20 Best Christian Biographies (& More)
My freshman English teacher, Mrs. Horner, introduced me to the wonderful world of biographies. After my first book report (which I failed), she pulled me aside and asked, "Can I recommend a book I think you'll like?" Yes, please! Then she placed this book (this very copy) into my hands. She recognized that my failure was not academic, it was only that I had not learned how find a good book.
I devoured Christy, a novel based on the author’s real-life mom—a narrative nonfiction type of book. I recently re-read it because I was curious if it would be good for my 11-year-old daughter. (Answer: yes.) I had forgotten many lovely details like how Christy took a baby step of faith believing God could bring her a blessing even through the annoyance of a girl who prattled. Oh, and how tenderly she washed and dressed a dead baby girl before her burial—an act which showed love for the mother who couldn’t believe her baby would be buried with a pretty ribbon. And then there’s the part that made me laugh—Christy hadn’t read her Bible before she entered the mission field. Seriously!
I adore how Christy fumbled her way into a secure faith in God. Real people do that, they live imperfect lives and have imperfect faith. But through faith and obedience they grow. And this is what makes biographies beautiful, words on a page let us journey with a person as they follow Jesus on their own bumpy path.
ODE TO BIOGRaphies
Biographies (and memoirs) focus on the story lines that tell us why and how a person had an impact in the world. Biographies remind us that we don’t need to be rich or famous to have an impact. In fact, some my favorite biographies are about people you may not have heard of before.
Usually, like your life and mine, a person’s story lines are not obvious in the beginning. It takes time for the importance of an event to become clear — why a certain event at a certain time and place became pivotal in a person’s life. In that way, biographies are great testimonies to the sovereignty of God. Seriously. The same God who moved a young couple from their hometown to a specific small hamlet of a village just days before the birth of their first child, AND completely filled the town so that the young couple had to sleep with animals, AND lined up some witnesses in a nearby field, AND made sure certain foreigners were headed the same direction, AND aligned celestial bodies at the same time … is the same God who can move you to a specific state, to a specific job, to a specific church, to meet a specific person at a specific time, all for his glory.
I’ve seen this in my own life. Evidence of God’s sovereignty can be found throughout my life, especially when I step back and look at the story lines from a distance.
How God orchestrated circumstances to bring my husband and I together — The college of my dreams accepted me but I couldn’t afford the tuition. So I went to junior college instead where… I met my husband.
How God taught us to listen to his direction (through prayer) over man’s direction — After God moved us to North Carolina, we joined a church that ended up being not-so-God-following. They told us to do one thing; God told us to do another. We found a new church.
How God provided for us in crisis — A decade later, my family and I were at a park when my lungs broke. We “happened” to bring two cars and a new teen driver which enabled everyone to go where they needed to go when our crisis struck. Out puppy trainer was present and took our dog immediately so we didn’t need to worry about him. Oh, and the paramedic who showed up to take me to the hospital just happened to be a Christian and prayed for me on the way. I could go on.
Aside from God’s sovereignty, I have one more reason to love biographies—they help me appreciate people, even people I disgree with. When I learn how a person came to think and behave the way they do/did, it is much easier for me to understand what they said and why they said it. It’s like taking a crash course in one specific person’s life. Once I have learned to understand a person, I can learn to appreciate their impact in the world.
Hopefully, I just convinced you to try reading biographies. If so, I’ve got a list to get you started. And if you already enjoy reading biographies, then you’ll love this list too because I’m confident you will find one or two that are new to you. Also, you’ll want to read all the way to the bottom where I share a list of biographies I WANT TO READ. You can add to the list by leaving your recommendations in the comments.
[You can also follow my READ and WANT TO READ lists on GoodReads.]
**Scroll over each cover for my summary and a link to find the book on Amazon (affiliate link).
Missionary biographies
Missionary Biographies for Kids
Hero Tales series by Dave and Neta Jackson
Christian Heroes Then & Now series by Janet and Geoff Benge
Christian Biographies
Other Biographies
My “WANT TO READ” List
On Call by Thompson MD *currently reading
Where the Light Fell by Philip Yancey
Becoming Elisabeth Elliot by Ellen Vaughn
1776 by David McCullough
Bruchko by Bruce Olson
A Burning in My Bones: The Authorized Biography of Eugene H. Peterson by Winn Collier
The Ragamuffin Gospel by Brennan Manning
Saint Francis of Assisi by Chesterton
What biography or memoir should I add to my list? In the comments, tell me why.
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I email my friends twice a month with links to books and articles that help YOU live faithfully wherever you are in your journey with Jesus today. Plus, I include goodies that you won’t find here on the blog.
