In every generation (at least in modern times) Christians find themselves asking the same deep questions: Why do I suffer? Why do my children wander? How do I know the real Jesus? How can I grow? What does faithfulness look like in the quiet, unseen places of church life?
Some of the recent books that have come across my desk tackle these questions with pastoral warmth and theological depth. Together, they could form something of a mini-library for the thoughtful Christian, helpful read to have at home on a pastor’s desk, or simply to be added to the ‘to read’ pile on your bedside table.
Why Do I Personally Experience Evil and Suffering? by Gabriel N. E. Fluhrer
Few questions are more personal, or more pastorally urgent, than this one. In this small but weighty volume, Fluhrer refuses to treat suffering as an abstract philosophical puzzle. Instead, he gently presses the question into the heart: not merely Why is there evil? but Why do I experience it? I really like this about the book, instead of sticking to the academic discussion on suffering Fluhrer takes it to the personal level.
Fluhrer’s great strength is his clarity, he writes with theological precision, but never loses sight of the person in the pew who is reeling from loss, betrayal, illness, or disappointment. Drawing deeply from Scripture, he avoids simplistic answers while holding fast to God’s sovereignty and goodness.
This is the kind of book pastors will want to keep on hand for hospital visits — and the kind every Christian would do well to read before suffering arrives.
When Children Walk Away from Jesus by Paul Mallard
Over the years I have come to realise that there are few pains which cut deeper for Christian parents than watching a child drift from the faith. I’ve seen parents, and grandparents, in tears and confusion. So, when I saw this book I was eager to read it and I am wholeheartedly recommending it to you.
In this compassionate and biblically grounded work, Paul Mallard addresses both the heartbreak and the hard questions. He avoids blame-shifting and easy formulas. Instead, he offers careful theology, wise pastoral counsel, and (perhaps most importantly) hope.
Mallard is does a great job of helping parents disentangle guilt from responsibility. Often parents can blame themselves, or the churches that they have attended, for their children walking away. Mallard’s book will encourage you. He calls readers back to prayer, perseverance, and trust in a sovereign God who loves wandering prodigals even more than we do.
For pastors and church leaders, this book provides invaluable insight into how to walk tenderly with families in this situation. For parents, it offers something even more precious: steady hope without false promises.
More of Jesus by Jonty Allcock
In an age of distractions and spiritual busyness, Allcock invites us to something refreshingly simple: more of Jesus. This book is devotional in tone but theologically rich. Allcock does not chase novelty, instead, he patiently opens up Scripture to show the beauty, sufficiency, and supremacy of Jesus. The result is a book that will fuel both personal worship and public ministry.
It would make an excellent resource for small groups or church-wide reading. If your soul feels flat, hurried, or distracted, this book serves as a gracious call to re-focus on the One who truly satisfies.
The Unvarnished Jesus by Samuel G. Parkison
We live in a time when Jesus is often reshaped in our own image — softened here, sharpened there, sometimes even adjusted to fit in with modern sensibilities. In this compelling and carefully argued book, Parkison want the reader to recover the biblical Jesus in all his glory and authority. The “unvarnished” Jesus is not a projection of our preferences but the Lord revealed to us in Scripture.
Parkison writes with theological care and cultural awareness. He engages contemporary distortions while remaining deeply anchored in the biblical text. The result is a book that strengthens doctrinal clarity without sacrificing pastoral warmth.
For those teaching, preaching, or studying theology, this would be a great read. For all Christians, it is a needed reminder that the real Jesus is far better, and far more demanding, than the versions we sometimes prefer.
Beyond the Back Row by Katie Polski
Not every Christian serves from the platform, many serve quietly and sometimes invisibly. In this warm and encouraging book, Polski shines light on the faithful lives of women who may feel overlooked in church life. With biblical depth and practical wisdom, she calls readers out of passivity and into purposeful engagement in the local church.
What makes this book especially valuable is its tone. It does scold but it also doesn’t flatters. Instead, it dignifies ordinary faithfulness and highlights the profound significance of everyday discipleship.
Church leaders would do well to read this to better understand and encourage the women in their congregations. Women’s ministry leaders will find it particularly helpful, but its message about belonging and participation resonates far beyond one demographic.
Embracing God in Your Suffering – Dave Furman
If Fluhrer gives us a theological framework for suffering, Furman offers something deeply personal: testimony forged in pain. Writing out of his own experience of chronic illness, Furman speaks not as a detached theologian but as a fellow sufferer. But his book is anything but inward-looking, it points to God.
With honesty and hope, he shows how suffering can deepen communion with Jesus rather than diminish it. He doesn’t romanticise pain or minimise it. Instead, he demonstrates, through Scripture and lived experience, that weakness can become the place of profound spiritual strength. As a fellow sufferer with a chronic illness, I think it will resonate with sufferers, equip pastors, and humble anyone who reads it, because it did those things for me.
Whilst each of these books is different and they each. have their own purpose and target audience, they would equip the reader to answer some of the questions that many people are asking today:
- How do we understand suffering?
- How do we endure it?
- What do we do when our children wander?
- Who is the real Jesus?
- How do we grow in him?
- What does quiet faithfulness look like?
They speak to both the heart and the mind, they are pastoral without being shallow, and theological without being abstract. In a time when much Christian publishing chases trends, these books do something better – they point us steadily back to Jesus in suffering, in parenting, in church life, and in personal devotion. I would say that it makes them well worth reading.
Chalmers' Blog 