2025 Firebrand Summer Reading List
For many this is a season of the year with a little extra time for reading, whether on a vacation or simply sitting outside on a warm summer evening with a good book. We thought it would be fun to ask our Firebrand Editorial Board to suggest reading recommendations that would be edifying for Christians this summer. Below you will find recommendations from our team of scholars and pastors in a wide-ranging selection of theology, biblical study, history, fiction, and more…
True Christianity (3 vols) by Johann Arndt
Recommended by Peter J. Bellini: “This early 17th century devotional classic was a bestseller in its day and even late into the 19th century. True Christianity had a strong influence on John Wesley and was selected for his Christian Library to be read by his preachers. Arndt's masterpiece is just the remedy needed to treat the church's modern day malady of feel good, self-centered, self-interested, commodified, consumer-oriented Christianity. For me, it is tied with The Imitation of Christ as the all-time best book on Christian spiritual life, outside the Bible. Warning: True Christianity can be lethal to your flesh!”
Jayber Crow by Wendell Berry
Recommended by Jonathan A. Powers: “Berry offers an honest, poignant, and theologically rich meditation on belonging, fidelity, and the quiet redemption found in rootedness to a particular place and people. Through the eyes of Jayber Crow, a seminary drop-out and a small-town barber, Berry invites his readers to consider how grace often comes not through grand gestures, but through faithful presence, the risk of love, and in the ordinary rhythms of community.”
Marks of a Movement: What the Church Today Can Learn From the Wesleyan Revival by Winfield Bevins
Recommended by Rebekah R. S. Clapp: “This is an accessible read for any churchgoer who is interested in how the characteristics of Wesley and the early Methodist movement can breathe new life into the church today.”
Transformed into the Same Image: Constructive Investigations into the Doctrine of Deification by Paul Copan and Michael M. C. Reardon, eds.
Recommended by Jerome Van Kuiken: “Talk about ‘deification’ (also known as ‘theosis’) and you’re apt to get suspected of being a New Ager, Mormon, or at very least Eastern Orthodox. This collection of essays presents the biblical and historical roots of this doctrine, including how it’s part of Lutheran, Reformed, and Methodist heritage, how C. S. Lewis and the Chinese churches sprung from Watchman Nee’s ministry have used it, and how it offers an alternative to today’s transhumanist vision.”
Discovering Revelation: Content, Interpretation, Reception by David A. deSilva
Recommended by Suzanne Nicholson: “Perhaps digging into the conundrum that is Revelation is not on your summer reading list, but if you have questions about John's apocalyptic vision, this book provides a wonderful overview. In roughly 200 pages, deSilva describes the themes and trajectories of Revelation, providing crucial first-century context to make sense of John's theological aims. As one reads John's critique, the reader cannot help but ‘discern what is Babylonish about the domination systems in the midst of which they live and of which they themselves may be a part; and then to discover the ways in which they can both divest themselves of participation in and bear prophetic witness against the same’ (166).”
1 Corinthians: A Theological, Pastoral, and Missional Commentary by Michael J. Gorman
Recommended by Joel B. Green: “Wesleyan New Testament scholar Michael Gorman provides an indispensable contribution to our understanding of 1 Corinthians. His firm grasp of Paul’s thought, his exceptional pastoral and missional sensibilities, and his masterful interaction with the text of Paul's letter make this the go-to commentary for pastors, teachers, and students. He closes each section of the letter with reflections and questions that will inspire both sermon-making and classroom discussion.”
Reading Revelation Responsibly: Uncivil Worship and Witness: Following the Lamb into the New Creation by Michael J. Gorman
Recommended by Mark Chironna: “This book is a refreshing alternative to much of the popular emphasis rooted in dispensational thought that has no bearing on a faithful method for interpreting an ancient text that combines 2nd Temple apocalyptic, ancient prophetic, and pastoral wisdom for a community in Asia Minor in transition at the end of the first century, and its application therefore to where we find ourselves in the current cultural epoch we inhabit.”
The Righteous Mind: Why Good People Are Divided by Politics and Religion by Jonathan Haidt
Recommended by Drew McIntyre: “Psychologist Jonathan Haidt uses the psychology of morality to help explain some of our deepest divisions around politics and religion. At a time of bitter division in the church and the world, it is a helpful and hopeful read that could help lower the temperature of the culture wars if taken to heart.”
A Grotesque in the Garden by Hud Hudson
Recommended by Jason E. Vickers: “This is a disturbing story about the lone angel left to stand guard over the Garden of Eden. Probing the problems of evil and divine hiddenness, Hudson's tale tests the limits of love and the demand of obedience.”
Re-enchanting the Text: Discovering the Bible as Sacred, Dangerous, and Mysterious by Cheryl Bridges Johns
Recommended by David F. Watson: “Christians should take it as axiomatic that the Bible is divinely inspired. Yet God’s work in Scripture is not confined to the past. Johns urges us to recapture aspects of our faith lost to modernity. She explores the ways in which the living God meets us in these texts and thereby draws us to himself.”
Encounters with Jesus: Unexpected Answers to Life's Biggest Questions by Timothy Keller
Recommended by J. Elvin Sadler: “In this captivating book, Timothy Keller passionately explores the idea of how individuals were transformed by their interactions with Jesus in the Gospels, focusing on key passages from John's Gospel. Keller shows how Jesus' words and actions addressed some of the deepest life questions and doubts, providing unexpected and transformative answers. The book emphasizes that encountering Jesus is not just a historical event but a relevant, life-changing experience for today's readers, challenging them to reconsider their own beliefs and relationship with God. This book will challenge you and I highly recommend it for anyone seeking deeper understanding.”
The Great Divorce by C. S. Lewis
Recommended by Doug Koskela: “In this short novel, Lewis explores the human tendency to cling to the wrong things—even as those things make us deeply unhappy. At the same time, he paints a beautiful picture of the joy that awaits those who will, by grace, say to God: ‘Thy will be done.’”
The Exorcist Files: True Stories About the Reality of Evil and How to Defeat It by Father Carlos Martins
Recommended by Kevin M. Watson: “Building off of the success of the podcast with the same name, The Exorcist Files discusses the reality of evil and the demonic. Read this book not to feed curiosity about the demonic, but to be equipped to resist the devil so he will flee from you (James 4:7).”
Humility by Andrew Murray
Recommended by Matt Reynolds: “Given our current societal climate perhaps there is no greater need in our discipleship than to dig deep into the humility that undergirds all real Christ-likeness. This short classic by Andrew Murray has been one of the most important books in my own journey of discipleship and will challenge Christians at every stage of their life. This is one that can be read over and over again.”
Methodism in the American Forest by Russell E. Richey
Recommended by Steven Hoskins: “This rich book on the role of the American forest landscape in Methodist history is an excellent summer camp meeting season read. From the ‘Cathedral of the Woodlands’ to renewing the garden of God’s creation and even to the development of the Quarterly Meeting, Chautauqua movement, and the National Holiness Association, this short, 180 page read, is replete with quotes from diaries, journals, newspapers, and sermons in explaining the important role the forest has played in our shared history.”
By the Word Worked: Encountering the Power of Biblical Preaching by Fleming Rutledge
Recommended by Evan Rohrs-Dodge: “This is a brief reminder that Biblical preaching is the church's life-blood. In a postmodern society with its emphasis on the self, Rutledge reminds the Christian that it is the Word of God defines, shapes, and gives direction to the community of faith. Preachers and any believer interested in the centrality of the proclaimed word will enjoy this brief tome.”
Cultural Liturgies (3 vols) by James K. A. Smith
Recommended by Rachel L. Coleman: “My recommendation is actually 3 books–James K. A. Smith's Cultural Liturgies project (vol. 1, Desiring the Kingdom: Worship, Worldview, and Cultural Formation; vol. 2, Imagining the Kingdom: How Worship Works; vol. 3, Awaiting the King: Reforming Public Theology). Although written by a Reformed theologian with a particular eye towards his own tradition, this project nevertheless holds a depth and breadth of riches for Christian of all ecclesial streams. The three volumes call us to examine and evaluate our understanding of what it means to be human and the implications of that for our witness and work in the world.”