Mama Bear Apologetics: Guide to Sexuality by Hillary Morgan Ferrer
If you read only one book on my list—only one book this year—let this be it. Whether you’re a parent, grandparent, teacher, Sunday school teacher, or have any other ties to youth, this book is for you. The writing style is engaging and down-to-earth, while the information is well-researched and well-documented. Ferrer covers such topics as sex education curriculums in schools, new definitions of identity, expression, sex, and attraction; and even gives a chapter to the implosion of purity culture. I cannot gives this book enough stars no recommend it too highly. Just read it. You won’t be disappointed.
You Are a Theologian: An Invitation to Know and Love God Well by Jen Wilkin & J.T. English
I don’t want to call this book Theology for Dummies, but that might be a fair title for it. However, the one Wilkin and English chose is definitely better and states their purpose straight out. It’s not seminary classes and theology degrees that make a person a theologian. Everyone already is a theologian. What’s in question is the correctness of the theology. Wilkin and English, in very accessible and readable style, lay out fundamental doctrines of the faith. They make theology interesting, engaging, and applicable to daily life. If you’ve even been intimidated by the words “systematic theology,” you should probably read this book.
Memorizing Scripture: The Basics, Blessings, and Benefits of Meditating on God’s Word by Glenna Marshall
It’s no secret that I love scripture memory, so Marshall didn’t convince me to start the discipline. However, what I liked about this book was its meshing of practical suggestions and philosophical motivation. Marshall reminds her readers that Scripture memory isn’t about winning a prize or being able to pass some sort of test. It’s about allowing the Word to do a work of transformation in your life as you go through the process of memorization. Sure, it might be painful at first and your progress may be slow, but Marshall will encourage you to keep on keeping on. Whether you’re a veteran of Scripture memory or a novice, I’d encourage you to read Memorizing Scripture.
Delighting in the Trinity: An Introduction to the Christian Faith by Michael Reeves
Is there any greater mystery in Christendom than the Trinity? The triunity of God truly befuddles, baffles, and bamboozles the greatest of minds. We simply cannot truly understand the concept of one God in three persons. However, Michael Reeves will go a long way in helping your understanding. This book is not new, so it may have been in your library for years. However, I’d recommend that you pick it up and see how the Trinity is at work in Creation, Salvation, and Sanctification. Reeves will probably make your brain hurt (at least he did mine), but the process is well worth it. While the subject matter is heady, this is a book for laymen and is written in an accessible style.
The Anxious Generation: How the Great Rewiring of Childhood Is Causing an Epidemic of Mental Illness by Jonathan Haidt
I finished this one just in time to make it on my halfway list of best books. Though this is not written from a Christian perspective, it’s another important one for anyone involved with kids or teenagers. In this well-researched and cogently written work, Haidt explores the reason for the sharp spike in anxiety disorders among Gen-Z. His conclusion won’t surprise you. Haidt takes an in-depth look at the disastrous effect smart phones, and social media in particular, have had on our youth. Haidt also advocates for a play-based, rather than a phone-based childhood, chronicling how a return to this type of parenting could make a huge difference. For keen insight into what’s going on with our young people, you really need to read this book. It’s another that I can’t recommend highly enough.
Bible Study Nerd 