The Church Cannot Be Less Than a School: A Curated Reading List
July 13, 2026
The Church Cannot Be Less Than a School: A Curated Reading List
By Jason Neill
Scripture reading: Matthew 22:34-40; 2 Timothy 2:15
Jaroslav Pelikan once said, “The church is always more than a school. But the church cannot be less than a school.” Considering that, I thought it would be helpful to provide a list of recommended books since the church is a place of education.
As a side note, this blog will be placed on “pause” and hopefully will resume later this year. So, this will be my last post for a while. In the meantime, I’ve provided you with a list of books based on different areas of interest. If you read any of these, I would appreciate hearing what you thought.
Prayer
Why Doesn’t God Answer My Prayers? A Biblical Guide to God’s Hidden Purposes by Erwin Lutzer
Pain & Suffering
Why Does God Allow Evil? Compelling Answers for Life’s Toughest Questions by Clay Jones
How Does God use Suffering for Our Good? Living with Hope While Making Sense of Life by Clay Jones
Books for Parents
Talking with Your Kids about God: 30 Conversations Every Christian Parent Must Have by Natasha Crain
Talking with Your Kids about Jesus: 30 Conversations Every Christian Parent Must Have by Natasha Crain
Mama Bear Apologetics: Empowering Your Kids to Challenge Cultural Lies by Hillary Morgan Ferrer
How to Study the Bible
Living by the Book by Howard Hendricks and William Hendricks
Rick Warren’s Bible Study Methods: Twelve Ways You Can Unlock God’s Word by Rick Warren.
The New Joy of Discovery in Bible Study by Oletta Wald
How to Share Your Faith (evangelism)
Show Me How to Share the Gospel by Larry Moyer
21 Things God Never Said: Correcting Our Misconceptions About Evangelism by Larry Moyer
Assurance of Salvation (How to Know You Possess Eternal Life)
Eternal Life: Can You Really Be Certain You Have it? by Larry Moyer
Secure and Sure: Grasping the Promises of God by Robert N. Wilkin
Apologetics (defending the Christian faith)
Without a Doubt: Answering the 20 Toughest Faith Questions by Ken Samples
Christianity Cross-Examined: Is it Rational, Relevant, and Good? by Ken Samples
Bible Survey
Survey of the Old Testament by Paul N. Benware
Survey of the New Testament by Paul N. Benware
The Bare Bones Bible Handbook: 10 Minutes to Understanding Each Book of the Bible by Jim George
The Ultimate Infographic Guide to the Bible: A Visual Survey of Every Book by Joseph M. Holden
Understanding a Christian Worldview
A World of Difference: Putting Christian Truth-Claims to the Worldview Test by Ken Samples
How to live the Christian Life
Balancing the Christian Life: A Biblical Guide to Spiritual Growth by Charles C. Ryrie
Overview of Bible Doctrine
A Survey of Bible Doctrine by Charles C. Ryrie
Basic Theology: A Popular Systematic Guide to Understanding Biblical Truth by Charles Ryrie
On Biblical Manhood and Womanhood
The Measure of a Man: Twenty Attributes of a Godly Man by Gene Getz
The Measure of a Woman: What Really Makes a Woman Beautiful by Gene & Elaine Getz
Cultural Issues
The Progressive Miseducation of America: Confronting the Cultural Revolution from the Classroom to Your Community by Corey Miller
The Book That Made Your World: How the Bible Created the Soul of Western Civilization by Vishal Mangalwadi
How Christianity Changed the World by Alvin J. Schmidt