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What are the top 5 most important/useful/meaningful/inspiring books that you have read outside of the Bible? What is something major you have learned from each?
The Most Important Books You've Read
- Thread starter JBH
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"Judah's Sceptre and Joseph's Birthright" by J.H. Allen (copyright 1902), which claims to identify the modern day descendants of the 'lost tribes of Israel', variously called "British Israelism".
"Organic Vegetable Gardening" by Sam Ogden (1971). A delightful book that demystifies and simplifies organic gardening. I followed his advice with great success.
"The Miracle of Fasting", by Paul C. Bragg, a very inspirational work that explores the science of 'rational fasting' and other advice for healthy living. I have followed the advice of this author for nearly 50 years and can attest to the validity of his methods for healthy living. 81 and still climbing trees.
Lounging in my tree stand 20 feet up.
"Organic Vegetable Gardening" by Sam Ogden (1971). A delightful book that demystifies and simplifies organic gardening. I followed his advice with great success.
"The Miracle of Fasting", by Paul C. Bragg, a very inspirational work that explores the science of 'rational fasting' and other advice for healthy living. I have followed the advice of this author for nearly 50 years and can attest to the validity of his methods for healthy living. 81 and still climbing trees.
Lounging in my tree stand 20 feet up.
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- Jan 28, 2002
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The Screwtape Letters by C. S. Lewis.
It was recommended to me when I was struggling a bit as a brand new Christian. It helped me understand how demons think and operate in our lives, and how to quickly recognize their attacks for what they are.
God bless you
--David
p.s. - you can read the book for free at the opening link. On the other hand, if you don't mind spending some $$ for a copy of it, I highly recommend the 50th Anniversary Annotated edition because of all of the extras that it includes, including all of the prefaces from the various editions, and quite a bit more, both from Lewis and about Lewis, and about the book, of course.
Finally, be sure to read the preface(s), because this is not your typical piece of Christian literature. For instance, it's written from the demons POV (the discussions are demon to demon), and when something like the word "Enemy" appears, it is typically referring to God (because the book, as I said, was written by Lewis from the demons' POV).
It was recommended to me when I was struggling a bit as a brand new Christian. It helped me understand how demons think and operate in our lives, and how to quickly recognize their attacks for what they are.
God bless you
--David
p.s. - you can read the book for free at the opening link. On the other hand, if you don't mind spending some $$ for a copy of it, I highly recommend the 50th Anniversary Annotated edition because of all of the extras that it includes, including all of the prefaces from the various editions, and quite a bit more, both from Lewis and about Lewis, and about the book, of course.
Finally, be sure to read the preface(s), because this is not your typical piece of Christian literature. For instance, it's written from the demons POV (the discussions are demon to demon), and when something like the word "Enemy" appears, it is typically referring to God (because the book, as I said, was written by Lewis from the demons' POV).
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- Jan 28, 2002
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Chosen By God by Dr. R. C. Sproul
I was very much the Arminian believer for my first 10-12 years as a Christian, but as I grew in the faith, I found it increasingly difficult to reconcile the fact that so many of my intelligent, mentally stable friends and family members were freely choosing to embrace a literal eternity of torment in Hell/the Lake of Fire apart from God over an eternity of joy in Heaven/on the new Earth with our heavenly Father.
The only answer that Arminianism gave me is that "it was their choice to do so", but the reasonable, intelligent, mentally stable, fully informed people I've known all my life don't make choices like that.
Dr. Sproul's book, Chosen By God, helped me come to a different, Biblical understanding of many soteriological issues.
God bless you!
--David
p.s. - just FYI, Dr. Sproul has a teaching series by the same name that is free to listen to here: Chosen by God by R.C. Sproul | Ligonier Ministries
I was very much the Arminian believer for my first 10-12 years as a Christian, but as I grew in the faith, I found it increasingly difficult to reconcile the fact that so many of my intelligent, mentally stable friends and family members were freely choosing to embrace a literal eternity of torment in Hell/the Lake of Fire apart from God over an eternity of joy in Heaven/on the new Earth with our heavenly Father.
The only answer that Arminianism gave me is that "it was their choice to do so", but the reasonable, intelligent, mentally stable, fully informed people I've known all my life don't make choices like that.
Dr. Sproul's book, Chosen By God, helped me come to a different, Biblical understanding of many soteriological issues.
God bless you!
--David
p.s. - just FYI, Dr. Sproul has a teaching series by the same name that is free to listen to here: Chosen by God by R.C. Sproul | Ligonier Ministries
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- Jan 28, 2002
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Knowing God by Dr. J. I. Packer
I'll let a portion of the book's preface tell you a little about it. Also, of all of the Christian books that I've read, none have come so highly recommended by so many well-known Christians as this book of Dr. Packer's is (some who claim to have read it several times, and a few who claim to read it annually).
Here's the promised except from the original preface (1973):
In A Preface to Christian Theology, John Mackay illustrated two kinds of interest in Christian things by picturing persons sitting on the high front balcony of a Spanish house watching travelers go by on the road below. The “balconeers” can overhear the travelers’ talk and chat with them; they may comment critically on the way that the travelers walk; or they may discuss questions about the road, how it can exist at all or lead anywhere, what might be seen from different points along it, and so forth; but they are onlookers, and their problems are theoretical only. The travelers, by contrast, face problems which, though they have their theoretical angle, are essentially practical—problems of the “which–way–to–go” and “how–to–make–it” type, problems which call not merely for comprehension but for decision and action too.
Balconeers and travelers may think over the same area, yet their problems differ. Thus (for instance) in relation to evil, the balconeer’s problem is to find a theoretical explanation of how evil can consist with God’s sovereignty and goodness, but the traveler’s problem is how to master evil and bring good out of it. Or again, in relation to sin, the balconeer asks whether racial sinfulness and personal perversity are really credible, while the traveler, knowing sin from within, asks what hope there is of deliverance. Or take the problem of the Godhead; while the balconeer is asking how one God can conceivably be three, what sort of unity three could have, and how three who make one can be persons, the traveler wants to know how to show proper honor, love and trust toward the three Persons who are now together at work to bring him out of sin to glory. And so we might go on.
Now this is a book for travelers, and it is with travelers’ questions that it deals.
The conviction behind the book is that ignorance of God—ignorance both of his ways and of the practice of communion with him—lies at the root of much of the church’s weakness today.
--David
I'll let a portion of the book's preface tell you a little about it. Also, of all of the Christian books that I've read, none have come so highly recommended by so many well-known Christians as this book of Dr. Packer's is (some who claim to have read it several times, and a few who claim to read it annually).
Here's the promised except from the original preface (1973):
In A Preface to Christian Theology, John Mackay illustrated two kinds of interest in Christian things by picturing persons sitting on the high front balcony of a Spanish house watching travelers go by on the road below. The “balconeers” can overhear the travelers’ talk and chat with them; they may comment critically on the way that the travelers walk; or they may discuss questions about the road, how it can exist at all or lead anywhere, what might be seen from different points along it, and so forth; but they are onlookers, and their problems are theoretical only. The travelers, by contrast, face problems which, though they have their theoretical angle, are essentially practical—problems of the “which–way–to–go” and “how–to–make–it” type, problems which call not merely for comprehension but for decision and action too.
Balconeers and travelers may think over the same area, yet their problems differ. Thus (for instance) in relation to evil, the balconeer’s problem is to find a theoretical explanation of how evil can consist with God’s sovereignty and goodness, but the traveler’s problem is how to master evil and bring good out of it. Or again, in relation to sin, the balconeer asks whether racial sinfulness and personal perversity are really credible, while the traveler, knowing sin from within, asks what hope there is of deliverance. Or take the problem of the Godhead; while the balconeer is asking how one God can conceivably be three, what sort of unity three could have, and how three who make one can be persons, the traveler wants to know how to show proper honor, love and trust toward the three Persons who are now together at work to bring him out of sin to glory. And so we might go on.
Now this is a book for travelers, and it is with travelers’ questions that it deals.
The conviction behind the book is that ignorance of God—ignorance both of his ways and of the practice of communion with him—lies at the root of much of the church’s weakness today.
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Joyous Song
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The Lord of the Rings. and most everything CS Lewis wrote. He was amazing writer with a deep understanding of faith.
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labloomer
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"The crucified God" By Jurgen Moltman
This book is not for the faint hearted. It is an academic attempt to show how God silences all those who would critique our God for creating humanity and allowing it to go wrong, by taking all pain, sorrow and suffering, caused by sin, upon Himself and bringing it to a good ending in Jesus Christ.
It changed my perspective from a wrathful God toward humanity in sin, to an all loving, mercifully forgiving and self sacrificing God dealing with humanity fallen in sin.
The very God Jesus wanted me to be in contact with. I have never looked back.
This book is not for the faint hearted. It is an academic attempt to show how God silences all those who would critique our God for creating humanity and allowing it to go wrong, by taking all pain, sorrow and suffering, caused by sin, upon Himself and bringing it to a good ending in Jesus Christ.
It changed my perspective from a wrathful God toward humanity in sin, to an all loving, mercifully forgiving and self sacrificing God dealing with humanity fallen in sin.
The very God Jesus wanted me to be in contact with. I have never looked back.
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Hello @LauraJonees, first off, since I see that you are a new member, WELCOME TO CF
As for another book worth reading, I recommend Bruchko.
It's an autobiography about a 19 yr old, Bruce Olsen who, without church, missions organization and/or parental backing, or any kind of college/seminary degree, followed the Lord's lead from his home in Chicago to a Stone Age tribe in Venezuela called the Motilone (the only reason that we knew these people existed was because of all of the dead oil company employees that we had to keep bringing out of the jungle).
I don't want to tell you much more and spoil the read other than to say that, along with me, many of the people who I've known who've read this book stayed up all night to finish it, unable to put it down. You will laugh, you will cry, and you will definitely be blown-away, again and again, by everything that happens in this man's life, and in the lives of the people, the Motilone, who he has ended up ministering to for decades now (and all the AMAZING ways that the Lord worked through him to bring the Gospel and salvation to these people).
God bless you!
--David
As for another book worth reading, I recommend Bruchko.
I don't want to tell you much more and spoil the read other than to say that, along with me, many of the people who I've known who've read this book stayed up all night to finish it, unable to put it down. You will laugh, you will cry, and you will definitely be blown-away, again and again, by everything that happens in this man's life, and in the lives of the people, the Motilone, who he has ended up ministering to for decades now (and all the AMAZING ways that the Lord worked through him to bring the Gospel and salvation to these people).
God bless you!
--David
1 Thessalonians 5
23 May the God of peace Himself sanctify you entirely; and may your spirit and soul and
body be preserved complete, without blame at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ.
24 Faithful is He who calls you, and He also will bring it to pass.
.
23 May the God of peace Himself sanctify you entirely; and may your spirit and soul and
body be preserved complete, without blame at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ.
24 Faithful is He who calls you, and He also will bring it to pass.
.
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auwebber23
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I have read many books, some even several times. It is impossible to say which one I liked more and was useful. Before reading a book, I read an essay about it, in order to understand whether I like it or not. I recently read The Tell Tale Heart essay samples, you can discover more here. Written by Edgar Allan Poe, this book is a little scary story, but very interesting. Therefore, I like all the books I read.
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