Below are my top selections in every category along with a brief description of why they were chosen over the others.  If you are looking for a lengthier list I would recommend the following resources:

• Desiring God―Believing-the-Bible Book List
• Desiring God―What are some books that DG recommends?
• Discerning Reader― R. C. Sproul
• Discerning Reader― Russell Moore
• Ligonier Ministries―Reading List
• The Master’s Seminary―850 Books for Biblical Expositors
• My Library
• 9Marks―Reading List for Pastors
• 9Marks―Reading List for Laymen
• Redeemer Presbyterian― Gospel Movement
• Redeemer Presbyterian―Personal Conversion
• Redeemer Presbyterian―Community Formation
• Redeemer Presbyterian―Social Justice
• Redeemer Presbyterian―Cultural Renewal
• More Coming Soon

As with everything here at Missio Dei if you do not see a topic addressed e-mail me and I will update the website as soon as possible.

Apologetics

Instructional Works

• Frame, John M. Apologetics to the Glory of God.
• Shaeffer, Francis.  The Francis A. Schaeffer Trilogy: The Three Essential Books in One Volume: The God Who Is There, Escape from Reason, He Is There and He Is Not Silent.
• Sproul, R. C.  Classical Apologetics.

Reference Works

• Geisler, Norman L. and Ronald M. Brooks.  When Skeptics Ask: A Handbook of Christian Evidence.
• ________, and Thomas Howe.  When Critics Ask: A Popular Handbook on Bible Difficulties.
• ________, and Ron Rhodes.  When Cultists Ask: A Popular Handbook on Cultic Misinterpretations.
• House, H. Wayne.  Charts of World Religions.
• Martin, Walter.  The Kingdom of the Cults.
• McDowell, Josh and Don Stewart.  Handbook of Today’s Religions.

Bibles

• The English Standard Version.
• ________.  The MacArthur Study Bible NASB.

Bible Study

• Grace Community Church.  Fundamentals of the Faith.
• MacArthur, John.  Macarthur Bible Studies.
• Shaeffer, Francis.  25 Basic Bible Studies: Including Two Contents Two Realities.

Biblical Counseling and Pastoral Ministry

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Biography

• Piper, John.  The Legacy of Sovereign Joy: God’s Triumphant Grace in the Lives of Augustine, Luther, and Calvin.
• ________.  The Hidden Smile of God: The Fruit of Affliction in the Lives of John Bunyan, William Cowper, and David Brainerd.
• ________.  The Roots of Endurance: Invincible Perseverance in the Lives of John Newton, Charles Simeon, and William Wilberforce.
• ________.  Contending for Our All: Defending the Truth And Treasuring Christ in the Lives of Athanasius, John Owen, And J. Gresham Machen.

Classical Works

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Church Discipline, Membership, Polity

• Dever, Mark.  Nine Marks of a Healthy Church.
• ________.  The Deliberate Church: Building Your Ministry on the Gospel.
• Strauch, Alexander.  Biblical Eldership: An Urgent Call to Restore Biblical Church Leadership.

Church History

Historical Theology: Overview

• Lawson, Steven J.  A Long Line of Godly Men.
• Olson, Roger E.  The Story of Christian Theology: Twenty Centuries of Tradition & Reform.
• Schaff, Philip.  History of the Christian Church.

Historical Theology: Periods and Movements

• Verduin, Leonard.  The Reformers and Their Stepchildren (Dissent and Nonconformity).

Church Planting

• Stetzer, Ed.  Planting Missional Churches.

Commentaries (One Volume)

• Jamieson, Robert, A.R. Fausset and Brown.  A Commentary, Critical, Experimental, and Practical on the Old and New Testaments.
• MacArthur, John.  The MacArthur Bible Commentary.

Commentary Sets

• Clendenen, E. Charles and David S. Dockery.  The New American Commentary.
• Keil, C. F. and F. Delitzsch.  Keil & Delitzsch Commentary on the Old Testament.
• MacArthur, John.  The MacArthur New Testament Commentary.
• Wuest, Kenneth S. Wuest’s word studies from the Greek New Testament : For the English reader.

Evangelism

• Cahill, Mark.  One Thing You Can’t do in Heaven.
• MacArthur, John.  The Gospel According to Jesus.
• Piper, John.  God Is the Gospel: Meditations on God’s Love As the Gift of Himself.

Hermeneutics

• Zuck, Roy B.  Basic Bible Interpretation.

Leadership

• Baxter, Richard. The Reformed Pastor.
• Sanders, J. Oswald.  Spiritual Leadership: Principles of Excellence for Every Believer.

Marriage

• MacArthur, John. The Fulfilled Family: God’s Design for Your Home.
• Mahaney, C. J. Sex, Romance And The Glory Of God: What Every Christian Husband Needs To Know.
• Piper, John and Wayne Grudem.  50 Crucial Questions: An Overview of Central Concerns About Manhood and Womanhood.

Missions

• Piper, John.  Let the Nations Be Glad!.

New Testament

• Dever, Mark.  The Message of the New Testament: Promises Kept.
• MacArthur, John.  The MacArthur Bible Handbook.

Old Testament

• Dever, Mark.  The Message of the Old Testament: Promises Made.
• MacArthur, John.  The MacArthur Bible Handbook.

Preaching

• MacArthur, John.  Preaching: MacArthur Pastor’s Library.
• Piper, John.  The Supremacy of God in Preaching.

Theology

Biblical Theology

• Goldsworthy, Graeme.  According to Plan: The Unfolding Revelation of God in the Bible.

General Theology

• Machen, J. Gresham.  Christianity and Liberalism.

• Piper, John.  The Pleasures of God: Meditations on God’s Delight in Being God.
• ________.  Desiring God: Meditations of a Christian Hedonist.

Systematic Theology

• Frame, John F.  The Doctrine of God (Theology of Lordship).
• Grudem, Wayne. Systematic Theology.

Word Studies and Lexicons

• Abbott-Smith, George.  A Manual Greek Lexicon of the New Testament.
• Brown, Francis, S. R. Driver, and Charles A Briggs.  The Brown-Driver-Briggs Hebrew and English Lexicon.

Worldview

• Burnett, David.  Clash of Worlds: What Christians Can do in a World of Cultures in Conflict.
• MacArthur, John., Richard Mayhue, and John A. Hughes.  Think Biblically!: Recovering a Christian Worldview.
• Pearcey, Nancy.  Total Truth: Liberating Christianity From It’s Cultural Captivity.

Worship

• Cowper, William.  The Poems of William Cowper.
• Newton, John.  Olney Hymns.
• The Baptist Hymnal.