Christian Book Suggestions

[Matisyahu8898]

For the first time recently I've been starting to read Christian books, specifically books for growth, theology, and apologetics. If you have a good recommendation, I'd love to hear it.

More importantly, however, does anyone know of a good website that has good reviews for Christian books, that I can get recommendations from? Specifically, there are a lot of authors that I don't agree with, and others that I believe are straight up wrong, and hypocritical that I don't want to read. Without naming names or specific sects of Christianity, I'd like to be able to know what it is I am about to read.

If you have any good recommendations, please keep it to books about spiritual growth, theology, or apologetics, and please specify what it is about the book that you like, and a sentence or so about the content of the book. I don't have a favorite author or topic, but I don't have a good library yet.

Thanks!

 

[tampasteve]

As a Lutheran the cornerstone text would be the Book of Concord. There are several English translations available, Concordia Publishing makes the nicest leather bound edition with gilded edges. The Catechism of the Catholic Church is also a must have for most libraries. Even if you are not Lutheran or Catholic these works will help you to understand what these denominations believe from the source and help you to be a better student of theology. Also the works of Josephus, Augustine, is good to give some context to the work of the early Church.

One that I am really enjoying that I just picked up is the "Tao of Christ", it is written by an Eastern Orthodox priest and is fascinating.

 

[Matisyahu8898]

As a Lutheran the cornerstone text would be the Book of Concord. There are several English translations available, Concordia Publishing makes the nicest leather bound edition with gilded edges. The Catechism of the Catholic Church is also a must have for most libraries. Even if you are not Lutheran or Catholic these works will help you to understand what these denominations believe from the source and help you to be a better student of theology. Also the works of Josephus, Augustine, is good to give some context to the work of the early Church.

One that I am really enjoying that I just picked up is the "Tao of Christ", it is written by an Eastern Orthodox priest and is fascinating.

Thanks! I forgot about Josephus and Augustine. I'd like to study them. Do you know where to get good resources about what they did? Either their own works, or good biographies, or commentaries on what they wrote. I don't know too much about them, so I don't know what to read specifically.

Also, can I ask how you were directed to those books? Was it word of mouth, or did you simply like the title, or something else?

 

[maintenance man]

I review books that have been helpful to me on my blog: Christian Book Reviews

 

[Matisyahu8898]

I review books that have been helpful to me on my blog: Christian Book Reviews

Thanks! That looks awesome, and is just what I was looking for. If you had one book to recommend above any other, what would it be?

 

[maintenance man]

If you had one book to recommend above any other, what would it be?

"Experiencing God" by Blackaby and "The Parables of Jesus" by Pentecost would be at the top of my list.

 

[Matisyahu8898]

"Experiencing God" by Blackaby and "The Parables of Jesus" by Pentecost would be at the top of my list.

Thanks! I'll give them a look.

 

[chevyontheriver]

Thanks! I forgot about Josephus and Augustine. I'd like to study them. Do you know where to get good resources about what they did? Either their own works, or good biographies, or commentaries on what they wrote. I don't know too much about them, so I don't know what to read specifically.

Also, can I ask how you were directed to those books? Was it word of mouth, or did you simply like the title, or something else?

For Augustine just find a copy of 'City of God' or 'Confessions', but beware that there are all sorts of translations. Read a few pages before you buy to be sure the translation works for you. If not, find another translation that may be a bit more modern.

I would recommend Frank Sheed's 'To Know Jesus Christ' as well as 'Theology and Sanity' and 'Theology for Beginners'.

I'll leave you with an almost Chestertonian quote from Sheed:
“Sanity, remember, does not mean living in the same world as everyone else; it means living in the real world.”
― Frank Sheed, Theology and Sanity

 

[tampasteve]

Thanks! I forgot about Josephus and Augustine. I'd like to study them. Do you know where to get good resources about what they did? Either their own works, or good biographies, or commentaries on what they wrote. I don't know too much about them, so I don't know what to read specifically.

Also, can I ask how you were directed to those books? Was it word of mouth, or did you simply like the title, or something else?

I found the Condcordia published Book of Concord on my own, it is one of my treasured books. There are quite a few translations of Josephus and Augustine out there, the one translated by William Whiston is probably the most prevalent and the one I have read most from. The Kindle edition can be found for free on Amazon. Augustine's Confessions can also be found for free on Kindle and for under $10 from Penguin Classics, which is a decent enough translation. I also own the "Confessions of St. Augustine: An autobiographical work including 13 books by Saint Augustine of Hippo" which I have been happy with.

Honestly I mostly find my books through searching on Amazon and reading the reviews and "people also bought" recommendations from Amazon.