13 Books for Summer Reading

Jun 10

The longer days and flexibility of summertime provide a great opportunity for extra reading.

Summer is also an opportune time to get out of your normal genres and dive into books outside of your comfort zone, like biographies or classics.

With that in mind, I’ve rounded up some faith-based books for summer reading. This selection includes both books I’ve recently read and those I hope to read this summer.

I’ve organized them into four categories: contemporary, biographics, classics, and children.

Contemporary

5 Lies of Our Anti-Christian Age
By Rosaria Butterfield

“Modern culture is increasingly outspoken against a biblical understanding of what it means to be a woman. Even some Christians, swayed by the LGBTQ+ movement, have rejected God’s word on issues of sexuality and gender in favor of popular opinion. In light of these pressures, it’s more important than ever to help women see the truth about who God created them to be.

“In this powerful book, Rosaria Butterfield uses Scripture to confront 5 common lies about sexuality, faith, feminism, gender roles, and modesty often promoted in our secular culture today. Written in the style of a memoir, this book explores Butterfield’s personal battle with these lies—interwoven with cultural studies, literary criticism, and theology—to help readers see the beauty in biblical womanhood, marriage, and motherhood.”

Strange New World: How Thinkers and Activists Redefined Identity and Sparked the Sexual Revolution
By Carl R. Trueman

“How did the world arrive at its current, disorienting state of identity politics, and how should the church respond? Historian Carl R. Trueman shows how influences ranging from traditional institutions to technology and pornography moved modern culture toward an era of “expressive individualism.” Investigating philosophies from the Romantics, Nietzsche, Marx, Wilde, Freud, and the New Left, he outlines the history of Western thought to the distinctly sexual direction of present-day identity politics and explains the modern implications of these ideas on religion, free speech, and personal identity.

“For fans of Trueman’s The Rise and Triumph of the Modern Self, Strange New World offers a more concise presentation and application of some of the most critical topics of our day.”

Impossible Christianity: Why Following Jesus Does Not Mean You Have to Change the World, Be an Expert in Everything, Accept Spiritual Failure, and Feel Miserable Pretty Much All the Time
By Kevin DeYoung

“The apostle Paul described the Christian life as a race, but to many believers it feels more like a punishing obstacle course. Fearing they’ll never be able to do enough or give enough or be enough, they see themselves as spiritual failures. But Scripture offers good news: even in ordinary life, Christians can be faithful, fruitful, and pleasing to God.

“Impossible Christianity reassures readers that they don’t need to feel a collective sense of guilt for sins in the past and solve every societal problem in the present. Through biblical wisdom and engaging personal stories, Kevin DeYoung challenges the misconception that we need 40 hours in the day just to be good Christians. By reflecting on what Jesus actually taught about Christian discipleship, readers will be newly encouraged to pursue single-minded devotion to God and find lasting joy in a life of sincere and simple obedience.”

Life in the Negative World: Confronting Challenges in an Anti-Christian Culture
By Aaron M. Renn

“Learning how to live in today's new social and cultural environment will require examination, trial and error, and adaptation over time. But there are ways to live with integrity and follow Christ today, even in a negative world.

“From a peak in church attendance in the mid-20th century, Christianity has been on a trajectory of decline in the United States. Once positive toward Christianity and Christian moral teachings, cultural shifts toward the mid-90s led many to adopt a more neutral tone toward the Christian faith, seeing it as one option among many in a pluralistic public square. Today, however, Christianity is viewed negatively, and being known as a Christian often means a lower social status in elite society. Christian morality is openly repudiated and viewed as a threat to the new moral order.

“In Life in the Negative World, author Aaron M. Renn looks at the lessons from Christian cultural engagement over the past 70 years and suggests specific strategies for churches, institutions, and individuals to live faithfully in the "negative" world—a culture opposed to Christian values and teachings. And since there is no one-size-fits-all solution, living as a follower of Christ in the new, negative world and being missionally engaged will require a diversity of strategies.”

Biographies

The Man Who Moved a Mountain
By Richard C. Davids

“This is the definitive biography of Reverend Bob Childress of the Blue Ridge Mountains. Often compared to Mark Twain's tales of the Mississippi, the style and the text show, with stark clarity, the transforming effects Childress and his ministry had on the rough and wild mountain communities of this section of Virginia.”

The Pastor of Kilsyth
By Islay Burns

“The Pastor of Kilsyth introduces us to the life and ministry of William Hamilton Burns (1779–1859), the father of the better known preacher and missionary to China William Chalmers Burns (1815–68). But while eclipsed in fame by his son, the life and ministry of William H. Burns contains much that is of value to us today. This is reflected by Iain Murray who referred to The Pastor of Kilsyth as a ‘little known work,’ but notwithstanding this said it is ‘one of the best Scottish ministerial biographies.’ Those who give time to read this book will undoubtedly be led to agree with Murray.

“The author of The Pastor of Kilsyth was another son of William H. Burns, Islay Burns (best known as a writer, and as the successor to Robert Murray M‘Cheyne in Dundee). He gave three reasons for writing this biography, and they are still helpful in outlining its value. Islay Burns first said that he aimed to introduce his readers to a ‘humble, unobtrusive, loving, cheerfully serious, and quietly conscientious country clergyman.’ What we have here then is the life of an ‘ordinary’ faithful pastor. He held no prestigious pulpit, he held no important professorship in theology. He founded no institution. He simply laboured in relative obscurity, but did so faithfully and with perseverance. Yes, he ultimately saw great revival. But along the way there were spiritually discouraging days in the nation, there was personal hardship (for example, the early death of children) and sacrifice (for example, in supporting the founding of the Free Church of Scotland he gave up his manse and church building) and years of no great visible fruit.

“In our celebrity-driven age (from which the evangelical church is far from exempt), this is exactly the kind of life we need to study. We need to be reminded of the beauty, dignity and ultimately the glory of humble, obscure Christian service (Matt. 10:42). Yes, we need the towering leaders of men like John Calvin and John Knox. However, the great work of the church is ultimately carried forward by those who receive little earthly reward and recognition (but great is their reward in heaven!). William H. Burns was one of these, and we need many like him in our day.”

Becoming Elisabeth Elliot
By Ellen Vaughn

“Elisabeth Elliot was a young missionary in Ecuador when members of a violent Amazonian tribe savagely speared her husband Jim and his four colleagues. Incredibly, prayerfully, Elisabeth took her toddler daughter, snakebite kit, Bible, and journal . . . and lived in the jungle with the Stone-Age people who killed her husband. Compelled by her friendship and forgiveness, many came to faith in Jesus.

“This courageous, no-nonsense Christian went on to write dozens of books, host a long-running radio show, and speak at conferences all over the world. She was a pillar of coherent, committed faith; a beloved and sometimes controversial icon. In this authorized biography, Becoming Elisabeth Elliot, bestselling author Ellen Vaughn uses Elisabeth’s private, unpublished journals, and candid interviews with her family and friends, to paint the adventures and misadventures God used to shape one of the most influential women in modern church history. It’s the story of a hilarious, sensual, brilliant, witty, self-deprecating, sensitive, radical, and surprisingly relatable person utterly submitted to doing God’s will, no matter how high the cost. For Elisabeth, the central question was not, “How does this make me feel?” but, simply, “is this true?” If so, then the next question was, “what do I need to do about it to obey God?””

Classics

Holiness
By J.C. Ryle

“Holiness: Its Nature, Hindrances, Difficulties, and Roots is perhaps J. C. Ryle’s best-known and, arguably, best-loved book. Although many things have changed since 1877, when this book was first published, one thing remains the same: ‘real practical holiness does not receive the attention it deserves.’ It was to remedy this attention deficit, and to counter false teaching on this most important subject, that Ryle took up his pen.

“The twenty-one chapters in this enlarged edition highlight:

The real nature of holiness
The temptations and difficulties which all must expect who pursue it
The life-transforming truth that union with Christ is the root of holiness
The immense encouragement Jesus Christ holds out to all who strive to be holy.

“Holiness, as with all of Ryle’s works, is clear and concise, penetrating and practical.”

A Little Book on the Christian Life
By John Calvin

“For centuries, Christians of all ages have turned to John Calvin's A Little Book on the Christian Life to help them on their journey as they follow Christ. This book is one of the great classics of the Christian faith, calling believers to pursue holiness and endure suffering as they rest in Christ alone.

“In this new translation from the Latin, Drs. Aaron Denlinger and Burk Parsons capture Calvin's biblical faithfulness, theological integrity, and pastor's heart. This is a book for every Christian to pick up, read, and apply.”

The Lord’s Day
By Joseph A. Pipa Jr.

“Joseph Pipa is known for his warm pastoral application of tough scriptural principles. Here, he takes an authoritative look at the ‘first day’ – the one set aside by the church for worship. This is an area of Church practice in which we find liberal interpretations practiced by evangelical churches and vice versa – often without too much thought involved and an emphasis upon what ‘feels’ right.

“Many of these issues are considered unclear, optional, divisive - with the unhealthy result that we tend to avoid the subject altogether.

“Are we missing out on God’s blessing by the way we celebrate the Lord’s Day - are we too legalistic, too lax? Is the Spirit grieved by our disrespect to God or frustrated by our thralldom to unnecessary restrictions? These and other questions are answered in The Lord’s Day.”

Children

The Family Pilgrim’s Progress
By Jean Watson

“Once upon a time, there was a man called Christian who lived in the City of Destruction with his wife and four children. One day he found a book that sent him on a dangerous adventure to save his life... Bunyan's beloved tale is a parable of the Christian life and has been a treasured resource for centuries. Jean Watson's modern-day translation opens his classic for this generation. Edition includes special features that explain the meaning of the various adventures and illuminate Bunyan's world and thought.”

Light Keepers: Ten Boys Box Set
By Irene Howat

“The stories of Billy Graham, C.S. Lewis, Martin Luther and many others are brought to life by award–winning author Irene Howat. Each book contains the stories of ten boys who grew up to be used by God in amazing ways. Readers will not only be amazed at the bravery, cleverness and faith of these boys, but will be inspired to look to the God who worked through each of them.

“The books contain ten easy to read chapters of equal length. Each character’s chapter begins with an incident or memory from their childhood, reminding the reader that people who grew up to do amazing things were once children just like them. The chapters have a fact file, a keynote, a think spot and a prayer to help think through and apply what has been learned in the chapter. The books also conclude with a quiz to see how much the reader remembers.”

Light Keepers: Ten Girls Box Set
By Irene Howat

“The stories of Helen Roseveare, Corrie Ten Boom, Joni Eareckson and many others are brought to life by award–winning author Irene Howat. Each book contains the stories of ten girls who grew up to be used by God in amazing ways. Readers will not only be amazed at the bravery, cleverness and faith of these girls, but will be inspired to look to the God who worked through each of them.