On My Shelf: Life and Books with Andy Crouch

On My Shelf helps you get to know various writers through a behind-the-scenes glimpse into their lives as readers.

I asked Andy Crouch—senior strategist for communication at the John Templeton Foundation and author of The Tech-Wise Family (2017) [interview | review], Strong and Weak (2016) [review], Playing God (2013) [review], and Culture Making (2008) [review]—about what’s on his nightstand, his favorite fiction books, books that have shaped his thinking on cultural engagement, and more.

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What’s on your nightstand right now?

Well, I read very little in bed, but here are the books on top of the wobbly stacks in our living room:

The Theater of God’s Glory: Calvin, Creation, and the Liturgical Arts by W. David O. Taylor
Christian Ethics in a Technological Age by Brian Brock
Just Mercy by Bryan Stevenson
The Penultimate Curiosity: How Science Swims in the Slipstream of Ultimate Questions by Andrew Briggs and Roger Wagner
The Woman Who Smashed Codes: A True Story of Love, Spies, and the Unlikely Heroine Who Outwitted America’s Enemies by Jason Fagone
Barefoot Leadership by Alvin Ung

Which books have profoundly shaped the way you lead and serve others for the sake of the gospel?

A Long Obedience in the Same Direction by Eugene Peterson
Leadership Without Easy Answers by Ronald Heifetz
The Return of the Prodigal Son by Henri Nouwen

Which books have most shaped your thinking on cultural engagement?

The Mind of the Maker by Dorothy Sayers
The Sacred Canopy by Peter Berger
Walking with the Poor: Principles and Practices of Transformational Development by Bryant Meyers

What are your favorite fiction books?

A Soldier of the Great War by Mark Helprin
The Man Who Was Thursday by G. K. Chesterton
The Odyssey by Homer

(Apparently I like magical realism!)

What’s your favorite book that no one has heard of?

Well, it’s probably not the case that no one has heard of Helprin’s A Soldier of the Great War, but let’s say it’s the book I consider to have the highest greatness-to-name-recognition ratio of any book I’ve ever read. It’s just a stunning novel.

But the best answer, at least from 2016’s crop of books, is The Penultimate Curiosity, which is still at the top of a pile because it rewards endless rereading and browsing. Physicist Andrew Briggs and artist Roger Wagner trace the relationship between art, religion, and science in a generously illustrated Oxford University Press book. It probably could have used a more reader-friendly title, but the text and illustrations are quite engaging and accessible, and the argument that underlies the book is subtle and groundbreaking. I can’t recommend it highly enough.

What are you learning about life and following Jesus?

When I was younger, “Apart from me you can do nothing” (John 15:5) seemed like a grand and totally inaccessible spiritual truth. These days it seems like a completely concrete and economical description of reality.

Also in the On My Shelf series: Walter Strickland • Hannah Anderson • S. D. Smith • Curtis Woods • Mindy Belz • Steve Timmis • David Mathis • Michael Lindsay • Nathan Finn • Jennifer Marshall • Todd Billings • Greg Thornbury • Greg Forster • Jen Pollock Michel • Sam Storms • Barton Swaim • John Stonestreet • George Marsden • Andrew Wilson • Sally Lloyd-Jones • Darryl Williamson • D. A. Horton • Carl Ellis • Owen Strachan • Thomas Kidd • David Murray • Jarvis Williams • Gracy Olmstead • Matthew Hall • Drew Dyck • Louis Markos • Ray Ortlund • Brett McCracken • Mez McConnell • Erik Raymond • Sandra McCracken • Tim Challies • Sammy Rhodes • Karen Ellis • Alastair Roberts • Scott Sauls • Karen Swallow Prior • Jackie Hill Perry • Bruce Ashford • Jonathan Leeman • Megan Hill • Marvin Olasky • David Wells • John Frame • Rod Dreher • James K. A. Smith • Randy Alcorn • Tom Schreiner • Trillia Newbell • Jen Wilkin • Joe Carter • Timothy George • Tim Keller • Bryan Chapell • Lauren Chandler • Mike Cosper • Russell Moore • Jared Wilson • Kathy Keller • J. D. Greear • Kevin DeYoung • Kathleen Nielson • Thabiti Anyabwile • Elyse Fitzpatrick • Collin Hansen • Fred Sanders • Rosaria Butterfield • Nancy Guthrie • Matt Chandler

Browse dozens of book recommendations from The Gospel Coalition’s leaders and sign up your church at Hubworthy.

Download your free Christmas playlist by TGC editor Brett McCracken!

It’s that time of year, when the world falls in love—with Christmas music! If you’re ready to immerse yourself in the sounds of the season, we’ve got a brand-new playlist for you. The Gospel Coalition’s free 2025 Christmas playlist is full of joyful, festive, and nostalgic songs to help you celebrate the sweetness of this sacred season.

The 75 songs on this playlist are all recordings from at least 20 years ago—most of them from further back in the 1950s and 1960s. Each song has been thoughtfully selected by TGC Arts & Culture Editor Brett McCracken to cultivate a fun but meaningful mix of vintage Christmas vibes.

To start listening to this free resource, simply click below to receive your link to the private playlist on Spotify or Apple Music.

Get instant access to TGC’s Christmas playlist »

Ivan Mesa (PhD, The Southern Baptist Theological Seminary) is editorial director for The Gospel Coalition, where he has served since 2014. He’s the founder of Inkling Editing and editor of several books, including Scrolling Ourselves to Death and The Gospel After Christendom. He and his wife, Sarah, have four children, and they live in eastern Georgia.