Book Reviews provides thoughtful, biblically informed reviews of books that serve churches, leaders, and disciples. Explore summaries of key ideas, theological and practical evaluation, and clear recommendations on who each book is best suited for—pastors, elders, small group leaders, students, or everyday believers. You’ll find reviews across theology, ministry, discipleship, Christian living, and church history, helping you choose resources that are faithful, helpful, and worth your time. Whether you’re building a library or selecting a study for your church, this hub offers trusted guidance for discerning readers.
February 23, 2026
A review of Serving God Under Siege by Valentyn Syniy, recounting Tavriski Christian Institute’s evacuation and ministry during the Russian invasion of Ukraine, and the resilience and faith required to lead amid trauma and displacement.
November 25, 2025
This series has flaws, but it introduces Garfield to a new generation that knows next to nothing about him, and it prompts them to investigate his story.
August 5, 2025
In addition to serving with her husband, Benjamin Rees, as a long-time missionary to Hong Kong, Karen Rees has become an accomplished author of historical novels.
April 16, 2024
In his new book, "From Poles to Pews: How America’s Most Infamous Strip Club Became a Church," Dan Garrett tells the story of the closure of Atlanta’s Gold Club and its unlikely transformation into Christian Church Buckhead. . . .
January 31, 2023
I must admit, I simply couldn’t ignore this title. I had to buy a copy of "The Duct Tape Letters" just to see how it measured up to "The Screwtape Letters" by famed author C. S. Lewis. . . . Would Drew Baker’s recently published homage be worthy of comparison?
October 31, 2022
Chris Philbeck speaks with Daniel Overdorf about his new book, "Preaching: A Simple Approach to the Sacred Task," which comes out next week. Overdorf, who directs the preaching program at Johnson University, says the book is for students, preachers, and lay leaders.
October 21, 2022
This is part 2 of Christian Standard’s interview with Kent Sanders, coauthor of the new book "The Faith of Elvis: A Story Only a Brother Can Tell." Sanders, a former St. Louis Christian College professor, assisted Elvis Presley’s younger stepbrother, Billy Stanley, in telling the inside story of the spiritual life of the “King of Rock and Roll.”
October 14, 2022
Former St. Louis Christian College worship arts professor Kent Sanders has coauthored the just-released "The Faith of Elvis: A Story Only a Brother Can Tell" with Billy Stanley, stepbrother to Elvis Presley. We interviewed Sanders about his transition from professor to writer and what he learned about the spiritual life of Elvis.
November 16, 2021
An excerpt from the new book, "At the Blue Hole: Elegy for a Church on the Edge," by Jack R. Reese, about the noninstrumental Churches of Christ which are now seen as being in rapid decline.
November 12, 2021
Bob Beckman's first book, "Presence in Solitude: The Pastoral Promise of the Pandemic," takes readers “on a brief journey through the New Testament with others who were seemingly alone in grace circumstances.”
August 4, 2021
in her book, Jenny Smith shares the struggles and victories since a cheerleading accident left her a quadriplegic in 1989. A key church objective should be to include people with disabilities, she says.
December 25, 2019
Reviewed by Caleb Kaltenbach Tim Harlow excels in ministry leadership. He serves a growing church—Parkview Christian in Chicagoland has gone from 150 to 10,000-plus—mentors countless people, and encourages fellow senior ministers. He has served as president of the North American Christian Convention and authored Life on Mission: God’s People Finding God’s Heart for the World. And he’s done all of this—plus earned a doctorate—while loving his family and displaying courage, humility, and a sense of humor. However, if Harlow were asked what he’s most proud of in his ministry (besides his family), my guess is he’d say, “Leading a church
February 27, 2019
By Chris Philbeck In âThe Urgency of Preaching,â Southern Baptist Theological Seminary president Albert Mohler begins by asking, âHas preaching fallen on hard times?â The August 28, 2017, blog post goes on to talk about the centrality of preaching in the New Testament church and whether or not that has been diminished in a day when, using Mohlerâ™s words, âsome contemporary preachers now substitute messages intentionally designed to reach secular or superficial congregationsâmessages which avoid a biblical text, and thus avoid a potentially embarrassing confrontation with biblical truth.â Some have called this âneeds-based preaching.â And some promote needs-based preaching as
December 16, 2018
What the Holy Family Teaches Us about Hospitality By Matt Proctor My wife, Katie, has the gift of hospitality. With six kids, our house isn’t always clean, but it’s always open. Katie’s smile, fun red chairs, and paper plates have welcomed hundreds of people. Me? I’m not so good at it. I’m a professional extrovert but a personal introvert. I interact happily with lots of people in my work, but at the end of the day, I want to pull in my driveway, pull up the drawbridge, and enjoy some alone time. Also: I’m not always good at welcoming
July 7, 2017
By Ron Davis Many Americans were introduced to one of the stories of the Afghanistan war when they saw the 2014 CBS interview of Dr. Dilip Joseph regarding his experience and the book he had just written with James Lund, Kidnapped by the Taliban (Thomas Nelson Publishers). Dr. Joseph was the medical director for Morning Star Development, active in Afghanistan, serving locals with medical care and training. Returning from a mission of mercy, Dr. Joseph and his party were captured by the Taliban and held for several days. Their captors kept them moving constantly, and they were in moment-by-moment fear
May 31, 2017
By LeRoy Lawson The time has come. Nearly 10 years ago I submitted my first “From My Bookshelf” manuscript, wondering with fear and trembling, Is this what the editor wants? Is it something Christian Standard readers will read? I like talking about books whether anyone is listening or not. Would you listen? You did, and you kept on listening for almost a decade now. We haven”t always agreed, you and I, but ours were civil disagreements between friends. In today”s rancorous political climate, that civil friendship is to be treasured. I have enjoyed writing for you. Here”s why: You made
May 25, 2017
By LeRoy Lawson The Wonderful Wizard of Oz L. Frank Baum Grand Haven: Brilliance Audio, 2016 The Clockwork Universe: Isaac Newton, the Royal Society, and the Birth of the Modern World Edward Dolnick New York: HarperTorch, 2011 The Shepherd”s Life: Modern Dispatches from an Ancient Landscape James Rebanks New York: Flatiron Books, 2015 OK, go ahead and laugh. Here I am, a great-grandfather, hanging on to every word of The Wonderful Wizard of Oz, without a child nearby to provide cover for me. Maybe there”s truth in this “second childhood” charge after all. Or, the hypothesis I prefer, maybe there”s something special about the story.
April 28, 2017
By LeRoy Lawson Being Mortal: Medicine and What Matters in the End Atul Gawked New York: Metropolitan, 2014 The Arsenal of Democracy: FDR, Detroit, and an Epic Questto Arm an America at War A. J. Jaime Boston: Houghton Mifflin, 2014 There”s a Sheep in My Bathtub: Birth of a Mongolian Church Planting Movement Brian Hogan Bayside: Asteroidea Books, 2008 Atul Gawande”s Being Mortal is a book for everyone. But everyone won”t like it. It”s for everyone because it”s about dying and dying is for everyone. Everyone won”t like it because it”s about honestly accepting dying, even if you”re a doctor
March 31, 2017
By LeRoy Lawson The Good Funeral: Death, Grief and the Community of Care Thomas G. Long and Thomas Lynch Louisville: Westminster John Knox, 2013 A Tale of Two Cities Charles Dickens First published in 1859 The Neighboring Church: Getting Better at What Jesus Said Matters Most Rick Rusaw and Brian Mavis Nashville: Thomas Nelson, 2016 The Good Funeral is about the importance of funerals in “getting the dead where they need to go and the living where they need to be.” Authors Thomas Long and Thomas Lynch like this maxim of Lynch”s father so well they made it the theme of
February 2, 2017
By LeRoy Lawson What”s in a Phrase? Pausing Where Scripture Gives You Pause Marilyn Chandler McEntyre Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 2014 A Faithful Farewell: Living Your Last Chapter with Love Marilyn Chandler McEntyre Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 2015 A Long Letting Go: Meditations on Losing Someone You Love Marilyn Chandler McEntyre Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 2015 The Gene: An Intimate History Siddhartha Mukherjee New York: Scribner, 2016 When I learned of Marilyn McEntyre”s 2014 book What”s in a Phrase? I had to add it to my “must read” list. Earlier I had read her Caring for Words in a Culture of Lies. Her purpose in
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May 19, 2026
Erick Riddle
May 19, 2026
Rick Cherok
May 19, 2026
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