Book recommendation

[treacle99]

Hoping I've not posted in the wrong forum. I am really interested in looking into christianity, I've enquired about the alpha course but I'm not going to be able attend. Can anyone recommend a good introductory to start with?

 

[ebia]

Simply Christian. Tom Wright

 

[treacle99]

That's great. Thank you.

 

[AvgJoe]

The Case for Christ by Lee Strobel

 

[theophilus40]

Mere Christianity by C. S. Lewis.

 

[ViaCrucis]

I Believe, by Alister McGrath.

-CryptoLutheran

 

[graceandpeace]

Simply Christian by N.T Wright - I've heard very positive things about it across denominational lines. I am eager to read this one.

Mere Christianity by C.S. Lewis is a good read.

I don't care for The Case for Christ by Lee Strobel, but it is a popular book.

That's my quick feedback on some of the suggestions.

 

[ebia]

The Case for Christ by Lee Strobel

That's a set of (not very good) arguments for Christianity, not a book about Christianity.

 

[ViaCrucis]

I'll add that it's been many years since I read McGrath's I Believe. But I remember it doing a very good job at going through the Apostles' Creed and explaining its sections and what they mean and why the statements of faith confessed in the Creed are important in Christianity.

For the OP in case she is unfamiliar with the Apostles' Creed:

Early Christians were very confessional (and for the most part we remain the same today). And one of the most important ways we publicly confessed and articulated what we believe was in the form of creeds. The earliest creed-like confessions can be found in the New Testament itself. The most important Creed in Christianity is the Nicene Creed. In the Western Church (Roman Catholics and Protestants) a creed known as the Apostles' Creed is read almost every Sunday during worship. It is a very simple, straight-forward summary of the core beliefs of Christianity.

"I believe in God, the Father almighty,
maker of heaven and earth;
And in Jesus Christ his only Son our Lord;
who was conceived by the Holy Spirit,
born of the Virgin Mary,
suffered under Pontius Pilate,
was crucified, dead, and buried.
He descended into the depths.
The third day he rose again from the dead.
He ascended into heaven,
and sits at the right hand of God the Father almighty.
From thence he shall come to judge the living and the dead.
I believe in the Holy Spirit,
the holy [universal] Church,
the communion of saints,
the forgiveness of sins,
the resurrection of the body,
and the life everlasting. Amen."

-CryptoLutheran

 

[seashale76]

I echo what everyone said about Mere Christianity. I also echo what was said about Stroebel's book. I wasn't a fan either.

I think everyone should read On the Incarnation: On the Incarnation

These two are specific to Orthodox Christianity- but still good:
The Orthodox Church- by Kallistos Ware

The Orthodox Way- by Kallistos Ware

Pelikan was a historian on Christianity who knew his stuff- and if you wanted to know everything from a purely historical perspective- then this series would be the best starting point.
The Christian Tradition: A History of the Development of Doctrine, 5 vols. (1973–1990). Chicago: University of Chicago Press by Jaroslav Pelikan

• Volume 1: The Emergence of the Catholic Tradition 100–600 (1973) ISBN 0-226-65371-4
• Volume 2: The Spirit of Eastern Christendom 600–1700 (1974) ISBN 0-226-65373-0
• Volume 3: The Growth of Medieval Theology 600–1300 (1978) ISBN 0-226-65375-7
• Volume 4: Reformation of Church and Dogma 1300–1700 (1984) ISBN 0-226-65377-3
• Volume 5: Christian Doctrine and Modern Culture since 1700 (1990) ISBN 0-226-65380-3

This one is essentially a catechecism:
The Orthodox Faith - Orthodox Church in America

I didn't link the Ware books or the Pelikan books- but you can find them in pdf format on-line.