Chalmers' Blog

Five Books Worth Your Time: Thoughtful, Pastoral Reading for the Church Today

Our world, and to some extent even the culture in some Christian circles, is one of hot takes, shallow spirituality, and an ever‑shrinking attention span. I am convinced that the church is in need of, and is helped a great deal by, books that help us slow down and think biblically, pastorally, and theologically. From the pew to the pulpit, from the study desk to the seminary classroom, good Christian books continue to shape how we love God, understand ourselves, and care for others.

The following five books, though varied in style and focus, share a common concern: helping God’s people live faithfully as followers of Jesus in the real world. Written with pastoral sensitivity and theological seriousness, each offers something valuable to the reader. These are not exhaustive critiques of the books but appreciative reviews and I hope that will prompt you to pick up a copy and spend some unhurried time with them for your own benefit and spiritual nourishment.

Saturday Snippets (February 7)

As well as reading a lot of books, I also read a ton of articles every week. Here are some of the articles that I’ve read recently and have found interesting, helpful, challenging and encouraging. I hope that they will be the same for you, my dear readers…

Finding Biblical Rest In A Busy World

We live in a world that struggles profoundly with rest. Constant movement, relentless schedules, and endless digital noise define modern life. Even when we stop working, our minds rarely slow down. “Busy” has become a badge of honour. The result is predictable: anxiety, exhaustion, and burnout are increasingly normal.

The problem is not merely cultural—it is spiritual. When life becomes nonstop activity, intimacy with God quietly erodes. Corrie ten Boom once observed, “If the devil can’t make you sin, he’ll make you busy.” Her words land with force because they expose a truth many Christians feel but rarely name: busyness and sin often have the same effect. Both pull us away from trusting, delighting in, and depending upon God.

Saturday Snippets (January 31)

A Pastoral Letter to the Doubting Christian

Dear Friend,

You might be surprised to hear this, but doubts don’t disqualify you from the Christian life.

I don’t mean unbelief (the settled refusal to trust Christ) but doubt: the unsettling questions, the lingering unease, the feeling that your faith is sometimes held together with trembling hands and even the unshakable feeling that you’re not ‘Christian enough’. If that describes you, you are not strange, broken, or alone. You are standing in a long biblical line.

Why Puritan Writings Matter for Christians Today

In an age of short attention spans and instant commentary, the writings of the Puritans can feel demanding. Their sentences are longer, their arguments more careful, and their spiritual vision and insights are deeper than much of what fills our shelves today. Yet this is precisely why they are worth our time.

The Puritans were not interested in novelty or superficial spirituality. They wrote as pastors, preachers, and theologians who cared deeply about the glory of God and the spiritual health of ordinary Christians. Their concern was the whole of the Christian life—mind, heart, and conduct—rooted firmly in Scripture and shaped by a robust doctrine of grace. For every Christian, I would argue, the Puritans offer wisdom forged in prayer, suffering, and faithful ministry. Obviously, and it should go without saying, the first book to read is your Bible. Some of the language that the Puritans use can feel a bit old fashioned and difficult to understand at times – it might be worth reading a couple of Bible translations alongside the Puritans to help you understand them better. For example, you could use this KJV Bible, or something like these ESV Scripture journals (I really like the notes page to help you dive deeper!)

But maybe you’ve never read them and you don’t know where to start, here are some recommendations of several classic Puritan works that continue to serve the church well and are well worth a read. They are in no particular order!

Saturday Snippets (January 24)

Can Unbelievers Perform Good Deeds? A Biblical Perspective

If Scripture says that no one does good, are the good deeds of unbelievers really good at all? It is a question that surfaces regularly—sometimes in theological debate, sometimes in pastoral conversations, and often quietly in the conscience of many thoughtful Christians. After all, the Bible seems uncompromising. Psalm 53:3 declares “there is none who does good, not even one.”

Saturday Snippets (January 17)

Genesis vs. Paul: The Truth About Singleness

At first glance, Scripture can appear to speak with two voices on the question of singleness. In Genesis 2, before sin enters the world, God declares, “It is not good that the man should be alone” (Gen. 2:18). Yet in 1 Corinthians 7, the apostle Paul can write, without apology, “I wish that all were as I myself am”, referring to his singleness (1 Cor. 7:7), and later insist that the unmarried person is able to be “anxious about the things of the Lord” in a way that the married person is not (1 Cor. 7:32–35).

Is this a contradiction? Has the Bible changed its mind? Or are we failing to read either text carefully enough?

The answer, I would suggest, is that Genesis and Paul are not in tension at all. Rather, they are addressing different questions, in different redemptive contexts, while sharing a deeper agreement about what it means to be human before God.