Pastor Trevor’s Book Recommendations - 2025

Pastor Trevor’s 2025 Book Recommendations

Where Bible, Theology, and Christian Living Meet:

Remember Death: The Surprising Path to Living Hope by Matthew McCollough – If I had to choose only one must read book of the year it is this one. McCollough helps us prepare for eternal life by remembering death.

Remember Heaven: Meditations on the World to Come for Life in the Meantime by Matthew McCollough – I’ve just started this one and already it is turning out to be just as delightful and encouraging as his Remember Death. We need these reminders often. 

What is Wrong with the world?: The Surprising, Hopeful Answer to the Question We Cannot Avoid by Timothy Keller – This book is a collection of sermons preached by Tim and edited by his wife Kathy after his passing. This is one of the essential reads of 2025! 

Gentle and Lowly:The Heart of Christ for Sinners and Sufferers by Dane Ortlund – A wonderfully encouraging book about Jesus’ incredible love for sinners like us. He also has a shorter version of this same book titled: The Heart of Jesus: How He Really Feels about You

Deeper: Real Change for Real Sinners by Dane Ortlund - This is the best book on sanctification, or the life-long process of growing as a Christian that I’ve ever read. I will return to this one often. He also has a shorter version of this same book titled: How does God Change Us

The Hole in Our Holiness: Filling the Gap Between Gospel Passion and the Pursuit of Godliness by Kevin DeYoung – Wonderful short book reminding us that God’s Word says we are to be holy as He his holy. I pray the lessons from this book will shape Bethany for years to come.

Understanding the local church and what we should believe together:

The Reason for the Church: Why the Body of Christ Still Matters in an Age of Anxiety, Division, and Radical Individualism by Brad Edwards – One of the most important books of the year, reminding Christians that the local church is essential for our growth in Christ. Essential!  

Convictional, Confessional, Cheerful Baptists by Nate Akin – Wonderful book summarizing what all Baptists have always believed about baptism, the Lord’s Supper, and the church.

Guard the Gospel: The Value and Treasure of Creeds by Michael Reeves – If Reeves writes it, I will read it and so should you. A very short but very important book that shows us how we are and should be connected to the saints from the past.

Biography:

John G. Paton: Missionary to the Cannibals of the South Seas by Paul Schlehlein – Paton’s biography will help fuel your prayers for God to bring awakening and revival in our lives and beyond.  recommended.   

Tim Keller on the Christian Life: The Transforming Power of the Gospel by Matt Smethurst – This book highlights the most important parts of Tim Keller’s thought and teaching. Highly Recommended.

Five Puritan Women: Portraits of Faith and Love by Jenny-Lyn de Klerk – wonderful collection of mini-biographies about five incredible women used by God.

A Light on the Hill: The Surprising Story of How a Local Church in the Nation’s Capital Influenced Evangelicalism by Caleb Morell – A unique book that tells the story of how God has used one particular church to shape more pastors and churches than we will know this side of heaven.

Spurgeon: A Life by Alex DiPrima – Wonderful biography of a man used by God in incredible ways. Spurgeon’s life has many lessons to teach us all.

Everything Sad is Untrue by Daniel Nayeri – This is a delightful memoir, written with quirky and, at times, laugh out loud humor.   

Apologetics, Culture, and Politics:

Happy Lies: How a Movement You (Probably) Never Heard of Shaped Our Self-Obsessed World by Melissa Dougherty – Very enlightening look into heretical movements that shape American life.

Defeating Evil: How God Glorifies Himself in a Dark World by Scott Christiansen – The problem of evil is important for Christians to think about, and it a perennial matter of concern for non-Christians. This book will help you to think biblically about such an important topic. 

Religious Freedom: A Conservative Primer by John D. Wilsey – This is a dense book, but so important for reminding us of some essential lessons from the past. It aims to help us have a biblically and historically rooted understanding of how the church and politics should be related.  Includes the best response for the recent attempts pushing for, so-called, “Christian nationalism.”  

The Gospel After Christendom: An Introduction to Cultural Apologetics edited by Collin Hansen – Great help for helping us to see how Christianity tells the story the world only wishes it could tell.

Fictional Fun:

The Inimitable Jeeves by P. G. Wodehouse – Hilariously fun book. I’ve read a couple Wodehouse books to Jess this year, we often laugh out loud.

Letters Along the Way: From a Senior Saint to a Junior Saint by D. A. Carson and John Woodbridge – A fictional series of letters written back and forth that begin between a new convert and a theology professor. Encouraging way to think about Christian growth.