Most Influential Christian Books
December 5, 2007 — brianmclWhat books have had the most influence on your journey with Jesus Christ? Here are my top five, I hope to read yours!
The Cost of Discipleship by Dietrich Bonhoeffer. This book revolutionized my understanding of discipleship and “costly grace.” Every time I read it I question my own salvation!
The Confessions of Saint Augustine. This book revolutionized my understanding of joy in the Christian life. “Our heart is restless until it rests in you.” Priceless.
The Nature of True Virtue by Jonathan Edwards. This book revolutionized my understanding of the Jesus Creed before The Jesus Creed. True virtue is “benevolence to being in general.”
Heaven is a Place on Earth by Mike Wittmer. This book revolutionized my worldview. Truth be told, it was actually sitting under Dr. Wittmer at Grand Rapids Theological Seminary that changed my worldview, but this book summarizes his great teaching.
Desiring God by John Piper. This book, along with Augustine’s Confessions, helped me understand the Christian life. Without Piper I think I’d be a stoic.
And two more books are close to challenging the top five:
The Jesus Creed by Scot McKnight. Before this book I would have described everything Christian in terms of Creation-Fall-Redemption-Consummation. That is still good, but Love God-Love Others is better: more comprehensive and more practical.
The Forgotten Ways by Alan Hirsch. This is the only pure ministry book on my list. This book revolutionized my understanding of missional church (incarnational vs. attractional) and what ministry might look like in the postmodern era. It is everything good about the Emerging Church Movement with a theology that won’t scare off us conservative evangelicals.
December 5, 2007 at 10:26 pm
First, let me point out that the question is which have most influenced - - different than what are the 5 greatest you have ever read.
Second, you cheated by giving Wittmer as one and then mentioning seminary. So, I plan to cheat in a similar way.
1. The Faculty at Grand Rapids Theological Seminary: which would include Hoch, Turner, Crawford, Kennedy, Grier, Beals. Especially the emphasis on salvation history / biblical theology. They haven’t published a bunch, but Hoch did write, All Things New. . . And, Wittmer was heavily influenced by Crawford and Grier.
2. The Chronicles of Narnia. Started reading them as a child. Read them over and over again. Influenced me in fundamental ways.
3. The Pursuit of Holiness by Jerry Bridges. Read it when I first started to really grow as a graduate student. Later was helped greatly by The Discipline of Grace by Bridges.
4. Desiring God by Piper.
5. The Gospel According to Jesus by MacArthur. I grew up in an easy believism atmosphere. This book was a tremendous gift at the time I was deciding to go to seminary.
December 5, 2007 at 10:43 pm
10 years ago, I sadly left NYC and the greatest church adventure of my life (I was in the group that named our church). My pastor there had a huge influence in my understanding of grace. I also discovered Piper who has continued to shape me. For a more psychological take on what Piper teaches, check out Larry Crabb’s more recent books. I found the PAPA Prayer especially convicting and helpful.
December 12, 2007 at 5:35 pm
Off the top of my head, I’d have to start with …
1) Screwtape Letters by C.S. Lewis. Has influenced me in different ways at different times in my life…from college until the present. I read through it every year…
2) Mere Christianity by Lewis - Ditto.
3) What’s so Amazing About Grace? by Phillip Yancey. Made me rethink some of the “churchy” beliefs that I had and whether they were really Biblical.
I’ll have to think more about my #4 and #5…