The following is a list of books that I recommend every mature Christian read for intellectual and spiritual development. This list does not mean that I endorse all or any of the ideas in the book.
**denotes technically difficult reading.
Biblical Studies & Historical Jesus Studies
- The Historical Reliability of the Gospels, 2nd ed., by Craig Blomberg
- Jesus and the Gospels: An Introduction and Survey, 2nd ed. by Craig Blomberg
- The Meaning of Jesus: Two Visions by N.T. Wright and Marcus Borg
- Introduction to Biblical Interpretation by William Klein, Craig Blomberg, and Robert Hubbard, Jr.
- How To Read the Bible For All Its Worth by Gordon Fee and Douglas Stuart
- Jesus Through The Centuries: His Place in the History of Culture by Jarosav Pelikan
Philosophy/Worldview/Ethics/Relgions
- God Is Not One by Stephen Prothero (an excellent introduction to the 8 most influential world religions.)
- Where The Conflict Really Lies: Science, Religion, and Naturalism by Alvin Plantinga (philosophy of science)**
- Warranted Christian Belief by Alvin Plantinga (Reformed epistemology, highly technical reading)**
- The God Who Is There by Francis Schaeffer (worldview and Reformed philosophy)
- The Story of Philosophy by Will Durant (a one-volume history of philosophy from the pre-Socratics to the 20th c.)
- The Universe Next Door by James Sire (a worldview catalog)
- Ethics For A Brave New World, 2nd edition by John S. Feinberg and Paul d. Feinberg (very long, good reference)
- Reasonable Faith: Christian Truth & Apologetics by William Lane Craig
- Liberating Black Theology: The Bible and the Black Experience in America by Anthony Bradley (a critique of black liberation theology)**
- The Moody Handbook of Theology by Paul Enns (an excellent reference for Biblical, historical, and systematic theologies)
- Systematic Theology: An Introduction to Biblical Doctrine by Wayne Grudem (very long, reference for theology)
- Christian Theology: An Introduction by Alister McGrath (historical overview of Christian theology through the centuries)
- Blue Like Jazz: Nonreligious Thoughts on Christian Spirituality by Donald Miller
- Spiritual Disciplines for the Christian Life by Donald S. Whitney
- The Scandal of the Evangelical Mind by Mark Noll (a critique of evangelicalism's anti-intellectualism)
- The Spirit of Early Christian Thought: Seeking the Face of God by Robert Louis Wilken (emergence of the Christian intellectual tradition; history, theology, philosophy)**
- The Story of Christianity (in two volumes) by Justo Gonzales
- The Democratization of American Christianity by Nathan Hatch (American Christianity)
- America's God by Mark Noll (American Christianity)**
- Heresy: A History of Defending the Truth by Alister McGrath
- The Next Christendom: The Coming of Global Christianity by Philip Jenkins.
- Turning Points: Decisive Moments in the History of Christianity by Mark Noll
- The Lost History of Christianity: The Thousand-Year Golden Age of the Church in the Middle East, Africa, and Asia -- And How It Died by Philip Jenkins
- Orthodoxy by G.K. Chesterton
- The City of God by Saint Augustine (very long, online here)
- Bondage of the Will by Martin Luther (read online here)
- Institutes of the Christian Religion by John (Jean) Calvin (very long; systematic Reformed theology) - or read online here.
- Shorter Summa by Thomas Aquinas (Aquinas' own summary of his much longer tome, Summa Theologica)
- Mere Christianity by Clive Staples (C.S.) Lewis. (moral argument for the existence of God)
- The Great Divorce by Clive Staples (C.S.) Lewis (fiction, about Heaven/Hell)
- The Confessions by Saint Augustine
- Dark Night of the Soul by St. John of the Cross
- Pilgrim's Progress by John Bunyan
- The Cost of Discipleship by Dietrich Bonhoeffer
- The Imitation of Christ by Thomas a'Kempis
- The Communist Manifesto by Karl Marx and Frederick Engels
- Common Sense by Thomas Paine (skeptic, American founder)
- Thus Spoke Zarathustra by Friedrich Nietzsche (a work of poetry reflecting Nietzsche's nihilistic philosophy)
- Letter to a Christian Nation by Sam Harris (an atheist's letter to America)
- A Brief History of Time by Stephen Hawking (a secular look at cosmology, the big bang, space, and time)**
- The Rise of Christianity: How the Obscure, Marginal, Jesus Movement Became the Dominant Religious Force by Rodney Stark (a secular sociological explanation for the remarkable spread of Christianity)
- The God Delusion by Richard Dawkins (leader of the New Atheism, evolutionary biologist denies the existence of God)
In the comments section, post the the titles of other works that you believe every Christian ought to read, regardless of their training, job, or ministry.
Hi Charlie, so glad to reconnect with you! Really enjoy your writing and thanks for sharing this reading list. Will look into it. If i ever have questions (which I most likely will have), can i ask you? =) thanks much, jiunwen
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