30 Axis-Recommended Books You Should Read

We at Axis know what it’s like to struggle with faith. And we’re here to help! The Axis team has put together their list of top-recommended books to encourage you to know that you and your teen are not alone in your struggles with deep theological questions. We hope you enjoy these recommendations and pick one or two to read together!

Axis’ top 30 book recommendations

“I struggle with anxiety and Anxious for Nothing really talks about leaning on Jesus and casting your cares on him.” —Madison, Executive Assistant

“A skeptic's journey to faith. Donald Miller shares rawly (and humorously) about his ever-deepening understanding of, and relationship with, Jesus. He talks about his frustrations with western Christian culture, what it could mean for the gospel to transform daily life, and about living with unanswered questions and ambiguity.” —Reesey, Writer/Researcher 

“This book—particularly the way Dostoevsky set Ivan’s brutal chronicle of doubt and suffering next to Alyosha’s moving faith commitment under Father Zossima—helped me see that faith and deep questioning can actually sit side-by-side. Largely because of this book, I became better able to sustain my own faith in the presence of questions, and I also became a better listener if friends ever wanted to process their own doubts.” —Evan, Director of Content Creation

“The Circle Maker inspired me to never limit a limitless God. It helped me to pray bold prayers consistently with confidence.” —Chris M., Chief Advancement Officer

“Not all commentaries are highly academic works for pastors. Baruch Maoz’s work on Colossians is a short commentary/study guide on Paul’s letter to a people who longed for a hidden spiritual meaning to life to the detriment of the Gospel message. They longed for a philosophy that ‘had the appearance of wisdom’ (Col 2:23), or an advanced understanding of the faith. Maoz expounds Paul’s exhortation to the Colossians in the all-sufficient provision, person, and work in Christ—a very needful message for today’s Church!” —Patrick, Customer Service Specialist

“Dangerous Wonder was very formative for me. The thing I took away from it is that we have to take risks because of our faith. Like sometimes God will call us to do things that make no earthly sense but we need to jump first and fear later.” —Toben, VP of Resources

“I don’t think there’s a book I could recommend more than Jackie Hill Perry’s poetic testimony, Gay Girl, Good God. I originally purchased the book to better understand the relationships between the Gospel and the LGBT community, never expecting my male, straight, white self to be so overwhelmingly convicted by the story of God calling and redeeming a gay, black, woman to himself. Am I willing to submit myself to God’s way, or do I try to make God fit into my perspective of the world?” —CJ, Writer/Researcher

“This book leaves no doubt about what it means to really follow Jesus. This one deals less with doubt and more about doing some real soul-searching to determine if you are truly committed to the One who called you.” —Preston, Marketing Director

“James K. A. Smith summarizes Charles Taylor's 900-page tome, A Secular Age, distilling the Catholic philosopher's wisdom and insight and applying it to postmodern culture. It's an overview of how we got from a religious world (think back to 1500 A.D. when atheism was unthinkable) to the year 2000 when belief is practically unthinkable, at least in the West. Smith explores the themes of doubt, faith, and the philosophical underpinnings that allow for both.” —Reesey, Writer/Researcher

“Knowing how to more deeply study God’s Word allows for the text to truly come alive—especially when biblical illiteracy is at an all-time high. When reading the Word, it is important to know how to actually interpret it responsibly. Biblical interpretation is a skill and art that requires a little bit of training but does not require a seminary degree. Fuhr and Köstenberger teach a method of inductive Bible study that leads the reader to properly read various genres, contexts, and motifs, extract biblical truth from God’s Word, and draw applications to shape your life for His glory and to grow your faith.” —Patrick, Customer Service Specialist

“It Takes a Home changed my life 20 years ago. Literally changed every plan I had for myself. It really convicted me of the blessings of motherhood and what a gift it was and what the Bible says about being a mother.” —Kelli, Partner Relationship Manager

“It may sound unrelated, but Just Do Something was super practical as a college grad. I think it could be great for high school seniors who are freaked out about jobs and life decisions in general, let alone in a year like this. He pushes back against the ‘have faith that God will show you the way to go in life,’ and helps people actually live with faith—by making actual decisions and trusting that they can't do anything to derail what God has planned for their life. Very helpful.” —Chris P., Video Director

“In college, I spent a lot of time trying to debate my atheist friends into becoming Christians while my own faith remained shallow and hypocritical. Reading Kierkegaard helped me see that being a Christian is about embodying what I believe more than trying to ‘prove’ its validity to others.” —Evan, Director of Content Creation

“We don’t usually look at things like making the bed or losing our keys as ‘spiritual’ practices, but Liturgy of the Ordinary challenged me to discover practical theology and spirituality in the mundane parts of life. Everything we do is holy, and worship is not limited to Sunday mornings. This book opened up a world of understanding of who God is, and how everything I do is an act of worship, as I wake each day as a born again child of God living to serve Him in the simplest acts of my day.” —Hannah, Writer/Editor

“Timothy Keller realizes that Christianity makes incredibly bold, often uncomfortable claims that can be difficult to accept in a secular world. So, instead of comparing Christianity to other religions, or making scientific arguments about the reason for God's existence, Keller goes back to the philosophical claims and assumptions that most modern people have, and asks, ‘Why should anyone believe in Christianity?’ This book is an invitation to skeptics.” —Reesey, Writer/Researcher

• “[Mere Christianity] talks about it being a relationship more than just a religion...I love how it was a radio series first and how it argues for the existence of God.” —Madison, Executive Assistant
• “[Mere Christianity] was a faith builder in my life.” —Dilynn, Operations Manager

17. Mindset by Carol Dweck

“Not technically a ‘Christian’ book but her concept of the growth mindset has always felt to me like the gospel in disguise. A very encouraging paradigm shift that we can always keep growing, and learning, and developing.” —Evan, Director of Content Creation

“This achingly beautiful memoir explores the tensions between doubt and faith, experience and ideals, pain and beauty, and other paradoxes that seem to categorize life. Christian Wiman was diagnosed with terminal cancer in his late thirties; My Bright Abyss is his attempt to grapple with his condition through poetry and journaling. His rediscovery of Christian faith doesn't remove doubt, and he wrestles with how to live faithfully while acknowledging his painful questions.” —Reesey, Writer/Researcher

“For me, it's a book that brings me back to center. To try and stop focusing on the outcome of small situations and focus on the bigger picture. I think it's definitely a book for those who are going through or have gone through tough situations. But with a year like this one, I would say most people can relate a bit.” —Ashley, Executive Assistant to the Advancement Team 

“I think of this book as the modern version of CS Lewis' Mere Christianity. It does an incredible job of addressing issues of both the critic looking in on Christianity as well as those who are coming from within a place of faith and yet are struggling with doubts.” —Preston, Marketing Director

“Reconcilable Differences was convicting because I am raising women who don't see things the way I do, and it was helpful in approaching the subject of being a woman of faith and how to deal with feminist issues based on how society ‘thinks,’ and most importantly, how to have conversations about that.” —Kelli, Partner Relationship Manager

“The story of Rees Howells is a story of how extraordinarily the Lord will work out His purposes through a willing vessel. Howells was so confident of the Lord’s provision, purposes, and protection, that the man would have marched right off the edge of the Grand Canyon had the Lord asked him to. And he'd have known; his relationship was conversational (moment by moment) with the Lord.” —Chris M., Chief Advancement Officer

“Donald Miller’s unpacking of faith and the Gospel with non-religious language was extremely helpful for me as I shifted from my high-school, cultural faith to my adult faith. A lot have, justifiably, critiqued Miller’s sparse use of scripture, but Searching for God Knows What was the impetus for me to see God, faith, and the Bible with new eyes and to fall back in love with Jesus.” —CJ, Researcher/Editor

“This is an interesting one that gives a lot of perspective and answers questions about why pick Christianity.” —Dilynn, Operations Manager

“This is a really powerful story of a man who was deeply in love with Islam, but who came to find truth in the God of the Bible. It challenged my thinking, pushed me to look at religion with a more critical eye, and bolstered my confidence in the validity of the Bible.” —Hannah, Writer/Editor

“This book is a tremendous discussion of the many possible causes of depression and melancholy in the lives of Christians, and different prescriptions for how to handle each one.” —Evan, Director of Content Creation

“I always knew the Christian life was marked by different disciplines—scripture reading, prayer, fasting, solace, and more—but when I was younger, I never knew why these were so important. Donald Whitney provides the background and practical advice for how to engage these disciplines for maintaining your spiritual life and drawing near to God.” —Patrick, Customer Service Specialist

“I first read this book when I was a freshman in college and, honestly, I didn't pay too much attention to its message. I decided to give the book a fair chance after one of my family members bought it for me as a gift. In my second, more attentive, read-through of Things Fall Apart, I was deeply challenged to look at culture and missions work more closely and critically. I started asking questions like ‘Are my morals based off of the Bible or the culture around me?’ and ‘How can I best share the Gospel with people who are drastically different from me?’ While the story was disheartening in many ways, it motivated me to seek deeper faith connections with others and strive to have an open, loving heart for people of all backgrounds.” —Kyela, Resources Intern

“It helped me see an alternative approach to one of the biggest problems people have with God killing people in the Old Testament (or having the Israelites kill them). It also gives a greater picture of the full story of God and the Gospel than any other book I’ve read from a Biblical and extra-Biblical standpoint. Note: It’s real weird, as it gives more credit to the power of the spiritual realm and even the Nephilim than other books have the courage to do. It’s worth a critical read by everyone.” —Jeremiah, CEO and Co-Founder

“FANTASTIC book! Martin has a great way of turning a phrase and making you really think about faith.” —Preston, Marketing Director

See any books that look interesting? Pick one and start reading! And if any of these sound cool to both you and your teen, you might consider getting a book for the two of you (or however many kids you’ve got at home) to read together. The ‘ole do-school-work-then-watch-Netflix routine can get boring, switch it up with meaningful conversations about a new book!