Skip to main content

a dozen books

I was asked recently to come up with a short list of Christian books that have impacted my life, being books that I would also heartily recommend others to read.  I would add that such books should be read more than once.  And we should intersperse newer works with older works. They are as follows: 
  • Bonhoeffer, Dietrich. Life Together. 
  • Calvin, John. Institutes of the Christian Religion (1541).
  • Coleman, Robert. Master Plan of Evangelism.
  • DeYoung, Kevin. Taking God at his Word.
  • Keller, Tim. The Reason for God.
  • Lewis, C. S. Mere Christianity. 
  • Lloyd-Jones, D. Martyn. Evangelistic Sermons. 
  • Luther, Martin. Commentary on Galatians. 
  • Machen, J. Gresham. Christianity and Liberalism.
  • Packer, J. I. Knowing God. 
  • Schaeffer, Francis. True Spirituality.
  • Stott, John.  The Cross of Christ.
Addendum: I also recommend that you read -- and seek to master -- the works of one author, or a few authors, who wrote deeply on biblical and theological topics.  Over the past forty years my studies have centered on the following theologians and/or pastors: John Calvin, Jonathan Edwards, Martyn Lloyd-Jones, Francis Schaeffer, and more recently, Herman Bavinck and Carl F. H. Henry. 
Labels:

Comments

Ambrose said…
Sandy, interesting that all but two of your books written by paedo-baptists. Only one of your theologians was a Baptist, although Lloyd-Jones eventually rejected infant baptism.
October 10, 2015 at 9:05 AM
Sandy said…
Well, obviously, Presbyterians write the best books!!
October 10, 2015 at 9:12 AM
Ambrose said…
Not all of the paedo-baptists were Presbyterians. This kind of list would be so hard, I love all of your books. I might have added Spurgeon' All Of Grace. I do love Bavinck. Sadly, I could not bring my four volumes of Bavinck to Colombia, but I have the one volume abridgment. Two volumes are now on Kindle.
October 10, 2015 at 9:26 AM
Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

clement quotes hebrews

Clement of Rome wrote to the church in Corinth around AD 90.  This is perhaps the same Clement, companion of Paul, mentioned in Philippians 4:3.  Many hold him to be the first bishop / pope in Rome, aka St. Clement I.   Clement quotes from the letter to the Hebrews.  Origin suggested that Clement was in fact the writer (as transcriber or amanuensis) of Hebrews.  Perhaps this letter began as a "word of exhortation" given by Paul at the synagogue (Heb 13:22; cf Acts 13:15) which then became a circular letter for the churches.  Other possible authors of Hebrews include Luke, Barnabas, or Apollos.  The theology is Pauline, but the transcriber is obviously second-generation (Heb. 2:3-4). At any rate, this early church leader in Rome, is already quoting Hebrews in his letter in AD 90:    CHAPTER 36  ALL BLESSINGS ARE GIVEN TO US THROUGH CHRIST This is the way, beloved, in which we find our Savior, even Jesus Christ,  the High Prie...
Post a Comment
Read more

a brief history of bcf

Blacksburg Christian Fellowship, or BCF as it is popularly known, was founded in November 1969. Prior to this time several families had been meeting for Bible study and prayer, with a particular concern that the Lord raise up an effective biblical ministry to the students of the Virginia Tech campus. Growing from these meetings, the Lord led them to begin a public ministry on Sunday mornings. The Wesley Foundation agreed to the rental of their facilities, and the first meeting was held in November 1969, with about 30 people in attendance. Since the first meeting BCF has been greatly blessed by the Lord and has seen a steady growth in ministry and in numbers. Two other local churches were formed in part from BCF. In 1974 the Lord led Houston Couch, who at that time was an Elder in BCF, to leave and start Dayspring Christian Fellowship. In 1980 Max Harris, who was a regular attender at BCF, was encouraged by the Elders and members to start a ministry which has now become Grace Cov...
2 comments
Read more

evangelicalism over the next decade

I've been contemplating Michael Spencer's blogs on the future of evangelical churches in America ( iMonk blog ). His three articles on his predicted collapse of evangelicalism are found here . It is important, I believe, to read all three articles. I find myself in agreement with much he has to say. Here are a few quotes... The determination to follow in the methodological steps of numerically successful churches will be greater than ever. The result will be, in the main, a departure from doctrine to more and more emphasis on relevance, motivation and personal success….with the result being churches further compromised and weakened in their ability to pass on the faith. ... For some time, we’ve been at a point that the decision to visit a particular evangelical church contained a fairly high risk of not hearing the Biblical Gospel. That experience will be multiplied and expanded in the years to come. Core beliefs will become less and less normative and necessary in evangelic...
6 comments
Read more