It’s that time of year—when many individuals and organizations compile their list of top books of the year. I’ve collated 12 lists—to make it easy for you to find the best books of 2022. (I started with 10, updated to 12, and I may add more if I find additional lists before the year ends.) I present the lists in alphabetical order.
1. 22 Top Biblical Counseling Books of 2022
This is my annual list of top biblical counseling books. Here’s my summary:
Being 2022, I’ve selected: The 22 Top Biblical Counseling Books of 2022. I’ve chosen these books on the basis of their:
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- Biblical depth
- Relevance to Christian living
- Practicality for one-another ministry
- Faithfulness to the sufficiency of Scripture
- Application to progressive sanctification
- By accepting nominations from biblical counseling leaders worldwide
2. Association of Certified Biblical Counselors (ACBC) 2022 Biblical Counseling Book(s) of the Year
ACBC says this about their list:
ACBC has chosen the 2022 biblical counseling book of the year. The winner was selected by a vote of our certified counselors. (Note: Their list includes the top 3 vote winners, with one tie—so the top 4 BC books of the year.)
3. Best Books for Pastors in 2022 by 9Marks
Here’s what 9Marks says about their list:
We asked pastors around the world a simple question: what books did you read in 2022 that helped you be a better pastor? We’ve curated their responses for you.
4. Christianity Today’s 2022 Book Awards
CT briefly describes their book awards like this:
Our picks for the books most likely to shape evangelical life, thought, and culture.
5. Christianity Today’s 2023 Book Awards
CT briefly describes their book awards like this:
Our picks for the books most likely to shape evangelical life, thought, and culture.
6. ECPA Christian Book Awards 2022
The Evangelical Christian Publisher Association describes their process like this:
Presented annually to the finest in Christian publishing since 1978, the Christian Book Award® program honors the “best of the year” in 12 categories. Five finalists are chosen in each category unless there is a tie. The Winner in each category is announced and awarded at the ECPA Awards Celebration held at the industry’s Leadership Summit each Spring.
7. For the Church 2022 Book Awards
For the Church describes their process like this:
Like every year, we are pleased to present our readers with a few books that stuck out as exceptional from this past year. For our sixth annual For the Church book awards, members of our FTC council, editorial staff, and seminary community chose two books—a winner and a runner-up—to honor and to recommend to you for the way they impacted them personally and/or offers a significant contribution to the Church and her pursuit of a gospel-centered faith.
8. The Gospel Coalition 2022 Book Awards
Here’s TGC’s introduction to their book award list:
Each year our editors, along with dozens of outside judges, review nominations from publishers using four criteria:
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- Offers gospel-centered argument and application;
- Includes faithful and foundational use of Scripture, both Old Testament and New Testament;
- Fosters spiritual discernment of contemporary trials and trends; and
- Encourages efforts to unite and renew the church.
With so many titles published each year, it’s an exciting challenge for us at The Gospel Coalition to take stock of the best Christian books across 12 categories.
9. Kevin DeYoung’s Top 10 Books of 2022
Pastor DeYoung describes his process like this:
This list is not meant to assess the thousands of good books published in the past year. This is simply a list of the books—Christian and non-Christian, but all non-fiction—that I thought were the best in the past year. “Best” doesn’t mean I agreed with everything in them; it means I found these books—all published in 2022 or in the second half of 2021 (to give myself some breathing room)—a strong combination of thoughtful, useful, interesting, helpful, insightful, and challenging. Instead of trying to rank the books 1-10 (always a somewhat arbitrary task), I’ll simply list them in alphabetical order by the author’s last name.
10. Russell Moore: My Favorite Books of 2022
Here’s Dr. Moore’s description of his list:
It’s December, so that means it’s time for the annotated list of my favorite books of the past year. All my usual caveats apply. These 12 books are in no particular order—just the order in which I pulled them off the shelf.
11. Tim Challies: My Top Books of 2022
Tim details his collation with these words:
As another year draws to a close, I wanted to take some time to consider the books I read in 2022 and to assemble a list of my top picks. Apart from the first book, which I consider the best I read this year, the rest are in no particular order. In each case I’ve included a brief excerpt from my review.
12. Trevin Wax: My Favorite Reads of 2022
Trevin explains:
At the close of every year, I share a list of the books I most enjoyed reading during the calendar year. There’s usually a mix of theology, cultural analysis, biography, and fiction. Here’s hoping a few of this year’s favorite reads will make their way on to your Christmas wish list or provide some good gift ideas. Here are my picks for 2022.
Join the Conversation
What additional lists of top books of 2022 have you seen?
What are the top books you have read that were published in 2022?
