Theological depth through expository Bible teaching is one of Rooted’s five pillars of gospel-centered youth ministry. As we work to teach teenagers the full counsel of God’s Word (Acts 20:27), we must always seek to grow in the grace and understanding of the gospel ourselves. While the Holy Spirit is our best and first guide, faithful Bible scholars can be excellent teachers too. We selected the award winners in this category with an eye to resources that will be most helpful in ministry to youth. Enjoy!
The 2025 Book Awards team includes Tim Franks, Rebecca Heck, Isaiah Marshall, Tracy Yi, and Rooted’s editorial team.
Honorable Mention
The Gospel After Christendom: An Introduction to Cultural Apologetics by Collin Hansen, Skyler R. Flowers, and Ivan Mesa (Zondervan)
Full disclosure, it’s hard for me to be excited about books on apologetics. However, I have a great deal of respect for Tim Keller and the Keller Center for Cultural Apologetics—so reading this volume became an honor, not a chore. And if you too are like me—an unlikely reader of apologetics books— let me encourage you to go ahead and put this book in your shopping cart.
Collin Hansen, Executive Director of the Keller Center, begins by calling out the difference between traditional apologetics (what I typically think of) and cultural apologetics, which is a way of engaging that allows for curiosity and approaching topics that impact the whole world, not just Christians. It’s a welcome change and one that gave me freedom to enjoy the vast perspectives of the contributing authors (fourteen in all). Each chapter provides practical and hope filled ways of thinking about the current cultural climate impacting our teenagers and young adults. This book will aid your Bible teaching by helping you understand how teenagers are thinking about the world and processing their experiences.
Honorable Mention
From Eden to Egypt: A Guided Tour of Genesis (9Marks) by Alex Duke (Zondervan)
If you love studying the book of Genesis, you’re going to want to add this offering from Alex Duke to your bookcase. From Eden to Egypt is an insightful, whimsically written study escorting the reader through the beginnings of faith in the one true God. Each section dives deeply into the Scriptures, providing insight not only of Ancient Near East culture and showing how our faith as Christians has always stood apart from the world. Where needed, Duke provides footnotes to help deepen the guided tour and provide more resources.
As a Bible teacher, if you are looking for something to help supplement your own study (or even to guide your teaching plan through Genesis), then look no further. If you have a student who loves to dive into the history of all things, this book is the perfect gift for them. Duke has broken the full story into bite-sized chunks, allowing for depth of study without overwhelming the reader. While his book has two introductions (he pokes fun at himself for it), his guidance begins at the offset, encouraging the reader to first read the recommended Scripture passage on their own, and then use his writings as a guide into its depths. I hope you’ll enjoy this book as much as I did.
Honorable Mention
Understanding Biblical Law: Skills for Thinking With and Through Torah by Dru Johnson (Baker Academic)
How to relate to the law of Moses represents one of the more complex questions for Bible teachers. In our attempts to teach faithfully, we can accidentally err on one of two sides: either overemphasizing adherence to the law on the one hand (legalism), or minimizing its lasting importance for Christians in light of the gospel (license). There truly is nothing new under the sun, as these are the two extremes the New Testament authors so often corrected!
In Understanding Biblical Law, Dru Johnson helps us think beyond our usual legal categories to better grasp God’s heart and purpose for the Torah. He draws the reader into exploration by crafting an extended (fictional) case study from the ancient world, and then unpacks God’s nuanced instructions for his people. Johnson repeatedly highlights the practical ways in which Torah shows God’s concern for those on the margins of society. Further, he explains how, in a subsistence economy, most people were only one family member’s death or one bad crop away from those margins. Thus, the law was an essential guardrail to preserve the flourishing of the entire community.
This book will prove especially useful for youth ministers who already have some experience teaching the Bible and want to continue their study. The book also speaks to many of the apologetical questions students have about the meaning and purpose of the Old Testament law and how it applies to Christians today.
Winner
Gospel Stories: How The Greatest Story Is Richer, Deeper, and More Wonderful Than We Think by Andrew Wilson (10 Publishing)
Recently I was sitting with a group of friends who are in the throes of raising their beloved teenagers. One of them shared (with a bit of lamenting) that her teen had re-entered the toddler years of asking “why?” in response to my friend’s parenting choices and guidance. In reality, his phase of asking “why?” never truly leaves us. Which is one reason why (pun intended) Andrew Wilson’s Gospel Stories is the winner of this year’s Rooted Bible Teaching Book Award.
As a Bible teacher, finding resources that clearly and whimsically tell the story of the Scriptures with clarity and hope can turn into a full-time job. So many other writings tend to leave out one or the other. Wilson’s newest offering provides clarity, hope, and an even greater gift for Bible teachers everywhere: brevity. Each chapter can be read as a daily devotional, or to kick off a small group discussion, or to help plan out your teaching calendar.
With each page you get a glimpse of the beauty and excitement of God’s plan for us, his children. This book is not only for the Bible teacher, but can easily be shared with teenagers (I’d suggest eighth grade or higher) to help them learn the patterns of our faith and the goodness of our God. Wilson’s writing style conveys contagious excitement about God’s goodness, encouraging you to read chapter after chapter. Enjoy this work. It will encourage you, embolden you, and excite you to teach God’s Word.
Looking for more Gospel-centered book resources? Check out the list of Rooted’s own publications, especially the new book Teenagers and Mental Health: A Handbook for Parents, Pastors, and Youth Leaders by Danny Kwon and Monica Kim!
