Top 5 Christian Parenting Books
Why read books about Christian parenting?
I love to read. As a Christian mum, I am really interested in learning how to be a good parent to my children, and one great way to do this is through reading the books of those who have done this before me, learning from their mistakes and adopting habits and rhythms they have found worked well in their family life.
Keeping Jesus central to family life and modeling by example is one of the best ways to encourage your children in their own walks with the Lord. Discipling them before they even make a confession of faith is also a good strategy.
As well as books on this topic, I enjoy listening to Christian parenting podcasts, some of which are excellent and have gone a long way to teaching me how to parent my children well. You can read about my 5 favourites here, I mention both the podcasts themselves and specific episodes I loved if you need somewhere to start with.
For the purpose of this article though, here are my favourite books on parenting from a Christian perspective.
1. Mom Enough, Edited by Tony & Karalee Reinke
This is the book I gave to all new mums for a handful of years. Published in 2014, the year my first child was born, it is a compilation of articles written by seven authors, which were initially published as blog posts under the banner of "Grace at Home". Compiled into this book which is easily digestible and mercifully thin - which is perfect when you're a new mum, running on little sleep and trying to fit a bit of reading on Christian Parenthood in the margins of a suddenly full life.
All in all, a cracking little 5-star book of articles, and the first two were especially uplifting to me. This book reminded me of what a great calling motherhood is.
2. Habits of the Household, Justin Whitmel Earley
I first heard of the book when the author, Justin, was interviewed on the Family Discipleship Podcast. I then listened to Habits of the Household as an audiobook (can you sense a theme?! I listen to a lot of things when I'm cleaning, working or out walking) and loved it so much that I immediately bought a physical copy.
This book is simply brilliant on Christian Parenting in the little, insignificant moments. It is practical, realistic and is written with big doses of grace. The style is a little hipster, but there is so much good stuff in here, that this can be forgiven and overlooked.
With regular reminders that his home is messy and chaotic, the book was reassuring that the author lives a normal life like mine. In this normal life, showing our children our faith through small things in our house and life is possible. Not only this, but it has a big impact as they see us living with Christ as the centre. I have been memorising some blessings to pray over our kids especially as they go to bed, hoping and praying that little habits such as these bring the truth of the gospel into brighter focus both for me and for them.
I loved this reminder at the end of each chapter:
“God's love inspires our action, but our actions do not inspire God's love. Our family habits will not change God's love for us, but God's love for us should change our family habits.”
The bottom line here is that whether your kids are very young, growing into young adults, or somewhere in between like mine - if you’re a Christian parent, you need this book!
3. Sacred Parenting, Gary Thomas
I loved Gary's books Sacred Marriage and A Lifelong Love, so it made sense to read Sacred Parenting. I'm thrilled I did, this is another home run by Gary Thomas. it is equally good. Like his other books I have read, Sacred Parenting is thoughtful and insightful, loaded with scripture and honest anecdotes to drive his points. While at times repetitive, I appreciated that he explained clearly without over-simplifying difficult and challenging concepts - I have found other books on a similar topic to be patronising (without that intention, I'm sure).
Just as marriage is a great tool that God uses for our sanctification, so is parenthood. After all, we are all sinners, and just as marriage is twice the sin in half the space, parenthood is even more sin, in an even smaller space! Parenting is a vehicle for sanctification. This was to me both obvious and a revelation as I became a parent and again as I read this book. While I've always believed this, I had not reflected on the far-reaching implications of this truth. Each chapter shows you another facet of this truth.
This is not a how-to book, but more a why-to book; it is a book that reshapes our thinking on the reason for parenting. I loved that it explains clearly that our parenting should be pointing us to Christ and moving us closer to Him.
A study guide is available with Sacred Parenting. Here is a confession for you: we have it but haven't gone through it yet. It could be a good one to go through with another couple (or two) at a similar life stage to you.
4. The Fruitful Home: Creating a Gospel Culture for Family Life, Ann Benton
I read this book five years ago and I still think about it often. I should probably re-read it as we enter the pre-teen season.
The premise of this book is that we must think about the soil in which our children grow.
A fruitful home is a happy home. It is a house of structure, a house of substance, a house of story, a house of sorrow, a house of singing, a house of sympathy, a house of service, a house of sharing and a house of sojourn. By God’s Grace, it will also be a house of salvation. These are the alliterations used in the book, but even 5 years later, I have a recollection of what she says in each chapter based on these titles - so they worked well!
Ann writes as a spiritual grandmother to a new generation of mothers, taking what Titus 2 says literally: the older women must teach the younger women to love their husbands and children. This book is encouraging and helpful for both mothers and fathers, with plenty of practical advice and spiritual counsel.
It is a short 130-page book published by 10 of Those, always a good sign!
5. The Lifegiving Parent, Clay & Sally Clarkson
This is another book which I listened to on audiobook first, then bought a physical copy of to refer to regularly. Sally Clarkson has a series of books on a similar theme and it is the third book I have read of hers - I've also enjoyed The Lifegiving Table and The Lifegiving Home.
All three, but especially The Lifegiving Parent, have been thought-provoking, life-altering and encouraging.
My favourite chapter was the one on imagination and fostering imagination, something I haven't read about in any other Christian parenting book. I also loved the idea of having a family memorial stone and day of thanksgiving each year, making it a fun and life-giving day each year. That said, I haven't implemented it yet - all our birthdays are in the first 6 months of the year, so I have been thinking of having a Day of Thanksgiving sometime in September. Something to plan from 2025. If you've implemented this in your family life, I'd love to know about it!
All together, these books on Christian parenting encompass the duties and responsibilities of parenting and leading and teaching our children in the ways of Christ, while instilling habits and rituals into daily life that are fun, encouraging, loving and enriching to them, but also to us.
If you read them all, you will find a well-rounded guide to parenting as a follower of Christ full of grace and forgiveness for when you fail. Because we are all sinners, and we will all fail. But if we parent with intentionality and with Christ as the focus and centre of how we raise our children, we won't go far wrong.
