What are some great books that you have read?

[Aaiden]

Since I've restarted my spiritual path I read both of Lee Strobel's books the Case for Christ and the Case for Faith and my roomate is reading the Purpose Driven Life which I think I shall read after he is done. I also think I shall reread Lee Strobels book as I think I didn't really read then the first time around. But I did like them. I've also read many of C.S. Lewis books... one of my favorite authors.

 

[desert_island_1]

I really like the Francine Rivers books, she has a few really good series I really reccomend: (they are Historical Fiction, fiction based on fact)

A Lineage of Grace (This is a series about women who are in Jesus' bloodline and small things they did to change history)

Sons of Encouragement (Basically same as above but about men)

 

[Gold Dragon]

Frank Herbert's Dune series is my favourite fiction series and it does have a lot of religious elements.

George Orwell's 1984 and Harper Lee's To Kill a Mockingbird were other powerful works of fiction that shaped my worldview and had religious elements to them.

Brian McLaren's A New Kind of Christian was one of the most impactful books in my Christian journey in giving a postmodern context to Christianity.

Philip Yancey's What's So Amazing about Grace also had a powerful impact on my faith.

I've mentioned this one before but Gordon Fee and Douglas Stuart's How to Read the Bible for All Its Worth was a great primer to biblical interpretation.

 

[FreeinChrist]

Christianity is Jewish by Edith Schaeffer, wife of apologist Dr. Francis Schaeffer It is very good in showing how the bible is one unified book.


The New World Religion by Gary Kah. It has a great discussion of the foundation of New Age beliefs by the occultic Theosophy Society. It also talks about Lucius Trust, which has offices on Wall Street - the original name? Lucifer Publishing Company. It made me more aware of the occultic influences fighting Christianity.

Man's Search for Meaning by Viktor Frankl. This book really moved me. He is a psychologist who was inprisoned in the Nazi death camp system. In one part, in discussing those who were giving up, he wrote (italics are his):

"We had to learn ourselves, and furthurmore we had to teach the despairing men, that it did not really matter what we expected from life, but rather what life expected from us."

Now substitute 'God' for 'life' in that sentence.

The Apocolypse by Joseph Seiss. This book was a series of sermons he gave in the later 1800's. VEry good!

And the Band Played On by Randy Shilts. This is a journalistic work chronicling the AIDS epidemic from late 1970's to 1987. Should be mandatory reading for anyone in public health, for it shows how all parties (congress, Reagan White House , National Institutes of Health, Centers for Disease Control, the gay community, hospitals) all responded in a political way rather than a very needed public health way which would have saved many lives. And that the media let us down with the manner in which it didn't report it, or badly reported it.

 

[eutychus]

How many on here has read The Purpose Driven Life?

It's good for new believers. It's watered down quite a bit though, and a little contradictory theologically, so don't expect it to be meat.

The TNIV Bible sounds good too.

It holds to the authority of man and not the authority of the manuscripts, so even reading the Bible through its translation is purposeless.

I'm also somewhat interested in some reading material by Joel Osteen.

He's a heretic in the truest sense of the word; stay away lest you be deceived like half of the people who watch TBN.

- - -
Sorry to be so negative, just wanted to warn you about the last two books...

 

[DiscipleOfIAm]

I have read all of those except the bolded.

Are We Living in the End Times is by LaHaye and Jenkins. I believe it was written around 1997, so they were speculating, or rather not ruling out, some end times events related to things that were happening back then. That sounds funny, back then 1997! Hee Hee! Doesn't seem like 8 years ago!

 

[2Timothy2]

Hmm, I just downloaded the TNIV and what little I've read of it so far holds up perfectly well. But then, I'm not a KJV only type. I shall keep your warning in mind though.

I also just downloaded "History of the Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire" in e-book form. More light reading.

 

[aReformedPatriot]

Hmm, I just downloaded the TNIV and what little I've read of it so far holds up perfectly well. But then, I'm not a KJV only type. I shall keep your warning in mind though.

I also just downloaded "History of the Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire" in e-book form. More light reading.

She's not a KJV onlyist.

Do you download these books for free?

 

[2Timothy2]

LOL I wasn't impying she was, just stating I wasn't. Sorry if there was confusion on that.

Yep, I like free.

 

[ela_cro]

Purpouse driven life - Rick Warren
Run baby run - Nicky Cruz
The Sword and the Switchblade - David Wilkerson