What then shall we read?

Sitting at a Cuban Restaurant during a break in our diocesan convention with my junior warden, senior warden and priest assistant, the topic of books came up, as in what books did I recommend to read on various Christian topics. I immediately said the best book on grace was The Hammer of God by Bo Giertz. My fellow clergyman concurred and noted that I had recommended that book to him years earlier when was still a chaplain at Saint Stephen’s Episcopal School. Giertz was the Archbishop of Gothenburg in the Church of Sweden. The book covers the lives of three pastors at a rural deanery in Sweden from roughly 1808 until 1939 but that doesn’t really tell you what you need to know. It is really about how each clergyman comes to a new revelation about grace through the interactions with his parishioners. I told the gathered group that it was and still is the best book I have ever read on the topic of grace and faith. I still revisit the book every few years to remind myself of its lessons.

In any case, this got me thinking about other books, both old and new, that I would recommend to people at Christ Church or to Christians in general. It is odd that most of the books that come to mind are older books. While there are indeed fine books being written today I find many to be a bit derivative of the classics.

Any list of books that I would suggest for Christians would have to include several of C. S. Lewis’s great books. Every Christian should read Mere Christianity and The Great Divorce. I recommend those books, but I think the entire seven book series, The Chronicles of Narnia,  are the most important books by Lewis. I either reread them or listen to them on tape ever single year. Many might say that these are children's’ books and I would agree. These were intended for children but they contain a greater depth that is appreciated by adults. However, their lessons are easily understood by anyone. Read them. Enjoy them. Then think about them.

Brideshead Revisited by Evelyn Waugh is a wonderful story of redemption. You might never know that if you are not paying attention but this theme is at the heart of Waugh’s most famous novel.

For a Christian trying to understand the essentials of faith, I recommend two books by the late John Stott, Basic Christianity and Evangelical Truth. Stott was the rector for many years at All Souls Church in London and he influenced evangelical Christians worldwide during his long and productive life.

I did say I would mention current authors as well as these older classic ones and the best of the contemporary authors is Timothy Keller. Keller has written numerous books but his book on Christian apologetics is the best available on the topic. The Reason for God is the definitive book to read and to give to an enquirer about Christianity. A skeptic may still disagree but at the very least this book explains what classic Christianity is really about. All of Keller’s books are worth reading but start here.

Finally, there is one additional book or compendium of books that every Christian must read. I find it odd that many Christians haven’t read this book. Even worse I know some who never intend to read it. Most are content with bite sized chunks feed to them every Sunday morning or worse yet quoted to them out of context by both skeptics and faithful followers of Christ. I am of course talking about the Bible. Reading the whole Bible is daunting but it may be less so if one sees it as the aforementioned compendium of books. That is the real identity of the book we call the Bible. The whole of it is God’s revelation to the world. We can begin reading it by breaking it down into its constituent parts. The way I would suggest is to read the gospels first then read Acts. Then read Genesis, Exodus, Leviticus, Deuteronomy and Joshua. After that go to Romans and the remainder of Paul’s letters. And so on. Going about it this way one book at a time the task becomes manageable and it most cases it actually becomes enjoyable.

So there it is: my list of books for the Christian old and the Christian new with a couple thrown in even for the doubters and skeptics. The list of fourteen may seem very basic and I suppose it is but I wholeheartedly commend every book mentioned. If you can read only one start with the last. Grace and peace.