Recommended Reading

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Biography

Defending the Faith by D.G. Hart

The biography of J. Gresham Machen, the early 20th century Princeton theologian and defender of orthodoxy.

Five English Reformers by J.C. Ryle

George Whitefield by Arnold Dallimore

This two volume work is fascinating and deeply moving. A must. One of the greatest Christian biographies in print.

Here I Stand by Roland Bainton

The classic biography on Martin Luther by one of the world’s greatest church historians.  A wonderful introduction to the life of one of the western world’s most influential men.

John Calvin by Robert Godfrey

John G. Patton by John G. Patton

The biography of the great Scottish missionary to the New Hebrides Islands.  It is a deeply moving account of a man who underwent great tragedies for the sake of unknown cannibals on distant islands.

John Owen by Carl Trueman

Jonathan Edwards by George Marsdon

Jonathan Edwards by Ian Murray

One of the standard works on the life of America’s greatest theologian / philosopher.

Life of D. Martyn Lloyd-Jones by Iain Murray

A massive two volume work on the 20th century’s greatest preacher and one of our greatest defenders of true evangelicalism.  Inspiring!

Luther by Heiko Oberman

One of the best biographies on Luther by the world’s foremost authority on the great Reformer.

Masters of the English Reformation by Marcus Loane

Memoirs and Remains of Robert Murray M’Cheyne by Andrew Bonar

Bonar includes many of the writings and sermons of this great pastor and preacher.

Shadow of the Almighty by Elisabeth Elliot

This is a collection of the journals and letters of Jim Elliot with commentary by Elisabeth Elliot. It is extraordinary! 

Spurgeon by Arnold Dallimore

This book moved me so deeply that there were times I had to set it down during the reading.  This is a wonderful remembrance of one of the greatest preacher / pastor / evangelists in western history.

The Forgotten Spurgeon by Ian Murray

Covers the three major controversies that spanned the life of this great pastor. 

The Legacy of Sovereign Joy by John Piper

A series of three biographical sketches. In this volume Piper examines the lives, thought, and impact of Augustine, Luther, and Calvin.  This is a multi-volume series called “The Swans are Not Silent” each examining three lives in Christian history.  All are must reads.

Through Gates of Splendor by Elisabeth Elliot

The biography of Jim Elliot, missionary martyr to the Aucas in Ecuador.  Written by his widow less than two years after his murder, this is the true story of one of the most remarkable men of the last 100 years.