50 Best Christian Books Ever

I just discovered this chronophobic list of best Christian books ever written:

http://www.ministrybestpractices.com/2014/04/the-50-best-christian-books-ever-written.html

However, since a vast majority of the books come from the past 100 years, I think the list has some serious flaws. What books should be on this list?

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MJ. Smith

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

HJ. van der Wal

25 Books every Christian Should Read

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

MJ. Smith

http://topics.logos.com/Renovaré_Reading_List

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

Rosie Perera

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

Bruce Dunning

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

William Gabriel

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.

SineNomine

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.

Deacon Steve

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

Mike Childs

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.

abondservant

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

The Tozer books are indeed excellent. As an avid Tolkien fan I enjoyed the Silmarillion, but it is on par with reading the book of Numbers. So and so begat so and so and lived to be xxxx years old and his child so and so begat so and so... you get the idea.

I trimmed the ones off your list that i've read and will be adding them to a list I keep of books I want to read. Someone also mentioned the desert fathers. David Platt preached once and shared a story from there that stirred me, and so I've read a little from that from time to time. Want to finish, but school is a busy time.

David A. Peterson

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

Susan Tan

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

NB.Mick

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

Hamilton Ramos

Hi all, just came across this thread. Very interesting.

My question is: what would be the best way to make a collection of the Best Christian books ever?

1) tagging

2) manual one by one added to the collection

3) is there a rule that can be used?

The second question is:

What could be the main thrusts (christianity wise) of the majority of the books? salvation, Christlikeness, theology, holiness, spiritual growth, spiritual direction, bearing fruit?

Is there a way to find out other than reading all n keeping detailed notes?

Thanks ahead of time for any input, and hope I do not annoy anyone by reviving the thread.

Rosie Perera

Hi all, just came across this thread. Very interesting.

My question is: what would be the best way to make a collection of the Best Christian books ever?

1) tagging

2) manual one by one added to the collection

3) is there a rule that can be used?

The second question is:

What could be the main thrusts (christianity wise) of the majority of the books? salvation, Christlikeness, theology, holiness, spiritual growth, spiritual direction, bearing fruit?

Is there a way to find out other than reading all n keeping detailed notes?

Thanks ahead of time for any input, and hope I do not annoy anyone by reviving the thread.

I would do it with tagging. Make up a single tag e.g., BestXanBooks or ChristianClassics, and apply it to the book you own that are in whatever list you're working off of (a superset of all the lists posted above in this thread, perhaps).

Then make a collection with the rule mytag:ChristianClassics

I wouldn't use such a collection for searching, but rather just to help you tick off the books you want to read someday in your lifetime. I'd tag each one as "FINISHED" once you've read it.

And each of these books is unique. I don't think there's an easy way to categorize the majority of them with "main thrusts" like what you've listed, except "spiritual growth" probably applies to most of them. The more you read of such time-honored classics, the more you'll grow as a Christian, both in understanding of Christian history and in your knowledge of and relationship with God. It would be good to read them together with others and discuss them in a book group. And/or take notes and read what others have written about them. Having a familiarity with such books will also help you as you read the vast majority of Christian literature written since then, as the best authors are well familiar with the classics and will refer to them from time to time, and you'll get more out of their books the more you know the classics.

Rachel Mathew

I would like to recommend the book by Reverend Judith Lyon-Kesselman:

The Expedition of the End-Day Prophecies

The Bride Made Ready

Paradise On Earth

Transforming Prayers

https://www.touchofheaven.org/