*The following lists are the top five books read in 2025 by CBTS faculty, board members, and administrators.

Ron Miller

1. The Psalms: A Christ-Centered Commentary by Christopher Ash. The best overall commentary I’ve ever read for personal worship, meditation, and preaching preparation.
2. A Sober Discourse of Right to Church-Communion by William Kiffin. This is the second time through, but this read was immensely rewarding. One of my favorite books of the 17th century Particular Baptists.
3. London Calvinistic Baptists 1689-1727: Tensions with a Dissenting Community under Toleration by Murdina D. MacDonald. One of the more quoted PhD dissertations related to the Particular Baptists from 40 years ago. Finally published and is a must-read for those interested in the subject area.
4. Religion and Society in a Cotswold Vale by Albion Urdank. Historical, economic, and societal study of dissenting communities in one western valley town. Superb detail on the vibrant Shortwood Baptist church. For those who like to drown themselves in Baptist history, you’ll want to jump into this river.
5. Introduction to the Theology and Apologetics of Cornelius Van Til by Lane Tipton. Excellent summary marked by clarity from a man who actually rightly understands and interprets Van Til.

1. Going to Church in Medieval England by Nicholas Orme. This detailed description of worship and religion (almost 500 pages) is enlightening in that it shows what a tremendously freeing impact the Reformation had on the English church. But the legalism and superstition that overwhelmed people’s lives almost did the same to my soul. What a grief that people had to live under this for centuries. Post tenebras lux!
2. Every Man’s Conscience: Early English Baptists and the Fight for Religious Liberty by Ryan Burton King. Not perfect, but a solid introduction to the Baptist distinctive of freedom of religion.

Justin Miller

• Godly Man’s Portrait by Thomas Watson
• JC Ryle: Prepared to Stand Alone by Iain Murray
• Daniel Rowland by Eifon Evans
• What is a Reformed Baptist? by Tom Hicks
• Christian Doctrine by Lloyd Jones

Timothy Decker

1. Baptism in the Early Church by H. F. Stander. Why am I just now getting to this book!?
2. The Blessed and Boundless God by George Swinnock. Theology Proper 101 that is warm and experiential.
3. The Doctrine of Last Things by Sam Waldron. Nothing helps you look forward to the eternal state than reading eschatology from a hospital bed! This was a well-organized and systematic presentation on a difficult subject.
4. The Fading of the Flesh and the Flourishing of Faith by George Swinnock. Before Piper, before Edwards, Swinnock paved the way of enjoying God by saying, “According to the degree of our enjoyment of Him, such is the degree of our happiness.”
5. Scribes and Scripture: The Amazing Story of How We Got Our Bible by John Meade & Peter Gurry. Excellent introduction for the novice.

Jon English Lee

1. Non-Things by Byung-Chul Han. This is a philosopher’s look at the nature of digitalization in modern society. He provides a fascinating and compelling look at how the proliferation of “non-things” (e.g., information, disembodied digital voices) obscures “things” (e.g., the common, the ordinary) and drains them of color.
2. Hot Protestants: A History of Puritanism in England and America by Michael Winship. This is a well-written introduction to the history of the Puritan movement. It even has a few pictures, which is always a plus.
3. Medieval Christianity: A New History by Kevin Madigan. I read this in preparation for teaching Historical Theology 2, and it was a pleasant surprise. Well written and researched, it was a joy to read.
4. Rest: A Theological Account by Euntaek David Shin. Rest and sabbath have been an interest of mine since seminary, and Shin’s book was a joy to read. He raises many questions (e.g., how does our heavenly “rest” relate to perpetual “progress” in glory?) and draws together answers from the breadth of church history. I loved it.
5. Digital Liturgies by Samuel James. Sam is a friend of mine from Seminary and his work on the nature and effects of digital technologies is sobering and helpful. I will probably have my children read these as they enter the teenage years.

Austin McCormick

1. Spiritual Depression by D. Martyn Lloyd-Jones. Supremely useful to help endure discouragements. Plus, this book has been immediately applicable in counseling church members.
2. Knowing and Growing in Assurance of Faith by Joel Beeke. Grew me in understanding the role of inward evidences of grace and the meaning of the testimony of the Holy Spirit in our assurance.
3. The Life and Thought of John Gill: A Tercentennial Appreciation. Edited by Michael A.G. Haykin. The entry by Richard Muller is worth the entire book. Muller argues that Gill, as a Baptist, is clearly within the Reformed Theological Tradition.
4. Haggai, Zechariah, and Malachi by Anthony Petterson. Most helpful commentary to understand Zechariah’s night visions. Petterson keeps the main point clear while also pointing to Christ with a biblical-theological hermeneutic.
5. A Complete Body of Doctrinal and Practical Divinity by John Gill. Read five pages per morning this year to continue progressing through Gill’s writings. His writings on the Trinity were particularly satisfying and led to doxology.

Honorable mentions:

1. Theonomy Old and New by Sam Waldron and Tom Hicks
2. Glory in our Midst by Meredith Kline.
3. The Fellowship of the Ring by J.R.R. Tolkien.
4. John Gill and the Cause of God and Truth by George Ella.
5. Amusing Ourselves to Death by Neil Postman.
6. Digital Minimalism by Cal Newport.

Dewey Dovel

1. The Christian Ministry: With an Inquiry Into the Causes of Its Inefficiency by Charles Bridges. After my installation into the pastorate of Emmanuel Reformed Baptist Church (SeaTac, WA) in June 2024, a dear church member gifted me with this classic volume on pastoral theology. As I’ve worked through this book in my personal devotionals over the past year, my only regret is that I haven’t read Bridges’ work sooner. This resource is a must read for pastors young and old, in addition to every man that aspires to serve the Lord Jesus Christ in ministry.
2. Thoughts on Public Prayer by Samuel Miller. Despite prayer meetings becoming less and less prevalent throughout the broader American Evangelical world, previous generations bear witness to the edification and enrichment that comes when God’s people assemble to pray. This recent Banner of Truth republication will equip pastors to more effectively lead their congregations in prayer, and perhaps even motivate Christians to pursue more opportunities to gather with their local church before the Throne of Grace (Heb. 4:16).
3. Daily Doctrine: A One-Year Guide to Systematic Theology by Kevin DeYoung. In the midst of the recent proliferation of systematic theology textbooks, Kevin DeYoung has produced a timeless gift for confessionally Reformed Christians. Written as a devotional resource for serious-minded laypeople and pastors/theologians, DeYoung faithfully addresses the vast majority of Christian doctrines in digestible chunks (~500 words per chapter). My household has profited greatly from working through this book over the past year in our family worship, and I anticipate regularly returning to it for aid with future teaching/writing assignments.
4. (and 5) Christian Apologetics Past & Present in 2 Volumes by William Edgar and K. Scott Oliphint, eds. When debate swirls around the subject of apologetics, it’s far too common to hear what scholars *have said about* prominent apologists of the past, versus what those prominent figures *actually said* in their respective context. By collating noteworthy literature from some of the most significant defenders of our faith, William Edgar and K. Scott Oliphint have sought to ensure that contemporary apologetic discussions return to the sources. This two-volume anthology is a masterful array of original source material, and will be immensely useful in helping Christians give an answer for the hope within them (1 Pet. 3:15).

Isaac Best

• Yours, Till Heaven: The Untold Love Story of Charles and Susie Spurgeon by Ray Rhodes Jr. Not a straight, chronological telling of their love story, but more of a systematic approach, Rhodes explores the deep and warmly Christian love the Spurgeons had for each other.
• The Letter and Spirit of Biblical Interpretation: From the Early Church to Modern Practice by Kieth Stanglin. A survey and evaluation of the hermeneutical practices of the Church from the early Church to the present. Stanglin shows the broad continuity of hermeneutical thought until the modern era and argues for a recovery of the best of the Church’s former hermeneutic. Not without its weaknesses, the book is an accessible and balanced attack on the reductionistic modern approach to interpreting Scripture.
• A Reformed Baptist Manifesto: The New Covenant Constitution of the Church by Samuel Waldron with Richard Barcellos. Waldron gives a straighforward defense of the New Covenant’s position as the constitution of the Church and shows how that constitution rules out Dispensationalism, Antinomiansim, Arminianism, and Paedobaptism. An appendix by Barcellos evaluates a (now dated) defense of New Covenant Theology; he shows (in part) how NCT fails to properly understand the law of the New Covenant.
• Before the Foundation of the World: Doctrines of God’s Free Grace by Jeffrey T Riddle. A short, simple, and powerful defense of the Doctrines of Grace.
• Brother Cadfael’s Penance by Ellis Peters. The final book in the Brother Cadfael Chronicles, this is a fun, fictional murder mystery in which Cadfael, a Benedictine monk, attempts to rescue two others who are dear to him. Besides making for enjoyable reading, it also subtly (though unintentionally) displays the ultimately unsatisfactory nature of the Popish understanding of forgiveness of sins.