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1BoiseCOC
I'm trying to establish booklists for use in my library. At a conference I went to last month I went to a workshop that provided several lists to use with family ministries. I would like to establish a list for use with our outreach and working with new believers. Any suggestions?
2MrsLee
I'm going to recommend the types of books which I think are important, mostly because names are hard for me to come up with, and churches vary widely on what they approve/disapprove of.
Thinking back to my new believer status, I loved books on Apologetics, I would suggest several of different types. Some for teens as well. Specific titles I have benefited from: The Case for Christ by Lee Strobel (he wrote one for teens as well), More Than a Carpenter, Evidence That Demands a Verdict, More Evidence That Demands a Verdict by Josh McDowell, Don't Check Your Brains at the Door by Josh McDowell (for teens).
Books on Orthodoxy are very helpful in this day and age, but I'm not sure I have the best titles in mind, just some recent ones I've read. Orthodoxy by G.K. Chesterton, Mere Christianity and The Problem of Pain by C.S. Lewis (I'm sure he wrote others as well, but I can't think of the titles), also books by Francis Schaeffer. These are stiff reading, but I'm sure there are some good ones which are lighter as well.
Maybe some good daily Bible reading plans too.
I know there are tons of behavior type of books, how to pray, give, avoid sin, etc., but sometimes I think it's best to be well grounded in the Bible and surrounded by believers to help there. However, I found help in many of those books, I just don't remember anything specific from them. What I remember are the revelations I had while reading His Word. Those stuck, the others just explained some of it.
An oldie, but profound eye-opener: The Gospel in the Stars by Joseph A. Seiss.
Thinking back to my new believer status, I loved books on Apologetics, I would suggest several of different types. Some for teens as well. Specific titles I have benefited from: The Case for Christ by Lee Strobel (he wrote one for teens as well), More Than a Carpenter, Evidence That Demands a Verdict, More Evidence That Demands a Verdict by Josh McDowell, Don't Check Your Brains at the Door by Josh McDowell (for teens).
Books on Orthodoxy are very helpful in this day and age, but I'm not sure I have the best titles in mind, just some recent ones I've read. Orthodoxy by G.K. Chesterton, Mere Christianity and The Problem of Pain by C.S. Lewis (I'm sure he wrote others as well, but I can't think of the titles), also books by Francis Schaeffer. These are stiff reading, but I'm sure there are some good ones which are lighter as well.
Maybe some good daily Bible reading plans too.
I know there are tons of behavior type of books, how to pray, give, avoid sin, etc., but sometimes I think it's best to be well grounded in the Bible and surrounded by believers to help there. However, I found help in many of those books, I just don't remember anything specific from them. What I remember are the revelations I had while reading His Word. Those stuck, the others just explained some of it.
An oldie, but profound eye-opener: The Gospel in the Stars by Joseph A. Seiss.
3BoiseCOC
You have a couple of new ones there that I am interested in checking out. I'm familiar with C.S. Lewis, Francis Schaeffer, and Josh McDowell - but I've never read Joseph Seiss or G.K. Chesterton. Thanks for your suggestions
4kurtabeard
What is the target age range for the church/books? And what type of church is it?
5cej1027
How about...
Brothers, We Are Not Professionals by Piper. This book is meant to be for pastors, but it has a wide range of topics and I found it absolutely amazing. Mr. Piper had a very concise way of discussing topics and his viewpoint on them. In particular, the section on abortion is something I believe that everyone should read, Christians and non-Christians, as he raised some questions that I had never before heard. Also by this author is Don't Waste Your Life which I enjoyed too.
From Jerusalem to Irian Jaya by Tucker. This is an overview of Protestant missionary history. I read the older version not long ago (accidentally, because I only intended to read one section, but became absorbed in the descriptions). In high school I read a Jesus Freaks book, which was probably my only other encounter with missionaries/martyrdoms besides the occasional article so this was a very new subject. Since I didn't grow up in a Christian family, most of the names were new to me, but I've attended church regularly since fourth grade with little interruption -- that's 15+ years so ample time to have heard of at least some of these people -- so I assume many Christians today have never hard of these people. That said, I would've enjoyed some more non-white American/English accounts, such as missionaries FROM Africa and, though I understand the primary goal was Protestant -- I think the author did a disservice to the audience by not including some more well-known Catholic 'missions' such as that of Mother Theresa as well as the slavery enforced by California missions in the guise of religion. Maybe these are mentioned in the newer version, but I doubt it.
Jesus I Never Knew by Yancey. Currently reading this. I was apprehensive about reading it first, assuming it would be new-agey, but have enjoyed it none the less. A little frustrated by the lack of accessible citations (listed in the back, somewhat incomplete, most are from books printed in the 1970s onward I think and are quotes of quotes, which I found a bit unprofessional), but am still enjoying it. My only experience with this author is the next book, which he co-authored.
Fearfully and Wonderfully Made by Brand. I'm not a science savvy person, but found this book very enjoyable none the less and learned a lot about both science and Christianity. A 'sequel' is available as well, but I haven't read it yet.
This Present Darkness by Peretti and the Space Trilogy by C.S. Lewis. These are fiction books, but I found them all very interesting and enjoyed the questions and ideas the stories brought about. They were also interesting to compare to one another. There's a sequel to Peretti's book, but I haven't read it yet.
Christy by Marshall. This book is partly based on the real experience of the author's mother and was very interesting. I was at first worried that it would be a romance novel, but there was actually very little of that. I would've liked a sequel and an after section that went into more detail on what was true and what was fiction and what happened to the actual people. It is possible to find some background online, but that takes some effort and was limiting.
Across Many Mountains by Brauen. This book is actually about Tibetan Buddhism not Christianity. I don't recall if it even mentions Christianity, but I found it to be a very good intro to that religion, and believe Christians should educate themselves on other religions ... carefully. In the same vein, I found Sophie's World by Gaarder to be a very interesting, approachable introduction to the history of philosophy. And it actually mentions Augustine. Also, 19th Wife by Ebershoff -- an interesting view of the Latter-Day Saints. It actually tells two stories, one which is semi-historical and set in the past when the Mormon church was just getting started and one which was entirely fiction, set in present. Also Jonathan Livingstone Seagull by Bach, which is a very interesting book on the goal of non-existence, a belief that cannot be further from Christianity.
Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass by Douglass. I've read this book twice and though no one needs a reason to be anti-slavery, this book is still a must-read.
Finally Sit, Walk, Stand by Nee. This is a study of Ephesians by a Chinese Christian who was later martyred. While I was a bit weary after reading some negative articles about Mr. Nee and his leaning toward more charismatic(?) teachings, which I'm not especially interested in and might make others uncomfortable, I didn't find anything problematic in the book. Maybe some of his other books are more radical? Or maybe some white Christians have a paranoia about non-white Christianity -- it is very hard to separate faith/religion/Christianity/what the Bible means from cultural and nationalistic prejudices sometimes.
There are probably more, but this is just off the top of my head.
Note: most of these books are books that I own. If I haven't read the sequel, it's because I haven't found it at a thrift store or yard sale or whatever yet. Only one was checked out from a church library -- the Tucker book. Unfortunately, our current church has a very poor selection and most of the books there are old. Previous church had a very good library, but I didn't use it much.
There are many others on my want-to-read wishlist, but I either haven't found them yet or haven't gotten to them yet. Like most of C.S. Lewis (who I admit, I seem to find unnecessarily intimidating), sermons of Martin Luther King Jr. and Jonathan Edwards (Mr. Piper's admiration for him has made me very curious), something by GK Chesterton, RC Sproul, and/or Henri Nouwen, and a guide to Jewish holidays and practices and how they (may) relate to Christianity, a history of hymns/Christian music, My Utmost for His Highest by Chambers, historical fiction by Paul Maier, Hiding Place by Ten Boom, books on Eastern Orthodoxy and African Christianity, etc. Of all the places, the best suggestions I've found have been homeschool booklists such as Ambleside Online and the Sonlight company. Even the books for younger kids that they suggest have been interesting such as Awesome Book of Bible Facts by Silverthorne, Pilgrim's Progress by Bunyan (didn't actually care for this myself, but I can see how it would be very useful to kids), Gods Must Be Angry by Miller, and Dry Bones and Other Fossils by Parker and the movies of a related subject, Incredible Creatures that Defy Evolution. I've learned from these as well.
The only other things I can think of are the Our Daily Bread devotionals, which I've found to be a helpful daily reader for starting out and One Minute Bible for Starters by Kimbrough. I haven't actually finished this book, but have carried it around in my Bible for a few years now and use it as a Bible study of sorts when I'm traveling and know I will miss church. I'm probably near the end now, but I could easily just start over. If I recall, the verses are actually printed in the book so you don't even need to take your Bible with you if space is an issue.
Last but not least, different versions of the Bible including a full-text Bible for children such as the ESV Children's Bible by Crossway books. This might sound silly, but I've considered myself a Christian since I was a kid, but didn't actually read the Bible through until after college. And picture Bibles, I'm discovering, are often over-simplified, even to the point of inaccuracy. An article explaining how translations and versions of the Bible can vary would be good to -- this is something I'm seeing as more and more necessary as more and more versions become available and wading through them is difficult at best.
Addition: a book I'm currently, very slowly reading is the Screwtape Letters by Lewis, which is a very interesting look at the tricks of Satan.
Brothers, We Are Not Professionals by Piper. This book is meant to be for pastors, but it has a wide range of topics and I found it absolutely amazing. Mr. Piper had a very concise way of discussing topics and his viewpoint on them. In particular, the section on abortion is something I believe that everyone should read, Christians and non-Christians, as he raised some questions that I had never before heard. Also by this author is Don't Waste Your Life which I enjoyed too.
From Jerusalem to Irian Jaya by Tucker. This is an overview of Protestant missionary history. I read the older version not long ago (accidentally, because I only intended to read one section, but became absorbed in the descriptions). In high school I read a Jesus Freaks book, which was probably my only other encounter with missionaries/martyrdoms besides the occasional article so this was a very new subject. Since I didn't grow up in a Christian family, most of the names were new to me, but I've attended church regularly since fourth grade with little interruption -- that's 15+ years so ample time to have heard of at least some of these people -- so I assume many Christians today have never hard of these people. That said, I would've enjoyed some more non-white American/English accounts, such as missionaries FROM Africa and, though I understand the primary goal was Protestant -- I think the author did a disservice to the audience by not including some more well-known Catholic 'missions' such as that of Mother Theresa as well as the slavery enforced by California missions in the guise of religion. Maybe these are mentioned in the newer version, but I doubt it.
Jesus I Never Knew by Yancey. Currently reading this. I was apprehensive about reading it first, assuming it would be new-agey, but have enjoyed it none the less. A little frustrated by the lack of accessible citations (listed in the back, somewhat incomplete, most are from books printed in the 1970s onward I think and are quotes of quotes, which I found a bit unprofessional), but am still enjoying it. My only experience with this author is the next book, which he co-authored.
Fearfully and Wonderfully Made by Brand. I'm not a science savvy person, but found this book very enjoyable none the less and learned a lot about both science and Christianity. A 'sequel' is available as well, but I haven't read it yet.
This Present Darkness by Peretti and the Space Trilogy by C.S. Lewis. These are fiction books, but I found them all very interesting and enjoyed the questions and ideas the stories brought about. They were also interesting to compare to one another. There's a sequel to Peretti's book, but I haven't read it yet.
Christy by Marshall. This book is partly based on the real experience of the author's mother and was very interesting. I was at first worried that it would be a romance novel, but there was actually very little of that. I would've liked a sequel and an after section that went into more detail on what was true and what was fiction and what happened to the actual people. It is possible to find some background online, but that takes some effort and was limiting.
Across Many Mountains by Brauen. This book is actually about Tibetan Buddhism not Christianity. I don't recall if it even mentions Christianity, but I found it to be a very good intro to that religion, and believe Christians should educate themselves on other religions ... carefully. In the same vein, I found Sophie's World by Gaarder to be a very interesting, approachable introduction to the history of philosophy. And it actually mentions Augustine. Also, 19th Wife by Ebershoff -- an interesting view of the Latter-Day Saints. It actually tells two stories, one which is semi-historical and set in the past when the Mormon church was just getting started and one which was entirely fiction, set in present. Also Jonathan Livingstone Seagull by Bach, which is a very interesting book on the goal of non-existence, a belief that cannot be further from Christianity.
Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass by Douglass. I've read this book twice and though no one needs a reason to be anti-slavery, this book is still a must-read.
Finally Sit, Walk, Stand by Nee. This is a study of Ephesians by a Chinese Christian who was later martyred. While I was a bit weary after reading some negative articles about Mr. Nee and his leaning toward more charismatic(?) teachings, which I'm not especially interested in and might make others uncomfortable, I didn't find anything problematic in the book. Maybe some of his other books are more radical? Or maybe some white Christians have a paranoia about non-white Christianity -- it is very hard to separate faith/religion/Christianity/what the Bible means from cultural and nationalistic prejudices sometimes.
There are probably more, but this is just off the top of my head.
Note: most of these books are books that I own. If I haven't read the sequel, it's because I haven't found it at a thrift store or yard sale or whatever yet. Only one was checked out from a church library -- the Tucker book. Unfortunately, our current church has a very poor selection and most of the books there are old. Previous church had a very good library, but I didn't use it much.
There are many others on my want-to-read wishlist, but I either haven't found them yet or haven't gotten to them yet. Like most of C.S. Lewis (who I admit, I seem to find unnecessarily intimidating), sermons of Martin Luther King Jr. and Jonathan Edwards (Mr. Piper's admiration for him has made me very curious), something by GK Chesterton, RC Sproul, and/or Henri Nouwen, and a guide to Jewish holidays and practices and how they (may) relate to Christianity, a history of hymns/Christian music, My Utmost for His Highest by Chambers, historical fiction by Paul Maier, Hiding Place by Ten Boom, books on Eastern Orthodoxy and African Christianity, etc. Of all the places, the best suggestions I've found have been homeschool booklists such as Ambleside Online and the Sonlight company. Even the books for younger kids that they suggest have been interesting such as Awesome Book of Bible Facts by Silverthorne, Pilgrim's Progress by Bunyan (didn't actually care for this myself, but I can see how it would be very useful to kids), Gods Must Be Angry by Miller, and Dry Bones and Other Fossils by Parker and the movies of a related subject, Incredible Creatures that Defy Evolution. I've learned from these as well.
The only other things I can think of are the Our Daily Bread devotionals, which I've found to be a helpful daily reader for starting out and One Minute Bible for Starters by Kimbrough. I haven't actually finished this book, but have carried it around in my Bible for a few years now and use it as a Bible study of sorts when I'm traveling and know I will miss church. I'm probably near the end now, but I could easily just start over. If I recall, the verses are actually printed in the book so you don't even need to take your Bible with you if space is an issue.
Last but not least, different versions of the Bible including a full-text Bible for children such as the ESV Children's Bible by Crossway books. This might sound silly, but I've considered myself a Christian since I was a kid, but didn't actually read the Bible through until after college. And picture Bibles, I'm discovering, are often over-simplified, even to the point of inaccuracy. An article explaining how translations and versions of the Bible can vary would be good to -- this is something I'm seeing as more and more necessary as more and more versions become available and wading through them is difficult at best.
Addition: a book I'm currently, very slowly reading is the Screwtape Letters by Lewis, which is a very interesting look at the tricks of Satan.
6dutchgirldtd
Paul Little's Know What You Believe, and Know Why You Believe are also very good.
7fuzzi
Many of my suggestions have already been posted! I'd second the books by Lee Strobel, CS Lewis, Oswald Chambers, Josh McDowell and Corrie Ten Boom.
I recently read a book that I would highly recommend, Peace Child by Don Richardson.
The Evolution Cruncher, aka The Evolution Handbook is full of interesting scientific studies that contradict the "facts" about evolution. Whether or not you accept evolution as "fact", it's an interesting read.
For fiction, I'd recommend I, Saul, which was published last year. It is a very good read. I also like the author's Riven and Francine Rivers' The Atonement Child, which I could not put down.
One More Night With the Frogs is a short book of sermons by Hugh Pyle, highly entertaining and thought-provoking.
Francis Schaeffer can be a little deep, especially for a new Christian, but his A Christian Manifesto is superb! I can't recommend this one highly enough.
And Sam Gipp has a number of books that are helpful, especially Living With Pain, about his broken neck and how God has helped him. Nice read.
Born Again is an autobiographic book by Charles Colson that I would recommend, too.
Tortured for Christ is a very moving and eye-opening book about Christian persecution. It was written by Richard Wurmbrand, who literally was imprisoned and tortured for his Christian beliefs.
AW Tozer has some wonderful devotions available. Tozer on the Almighty God is great.
And God's Secretaries is an easily understood history of where the King James Bible came from. No matter what Bible version you use, this is a fascinating book about the men who created a masterpiece.
I recently read a book that I would highly recommend, Peace Child by Don Richardson.
The Evolution Cruncher, aka The Evolution Handbook is full of interesting scientific studies that contradict the "facts" about evolution. Whether or not you accept evolution as "fact", it's an interesting read.
For fiction, I'd recommend I, Saul, which was published last year. It is a very good read. I also like the author's Riven and Francine Rivers' The Atonement Child, which I could not put down.
One More Night With the Frogs is a short book of sermons by Hugh Pyle, highly entertaining and thought-provoking.
Francis Schaeffer can be a little deep, especially for a new Christian, but his A Christian Manifesto is superb! I can't recommend this one highly enough.
And Sam Gipp has a number of books that are helpful, especially Living With Pain, about his broken neck and how God has helped him. Nice read.
Born Again is an autobiographic book by Charles Colson that I would recommend, too.
Tortured for Christ is a very moving and eye-opening book about Christian persecution. It was written by Richard Wurmbrand, who literally was imprisoned and tortured for his Christian beliefs.
AW Tozer has some wonderful devotions available. Tozer on the Almighty God is great.
And God's Secretaries is an easily understood history of where the King James Bible came from. No matter what Bible version you use, this is a fascinating book about the men who created a masterpiece.
