The Christmas break is (hopefully) a time where you get to stop work, put your feet up, and tuck into some reading.
Of course, that’s a pipe dream for many; Christmas is often chaotic, with the calendar full of family events, outings to keep the kids engaged, and if you’re a believer, one church event after another.
However, in the off-chance that you do manage to find some downtime these holidays, here are ten reads we recently featured on the show (and a few extra staff picks as well).
Whether you want to sink your teeth into some Biblical history, cultural analysis, or a literary classic, we hope you find something in this list to enjoy!
1.
John Kasich is a former politician who enjoyed a remarkable career spanning three decades, including a stint as the Governor of Ohio and two Republican Presidential nomination races. During his time in office, he encountered countless ordinary Christians who’ve had an outsized impact on the world around them. In Heaven Help Us, Kasich examines some of these stories and highlights how it is often the faith communities around people that help them achieve extraordinary things. Order your copy here.
2. African Hermeneutics (Elizabeth Mburu)
This book is researcher Al’s pick for a favourite featured on the show this season. Elizabeth is a world expert in hermeneutics; that is, how we read the Bible, and how the culture around us might influence our understanding of the text. With so much of modern biblical teaching originating in the global West, African Hermeneutics looks at the Gospel through African eyes and highlights elements Westerners often miss. Elizabeth is also an editor of a new book from Zondervan Academic called Prophet, Priest, and King: Christology in Global Perspective. You can find a copy of that here, and a copy of African Hermeneutics here.
3. A Teachable Spirit: The Virtue of Learning from Strangers, Enemies, and Absolutely Anyone (A.J. Swoboda)
How does one learn? It’s a question we ask ourselves a lot at Undeceptions. Learning is the key to being undeceived, to letting the truth out. It turns out there are lots of different approaches to learning – from cognitive and constructivist theories, behaviourist approaches, social learning theories … the list goes on. There are also loads of ideas around how not to learn – and in this book, A.J. Swoboda takes on some of these. In particular, he examines what we can learn from strangers, from the dead, and from our enemies. Interested? Get your copy here and find out why Producer Kaley named it her favourite book we featured this season.
4. Pride and Prejudice (Jane Austen)
A few years ago, John’s colleague Simon Smart (from the Centre for Public Christianity) gave him a reading list of essential fiction books. John mainly reads non-fiction, so the world of novels was pretty new to him at the time. Thankfully, he found a lot to love on Simon’s list—especially Jane Austen’s masterpiece, Pride and Prejudice. Get yourself a copy and see what all the hype is about.
5. A Threat to Public Piety: Christians, Platonists, and the Great Persecution (Elizabeth DePalma Digeser)
Christians have often been accused of having a “persecution complex” and running to the ‘p word’ whenever challenged by someone who finds aspects of their belief tricky. But Christian persecution is very real – and it’s also got a long, storied history. Elizabeth’s book recounts this remarkably, delving into the lead-up to one of the most challenging periods believers have ever faced: The Great Persecution at the hands of the Romans in the 4th century. Order your copy here.
6.
Dante Alighieri’s Divine Comedy is an epic poem widely regarded as one of the most important works of Western literature. It’s often on those lists of books every person should read before they die. Perhaps you’ve tried and never made it past those first few lines – or maybe you’ve never attempted it in the first place! So why not give it a crack these holidays? Order a copy here. If you need convincing, though, check out Why Dante Matters by world-renowned Dante scholar John Took. Find it here.
7. The Gospel After Christendom: An Introduction to Cultural Apologetics (Collin Hansen)
There’s a long tradition of Christians being flexible in engaging their culture—whether in ancient Rome, Viking Scandinavia, or modern America. So how can Christianity explain itself to a contemporary global West that is no longer dominated by a Christian culture? What sort of “cultural apologetics” might modern believers need to apply? Collin Hansen explores these questions – and more – in this great book that Director Mark has named his pick of the season XV crop! Find it here.
8. Papyri and the Social World of the New Testament (Sabine Huebner)
This is one for the history nerds! Swiss scholar Sabine Hubner’s new book zeros in on an often overlooked source of ancient history: documentary papyri. These are scraps of ‘everyday documents’ – from tax receipts, to letters, leases, contracts, and wills. They give the everyday people of the ancient world a chance to step onto centre stage – and through a thorough examination of these, Hubner can cast light on what life must have been like for people in the First Century around Judea and in Egypt – the world that Jesus was born into. Among many other things, she shows that the Romans sometimes did require families to travel back to their place of ancestral origin for censuses – a detail from the Gospels that has often been used as ammunition by sceptics as reason to doubt the nativity story. Get yourself a copy here.
9. Josephus and Jesus: New Evidence for the One Called Christ (T.C. Schmidt)
Keeping with the first century, T.C. Schmidt’s new book is one of the most significant contributions to the study of the historical Jesus in recent decades. Schmidt makes a compelling argument for the Testamonium Flavianum – a 90-word paragraph written in the first century by the Jewish historian Flavius Josephus about Jesus’ death and supposed resurrection – not being an interpolation by a Christian scribe, but rather an authentic passage. To bolster his case, Schmidt also points out that there’s a strong likelihood Josephus personally knew the people who presided over Jesus’ trial. The book is peer-reviewed, super nerdy, and making a serious splash in the field … so much so that an impressed benefactor has paid for a digital version to be made available worldwide FREE!! Here it is.
10. Tokens of Trust: An Introduction to Christian Belief (Rowan Williams)
2025 marked the 1700th anniversary of the Nicene Creed, the result of the Council of Nicaea in 325, which defined the shared core belief of the Christian faith. The former Archbishop of Canterbury, Rowan Williams, has researched and written more about the Creed than almost anyone who wasn’t actually in the room a millennium and a half ago! His book Tokens of Trust is an excellent resource if you’re wondering what Christianity – and the Nicene Creed – is all about. You can find a copy here.
OTHER BOOKS WE’VE BEEN READING
Papyrus (Irene Vallejo)
This book has been doing the rounds in the Undeceptions team – Producer Kaley and ‘John’s wonderful assistant, Lyndie, have read it so far, and given great reviews. It’s about the history of reading – so if you want to read about reading, head here.
Embers of the Hands: Hidden Histories of the Viking Age (Eleanor Barraclough)
This book about the ordinary lives of the Viking Age – as told through ordinary objects, like combs, rune sticks, and even ancient skis – has totally captured Researcher Al’s imagination. It turns out the Vikings were both more normal – and way scarier – than we ever previously imagined! Check it out.
The Gulag Archipelago (Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn)
Right on brand, Director Mark has been getting into the Christmas spirit with this grim classic about the development of the Soviet labour camps system – and the terror of Stalinist Russia more broadly. Find a copy here for some Christmas cheer!
Want to be further undeceived?
Check out our network of podcasts and articles in the Undeceptions Library.
