Encounter's Book Suggestions
Christ. Culture. Community
We would like to reiterate that Scripture is and will always be our absolute authority. The books that make up the Word of God are the only texts that are God-breathed; all other texts are subject to error and are not to be read as Holy Spirit inspired. We do not agree with 100 % of everything every author writes, says, or does as people's theologies and character are subject to change. With that said, this list of books has has helped the Encounter team read, understand, and apply Scripture in our walks with Jesus and we pray it can do the same to you!
How (Not) to Read the Bible
Dan Kimball
Author Dan Kimball flushes out how to make sense of the seemingly anti-women, anti-science, pro-violence, pro-slavery and other crazy-sounding parts of Scripture.
Cold Case Christianity
J. Warner Wallace
Author, detective, and former athiest, J. Warner Wallace uses his nationally recognized skills as a homicide detective to look at the evidence and eyewitnesses behind Christian beliefs
I Don't Have Enough Faith To Be An Athiest
Frank Turek
Norman Geisler and Frank Turek argue that Christianity is not only more reasonable than all other belief systems, but is indeed more rational than unbelief itself.
Mere Christianity
C.S. Lewis
C.S. Lewis, the most important writer of the 20th century, explores the common ground upon which all of those of Christian faith stand together.
Once An Arafat Man
Tass Saada
The true story of how the Palestinian Liberation Organization's best sniper came to know the love of Jesus Christ.
Misreading Scripture with
Western Eyes
E. Randolph Richards & Brandon J. O'Brian
Richards & O'Brian help us remove the western biases that we so often impart into our reading of the Biblical texts of the Middle East.
Gospel Fluency
Jeff Vanderstelt
In one of the Encounter Team's favorite books, Vanderstelt helps his readers become more fluent in the way they communicate the Gospel to themselves and to others. "If you want to change a culture, change the language."
Heaven
Randy Alcorn
Alcorn gives us a comprehensive guide to everything the Bible has to say about the Afterlife, Angels, Resurrection, and the Kingdom of God.
Seeking Allah, Finding Jesus
Nabeel Qureshi
Unable to deny the arguments but not wanting to deny his family, Qureshi struggled with an inner turmoil that will challenge Christians, Muslims, and all those who are interested in two of the world's greatest religions and the quest for truth
Saturate
Jeff Vanderstelt
Many Christians have unwittingly embraced the idea that “church” is a once-a-week event rather than a community of Spirit-empowered people. In this book, Vanderstelt tackles just that problem!
Signs of the Messiah
Andreas J. Kostenberger
John tells us that Jesus performed many sign miracles but, "these are written so that you may believe." Kostenberger aims to help us understand why John chose to specifically include the seven signs that he chose to record.
Prayer: Experiencing Intimacy and Awe With God
Timothy Keller
Christians are taught in their churches and schools that prayer is the most powerful way to experience God. But few receive instruction or guidance in how to make prayer genuinely meaningful. In Prayer, renowned pastor Timothy Keller delves into the many facets of this everyday act.
Finally Free
Heath Lambert
Finally Free is a great resource to discover the freeing power available to those who trust in Jesus Christ, who can, will, and does set people free from the power of pornography.
Sabbath: The Ancient Practices
Dan B. Allender
Dan Allender’s lyrical book about the Sabbath expels the myriad myths about this “day of rest,” starting with the one that paints the Sabbath as a day of forced quiet, spiritual exercises, and religious devotion and attendance.
Person of Interest
J. Warner Wallace
In Person of Interest, Wallace carefully sifts through the evidence from history alone, without relying on the New Testament. You'll understand like never before how Jesus, the most significant person in history, changed the world.
Tortured for Christ
Richard Wurmbrand
Richard spent fourteen years in prison. He was tortured, beaten, and locked into a solitary confinement cell. Your faith will be inspired as you go deep inside the darkest prison cells to see how the light of Christ continues to shine from the hearts of those totally committed to Him.
Worship Matters
Bob Kauflin
This book focuses readers on the essentials of God-honoring worship, combining biblical foundations with practical application in a way that works in the real world.
Expository Apologetics
Voddie Baucham Jr.
Filled with real-world examples and practical advice, this book will equip you with the tools you need to think biblically and converse persuasively―offering unbelievers “a reason for the hope that is in you.”
Crazy Love
Francis Chan
God is calling you to a passionate love relationship with Himself. Because the answer to religious complacency isn't working harder at a list of do's and don'ts—it's falling in love with God
Church History in Plain Language
Bruce Shelly
Taking readers from the early centuries of the church up through the modern era he tells his readers a story of actual people, in a particular situation, taking action or being acted upon, provides a window into the circumstances and historical context, and from there develops the story of a major period or theme of Christian history.
Forgotten God
Francis Chan
As Jesus ascended into heaven, He promised to send the Holy Spirit—the Helper—so that we could be true and living witnesses for Christ. Unfortunately, today’s church has admired the gift but neglected to open it.
The Meaning of Marriage
Timothy Keller
Based on the acclaimed sermon series by New York Times bestselling author Timothy Keller, this book shows everyone—Christians, skeptics, singles, longtime married couples, and those about to be engaged—the vision of what marriage should be according to the Bible.
The Last Days According to Jesus
R.C. Sproul
R. C. Sproul points believers back to the words of Christ, offering them a solid footing amid ever-shifting opinion about the age to come.
​
PSA: We don't necessarily subscribe to every eschatology we read but like to hear from all perspectives
Before Jerusalem Fell
Kenneth Gentry
Gentry writes a doctoral dissertation seeking to demonstrate that Revelation was written prior to the destruction of the Jewish Temple in AD 70 and that it was prophesying that event.
​
PSA: We don't necessarily subscribe to every eschatology we read but like to hear from all perspectives
No God But One
Nabeel Qureshi
Nabeel reveals what he discovered in the decade following his conversion, providing a thorough and careful comparison of the evidence for Islam and Christianity--evidence that wrenched his heart and transformed his life.
Why Suffering
Ravi Zacharias
Why would a loving and powerful God allow so much pain and suffering? In Why Suffering? Ravi Zacharias and Vince Vitale carefully walk you through a variety of responses that considered together provide a clear, comprehensive, and convincing answer.
Reading Moses, Seeing Jesus
Seth Postell
This book addresses the questions about the believer's relationship to the Torah (the five Books of Moses, or the Pentateuch) and its commandments (the Law)
The Weight of Glory
C.S. Lewis
The nine addresses in Weight of Glory offer guidance, inspiration, and a compassionate apologetic for the Christian faith during a time of great doubt.
Letters to the Church
Francis Chan
We’ve strayed so far from what God calls Church. We all know it. We know that what we’re experiencing is radically different from the Church in Scripture. For decades, church leaders like myself have lost sight of the inherent mystery of the Church. We have trained people sitting in the pews to become addicted to lesser things. It’s time for that to change.
Lectures to My Students
Charles Spurgeon
"The solemn work of Christian ministry demands a man’s all, and that all should be at its best. To engage in ministry halfheartedly is an insult to God and man."
God's Big Picture
Vaughan Roberts
Sixty-six books written by forty people over nearly 2,000 years, in two languages and several different genres. A worldwide bestseller published in countless sizes and bindings, translations and languages. Sworn by in court, fought over by religious people, quoted in arguments. The Bible is clearly no ordinary book. How can you begin to read and understand it as a whole?
The Prodigal Prophet
Timothy Keller
The story of Jonah is one of the most well-known parables in the Bible. It is also the most misunderstood. Many people, even those who are nonreligious, are familiar with Jonah: A rebellious prophet who defies God and is swallowed by a whale. But there's much more to Jonah's story than most of us realize.
I am N
The Voice of the Martyrs
What can we learn from these faith-filled brothers and sisters around the world? How can we pray for them? And what do their remarkable stories teach us about a God whose light shines in a dark world?
The Screwtape Letters
C.S. Lewis
At once wildly comic, deadly serious, and strikingly original, C.S. Lewis's The Screwtape Letters is the most engaging account of temptation—and triumph over it—ever written.
Calvary Chapel Distinctives
Chuck Smith
If Calvary Chapel is exactly like the church across the street it would be better to simply merge the two. But, if there are qualities that make us different, then we have a unique and special place in the plan of God.
Jesus On Every Page
David Murray
In Jesus on Every Page, Dr. Murray guides the reader down his own Road to Emmaus, describing how the Scriptures were opened to him, revealing Jesus from Genesis 1 all the way through Revelation 22.
When Helping Hurts
Steve Corbett & Brian Fikkert
Poverty is much more than simply a lack of material resources, and it takes much more than donations and handouts to solve it. When Helping Hurts shows how some alleviation efforts, failing to consider the complexities of poverty, have actually (and unintentionally) done more harm than good.
Follow Me
David Platt
Revealing a biblical picture of what it means to truly be a Christian, Follow Me explores the gravity of what we must forsake in this world, as well as the indescribable joy and deep satisfaction to be found when we live for Christ.
Shadow of the Almighty
Elisabeth Elliot
Shadow of the Almighty is the true account of Elliot's martyrdom, along with four fellow missionaries, at the hands of Ecuador’s Huaorani Indians.
Interrupted
Jen Hatmaker
Christ brought Jen and her family to a place of living on mission by asking them tough questions, leading them through Scripture, and walking together with them on the path. Interrupted invites readers to take a similar journey.
Multiply
Francis Chan
One plus one plus one. Every copy of Multiply is designed to do what Jesus did: make disciples who make disciples who make disciples…. Until the world knows the truth of Jesus Christ.
The Desert Fathers
Helen Waddell
By the fourth century A.D., devout Christians--men and women alike--had begun to retreat from cities and villages to the deserts of North Africa and Asia Minor, where they sought liberation from their corrupt society and the confining shell of the social self.
The Sacred Search
Gary Thomas
What if we focused on why we should get married more than on who to marry? What if being “in love” isn’t a good enough reason to get married? And most of all, what if God designed marriage to make us holy more than to make us happy?
The Everlasting Man
G.K. Chesterton
What more needs to be said, except for the fact that this book was the book that C.S. Lewis pointed to as triggering his conversion to Christianity.
He Chose the Nails
Max Lucado
God chose the path; he selected the nails. God was never more sovereign than in the details of the death of his Son.
No Easy Jesus
Jason Mitchell
No Easy Jesus holds the key to moving forward when you’re bored, disillusioned, and beaten down by faith-as-usual. It’s a clarion challenge to wake up each day and choose Jesus all over again; to make the tough, gritty choices that align your way with His and lead to true fullness of life. Because when you decided to follow Jesus, you didn’t sign up for what was easiest―you signed up for what was best.
Early Christian Writings
Andrew Louth
A selection of letters and small-scale theological treatises from a group known as the Apostolic Fathers, several of whom were probably disciples of the Apostles, they provide a first-hand account of the early Church and outline a form of early Christianity still drawing on the theology and traditions of its parent religion, Judaism.
The Words & Works of Jesus Christ
J. Dwight Pentecost
The words, the miracles, and overarching message of the Messiah come alive in flowing and detailed chronology, set against the cultural, political, and religious setting of his day.
The Language of God
Francis S. Collins
Readers will be inspired by Collin's personal story of struggling with doubt, as well as the many revelations of the wonder of God's creation that will forever shape the way they view the world around them.
Across the Street and Around the World
Jeannie Marie
In Across the Street and Around the World, Jeannie Marie shows us we can change the world right where we already live, work, play, and study—by learning to grow genuine, spiritually deep friendships with people from other countries, cultures, and faiths.
Christ Centered Exposition
Eric Redman
This series affirms that the Bible is a Christ-centered book, containing a unified story of redemptive history of which Jesus is the hero
Marriage: 6 Gospel Commitments
Paul Tripp
Paul David Tripp encourages couples to make six biblical commitments to the Lord and to one another. These commitments, which include a lifestyle of confession and forgiveness, building trust, and appreciating differences, will equip couples to cultivate thriving, joy-filled marriages built on Christ.
Gospel Fluency Handbook
Jeff Vanderstelt
The Gospel Fluency Handbook is designed to help you and your group become fluent in the gospel-in other words, to help you move from unbelief to belief. The discussions and exercises in this 8-week interactive handbook provide a step-by-step immersion of your mind, heart, soul, and life in the gospel.
Hebrews (Life Change)
The Navigators
The letter to the Hebrews reinforces how Jesus’ life on earth can help us look forward to the life God promises. This foundational and deeply impactful letter encourages us to have confidence in approaching God, now possible through Jesus’ sacrifice on the cross. Dive deep into Hebrews and receive the confidence you need for whatever hurdles you’re facing today.
Romans
John MacArthur
Paul's letter to the Romans is an inspired masterpiece of doctrine highlighting God's grace, truth, and redemption. Pastor John MacArthur will take you through the book, passage by passage, so that you can better understand everything from the cultural context to Paul's theological points.
NKJV Journal the World Bible
Thomas Nelson
TheNKJV Journal the Word™ Bible, Large Print allows you to creatively express yourself every day with plenty of room for notes or verse art journaling next to your treasured verses.
A Handbook on the Jewish Roots of the Christian Faith
Craig Evans
This handbook serves as an introduction to the Jewish roots of the Christian Faith. It includes Old Testament background, Second Temple Judaism, the life of Jesus, the New Testament, the early Jewish followers of Jesus, the historical interaction between Judaism and Christianity, and the contemporary period.
Finding Peace in Life's Storms
Charles Spurgeon
Charles H. Spurgeon unwraps God’s gift of hope as he presents us with strong encouragement and a powerful tool for surviving daily struggles and temptations. No case is too desperate for God. There is no problem He cannot overcome. Hope in God can see you through your greatest difficulties and meet every longing of your heart.
More Than A Carpenter
Josh & Sean McDowell
Is Jesus really the Lord he claimed to be? How can we know for sure? Now with new content that addresses questions raised by today’s popular atheist writers.
What to Say When
Shawn Carney & Steve Karlen
What do I say when abortion and rape come up? What about "My Body, My Choice"? When should I avoid politics? What to Say When equips you with proven approaches from the front-lines to help you answer society's most tense questions.
Prodigal God
Timothy Keller
Keller takes his trademark intellectual approach to understanding Christianity and uses the parable of the prodigal son to reveal an unexpected message of hope and salvation. Within that parable Jesus reveals God's prodigal grace toward both the irreligious and the moralistic. This book will challenge both the devout and skeptics to see Christianity in a whole new way.
What Every Christian Needs to Know About the Jewishness of Jesus
Rabbi Evan Moffic
Jesus wasn't a Christian. Jesus lived and died as a Jew. Understanding the Jewishness of Jesus is the secret to knowing him better and understanding his message in the twenty-first century.
Walking in the Dust of Rabbi Jesus
Lois Tverberg
In Walking in the Dust of Rabbi Jesus, Lois Tverberg challenges readers to follow their Rabbi more closely by re-examining his words in the light of their Jewish context. Doing so will provide a richer, deeper understanding of his ministry, compelling us to live differently, to become more Christ-like. We'll begin to understand why his first Jewish disciples abandoned everything to follow him, to live out his commands.
The Challenge of Jesus
N.T. Wright
Only by hard, historical work can we move toward a fuller comprehension of what the Gospels themselves were trying to say." The Challenge of Jesus poses a double-edged challenge: to grow in our understanding of the historical Jesus within the Palestinian world of the first century, and to follow Jesus more faithfully into the postmodern world of the twenty-first century.
It Will Cost You Everything
Steven J. Lawson
Nestled in a few verses in Luke’s Gospel is a Jesus who would not have been tolerated today: He was not politically correct and He certainly did not try to save people’s feelings. Steven Lawson unpacks these few verses, looking at the unashamed honesty, passion, and urgency with which Jesus explains the life–long cost involved in choosing to follow Him.
True Story: A Christianity Worth Believing In
James Choung
Join Caleb and Anna on their spiritual journeys as they probe Christianity from inside and out. Get past old clichés and simplistic formulas. And discover a new way of understanding and presenting the Christian faith that really matters in a broken world.
Finding Jesus in the Old Testament
David Limbaugh
Readers of Finding Jesus in the Old Testament will come to a startling new understanding of the Old Testament as a clear and powerful heralding of Jesus Christ's arrival. Limbaugh takes readers on a revealing journey from Genesis through Malachi, demonstrating that a consistent message courses through every one of the Old Testament's thirty-nine books: the power, wonder, and everlasting love of Jesus Christ.
Restoring the Jewishness of the Gospel
David Stern
A challenge to conventional Christian ideas! Clear thinking about neglected questions such as: What central truth, ignored for 1,800 years, must be restored if the Church is to fulfill the Great Commission? How are both the Jews and the Church God’s people? Is there a difference between Jew and Gentile in the body of the Messiah?
Jewish New Testament Commentary
David Stern
Dr. David Stern, a Messianic Jew living in Jerusalem, speaks to many issues in his Jewish New Testament Commentary. In this companion volume to his widely read and highly acclaimed "Jewish New Testament," he offers an exciting and original way of understanding the New Testament from a Jewish point of view.
The Complete Jewish Bible
David Stern
Presenting the Word of God as a unified Jewish book, the Complete Jewish Bible is a translation for Jews and non-Jews alike. It connects Jews with the Jewishness of the Messiah, and non-Jews with their Jewish roots. Names and key terms are returned to their original Hebrew and presented in easy-to-understand transliterations, enabling the reader to say them the way Yeshua (Jesus) did!
Reflections on the Psalms
C.S. Lewis
C.S. Lewis examines the mysterious and beloved Psalms to reveal the timeless meaning behind these ancient and cherished verses.
Matthew Henry's Commentary
Matthew Henry
Combining practical application, devotional insight, and scholarship, Henry offers profound wisdom on the content, message, and nature of God's divine revelation in Scripture.