In honor of National Book Lovers’ Day, I’d like to offer a few books every Christian should read. I’m not including the Bible on this list; if you’re a Christian, you’d better be reading the Bible! But here are some other books that have been helpful to me in my journey.
Books Every Christian Should Read: Mere Christianity, C.S. Lewis
I grew up in the church, but it wasn’t until I was about 30 that I discovered C.S. Lewis. I had never heard of him or read any of his works, but then someone suggested that I read Mere Christianity. The title struck me; what is “mere” about Christianity? But once I opened the book and started to read, I understood. Lewis used the phrase “mere Christianity” to refer to what we might call “basic Christianity.” He identified the foundational elements of Christian faith. These are beliefs that underlie all of the different branches of the Church.
One of the things that connected with me was the fact that Lewis was not a minister or theologian by trade; he was a professor of medieval languages at Oxford. Because he wasn’t a “professional” theologian, he explains things without technical language, using examples and illustrations from everyday life. But the absence of technical language does not mean his arguments are weak. Lewis was not a believer in Christ in his younger adult years. He described his conversion as being “surprised by joy.” He did not come to faith because of an emotional experience. In fact, he said that he was depressed at first, because he had not wanted to believe! But he became convinced of the truth of Scripture and the gospel, and his writings offer solid intellectual arguments to support Christian faith.
An Introduction to Lewis’ Writing
Lewis wrote prolifically. Many people are familiar with him through the Chronicles of Narnia series. If you’re looking for a broader introduction to his non-fiction writing, I recommend a collection called “The Joyful Christian,” which includes essays on numerous topics from several of Lewis’ works. I can’t think of anything Lewis wrote that I wouldn’t recommend, but Mere Christianity is a good place to start.
Books Every Christian Should Read: Divine Mentor, Wayne Cordeiro
Several years ago, I was preparing to audit a Masters’ level class on Spiritual formation. I received the texts for the class (which was to begin in a few weeks), and that night I started to read the first book on the schedule: Divine Mentor. After several hours, I had read about 120 pages. I couldn’t put it down! As I read, I sensed that God was saying to me, “This is for you. You’re going to start doing this tomorrow.” Because I try not to argue with God, especially at 1:30 in the morning, I said okay and went to sleep.
The ”this” is a method of reading Scripture, reflecting, and journaling for devotional reading. I had tried journaling numerous times, but never seemed to stick with it for long. So the next morning, I got up, grabbed my Bible, and said, “Okay, God, I’m willing to do this, but You’re going to have to help me, because I stink at journaling.” I also asked God to tell me where to start reading, since I’ve never been a “close your eyes, open the Bible, and point” person. He reminded me of a passage I had read the night before, which talked about how people tend to ignore the Minor Prophets in their devotional reading.
So I started with the first three chapters of Hosea. There in the middle of chapter 2, God smacked me right between the eyes! The passage said (my paraphrase), “In that day you will no longer call Me ‘my Master’; you will call Me ‘My Spouse.’” And God said, “That! That’s what I want you to feel. That’s how I want you to approach your devotional time – not as something you have to do, but as something you look forward to doing.” And that’s been my practice for the last nine years.
The Importance of Reading Scripture Intentionally
Now, you may have a devotional practice that you use, and it is working well for you. Great! But if you don’t, I encourage you to read this book. It contains a daily reading schedule that takes you through the entire Bible in the course of a year (twice through the New Testament). Each day, you read the designated Scripture, ask God to use them to speak to you, and then journal your reflections. An important part of the process is the “application” section; what is God telling me to do with this? How can I put what God is saying to me into practice today? This method of reading Scripture has powerfully impacted the ways in which God speaks to me through His Word, and I recommend it to anyone who wants to go deeper in their devotional life.
Books Every Christian Should Read: Celebration of Discipline, Richard Foster
The third book that I want to recommend is Celebration of Discipline by Richard Foster. Now, I know that most people read the word “discipline” and think, “No thanks!” “Discipline” has a bad connotation for many, because it reminds them of punishment. However, we should remember that “discipline” comes from the same word family as “disciple.” Jesus calls us to be His disciples, and in a very real sense “discipline” is the way that we embrace the Christ-life.
Foster himself points this out, describing the spiritual disciplines as a way of creating more room for God to work in our lives. He divides the disciplines into inward, outward, and corporate. The inward disciplines include such practices as study, prayer, and meditation. The outward disciplines involve submission, solitude, simplicity, and service. The corporate disciplines are practices like confession and worship. In the book, Foster gives an explanation of each particular discipline, the Scriptural and historical foundations for it, and practical suggestions for including each practice in our spiritual journey.
Spiritual Formation and the Disciplines
It’s important to remember that this is not a book to be read through and put aside. Rather, you can work through it on your own timetable, and in whatever order you choose. If you believe that you need work in the area of the outward disciplines, for example, you can start with one of those. The point is not to “check off” different practices in your life, but to use the disciplines to encourage your spiritual growth.
As I mentioned above, the disciplines are ways to create more “room” for God to work in your life. For example, meditation invites us to spend time thinking about God, and listening to God. Our busy lives make it very difficult to listen to God without intentionally setting aside time to do so. But no matter which discipline you start with, I’m confident that God will use your effort to make more room for Him to work in you for your spiritual good.
Conclusion
I’m a book person. I own a Kindle reader, but frankly I’m not sure where it is right now. I’m old enough that I like the feel of an actual book. But I know I’m in the minority now, and us “dinosaurs” are getting more and more rare every day. So for those of you who are more attuned to newer ways of engaging books, I can tell you that each of the books I’ve discussed here are available in both electronic and audiobook format (at least on Amazon, which I checked for this post).
I suppose that nearly every Christian has a list of books that they would recommend to others. My old office had ceiling-to-floor bookshelves covering about two-thirds of the walls, and they were filled with books: reference books, like commentaries and dictionaries; Bible study books; theological books and textbooks; and all kinds of what we might call “Christian living” books. There is no shortage of books, and more are written all the time!
Your list is probably not the same as mine – and that’s okay! But we should be willing to hear each other’s suggestions, because it may be that God will use someone else’s “favorite book” to challenge and transform you! I “discovered” each of the books I’ve mentioned here because someone else recommended it to me. And while we should never let “other” books take us away from Scripture, the fact is that God will often use someone else’s observations to help us see things in a new way!
Have you read any of the books I’ve discussed here? What are your comments on them? What books would you put on your list of books every Christian should read? Why would you recommend them? I look forward to hearing your comments!
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