50 Best Christian Books Ever

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2011/10/01/spiritual-classics-christian_n_989623.html
25 Books every Christian Should Read

On the Incarnation, Athanasius
Confessions, Augustine
The Sayings of the Desert Fathers, Various
The Rule of St. Benedict, Benedict Of Nursia
The Divine Comedy, Dante Alighieri
The Cloud of Unknowing, Anonymous
Revelations of Divine Love, Julian of Norwich
The Imitation of Christ, Thomas à Kempis
The Philokalia, Various
Institutes of the Christian Religion, John Calvin
The Interior Castle, Teresa of Avila
Dark Night of the Soul, John of the Cross
Pensées, Blaise Pascal
The Pilgrim's Progress, John Bunyan
The Practice of the Presence of God, Brother Lawrence
A Serious Call to a Devout and Holy Life, William Law
The Way of a Pilgrim, Unknown Author
The Brothers Karamazov, Fyodor Dostoevsky
Orthodoxy, GK Chesterton
Poetry, Gerard Manley Hopkins
The Cost of Discipleship by Dietrich Bonhoeffer
A Testament of Devotion, Thomas R. Kelly
The Seven Storey Mountain, Thomas Merton
Mere Christianity, C.S. Lewis
The Return of the Prodigal Son, Henri Nouwenn

=====================

I would personally add:

Passion of Christ, Passion of the World by Boff, Leonardo
Barlaam and Ioasaph by John Damascene
The Hymns of Prudentius by Prudentius
St. Ephrem the Syrian: Hymns On Paradise by St. Ephrem
On the Life of Christ: Kontakia by Romanus, Saint Romanos the Melodist
Markings by Dag Hammarskjold
Night by Elie Weisel

25 Books every Christian Should Read

http://topics.logos.com/Renovar%C3%A9_Reading_List

http://topics.logos.com/Renovaré_Reading_List

Looks like it needs updating with more Logos links. [:$]

Looks like it needs updating with more Logos links.

Looks like Logos needs to publish more christian classics... [:)]

Of the original list, these are the only ones I'd keep:

• Knowing God - J.I. Packer
• Mere Christianity - C.S. Lewis
• Life Together and Prayerbook of the Bible - Dietrich Bonhoeffer (logosres:dbw05) (BUY)
• Ragamuffin Gospel - Brennan Manning
• Discipleship - Dietrich Bonhoeffer (logosres:dbw04) (BUY)
• Basic Christianity - John Stott
• The Pilgrim's Progress - John Bunyan (multiple editions: logosres:pilgrim, logosres:wjb-plgprg (BUY), and more on Vyrso)
• The Mortification of Sin - John Owen (logosres:worksowen06) (BUY)
• The Wounded Healer - Henri Nouwen
• A Long Obedience in the Same Direction - Eugene Peterson
• Abide in Christ - Andrew Murray (available as a PB: http://community.logos.com/forums/t/47173.aspx)
  
• Religious Affections - Jonathan Edwards (logosres:rel-aff) (BUY)
• Return of the Prodigal Son - Henri Nouwen
• My Utmost For His Highest - Oswald Chambers (logosres:utmost) (BUY)

I'd add all the ones from the Huffington Post list, plus Markings and Night that MJ already mentioned.

In addition, I would add:

• The Chronicles of Narnia – C.S. Lewis
• Screwtape Letters – C.S. Lewis
• Letters to Malcolm: Chiefly on Prayer – C.S. Lewis
• The Great Divorce – C.S. Lewis
• The Temple – George Herbert
• The Book of Common Prayer – Thomas Cranmer, et al. (logosres:bkcommpray1979 is one of several editions) (BUY)
• The Rule of St. Benedict – Benedict of Nursia (logosres:holyrule - BUY, logosres:rsb1980 - BUY)
• Martyrs' Mirror – Thieleman Van Braght  [better than Foxe’s Book of Martyrs, IMO] (order it in pre-pub!)
• Paradise Lost – John Milton (logosres:paralost) (BUY)
• On Consideration – Bernard of Clairvaux (logosres:stbernconsid) (BUY)
• The Spiritual Exercises – Ignatius of Loyola (logosres:sprtexrcises) (BUY)
• Fear and Trembling – Søren Kierkegaard (available as a PB: http://community.logos.com/forums/t/43932.aspx)
• Divine Poems and Holy Sonnets – John Donne (PB: http://community.logos.com/forums/t/37716.aspx)
• The Life of Antony – Athanasius (logosres:npnf18;ref=Athanasius.Ath.,_Vit._Ant.) (BUY Prot, BUY Cath)
• Spiritual Friendship – Aelred of Rievaulx
• The Love of Learning and the Desire for God – Jean Leclercq
• The Hound of Heaven – Francis Thompson
• The Man Born to Be King – Dorothy Sayers
• The Mind of the Maker – Dorothy Sayers
• Lectures on Romans – Martin Luther (logosres:lw25) (BUY)
• Grace Abounding to the Chief of Sinners – John Bunyan (logosres:wjb-grabchsin - BUY, logosres:graceab - BUY)
• Something Beautiful for God – Malcolm Muggeridge
• Gift from the Sea – Anne Morrow Lindberg
• A Diary of Private Prayer – John Baillie
• A Little Exercise for Young Theologians – Helmut Thielicke
• The Sacrament of the Present Moment – Jean-Pierre de Caussade
• Here I Stand: A Life of Martin Luther – Roland Bainton (logosres:9781426775963) (BUY)

Also if some more recent ones are wanted to replace the ones I'd weeded out:

• Spirituality and the Gentle Life – Adrian Van Kaam
• Celebration of Discipline – Richard Foster
• Prayer: Finding the Heart’s True Home – Richard Foster
• How Should We Then Live? – Francis Schaeffer (logosres:cwfs;ref=VolumePage.V_5,_p_79) (came with Schaeffer's Complete Works, appears to be no longer available)
• How to Read the Bible for All Its Worth – Gordon Fee (logosres:h2rbblworth) (BUY)
• Life of the Beloved – Henri Nouwen
• The Inner Voice of Love – Henri Nouwen
• Holy the Firm – Annie Dillard
• The Contemplative Pastor – Eugene Peterson (logosres:ldlib17) (BUY)
• An Offering of Uncles – Robert Farrar Capon
• The Supper of the Lamb – Robert Farrar Capon

And some great fiction, not thematically Christian but by Christians (except Golding), and with deep Christian overtones:

• The Lord of the Rings – J.R.R. Tolkien
• The Power and the Glory – Graham Greene
• The Book of the Dun Cow – Walter Wangerin
• The Lord of the Flies – William Golding
• The Complete Stories – Flannery O’Connor
• The Princess and the Goblin – George Macdonald

And I think I should add (due to their reputation or specific recommendations from people I trust), though I haven't read them yet:

• The Pursuit of God – A.W. Tozer (logosres:pursuitgod) (BUY)
• Knowledge of the Holy – A.W. Tozer
• The Silmarillion – J.R.R. Tolkien
• The Christian’s Secret of a Happy Life – Hannah Whitall Smith (PB: http://community.logos.com/forums/t/47705.aspx)
• The Idea of the Holy – Rudolph Otto

Finally, more lists of great Christian books:

http://www.goodreads.com/list/tag/christian 

Great list Rosie. There are a few books on that list that I have not read that have caught my attention. Thanks.

I was just thinking what books I would include in a "portable library" for the church I attend. Knowing God is what made me think of it-I really believe every Christian should read that book!

Rosie, I read the Silmarillion about 20 years ago, and while I enjoyed it, you have to be pretty committed to Middle Earth to enjoy it. It reads like the Old Testament, but it doesn't have the advantage of being true. That said, the Creation account at the beginning is superb. It gets my heart racing because of the way Tolkien uses the idea of music through it.

Four more books that have stood the test of time:

• Letters - Samuel Rutherford

• Cardiphonia (Letters) - John Newton

• Holiness - J. C. Ryle

• Prayer - Ole Hallesby

What a fascinating thread!

I can't yet, consider fully what I might add to it. Nor am I familiar enough (sadly) with some of these to consider their removal in favor of something I might favor.

How I would love for Logos to monitor this for a few more days and then build the package. :-)

Rosie, I read the Silmarillion about 20 years ago, and while I enjoyed it, you have to be pretty committed to Middle Earth to enjoy it.

I would add however one book from Helmut Thielicke - "The prayer that spans the world." It is an exposition of the Lord's prayer he preached during the bombing of Stuttgart. Absolutely masterful and deeply laden with the urgency of the text brought to bear upon the hearts of the saints in their very real and horrific world.

One may also consider for inclusion Chuck Colson's "loving God".

Edit: for clarity:

• The prayer that spans the world - Helmut Thielicke 
• Loving God - Chuck Colson

Looks like it needs updating with more Logos links.

Looks like Logos needs to publish more christian classics...

I noticed a handful of resources had links to the logos website, but not to the actual logos resource. It would be nice if clicking on the name of the resource would take you to the actual resource, and adding a "BUY" link to the right, which would take you to the Logos page For that resource. I would volunteer to make this change but I remain blissfully ignorant about changing wiki pages. 

I would like to see John Henry Newman's novel Loss and Gain, the Summa Theologiae of St. Thomas Aquinas, G. K. Chesterton's The Everlasting Man, and some stuff by St. John of the Cross on the list.

I noticed a handful of resources had links to the logos website, but not to the actual logos resource. 

It's all about knowing the respective logosres links (see for example this thread). If I don't own a specific resource I just add a link to the Logos website and hope that another user will eventually put in the right logosres link.

It would be nice if clicking on the name of the resource would take you to the actual resource, and adding a "BUY" link to the right, which would take you to the Logos page For that resource.

If you click on the logosres link of a resource you don't own Logos 5 will open a preview window and give you the option to buy the resource on the website.

Edit: I just found out that the Android app will take you immediately to the Logos page for the resource.

It's all about knowing the respective logosres links (see for example this thread). If I don't own a specific resource I just add a link to the Logos website and hope that another user will eventually put in the right logosres link.

Duh. [:$]

I should have realized that you might not own all the available resources. Here is Discipleship: logosres:dbw04;ref=Page.p_iii 

If you click on the logosres link of a resource you don't own Logos 5 will open a preview window and give you the option to buy the resource on the website.

Edit: I just found out that the Android app will take you immediately to the Logos page for the resource.

That probably works OK. I was using my iPad. Apple doesn't allow apps to link to purchases without a 30% cut... so Logos doesn't forward those links to their site.

It would be nice if clicking on the name of the resource would take you to the actual resource, and adding a "BUY" link to the right, which would take you to the Logos page For that resource.

If you click on the logosres link of a resource you don't own Logos 5 will open a preview window and give you the option to buy the resource on the website.

Yes, which I think is a very cool feature. Therefore I like to see logosres: links wherever possible. 

It's all about knowing the respective logosres links (...) If I don't own a specific resource I just add a link to the Logos website and hope that another user will eventually put in the right logosres link.

If a resource is available outside of a bundle in Logos or Vyrso, you'll find the logosres when you click on the (i) in the top right corner of the look-into preview. Step 1:

Step 2:

now we can safely know that the link is logosres:hbkexnt and for those who own it will open the resource in Logos, for others the in-app preview together with a link to the website:

I should have realized that you might not own all the available resources.

Not even Rosie owns all the available resources...

Here is Discipleship: logosres:dbw04;ref=Page.p_iii 

Thanks!

If a resource is available outside of a bundle in Logos or Vyrso, you'll find the logosres when you click on the (i) in the top right corner of the look-into preview. 

Thank you so much!

I've tried it with William Laws A Serious Call to a Devout and Holy Life and it works! [:D]

If a resource is available outside of a bundle in Logos or Vyrso, you'll find the logosres when you click on the (i) in the top right corner of the look-into preview. 

Thank you so much!

I've tried it with William Laws A Serious Call to a Devout and Holy Life and it works!

You're welcome. I updated a bit in the list, too.

but it doesn't have the advantage of being true

Sometimes fiction is more true than you know, not because it's literally true, but because it tells us about human nature or about God in metaphor.

That said, the Creation account at the beginning is superb. It gets my heart racing because of the way Tolkien uses the idea of music through it.

That's the only part I've read, and it made a huge impact on me theologically (the idea of God adding more harmony to even out the discord introduced by Satan is just too good not to be true as a metaphor of how God works). Maybe that's the only part I'd put on a "must read" list then. But you're probably right that even that is just for real Middle Earth fans, not totally necessary for every Christian to read.

How I would love for Logos to monitor this for a few more days and then build the package. :-)

[Y]

I noticed a handful of resources had links to the logos website, but not to the actual logos resource. It would be nice if clicking on the name of the resource would take you to the actual resource, and adding a "BUY" link to the right, which would take you to the Logos page For that resource.

I've added logosres and BUY links to the right of the ones on my list that exist in Logos, in case this combined list we are working on ever ends up as a Reading List if someone wants to do that task.

Yes, a BUY link would be helpful on the Renovare Reading List too, but I didn't have time for that.

I remain blissfully ignorant about changing wiki pages. 

Convenient excuse. [:)]

but it doesn't have the advantage of being true.

While I would not include Silmarillion so near the top, I also would distinguish between "true" and "factual". I personally enjoy Tolkien more for his language play than for his theology.

I would like to see John Henry Newman's novel Loss and Gain ...

... and others ...  Collected Works of John Henry Newman

Aquinas ... [Y]

How about the spiritual giants .. St. Francis, St. Bernard, St. Teresa and others

John Paul II

A great thread, and I agree with nearly every book suggested, especially the classics.  I would add Martyn Lloyd-Jones' "Studies on the Sermon on the Mount" and Charles Colson's "Loving God" among the more modern books.  Also, William Bradford's "History of Plymouth Plantation". And everyone should read some of Spurgeon's sermons and John Wesley's Journal.

• Life Together and Prayerbook of the Bible - Dietrich Bonhoeffer (logosres:dbw05) (BUY)
• Ragamuffin Gospel - Brennan Manning
• Discipleship - Dietrich Bonhoeffer (logosres:dbw04) (BUY)
• The Pilgrim's Progress - John Bunyan (multiple editions: logosres:pilgrim, logosres:wjb-plgprg (BUY), and more on Vyrso)
• The Mortification of Sin - John Owen (logosres:worksowen06) (BUY)
• The Wounded Healer - Henri Nouwen
• A Long Obedience in the Same Direction - Eugene Peterson
• Return of the Prodigal Son - Henri Nouwen
• Letters to Malcolm: Chiefly on Prayer – C.S. Lewis
• The Temple – George Herbert
• The Book of Common Prayer – Thomas Cranmer, et al. (logosres:bkcommpray1979 is one of several editions) (BUY)
• The Rule of St. Benedict – Benedict of Nursia (logosres:holyrule - BUY, logosres:rsb1980 - BUY)
• Martyrs' Mirror – Thieleman Van Braght  [better than Foxe’s Book of Martyrs, IMO] (order it in pre-pub!)
• On Consideration – Bernard of Clairvaux (logosres:stbernconsid) (BUY)
• The Spiritual Exercises – Ignatius of Loyola (logosres:sprtexrcises) (BUY)
• Fear and Trembling – Søren Kierkegaard (available as a PB: http://community.logos.com/forums/t/43932.aspx)
• Divine Poems and Holy Sonnets – John Donne (PB: http://community.logos.com/forums/t/37716.aspx)
• The Life of Antony – Athanasius (logosres:npnf18;ref=Athanasius.Ath.,_Vit._Ant.) (BUY Prot, BUY Cath)
• Spiritual Friendship – Aelred of Rievaulx
• The Love of Learning and the Desire for God – Jean Leclercq
• The Hound of Heaven – Francis Thompson
• The Man Born to Be King – Dorothy Sayers
• The Mind of the Maker – Dorothy Sayers
• Something Beautiful for God – Malcolm Muggeridge
• Gift from the Sea – Anne Morrow Lindberg
• A Diary of Private Prayer – John Baillie
• A Little Exercise for Young Theologians – Helmut Thielicke
• The Sacrament of the Present Moment – Jean-Pierre de Caussade
• Here I Stand: A Life of Martin Luther – Roland Bainton (logosres:9781426775963) (BUY)
• Spirituality and the Gentle Life – Adrian Van Kaam
• Celebration of Discipline – Richard Foster
• Prayer: Finding the Heart’s True Home – Richard Foster
• Life of the Beloved – Henri Nouwen
• The Inner Voice of Love – Henri Nouwen
• Holy the Firm – Annie Dillard
• The Contemplative Pastor – Eugene Peterson (logosres:ldlib17) (BUY)
• An Offering of Uncles – Robert Farrar Capon
• The Supper of the Lamb – Robert Farrar Capon
• The Power and the Glory – Graham Greene
• The Book of the Dun Cow – Walter Wangerin
• The Complete Stories – Flannery O’Connor
• The Princess and the Goblin – George Macdonald

And I think I should add (due to their reputation or specific recommendations from people I trust), though I haven't read them yet:

• The Pursuit of God – A.W. Tozer (logosres:pursuitgod) (BUY)
• Knowledge of the Holy – A.W. Tozer
• The Silmarillion – J.R.R. Tolkien
• The Christian’s Secret of a Happy Life – Hannah Whitall Smith (PB: http://community.logos.com/forums/t/47705.aspx)
• The Idea of the Holy – Rudolph Otto

Finally, more lists of great Christian books:

http://www.goodreads.com/list/tag/christian 

How did Dracula not make the cut?  (too soon?)

How did Dracula not make the cut?

Because Dracula sucks.  [:)]

(Sorry.)

but it doesn't have the advantage of being true.

While I would not include Silmarillion so near the top, I also would distinguish between "true" and "factual". I personally enjoy Tolkien more for his language play than for his theology.

That's a great point, thanks. Funny how "true" have diverse meaning given context. [:D]

If I had been more careful/precise, I would have said that the Silmarillion doesn't have the advantage of being historical. I've come to appreciate the OT because I can see the big picture of God's work in the life of Israel, even if I get bogged down in ceremonial rituals or genealogies. Each time I read them again, I appreciate them more because of their foundation in history and what they contribute to redemption.

Regarding Tolkien, I've heard a lot of admiration and criticism of his writing over the years--and I think there's going to be quite a bit of taste involved with him. My wife can't stand the detail in LOTR, yet I love it. I enjoy reading Tolkien's imagination on paper.

I can't imagine any list of this nature NOT having at least one volume from the following authors:

Tozer

Ravenhill

Bounds

Wesley

Moody

I'd also have to include the following as absolutely essential:

Foxes Book of Martyrs (can't believe that one hasn't been mentioned)

The Kneeling Christian

Answers to Prayer (George Mueller)

Those would all be essentials for my Top 50 Ever Christian books.

Peace to my Logos Forums Brothers and Sisters!

                              *smile*                            Thank you to all who've contributed to this Amazing Thread which has been very, very helpful to me!

Picked up a whole bunch of good ideas and suggestions    ..........                  likely will not live long enough to accomplish all that I'd like to accomplish; however, today is the First Day of the Rest of My Life      ...........

                                   I will enjoy the Lord!                           I will enjoy His People -- His Church!              *smile*

then ....          !!!!!            ........                I'll take it from there, eh?!           *smile*

Picked up a whole bunch of good ideas and suggestions    ..........                  likely will not live long enough to accomplish all that I'd like to accomplish; however, today is the First Day of the Rest of My Life    

I don't think any of us will live long enough to read all we want.

I discovered today that I've read just about 10% (489 of 5058) of the books in my library. I have a long long way to go yet.

Foxes Book of Martyrs (can't believe that one hasn't been mentioned)

I mentioned it by saying Martyrs' Mirror is better than it. But Foxe's is probably better known. So be it.

I didn't think about this before... but I would add "To Kill A Mockingbird" to the list... somewhere.

I didn't think about this before... but I would add "To Kill A Mockingbird" to the list... somewhere.

[Y] And for those who didn't see it, there's a thread about this book; it's coming to Kindle soon. Hope Logos can get it too. In the author Harper Lee's own words, it is "Christian in its ethic."

Not quite the ideal forum but I've started a discussion group on faithlife https://faithlife.com/literary-reading-appropriate-for-a-christian-book-club/ intended simply to be a place to share titles we've found interesting recreational reading that we can vaguely relate to Christianity or God or religion.

Not quite the ideal forum but I've started a discussion group on faithlife https://faithlife.com/literary-reading-appropriate-for-a-christian-book-club/ intended simply to be a place to share titles we've found interesting recreational reading that we can vaguely relate to Christianity or God or religion.

I like it ...   I don't know that my contribution qualifies (go to MJ's link) ... but it's my contribution ...

Thanks, MJ.

It definitely counts ... in fact, I'm putting it on my reread list.

Not quite the ideal forum but I've started a discussion group on faithlife https://faithlife.com/literary-reading-appropriate-for-a-christian-book-club/ intended simply to be a place to share titles we've found interesting recreational reading that we can vaguely relate to Christianity or God or religion.

Love the idea... I think I screwed up though... I added a book that perhaps falls outside of what you intended. I can remove it if need be. [:)]

Love the idea... I think I screwed up though... 

I think not ... tell us.

[:)]

I added a book that perhaps falls outside of what you intended. I can remove it if need be. 

It's a great book that is truly pan-denominational so leave it in. What I want to be able to screen out are technical books of interest only to people with similar beliefs and books that slam others' views.

Sounds good. [:)]

I think not ... tell us.

I did... In the "discussions" section, rather than in the "news" section. 

You are way head of me ... as always ...  Someday I'll grow up.  Maybe.  Hopefully.  [:S]

Thank you.

[:)]

You are way head of me ... as always

Uh... not so much. I am fairly inexperienced with Faithlife, especially in recent months. I didn't even know that they had "discussions," which seems like a very good addition. I wonder though if admins can remove posts / threads. I could not remove my own one (which MJ said to keep).

It's a wonderful contribution and a great read.

[Y]

Not quite the ideal forum but I've started a discussion group on faithlife https://faithlife.com/literary-reading-appropriate-for-a-christian-book-club/ intended simply to be a place to share titles we've found interesting recreational reading that we can vaguely relate to Christianity or God or religion.

I don't trust Faithlife, so I never join groups as anything more than Observer. Could you change the settings so that I can post anyway? Currently I can't even 'Like', which is the strictest settings I've seen for a group so far.

will do later today

The security has been opened up ... I'd simply left the defaults.

 I would add:

•  
• A Little Exercise for Young Theologians – Helmut Thielicke
•  

Went to PrePub without anyone noticing and is - as of today - almost there!

(thanks Logos for telling on the L6 homepage)

50 best books and the Bible isn't a part of that what the deal?

There are many important Christian books but I have found the two most important books ever written after the bible to be:

Creation's Jubilee by Dr. Stephen E. Jones

Found here:

http://gods-kingdom-ministries.net/teachings/books/creations-jubilee/

Absolute Surrender by Andrew Murray....audio and book available free on ccel.org

http://www.ccel.org/ccel/murray/surrender.html

Absolute Surrender by Andrew Murray....audio and book

for the book, check out https://www.logos.com/product/4273/absolute-surrender-and-other-addresses 

audio is under development: https://www.logos.com/product/43646/absolute-surrender