I get numerous emails from both blog readers and folks at my church asking me the following question:
What are the essential books I should be reading as a Christian?
Honestly, I have a hard time coming up with my list because it changes so often and I’m biased towards dead people. So, I’d like to ask you for your help in putting together a list of the 10 Most Essential Books for Christians. You don’t need to give me your entire list but what are couple books that you would absolutely include on anyone’s list?
Because there’s ten, think broadly so that we’re not just thinking about one aspect of Christianity. We should include theology, leadership, spirituality, etc., right?
This should be interesting.
And if you’re interested, you may also want to check a post from last year about people’s personal influential book.
EUGENE CHO 
Hey Eugene, This is mostly a Catholic list, but I threw in some Orthodox, a Methodist and a Mennonite.
The Long Loneliness By Dorothy Day
The Kingdom of God Is Within You By Leo Tolstoy
The Politics of Jesus By John Howard Yoder
The Brother Karamazov By Fyodor Dostoevsky
Binding The Strong Man By Ched Myers
Matthew In The Margins By Warren Carter
Jesus The Liberator By John Sobrino
The Autobiography of The Soul By St. Therese of Lisieux
Cry of the Earth, Cry of the Poor By Leonardo Boff
Personalism By Emmanuel Mounier
I would include some N.T. Wright but he has too many books to count. I would drop Yoder, but I kept him in for balance and old times sake. This list largely reflects my worldview, my view of history, and ideas to live a full life.
Ten is so few but anyway…
You want ten books that encompass theology, leadership, prayer, spirituality….
All of the above can be discovered in the Ante Nicene, Nicene and Post Nicene Fathers volumes of ancient Christian writings. These primordial texts compass the beginnings of the Church from the post apostolic period through the official canonization of the corpus of the Holy Bible at the Council of Hippo in 393 and following to the latter councils of the Church. You will get a wonderful insight into authentic worship, philisophical debate with the ancient Grecian philosophers, prayer and historical events. They are very inspirational and hold more weight in authentic Christian practice than the creations of post modernity (and even enlightenment thinking).
That said I will mention twelve very well known works that span across the centuries and deal with many aspects of the faith…
St Athanasius – On the Incarnation (Pure Christian theology at its finest…)
St Ephrem the Syrian – Hymns of Paradise (Spiritual bliss – a collection of poems on Genesis)
The Desert Fathers – Sayings of the Early Christian Monks (Spiritual wisdom and mature food)
The way of the pilgrim – unknown (orthodox prayer life..)
The Holy Fire – Robert Payne – A westerner gives a historical and passioniate overview of Early Church Fathers – includes historical errors but is included for its passion and as a good introduction to the history of the early Church
Fr Seraphim Rose – Orthodoxy and the religion of the future (A modern book on comparitave religion)
Youth of the Apocalypse and the last true rebellion by Monks John Marler and Andrew Wermuth (A cult classic! An emotive and inspirational encounter with Christianity)
The Spiritual World of Isaac the Syrian – Hilarion Alfeyev (a profoundly deep encounter with a mystical theologian)
The Burning Bush – Fr Lev Gillet (the Love of God)
God’s revelation to the Human Heart – Fr Seraphim Rose
(A nice little booklet on Christianity like an abridged version of CS Lewis Mere Christianity)
I would include “The Reason for God” by Tim Keller
We’re talking essentials here? OK…
If they can handle it, N.T. Wright’s “Jesus and the Victory of God” & “The Resurrection of the Son of God.” If not, “The Challenge of Jesus” & “Surprised by Hope.”
Grace and Peace,
Raffi
Nice list..but could I add the Bible?
Well, after those lists, mine will seem like easy reading. All I can say in their defense is that God used these books to change my life in some way or change the way I see Him or the way I read scripture…
Brian McLaren – A New Kind of Christian
James Langteaux – God.com
Dallas Willard – The Divine Conspiracy
Andy Comiskey – Pursuing Sexual Wholeness
Philip Yancey – What’s So Amazing About Grace?
Brennan Manning – Abba’s Child
N.T. Wright – Surprised By Hope
Scot McKnight – The Blue Parakeet
Eugene Peterson – Eat This Book
Anne Lamott – Traveling Mercies
Wow… Great lists.
In no particular order, here’s mine:
Scot McKnight, The Jesus Creed
Dietrich Bonhoeffer, The Cost of Discipleship
Miroslav Volf, Exclusion and Embrace
Rob Bell, Jesus Wants to Save Christians
Teresa of Avila, The Interior Castle (tough, but incredibly rewarding!)
Richard Foster, Celebration of Discipline
Dallas Willard, The Divine Conspiracy
Philip Yancey, What’s So Amazing About Grace
CS Lewis, Mere Christianity
A.W. Tozer, The Knowledge of the Holy
If I had only 10 books on my shelf, those would be them!
I would add:
– Resident Aliens – Stanley Hauerwas
– In the Name of the Father – Nouwen
– Surprised by Hope – NT Wright
– Tangible Kingdom – Hugh Halter
Not necessarily in order…
Scot McKnight’s The Blue Parakeet
Scot McKnight’s Fasting
Dietrich Bonhoeffer Discipleship
Brian McLaren The Secret Message of Jesus
CS Lewis The Problem of Pain
Andrew Murray Humility
Shane Claiborne Irresistible Revolution
Gabe Kinnaman unChristian
Francis Chan Crazy Love
Andy Stanley Visioneering
mere christianity – c. s. lewis
true spirituality – francis schaeffer
foolishness to the greeks – lesslie newbiggin
what saint paul really said or the challenge of jesus – nt wright
future grace or desiring god – john piper
sacred romance – john eldredge
everything belongs – richard rohr (For men – Adam’s Return by Rohr is awesome).
If a young christian can read these books, they will get some of the most diverse thinking of the 20th century (I think they were all written before 2000).
They will grasp McLaren better, because he is so heavily influenced by the first 3 and more recently by Rohr. Their foundation will get set and shaken in a few short months. Lewis, Schaeffer, and Piper set up the legal foundation of faith, Wright and Newbiggin get you thinking about covenant relationship with God and the mission of the early apostles and the need for mission(al) people in contemporary society. Eldredge and Rohr will help you fall deeper in love with the Bridegroom and discover your true self.
Those books have all influenced me and been used by God to transform me in the last several years.
a few that have transformed me…
mere christianity – cs lewis
surprised by hope – nt wright
prophetic imagination – walter brueggemann
to know as you are known – parker j palmer
spiritual leadership – oswald sanders
politics of jesus – john yoder
i also agree that although i have not read tolstoy or rhor, i have gotten snippets of those two and would add a book to this list if i had read them…
Wow, those are some HEAVY books.
I’d like to put forward two “lighter” but still important (for me) books:
Traveling Mercies by Anne Lamott
Blue Like Jazz by Donald Miller
OK Eugene, I’ve been reading your blog for a few months now, and I’m finally ready to post. I’ve got a few that I couldn’t live without:
History:
The Next Christendom, Philip Jenkins
The Story of Christianity, Justo Gonzalez
Here I Stand, Roland Bainton
Spiritual Life:
Absolute Surrender (and) Intercessory Prayer, Andrew Murray
Confessions, Augustine
Apologetics:
The Problem of Pain, C.S. Lewis
Why Christianity Works, Christian Smith (a journal article in the Journal of Religion, but a must read nevertheless [a kind of Pascal’s Wager for the 21st century]).
Hermeneutics:
Gospel Centered Hermeneutics, Graeme Goldsworthy
Is There Meaning in this Text?, Vanhoozer
The Hermeneutical Spiral, Grant Osbourne
Fiction:
Gilead, Marilynne Robinson
These are all books that I refer back to repeatedly whether as a reference or supplement to my own Bible reading, or for an answer to puzzling questions from friends (Christians and non-Christians alike). I would also throw in Calvin’s Institutes and Thomas Oden’s Systematic Theology as essential reference books.
The Complete Works of John Wesley.
The Original Revolution by John Howard Yoder (ditto Politics of Jesus as well).
Maybe, Rich Christians in an Age of Hunger by Ron Sider.
Just to mix it up, For the Time Being by Annie Dillard.
And to add some fiction to the mix, Silence by Shusaku Endo (along with the Russian novels mentioned above).
anything Yoder & Hauerwas
Suprised by Hope, NT Wright
Resident Aliens, Hauerwas and Willimon
What’s So Amazing About Grace, Yancy
Celebration of Discipline, Foster
The Gospel in a Pluralist Society, Newbigin
Knowing God, Packer
Eat This Book, Peterson
Evangelical Theology, Barth
Confessions, Augustine
and, of course, the Bible 🙂
The Bible
Mere Christianity, Lewis
The Cost of Discipleship, Bonhoeffer
To Know As We Are Know, Parker Palmer
Life Together, Bonhoeffer
Hinds Feet in High Places, Hurnard
My Utmost for His Highest, Chambers
Theirs Is the Kingdom, Lupton
The Irresistible Revolution, Claiborne
Let Your Life Speak, Parker Palmer
I love seeing what everyone is listing! There are a few I haven’t read in the list and I’m excited to read those now.
@everyone: the Bible is a given.
so no need to at that to the list.
Wow. Some incredible books and some interesting topics. Couple on my list are mentioned but others not yet. I’ll share my list next week after I tweak couple.
Wow, these lists are incredible. I love how I can get a sense for each person’s experience with God by the list of books that they connected with. I’ve read virtually nothing on Tyler M’s list – I can’t wait to see what I’m missing!
I’d like to add a couple remarkable books that haven’t been listed yet:
– A Life of Jesus by Shusaku Endo
– The Heart of Christianity by Marcus Borg (not for everybody, but changed me forever)
– Who wrote the Bible? by Richard Friedman
These were formative for me:
The Cost of Discipleship, Dietrich Bonhoeffer
Knowing God, J. I. Packer
The Challenge of Jesus, N. T. Wright
Not the Way It’s Supposed to Be, Cornelius Plantinga
Freedom of Simplicity, Richard Foster
Families at the Crossroads, Rodney Clapp
Return of the Prodigal Son, Henri Nouwen
Good News About Injustice, Gary Haugen
Let Your Life Speak, Parker Palmer
The Gift of Being Yourself, David Benner
blue like jazz
a woman after God’s own heart
what’s so amazing about grace
not even a hint, guarding your heart against lust
knight in shining armor
the jesus i never knew
discipleship
secrets of the vine
Storehouse principle, Prayer of Jabez, Purpose driven life, Become a better you.
I don’t know that I could give you a list of the 10 Best Books, but I could give you a list of books that have deeply impacted my heart and soul at different points in my life for different reasons. God used them to speak deeply to me and help me through struggles and decisions and my own sin and selfishness.
Mere Christianity, by C.S. Lewis
Holy Sweat, by Tim Hansel
Seizing Your Divine Moment, by Erwin McManus
Things We Wish We Had Said, by Tony and Bart Campolo
Disappointment With God, by Philip Yancey
Proper Confidence by Lesslie Newbigen
The Velvet Covered Brick by Howard Butt
Ordering Your Private World by Gordon MacDonald
A Tale of Three Kings by Gene Edwards
Leadership & Self-Deception by the Arbinger Institute
Spiritual Leadership by J. Oswald Sanders
Rich Christians in an Age of Hunger- Ron Sider
Partly Right- Tony Campolo
New Way to be Human- Charlie Peacock
Leaving Ruin- Jeff Berryman
The Samurai- Shusaku Endo
The Brothers Karamazov/ The Idiot- Fydor Dostoevsky
The Pursuit of God- A. W. Tozer
What’s so Amazing about Grace- Phillip Yancey
Celebration of Discipline- Richard Foster
The Signature of Jesus- Brennan Manning
Not necessarily a top ten, but ten to consider:
Prophetic Imagination (Brueggeman), Compassion (Nouwen), How to Believe Again (Thielicke), Exclusion and Embrace (Volf), Jesu and the Victory of God (Wright), Mere Christianity (Lewis), Great Divorce (Lewis), Cost of Discipleship (Bonhoeffer), Why We Can’t Wait (MLK, Jr.), Divided by Faith (Emerson)
Two more that were big for me, but haven’t been listed are Life Together by Bonhoeffer and Reaching Out by Nouwen.
Here are a few personal favorites:
Starving Jesus – Craig Gross
revolution – Geroge Barna
The Barbarian Way – Erwin McManus
The Irresistible Revolution – Shane Claiborne
Sacred Romance – John Eldredge
Lord, Save us from your Followers – Dan Merchant
Peppermint Filled Pinatas – Eric Bryant
The Prodigal God – Timothy Keller
Mere Christianity – C.S. Lewis
Might not be for everyone, but these are a few that have impacted me personally:
A Cry for Mercy-Henri Nouwen
Messy Spirituality: God’s Annoying Love for Imperfect People-Mike Yaconelli
The Spiritual Life-Evelyn Underhill
Authentic Faith-Gary Thomas
The Call-Os Guiness
Boundaries-Cloud and Townsend
A Guide to Prayer-Upper Room
Captivating-John & Stasi Eldredge
Non-Christian/Non-Religious books that will every Christian should read… it will probably offend some, shock some, and blow the minds of others.
1. Cultural Contradictions of Motherhood by Sharon Hays
2. The Cunning of History by Richard Rubenstein
3. The Triumph of the Therapeutic. The Uses of Faith after Freud by Phillip Rieff
4. The Death of Character and Culture Wars by James Davison Hunter
5. The Conquest of America by Tzvetan Todorov and Richard Howard
6. The Denial of Death by Ernest Becker
7. The Autobiography of Malcolm X by Malcon X with Alex Haley
8. The Protestant Ethics and the Spirit of Capitalism by Max Weber
9. Guns, Germs, and Steel by Jared Diamond
10. Status and Sacredness by Murray Milner.
It’s probably cheating, but Eugene Peterson’s book about books, Take and Read: Spiritual Reading: An Annotated List is worth considering!
“Out of Solitude” – Henri Nouwen
“Finding God” – Larry Crabb
“Crazy Love” – Francis Chan
“The Ragamuffin Gospel” – Brennan Manning
“Searching for God Knows What” – D Miller
“Traveling Mercies” – Anne Lamott
“The Screwtape Letters” – C.S. Lewis
“Velvet Elvis” – Rob Bell
“The Great Divorce” – C.S. Lewis
“Orthodoxy” – G.K. Chesterton
blessings.
The Cross of Christ – John Stott (surprised nobody else has mentioned this)
The Cost of Discipleship
The Mission of God – Christopher Wright
Orthodoxy – Chesterton (also surprised nobody mentioned)
Life Together
Simply Christian
Spirituality/Theology:
Soul Making by Alan Jones
When the Heart Waits by Sue Monk Kidd
Sexism and God-Talk by Rosemary Radford Ruether
Sadhana by Anthony de Mello
Poetry:
Book of Hours: Love Poems to God by Rainer Maria Rilke
Fiction:
Terry Pratchett!
This is a hard question, given that I would suggest different books for different people depending on who they are and what they need to read.
Some that I have loved are
Orthodoxy, and Manalive by G.K. Chesterton
The Great Divorce and Mere Christianity by C.S. Lewis
The Irresistible Revolution by Shane Claiborne
Jesus wants to Save Christians by Rob Bell
Serve God, Save the Planet by Matthew Sleeth
Myth of a Christian Nation by Greg Boyd
An Unstoppable Force by Erwin McManus
God’s Politics by Jim Wallis
The Ragamuffin Gospel by Brennan Manning
Our Father Abraham by Marvin Wilson
Through Painted Deserts and Blue Like Jazz by Don Miller
Waking the Dead by John Eldredge
Pagan Christianity by Frank Viola and George Barna
I know N.T. Wright would be on this list, but I haven’t gotten to read his stuff yet.
And I know there are many more I am forgetting and more that I will love in the future.
If I could have only one book other than the Bible–then Mere Christianity by C.S. Lewis.
hmmm…not going to be facetious here, but I’d throw in a few books by Nietzsche or Richard Dawkins — how are you supposed to be a light to the world if you don’t know what the world thinks about your beliefs?
On that note: read The Art of War too. 🙂
Some further ideas:
Everyone Is Going To Hell Except Me – John MacArthur
There’s No ‘U’ in Ministry: A Woman’s Guide – Mark Driscoll
Be Afraid, Be Very Afraid – John Hagee
We Know Jesus Better Than You Do – The Vatican Curia
I’m Cool With Whatever (Featuring Enhanced Doodle Graphics) – Brian McLaren
This Book Looks Longer Than It Really Is – Rob Bell
God Wants You To Pay For My Airplane – Creflo Dollar
!0 Keys To The 8 Steps To The 3 Paths To The 1 Way to God (TM) – Rick Warren
…
Forgive me, I’m feeling a little smarmy today.
No particular order
Soul Cravings-mcmannus
The importance of being foolish- brennan manning
Jesus for president- clairborne
the Divine conspiracy- willard
the Jesus i never knew -yancey
sex god – rob bell
adventures in missing the point – campolo and mclaren
the bible Jesus read – yancey
irresistible revolution – clairborne
Hmm, I don’t know if I’ve read 10 books on Christianity. My list would be:
1)the Bible (One Year Bible is a manageable way to get through the whole thing- do it for a couple years and you’ll probably cover the days you skip)
2)Mere Christianity- C.S. Lewis
3)A Generous Orthodoxy- Brian McLauren
4)Sophie’s World- Jostein Gaarder (a very readable history of philosophy, but contains overview of Christian thinkers)
Understanding the historical context/worldview in Biblical times:
The Jewish War – Josephus
The Persian Wars- Herodotus
Abraham- Bruce Feiler
Relationship between church and state:
God’s Politics – Jim Wallis
The Mighty and the Almighty – Madeline Albright
Warrior Politics- Robert Kaplan
Christianity and science:
Biology Through the Eyes of Faith- Richard Wright
The Language of God – Francis Collins
Other:
Blue Like Jazz – Donald Miller
Velvet Elvis- Rob Bell
Man.. how could I have forgotten Claiborne and Manning? Hmm…looks like my 10-book bookshelf might have to expand to 20. Dangit!
Wow, my reading list just got way longer.
and BW – I was seriously laughing out loud at your list. thanks.
I don’t know about essential – but these would rank as the most personally influential books on my list.
The Weight of Glory – C.S. Lewis
A New Kind of Christian – Brian McLaren
Dance of the Dissident Daughter – Sue Monk Kidd
Traveling Mercies – Anne Lamott
Surprised by Hope – N.T. Wright
The Ethics of What We Eat – Singer and Mason
How (not) to Speak of God – Peter Rollins
Colossians Remixed – walsh and Keesmaat
@BW: nice. great friday laughs.
I would include Mother Angelica’s Little Book of Life Lessons.
Final Quest – Rick Joyner.
A pretty eccentric and encouraging group of readers, if you ask me :^)
The lists reminded me of how many people and communities have influenced my life and now much I appreciate their wisdom and insight and experience, even if most of it was at a variety of distances and even if I only buy into parts of their narratives and takes now. The wonderful blessing of honest witnesses :^)
Yes to Chesterton. 19th century Christian traditionalism can be brilliant and the enemy of most all forms of 21st century fundamentalism. Who knew? :^) One more from his best stuff: ‘Saint Francis of Assisi’ (I think the clearest and most compelling take on St. Francis I’ve run across).
So many books worth mentioning here, but a few other books that might be particularly important for the folks trying to engage in justice and compassion ministries:
Walter Wink’s three part series on the concept of ‘Power’ in the New Testament. ‘Naming the Powers,’ ‘Unmasking the Powers,’ and ‘Engaging the Powers.’ Best stuff I’ve seen that unpacks the way the NT witnesses understood how power works and how Christians are supposed to respond.
Finally, though I appreciate all the ‘third way’ and ’emerging’ conversations over the past decade or so, I think the best approach I’ve run across to bridging the divides between ‘conservatives’ and ‘progressives’ (whether theologically, culturally or politically) is still the way of ‘Christian Anarchy.’
Vernard Eller’s ‘Christian Anarchy’ and Jacques Ellul’s ‘Anarchy and Christianity’ are two books that unpack how biblical Christian faith challenges all pretentious powers and ideologies–whether they be religious or political or economic–while at the same time recognizing that we live in a very fallen world where real change comes in fits and starts.
Timely.
emotionally healthy church – peter scazzero
organic church – neil cole
blue like jazz – donald miller
through painted deserts (aka prayer and the art of wolkswagen maintenance) – donald miller
eugene peterson’s breakdown of lectio divina
the lost message of jesus – steve chalke
the irresistible revolution – shane claiborne
my utmost for his highest – oswald chambers
life of the beloved – henri nouwen
in the name of jesus – henri nouwen
A couple to add:
Anything Mother Teresa has written
Lewis: A Grief Observed
Yancey: Reaching for the Invisible God
Miller: Consuming Religion – Christian Faith and Practice in a Consumer Culture
Also, I agree with m@ on books by strong atheists…God is Not Great by Hitchens is a good start….Nietzsche is great also if you have the time&energy.
Absolutely required is ‘Tortured for Christ’ by Richard Wurmbrand
Another required read would be ‘The Master Plan of Evangelism’ by Robert Coleman. (If the church would do this instead of ‘butts in seats’ we would have a very different world)
I am shocked nobody referenced Roland Allen, both ‘Missionary Methods: St. Paul’s or Ours?’ and ‘The Spontaneous Expansion of the Church and the Causes that Hinder it’ are phenomenal…
Tortured for Christ by Richard Wurmbrand
This One Thing I do by Robert Pierce
Anything written by Mother Theresa
God’s Smuggler by Brother Andrew
Anything written by Oswald Chambers
If
by Amy Carmichael
It is only a tiny booklet, but I was strangely moved by the humility that jumps through the few pages.
Abba’s Child: Brennan Manning
Absolute Surrender: Andrew Murray
Celebration of Discipline: Richard Foster
Cost of Discipleship: Dietrick Bonhoeffer
God’s Favorite House: Tenney
Life of the Beloved: Henri Nnouwen
Mere Christianity: CS Lewis
Missionary Methods: St. Paul’s or Ours?: Roland Allen
My Utmost for His Highest: Oswald Chambers
Off-Road Discipleship: Earl Creps
The Cross of Christ: John Stott
What’s So Amazing About Grace?: Philip Yancey
I’ll add one: “Strengthening the Soul of Your Leadership” by Ruth Haley Barton.
Incredible, and touches on all of the above. I DARE you to read it! 🙂
A New Kind of Christian McLaren
True Spirituality – Schaeffer
The Mark of a Christian – Schaeffer
Beyond Identity – Dick Keyes
Becoming Conversant With the Emerging Church – DA Carson?
Total Truth – Pearcey and Colson
Living Spirituality – Greg Laughery
Seeing and Savoring Jesus Christ – Piper
Waking The Dead – Eldregde
Mere Christianity – CS Lewis
He Is There and He Is Not Silent – Schaeffer
Surprised by Hope – NT Wright
Ok, so I kept the list to twelve…
for what it’s worth:
Mere Christianity (Lewis)
Generous Orthodoxy (McLaren)
Searching for God Knows What (Miller)
Man’s Search for Meaning (Frankl)
Sacred Pathways (Thomas)
Fear and Trembling (Keirkegaard)
Life After Church (Sanders)
Adventures in Missing the Point (Campolo/McLaren)
Velvet Elvis (Rob Bell)
Deliver Us From Evil (Zacharias)
Anything by Watchman Nee.
Books I have really enjoyed. Some duplicates from above, but a few new ones.
1. The Brothers Karamazov – Dostoyevsky
2. The Heart of Christianity – Borg
3. Say to this Mountain – Ched Myers (More accessible than “Binding the Strong Man”
4. Telling the Truth, the Gospel as Comedy, Tragedy, Fairy Tale – Frederick Buechner (also, the Alphabet of Grace, The Book of Bebb)
5. In Search of Paul – Crossan and Reed (Also “The Birth of Christianity”, “God and Empire”)
6. The Hauerwas Reader – Stanley Hauerwas
7. The Selfish Gene – Richard Dawkins
8. Leaving Church – Barbara Brown Taylor
9. A Short History of Progress – Ronald Wright
10. Remedial Christianity – Paul Alan Laughlin
11. Moral Politics – George Lakoff
The Great Divorce – Lewis
Fear and Trembling – Kierkegaard
The Divine Conspiracy – Willard
Coming Community – Agamben
Exclusion and Embrace – Volf
Anything – Merton
Public and Private Faith – Stringfellow
Traveling Mercies – Lamott
Community 101 – Bilezikian
Politics of Jesus – Yoder
Time that Remains – Agamben
i guess one of those is to grow on.
Ok, here are my ten (Not including the Bible, which is a given) that I would want with me on a deserted island (In no order):
“The Pilgrim’s Progress” By: Bunyan
“Mornings and Evenings” By: Spurgeon
“The Cross” By: Lloyd-Jones
“Confessions” By: Augustine
“The Suffering Savior” By: Krummacher
“Biography of George Whitefield(two vol)”By: Dallimore
“Works of Jonathan Edwards(two vol)” By: Edwards
“The Bondage of the Will” By: Luther
“Institutes of the Christian Religion” By: Calvin
“Scaling the Secular City” By: Moreland
This was one of my favorites that I have not seen on anyone’s list: The Holiness of God by R. C. Sproul.
I had to laugh as I compared the responses that you get on your blogs about books to the recent post on Beth Moore’s blog in which she asked her readers what their favorite fiction was. Oh my gosh… there were probably hundreds of women that answered Francine Rivers.
I was embarassed by my gender.
Please… a little intelligent literature here, people??
The Everlasting Man by G.K. Chesterton
Till We Have Faces by C.S. Lewis
The Challenge of Jesus by N.T. Wright
(Apparently I like folks who go by their first two initials…)
The Mind of the Maker by Dorothy Sayers
A Generous Orthodoxy by Brian McLaren
The Narnia Series by C.S Lewis
How (not) To Speak Of God – Peter Rollins
and to split violently from the emerging crew the above tends to outline
The Cross and The Switchblade – David Wilkerson (regardless of his more recent crazy comments)
Lots of great books that have been posted … Here are my top that I don’t believe have been listed:
God is at Work by Ken Eldred
Walking with the Poor by Bryant Meyer
Beyond Charity by John Perkins
Compassion,Justice and the Christian Life by Bob Lupton
Taking Our Cities for God by John Dawson
Life Together by Dietrich Bonhoeffer
The Calvary Road by Roy Hession
The Heavenly Man by Brother Yun
Spiritual Leadership by J. Oswald Sanders
One Blood by Ken Ham