This year was special, in that I finally published my 1,000th book review on my blog (running since 2011). As I work through the 125 titles I read in 2023, I’m highlighting my Top 5 favorites in the following categories:
- Top 5 Fiction Reads*
- Top 5 Nonfiction Reads
- Top 5 Christian Reads (this post)
- Top 5 Children’s Reads
* I call them “reads” not “books” because they were read (not published) in 2023.
1. The Faithful Spy by John Hendrix (2018)
This book was selected for our Siblings’ Book Club, though I don’t think anyone knew my secret affinity for graphic novels. I was stoked! This book contains a lot of text and minimal colors, but it’s a graphic novel that in my mind sets the bar for all the rest—it’s beautiful, terrifying, informative, and totally true. The life and times of German pastor Dietrich Bonhoeffer ought never be forgotten, and this is a great way for the younger generation (and those unwilling to read Eric Metaxas’ much longer Bonhoeffer) to experience this martyr’s trials and faithfulness within the Nazi regime.
2. Theology That Sticks by Chris Anderson (2022)
Also part of our Siblings’ Book Club this year was this book subtitled: “The Life Changing Power of Exceptional Hymns.” With clarity, humor, reasonableness, and a heavy dose of God-honoring doctrine, Pastor Chris Anderson takes readers on a journey of what makes a good hymn great. He describes necessary elements to a good hymn (offering plenty of examples) and even shares tips on how normal Christians can write their own hymns. Rather than getting bogged down in the nonsense of musical styles (that Baptists are normally prone to discuss), Anderson keeps the discussion where it matters: on the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. Amen!
3. By Searching by Isobel Kuhn (1959)
I took this book with me on a trip overseas thinking it was a general-interest book on prayer. Instead, it’s the memoirs of Isobel Kuhn’s spiritual growth in the years before her marriage and move to China as a missionary. It’s honest and painful, and it describes the joys and pitfalls of a young woman in love, distracted, saved, and then overly committed to the ministry. It’s not at all what I expected, but it’s just what I needed. I ended up passing it on to a friend who reminds me of Isobel, and again, she had only the highest praise for this small book.
4. Debt Paid…Keep the Change by Chris Davies (2023)
As a blogger with an eclectic reading palette, I read books of all types and on many topics. This new release found its way to my Kindle, and I really enjoyed sitting with a former drug-abuser and convict on his journey to Christ, sobriety, and a ministry that shares victory through Jesus. It’s an emotional ride, raw, and an in-depth look at a world I know nothing about. Meth has made its way to all our cities, Dear Christian Reader, and we need to stop looking at the “dregs” and “meth-heads” that walk out streets as avoidable trash but rather see them as human souls desperately needing the Savior! This book helps bring that perspective to life.
5. Psychobabble by Richard Ganz (1993)
A friend highly recommended this book to me, and while I grew up under systems of nouthetic and Biblical counseling, this was still an eye-opening book for me. While working as a psychologist, the author came to Christ and began discussing the concept of sin with his patients. He witnessed shocking results but lost his job as a result, which began his pursuit of this “alternative to modern psychology.” Rather than denying the spiritual complexities of the human soul, Ganz recognizes that mental, emotional, and physical pain find their roots in broken souls blackened by sin. It’s an alternative viewpoint, of course, but it’s biblical and it’s one worth exploring.
Honorable Mentions:
A. Stories Behind the Best-Loved Songs of Christmas by Ace Collins (2001)
As part of my Christmas-book December, I came across this volume of 31 mini-biographies of Christmas songs and their authors/arrangers. The essays in this collection went deeper than I had anticipated, and I found it to be a festive, enjoyable, and educational book for the holiday season. I learned a number of new facts and even learned not to abhor the worst song of Christmas. I ended up giving this book to our choir director, and I also recently found Collins’ second volume on the same theme. Looking forward to learning the background to another host of Christmas songs!
B. Detours by Paul Seger (2020)
This book offers “Ten Roadblocks to the Great Commission” discovered through the process of a number of think-tank sessions with pastors, missionaries, and believers across the country. I loved the investigative process of this book, and even more so the missions theme and research results. A pastor or missions-team member would do well to read this short book to see where a church’s blind-spots lie. We’re all called to fulfill the Great Commission, and when we can’t go across a missional border, we can send and support those who do. This book is like a fuse—so now it’s just a matter of figuring out if the reader is dynamite or a dud.
©2023 E.T.
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