I read quite a few good Christian books in 2021. Here are seven of my favorites, plus a bonus book.

, by S. T. Antonio. What should a church composed of Muslim-background believers in Jesus look like? How contextualized can/should such a church be? Solid and readable Christian ecclesiology worked out in a Muslim context. See my with the author.

, by Michelle Lee-Barnewall. I found this book to be very grounding during a period of external turbulence. Insightful perspectives on a selection of Jesus’s parables by a woman who has a soft heart for her Savior.

, by David Needham. I can’t tell you how delighted I was to discover that one of my favorite college professors had written a book I didn’t know existed — and about the Book of Isaiah, at that! This book is perceptive, discerning, devotional, and, at the moment I’m writing, only 99 cents on Amazon Kindle.

, by Collin Hanson and John D. Woodbridge. Full disclosure: this was actually the second time I read this encouraging book. Hanson and Woodbridge draw us back to moments in history when God’s Spirit awakened his church and ushered many people into God’s kingdom.

, by Dane C. Ortlund. If the number of Amazon reviews is any indication, I’m not the only person who appreciated this book. Ortlund shepherds us into profound reflections on the heart of Christ, drawing upon Puritan authors as dialogue partners and guides.

, by Craig S. Keener. This book is not about miracles that occurred in the first century A.D. (see his outstanding two-volume tome for that). This book is about miracles that occur today. Reading accounts of so many attested miracle stories invigorated my faith. See my recent .

, by Andrew Peterson. Tantalizing reflections on creativity by an accomplished Christian songwriter and author. Reading this book made me want to go out and write something!

Bonus Recommendation:

, by Cal Newport. This final book is not a Christian book, per se. But since I am a Christian, and furthermore, since I benefitted in my Christian life from reading it, I am happy to recommend it alongside my other seven books. Newport spurred me to think about ways I could keep from getting sucked into “the hyperactive hive mind.â€

There you have it, my 7+1 favorite Christian books of 2021. Happy reading!

is my list for 2020.

is my list for 2019.

is my list for 2018.


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