Christian Book Notes

I will start this off: First one that comes to mind would have to be the Bible…just kidding. I would have to say Pilgrim’s Progress. Every good Christian library should have form or fashion of this book. It gives you good theology without even realizing that you are taking it in!

I would say a lot of older books, but they are not as easy to understand so I’ll make a list of both contemporary and older. Few of these will surprise that much.

Desiring God, Piper (read it after only 1.5 years of being a Christian and understood it well)
Knowing God, Packer
Dynamics of Spiritual Life, Lovelace
Holiness of God, RC Sproul

For the newer books, I would absolutely have the Holiness of God in the top 5.

Older books:
Holiness, Ryle (easily in my 5)
Lectures to my Students, Spurgeon
Sovereignty of God, Pink

That’s all I have.

A good first book for the beginning reader is Pilgrim’s Progress. Why? Because:
-It’s a page-turner
-It’s truth in story form
-It’s a classic
-It’s memorable
-It’s impacted many, and can impact you
-The Lord’s used it to bless and sanctify and encourage many, and He may do the same for you through it
-It’s not heavy reading

To clarify the first sentence of my previous post…
A good first book for the seasoned Christian reader beginning a library ….

I suggest A Journey to Victorious Praying by Bill Thrasher. This book will change the way you pray. No, it really will change your prayer life!

I think there should be a book on prayer and I would recommend A Call to Spiritual Reformation by D.A. Carson which is a book on Paul’s prayers. Although he’s Reformed, I don’t think that comes through too much in this book as some of his others. Thank you.
Jeff

@Terry Delaney
Finding a modern version of Progress is a challenge, since translating a work’s old English while staying faithful to the poetry and style of the author is hard.

Readers of Shakespeare may read to their benefit the text as Bunyan wrote it. But for those who are not used to antiquated English, I recommend the lightly edited and beautifully illustrated version put out by Crossway. Link is here: http://goo.gl/UlXe

In the last time I read Pilgrim’s Progress, I used the original and had to look up many old words. With the Crossway version, you won’t have to pause your reading to look up words in the dictionary.

Hope this helps.

Several books have impacted me that I always recommend: Desiring God by John Piper because it helps in understanding the importance of our greatest desire being for God and every other desire should pale in comparison. Another is The Ragamuffin Gospel by Brennan Manning because it gets to the heart of our depravity before God and His grace to redeem us. For those looking for devotional material for daily feeding, I recommend My Utmost for His Highest by Oswald Chambers. This book led me into taking more seriously my life in Christ and moved me toward reckless abandonment to Him.

In no particular order …

1. Keeping the Heart, John Flavel
An excellent and sanctifying book from my favorite Puritan. We diligently guards our fortune and home, which are of temporal value; but carelessly guard our very soul, which is of eternal value. This book is good medicine in understanding the deceit of sin and how to diligently work against its temptation.

2. Instruments in the Redeemer’s Hands, Paul David Tripp
This book is a call to live a daily ministry lifestyle rooted in God’s Word. We are people who need change helping people who need change. In other words, we do not pontificate our biblical platitudes from an ivory tower as one who has arrived (“Look to me”), rather we are right alongside those we come in contact with as those who need redemption too (“Look to Christ”).

3. How Should We Then Live: The Rise and Decline of Western Thought and Culture, Francis Schaeffer
This book is a personal analysis (from one of the most compelling apologists of the 20th century) of the key moments in history which have formed our present culture, and the thinking of men who brought these moments to pass. You can also get his film version on DVD. Very compelling, well communicated, and informative.

4. The Gospel According To Jesus, John MacArthur
Jesus must be your Savior AND Lord, not simply the former. This book significantly aided me in my witness to those around me who loosely identify themselves as “Christian” though there’s little evidence of it. Not only that, but it challenged my own notions as to what my walk with Christ should look like. Prepare to get your toes stepped on.

5. The Truth of the Cross, R. C. Sproul
This is an excellent and jam-packed little book on Christ’s atonement for sin. It is significantly shorter than John Stott’s, “The Cross of Christ” which makes it easy to recommend. Don’t let the small size fool you, it’s great.

I would start with Bibles not just in one translations only. Good collections of Bible translations along with good collection of Study Bible and commentaries even if you aren’t a Bible Study teacher or a pastor. We all need to be hunger to eat His Word daily.

There are number of books that you will want to have in your Library. Some of the people who had posted above got that on the list.

Desiring God by John Piper (including all of his books “I haven’t read all of them” but working on collecting them when I can afford to buy more books.)
Knowing God by J.I. Packer
Bible Doctrine by Wayne Grudem
The Holiness of God by R. C. Sproul
The Peacemaker by Ken Sande
Communion with God by John Owen (I am currently reading this one.)

Here is the list that I would encourage other to get: http://boldlion.blogspot.com/p/books-review.html

As for fiction books:
The Pilgrim’s Progress by John Bunyan

As for helpful tools for your Library is to have My Library Things online: http://www.librarything.com/
You can post what books you have in your library and let the other see what you got online. I love this.

There are a lot of books that I do want to get.

Hungry to eat His Word,
‘Guerite ~ BoldLion (Marguerite Harrell)

I’m not sure this is what you’re looking for, but when I was a new Christian I started with reference titles! A concordance would be on the top of my list. I strongly advocate books that help believers dig into the Word for themselves rather than non-fiction titles ABOUT the Word (though I enjoy those as well.)

@Jennifer @ Quiverfull Family

That is a good point. I guess a good concordance would have to be in one’s library as well! Maybe even a Bible dictionary.

The Hermeneutical Spiral by Grant Osborne
An Introduction to the New Testament, 2ed by D. A. Carson and Douglas Moo
A Survey of the Old Testament by Andrew Hill and John Walton
Exegetical Fallacies by D. A. Carson
Dictionary of New Testament Background (IVP black dictionary)

The Holiness of God is a must read. God is holy, holy, holy. An attribute that can be applied to every other attribute of God. There is very little more important than understanding the character of our Creator.

Mere Christianity by C.S. Lewis – CLASSIC and PROFOUND
Humility by Andrew Murray – Easy read, SO helpful, and a beautiful and instructional outlining of an often-missing attribute/quality in many “seasoned” Christians
Shepherding a Child’s Heart, an overall great book on biblical parenting that specifically discusses training the hearts of your children
Sacred Marriage by Gary Thomas – “What if marriage was intended to make us holy, not happy” for married AND singles alike.
Hind’s Feet on High Places, by Hannah Hurnard, an allegorical piece of fiction

The first five books should be:
1. Living by the Book, by Hendricks – It is essential that one learns how to study the Bible for themselves and not be dependent upon popular authors/speakers.
2. The Knowledge of the Holy, by Tozer – Many today have never thought deeply about God and have a distorted view of the One they claim to know.
3. Power Through Prayer, by Bounds – There was a reason why the disciples asked the Master how to pray, because most of us know very little about the subject.
4. Holiness, by Ryrle – God commands us to be holy, but modern Christianity is more concerned about happiness.
5. Spiritual Leadership, by Sanders – We are called to make disciples, so we must learn to influence others.

Knowing God, by Packer — Very influential to me in my earlier Christian life. John 17:3 says knowing God is eternal life.

Humility, by Murray — Key to Christian growth is truly having the humility of Christ. This book was pivotal in my own spiritual life when I read it about 4 years ago (after having been a Christian for 16 years).

The Pursuit of God, by Tozer — Like Humility, reading this book marked an important milestone in my walk with Christ.

1) Desiring God by Piper
2) Humility by Mehaney
3) What He Must Be by Baucham
4) Justification & Regeneration by Leiter
5) Grudem’s Systematic Theology (though I might replace it with Doctrine by Driscoll when I finish it)

I’d keep it simple for new Christians to begin their journe with the Svior

1) In His Steps by Charles Sheldon
2)The Christian Book of Why by JohnMcCollister
3) The Screwtape Letters by C.S. Lewis
4)Peace With God by Billy Graham
5) A Gentle Thunder by Max Lucado

All of these books are good intoductions to the Christian life suitable for new believers.

1. ESV Study Bible for the text, the notes, and the doctrinal content.
2. Knowing God- what better introduction by which one can learn of God and grow in Him.
3. Desiring God- same as #2
4. Zodhiates Key Word Study Bible for help with languages, as most of us won’t have knowledge of Greek and Hebrew.
5. Treasury of Scripture Knowledge for the excellent cross references.

1) Bible MacArthur Study Bible or Commentaries
2) Systematic Theology (Grudem)
3) The Way of the Master (Ray Comfort)
4) Sovereignty of God (AW Pink)
5) Soul Winner (Spurgeon)

1. Graeme Goldsworthy, According to Plan – a great introduction to biblical theology
2. Ken Sande, The Peacemaker – helps people to handle conflict in a biblical manner
3. Mark Dever, The Message of the OT/NT – a great sermonic overview of the Bible
4. Wayne Grudem, Biblical Doctrine – a great intro systematic onChristian beliefs.
5. Tim Keller, The Reason for God – help for objections to the Christian faith.

Let’s see.

1. How to Read a Book, The Classic Guide to Intelligent Reading (Adler and Van Doren). Serious readers should know how to read better than most of us are educated.
2. How to Grow in Christ (Jack Kinneer). Read and study through the whole thing, good for new believers and as a “reminder” for older ones.
3. A book you’ll actually read On Church Leadership (Mark Driscoll). Serious believers should get interested in their church and its leadership.
4. Crazy Love (Francis Chan). Good to read before you are questioning your devotion to the Lord, or after you begin.
5. Bible Doctrine, Essential Teachings of the Christian Faith (Grudem). Read through front-to-back or to use as a reference.

1. The Institutes of Biblical Law by Rousas John Rushdoony- Bar none, this is the best book for understanding the role of God’s law in the life of a faith driven New Testament believer. Our Christian culture has abandoned the law and its place in our lives as the path that GOD has laid before His children to walk.

2.Children of the Living GOD by Sinclair Ferguson- This book, with clarity and pithiness, lays out the biblical doctrine of adoption in a way which lays the ground work for the foundation of our Christian life which is our removal from life in the family of our former father Satan, and legal, formal, and eternal adoption into GOD’s family and the full inheritance right which comes along with it. This book is as relational as it is theological and is hence practically life shaping in theology and practice.

3. Van Til’s Apologetic by Greg Bahnsen- This book is the most thorough treatment of the presuppositional apologetic methodology of Cornelius Van Til by his most learned student Greg Bahnsen. Regardless of personal preference, the presuppositional method of apologetics skips the never ending factual gymnastics of evidential apologetics and undermines all nonChristian worldviews at their foundational level and leaves them fully displayed as hypocritical, circularly reasoned, illogical systems of thought which are truly borrowing all their goodness and logic from the Christian epistemology and ethic.

4.The Heart of Evangelism by Jerram Barrs – As the title says, this book dives deep into the core of Biblical evangelism and its relational underpinnings. This book deals head on with the crucial fact that we have been commanded to evangelize and then proceeds to show what that good news and its presentation should look like from a Biblical perspective. Most notably this book challenges many modern versions of gospel presentation theory in the light of scriptural evidence.

5. Far as the Curse is Found by Michael Williams – This book is the culmination of this Covenant Seminary professor’s covenant theology course. It lays out the story of the Bible from Genesis to Revelation as the Covenantal story of a GOD who is committed to His people even when they rebel against Him. With beauty and story telling fervor this book beautifully manifests the Bible’s overarching themes that help us to make sense of our daily readings. Every Christian should own this book to understand the story that drives the doctrine.

You probably could never tell that I am reformed by the authors I read could you? haha

No particular order – this is for the more simple person, like me! All but the first are used as part of Bible Study. If I can have nothing else, I want material that will help me continue to study the Word of God cause that’s enough reading forever!
1. George Mueller Autobiography – modern (as in last couple of hundred years) example of a life of faith; very convicting and encouraging
2. Matthew Henry Commentary or other shorter commentary or the McArthur Bible Commentary or good study Bible by someone like McArthur or Sproul
3. Bible dictionary
4. Vines Expository Dictionary of NT Words
5. Systematic Theology (Grudem)