My Top 10 Books of 2025
- kmathison6
- 2 minutes ago
- 3 min read
It's that time of year again. Time for various bibliophiles to compile lists of their favorite books from the previous year in the hope that they can encourage other readers to pick up one or more of these favorites and agree. My reading this last year was skewed to some extent because I had to do a new course prep. That means most of my reading was related to one particular topic. I still managed, however, to read a variety of things unrelated to that topic. As in the past, I am not limiting my list to books published in 2025. These are books I read in 2025, but they may have been published earlier. Here are my ten favorites - in no particular order.
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James P. Ware – The Final Triumph of God: Jesus, the Eyewitnesses and the Resurrection of the Body in 1 Corinthians 15 (Eerdmans, 2025)
You might not think that a 400+ page commentary on one chapter of the Bible would be a great read. You would be wrong, my friend. This is a fascinating and extremely helpful book. A must-read for those preaching or teaching through 1 Corinthians.
Allen Levi – Theo of Golden (Atria, 2023)
I didn't have the opportunity to read much fiction this year, but I saw so many recommendations for this book that I had to see what the fuss was about. I'm glad I did. If you like kind people, you will enjoy this book.
Petrus Van Mastricht – Theoretical-Practical Theology, Vol. 5: The Application of Redemption and the Church (RHB, 2025)
I've greatly enjoyed each volume of this work as they have been published. Volume 5 is no exception. If you haven't read Mastricht yet, what are you waiting for?
Girolamo Zanchi – Confession of the Christian Religion (RHB, 2025)
I owned an old translation of this work for years. I was very happy to see this finally released in a new modern English translation. A hearty thanks to Reformation Heritage Books for continuing to make these old treasures available to a much wider audience.
O. Carter Snead – What it Means to Be Human (Harvard University Press, 2022)
The chapter on abortion alone is worth the price of the book.
J.V. Fesko – Arminius and the Reformed Tradition (RHB, 2022)
In the last several years, there have been a number of new scholarly works on Arminius and his theology (e.g. those by Stanglin & McCall). This work by Fesko is a great addition to this literature.
Douglas Estes, ed. – Theology & Tolkien: Constructive Theology (Fortress, 2024)
Although I contributed a chapter to the Practical Theology volume, I only this year completed this Constructive Theology volume. For those who are Tolkien fans and Christians, there is some really good food for thought in these chapters.
Brett Edward Whalen – Dominion of God: Christendom and Apocalypse in the Middle Ages (Harvard University Press, 2009)
What did eschatology look like in the Middle Ages? This book by Whalen is a great place to start to find the answer.
Guy Prentiss Waters – One, Holy, Catholic, and Apostolic Church (Lexham Academic, 2025)
Anything written by Guy Waters is worth reading, so I was excited when I found out he was publishing a book on the doctrine of the church. I wasn't disappointed, and this one is now included in the syllabus for my course on the doctrine of the church.
Guy MacLean Rogers – For the Freedom of Zion: The Great Revolt of Jews Against Romans, 66–74 CE (Yale University Press, 2021)
One of the most significant events of the first century was the war between the Jews and the Romans. Rogers's book is a massive account of this war, but well worth the effort. It's certainly easier to read than Josephus.
Let's see now what we can find in 2026!