Another year has come and gone, and with it, another round of book of the year lists have slowly but surely made their rounds around the blogosphere. Here at Servants of Grace, we review a lot of books. We trust that you, our readers have found those book reviews not only helpful but thought provoking. In addition to this, we offered 49 author interviews on our podcast, including some from of our list of contributors. Next year you can expect the same from us—great reviews on great books that people are talking about. Our goal as it pertains to book reviews is to keep you, our readers up to date on the latest and greatest in Christian books.

It is, for this reason, we offer the following list from the leadership of Servants of Grace: Craig Hurst, the book review editor of Servants of Grace, Mike Boling, the managing editor of Servants of Grace, and myself (Dave Jenkins).

Between Craig, Mike and myself, we are often asked for our recommendations whether at church or on social media. This list serves as our recommendations on the best books of the year. For as many books as we all read, you’ll see not much overlap. We all have our differing interests. We trust that this list will be helpful to you as you consider which books to get for your book nerd friends, or for 2017 or perhaps yourself, your pastor, or one of your friends.

Dave Jenkins.

11)  UnParalleled by Jared C Wilson. Listen to my interview with Jared here: https://servantsofgrace.org/28-jared-c-wilson-unparalleled-christianitys-uniqueness-makes-compellingpodcast/

10 Bold Reformer by David Steele. Listen to my interview with David here: https://servantsofgrace.org/%ef%bb%bf49-dr-david-steele-bold-reformer-celebrating-gospel-centered-convictions-martin-lutherpodcast/

9) What Grieving People Wish You Knew about what really helps (and what really hurts) by Nancy Guthrie. Listen to my interview with Nancy here: https://servantsofgrace.org/episode-54-nancy-guthrie-what-grieving-people-wish-you-knew-about-what-really-helps-and-what-really-hurts/

8) Dr. Andrew Naselli- Conscience: What It Is, How to Train It, and Loving Those Who Differ. Listen to my interview with Andrew here: https://servantsofgrace.org/34-dr-andrew-naselli-conscience-train-loving-differpodcast/

7) Gospel Eldership Equipping A New Generation of Servant Leaders by Bob Thune. Listen to my interview with Bob here:  https://servantsofgrace.org/21-bob-thune-gospel-eldership-equipping-new-generation-servant-leaderspodcast/

6) Family Worship by Dr. Donald Whitney. Listen to my interview with Dr. Whitney here: https://servantsofgrace.org/17-donald-whitney-family-worshippodcast/

5)  In the Arena: The Promise of Sports for Christian Discipleship by Dr. David Prince. Listen to my interview with Dr. Prince here: https://servantsofgrace.org/episode-52-dr-david-prince-arena-promise-sports-christian-discipleship/

4) You Are What You Love: The Spiritual Power of Habit by James K.A. Smith. Read my review of Dr. Smith’s book here: https://servantsofgrace.org/you-are-what-you-love-the-spiritual-power-of-habit-by-dr-james-k-a-smith/   

3) Christ-Centered Expositor by Tony Merida. Listen to my interview with Dr. Merida here: https://servantsofgrace.org/episode-56-tony-merida-christ-centered-expositor-field-guide-word-driven-disciple-makers/

2) Being There: How to Love Those Who Are Hurting by Dave Furman. Listen to my interview with Dave here: https://servantsofgrace.org/episode-55-dave-furman-love-hurting/

1) The Whole Christ: Legalism, Antinomianism, and Gospel Assurance—Why the Marrow Controversy Still Matters by Sinclair Ferguson. Read my review here: https://servantsofgrace.org/whole-christ-sinclair-ferguson/

Devoted to God: Blueprints for Sanctification by Sinclair Ferguson. Read my review here: https://servantsofgrace.org/devoted-god-blueprints-sanctification/

I also had the honor of endorsing two books this year.

Reviving New England: The Key to Revitalizing Post-Christian America by Nate Pickowicz. Here’s my endorsement:

Christ All Sufficient: An Exposition of Colossians by Brian Hedges. Here’s my endorsement:

“Commentaries are a dime a dozen, but most are either too scholarly for lay people or overly simplistic. In his first commentary Christ All Sufficient: An Exposition of Colossians, Brian Hedges avoids both of these ditches. Instead, he has written a very helpful, pastoral, theologically robust, and practical commentary on the book of Colossians. Reading this commentary will help you understand the central message of Colossians — Christ — and how to orient your life around Him both in the present and the future. I encourage you to read this commentary and profit from it as I have.”

Mike Boling

Lecrae – Unashamed. Read Mike’s review here: https://servantsofgrace.org/book-review-unashamed-by-lecrae

J. Whitrow – What is Time?: The Classic Account of the Nature of Time. Read Mike’s review here: https://servantsofgrace.org/what-is-time-the-classic-account-of-the-nature-of-time/

Carl Laferton – The Garden, the Curtain, and the Cross. Read Mike’s review here: https://servantsofgrace.org/the-garden-the-curtain-and-the-cross/

Donald Whitney – Family Worship. Read Mike’s review here: https://servantsofgrace.org/family-worship/

Bob Feller – The Strikeout Story

Craig Hurst

1. Preaching: Communicating Faith in an Age of Skepticism by Tim Keller
2. A Theology of Biblical Counseling by Heath Lambert. Read Craig’s review here: https://servantsofgrace.org/a-theology-of-biblical-counseling-by-heath-lambert/
3. A Biblical-Theological Intro. to the Old and New Testament Ed. By Miles Van Pelt & Michael J. Kruger. Read Craig’s review here: https://servantsofgrace.org/biblical-theological-introduction-old-testament-ed-miles-v-van-pelt-new-testament-ed-michael-j-kruger/
4. Parenting by Paul David Tripp.
5. God the Son Incarnate by Stephen Wellum

Dave Jenkins( Executive Director )

Dave Jenkins is happily married to his wife, Sarah. He is a writer, editor, and speaker living in beautiful Southern Oregon. Dave is a lover of Christ, His people, the Church, and sound theology. He serves as the Executive Director of Servants of Grace Ministries, the Executive Editor of Theology for Life Magazine, the Host and Producer of Equipping You in Grace Podcast, and is a contributor to and producer of Contending for the Word. He is the author of The Word Explored: The Problem of Biblical Illiteracy and What To Do About It (House to House, 2021),  The Word Matters: Defending Biblical Authority Against the Spirit of the Age (G3 Press, 2022), and Contentment: The Journey of a Lifetime (Theology for Life, 2024). You can find him on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, Youtube, or read his newsletter. Dave loves to spend time with his wife, going to movies, eating at a nice restaurant, or going out for a round of golf with a good friend. He is also a voracious reader, in particular of Reformed theology, and the Puritans. You will often find him when he’s not busy with ministry reading a pile of the latest books from a wide variety of Christian publishers. Dave received his M.A.R. and M.Div through Liberty Baptist Theological Seminary.