wilkin writes in the foreword, “What is more fulfilling than a life spent chasing self-actualization? A life spent giving glory to the God who transcends.” Enough about Me helps us embrace this paradoxical truth, the truth that we find life when we lay down our own to follow Jesus - Benjamin Vrbicek
Our Good Crisis: Overcoming Moral Chaos with the Beatitudes, Jonathan Dodson, InterVarsity Press
It’s no accident this book was published at the outset of the COVID-19 pandemic. Nor is it an accident given the political, racial, and economic chaos of our times. Dodson helps us to navigate the polarizing extremes of our times with the way of human flourishing that Jesus taught in his Sermon on the Mount. Few books are as timely as this one has been, and few are as wise as the insights here. - Jeremy Writebol
Gentle and Lowly: The Heart of Christ for Sinners and Sufferers, Dane Ortlund, Crossway
“I tweeted recently that any book lists this year that left Gentle and Lowly off was suspicious. I still hold to that. This book is profoundly glorious in that it takes us to Christ over and over again. In a year of anger, vitriol, and disorientation the humble, gentle posture of Christ stands in sharp relief.” - Jeremy Writebol
Christ and Calamity, Harold Senkbeil, Lexham Press
This year has brought a share of pain that has caused many to question everything. Harold Senkbeil provided a winsome and immediate salve to the wounds of 2020 by helping readers see the profound grace of Christ in the midst of the storms. With brief chapters, he takes us to the Savior who meets us and helps us in all our calamities. - Jeremy Writebol
Great Books From Saints With The Lord We Read in 2020
Holiness, J.C. Ryle
“J.C. Ryle’s writings sadly go unnoticed more than they should, perhaps because of the time he belonged to—sandwiched between the Reformers and Puritans and today’s modern writers. Yet Ryle was one of the clearest and most compelling voices that advocated for a theology that was not only biblically sound but experiential. Ryle cuts straight to the chase and helps us form a gospel-centered vision for being holy, as the Lord is holy. Ryle’s work is relevant, even prophetic, for the Church today, helping us grasp both the necessity and the possibility of holiness.” - Zach Barnhart
Lectures To My Students, Charles Spurgeon
2020 was the year that took us by surprise. Toward the middle of it, I felt myself feverishly treading water in an attempt to keep my head afloat, but floundering. I absent-mindedly picked up Lectures To My Students, and at once was transported into a comfortable chair beside an open fire while the kindly Mr. Spurgeon tended to my weary soul. His winsome wisdom and gentle rebuke was a grace from God when I needed it most. - Chris Thomas
Christian Worldview, Herman Bavinck (translated by Sutanto, Eglinton, and Brock), Crossway
Not an easy read, but worth the effort. Bavinck wrote in Holland over 100 years ago, but his view is one we need today, in an age when we believe we can be self-made and create reality in our own image. At bottom, Bavinck says, “It is only the Christian worldview that provides true harmony of self: true harmony between God and the world, God and self, and the self and the world…because Christ is the steward of creation and re-creation, of both nature and grace.” May we too, in the 21st century, gain an understanding and awe that Christ is our Creator and Re-Creator. - Jen Oshman
Great Doctrines of the Bible, Martyn Lloyd-Jones
Many have encountered systematic theology books that are dense and hard to follow, not so with Martyn Lloyd-Jones. This book is a compilation of lectures he gave on Friday nights to his church. Lloyd-Jones believed that studying doctrine should lead us to worship God: “The doctrines of the Bible are not a subject to be studied; rather we should desire to know them in order that, having known them, we may not be ‘puffed up’ with knowledge, and excited about our information, but may draw nearer to God in worship, praise, and adoration, because we have seen, in a fuller way that we have ever seen before, the glory of our wondrous God.” - James Williams
Treasury of David, Charles Spurgeon
In this three-volume compilation, Spurgeon provides an in-depth commentary on each chapter of the Psalms. Many regard this work as the most comprehensive and pastoral commentary written on the Psalms, and it has been called an “enduring classic,” a “superb literary achievement,” and described as Spurgeon’s “magnum opus.” Spurgeon weaves together faithful interpretation with deeply pastoral commentary on each of the Psalms, taking the reader on a journey that is both enriching and encouraging. - Lauren Bowerman
Christianity and Liberalism, J. Gresham Machen
More times this year than in previous years, I have repeated a conversation with family members and church members: At what point does progressive Christianity become something other than Christianity, or to use the words of Paul in Galatians, at what point does liberalism become another gospel? I found wise and even prophetic answers to this question in Machen’s classic. Although he wrote it nearly a hundred years ago, so much of the book reads as contemporary, biblical, and insightful about the current landscape of Christendom. - Benjamin Vrbicek
Out of the Silent Planet, C. S. Lewis
C. S. Lewis’s science fiction novel, Out of the Silent Planet is yet another showcase of the author’s unparalleled ability to create entire worlds—replete with vivid scenery and complex characters—which simultaneously jolt the reader with their novelty and illuminate our current culture (and individual hearts) with crystal clarity. - Myra Dempsey
The Pastor, Eugene Peterson:
In this book, Eugene writes about his life and formation as a pastor. Throughout the book, Eugene cleverly and clearly weaves gospel truths into his story and experiences, explaining in beautiful detail all that he learned over the years of his pastoral formation. His writing is peppered with stories from his childhood that have impactful and important themes and lessons woven in. This book provides a wealth of wisdom and encouragement to pastors and lay-people alike. - Lauren Bowerman
