You could possibly re-title this post
“Christian books: a plea for help”. While the first few entries
in this series involved me saying a lot, here I would love to
listen to you, because, friends, I stink at reading
Christian books. I'm talking books about theology, about living the
Christian life, books that encourage you to grow in your faith. Yes,
I stink at reading these books.
Firstly, though, let's get clear that
the most important Christian book to be read is the Bible.
Christians ought not to read a lot of John Piper or Tim Keller or Max
Lucado, but neglect the Bible. Knowing the Bible is what helps us
know God, and also to discern whether a Christian writer is worth
reading in the first place. Personally, I'm not big on reading daily
devotionals or going through study books; instead, I try to read the
Bible every day, and I know that's more important than reading
classics of Christian theology.
If one is reading the Bible, however,
there is real merit in also reading across the broad spectrum of
Christian literature. My problem is that I am great at starting
these kinds of books, and lousy at finishing them. I've got C.S.
Lewis, Dietrich Bonhoeffer, and Randy Alcorn sitting in my to-read
pile, and while I've opened all of these works, I have yet to get
through any. Sometimes I think it will help to read a one or two of
chaptersof such works a week, while keeping another book on the go
for when I want to read to relax, but it still doesn't happen.
So readers, help me to read better!
What Christian books do you recommend? What has changed your life?
How do you get through heavy books and balance the need for something
with more of a story? Are you judging me right now? :-)
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