Christian Classics, my new blog, is an attempt to compile the best in Christian writing in the 20th and 21st century.
Contemplating my own list of the best Christian books of the past 105 years, I am first drawn to the standards such as Mere Christianity, Spirit of the Disciplines and such. But the book which may have most influenced my life is Bill Hybel's Descending Into Greatness. He was able to fully explain the futility of "things" in a way I have not seen or heard, before or since. I actually took steps to reduce my material goals in favor of relational ones. (Look for a review here or at The Truth About Everything later this month.)
Maybe another major influence would be J. Vernon McGee's Thru the Bible. It took two years to read what J. Vernon tells on the radio in 5 years of daily broadcasts. It was worth every minute.
Already reviewed (see side bar at my blog) is the best book ever on marriage. Ed Wheat's work Love Life for Every Married Couple is a triumph for those who are in any stage of marriage. But it goes beyond the self-help style to define love. The Bible is the greatest book on love ever but Wheat touched me in a special way with his explanation that love is not an emotion, it's a choice. If that is a new idea to you, or if you are at all unclear how it plays out, the paperback is usually under $5.
Come back to this space for more tops on my list, more best of lists from Christian leaders, and hopefully lots of suggestions from you, dear reader.
Article comments
1 - Temple Stark
side bar?
2 - Randy Kirk
Sorry, I'm new at this. That would refer to the sidebar where this post also appears on the website, http://www.Christianclassics.blogspot.com.
3 - Pat Cummings
Randy, I have made that change so your sidebar reference is a little more understandable to the casual BlogCritics reader.
Please take a look at the post as edited, so you'll know how to link multiple references in the future.
4 - Aaman
Can that first ping be edited/deleted? It is messing up the page formatting a lot
5 - Temple Stark
Um, why yes it can Aaman. I'l do so - though I tohught you could.
6 - Aaman
I can, I just didn't want to offend the ping-ee
7 - Temple Stark
The Ping-ee is spam - and I couldn't get rid of it either? WTF.
8 - Cindy
Do you list any of C.S. Lewis's great works such as Mere Christianity and the Screwtape Letters? What about the Chronicles of Narnia series? :)
9 - TylerNewton
I think a book is missing here.
It's the classic thought-provoking work from Bertrand Russell,
"Why I am not a Christian"
Brilliant writing from the 20th century. Perhaps one of the most intelligent and underrated people of the 20th century.
10 - Aaman
Whatever happened to this best-of list - we'd be interested in seeing the final list
11 - gonzo marx
heh...allow me ta add a few..
the Dead Sea Scrolls
the Nag Hamadi texts (both in english translation, of course)
if we are going into Lewis Carroll then allow me to add
Job:a Comedy of Justice
Revolt in 2100(the US as a theocracy)
and of course: Stranger in a Strange Land
the last 3 by Robert A, Heinlein
one last bit of straight reference into the history of biblical texts, among other things..
"Holy Blood, Holy Grail"
those are my entries...
Excelsior!
12 - Aaman
Peut-etre Randy will provide his list as well soon
13 - Tim
I think you have forgotten "Letters from Home, Our Father's Message of Love". In my opinion this is by far the best book of 2007!
God bless,
Tim
14 - Christopher Rose
Let's not forget "I'm a Gullible Twit" by N E Sucker, "Smoke And Mirrors" by Itsa Lye or the cynical classic "It Makes No Sense And I Don't Care" by Con Trick.
15 - Kristen
this is awsome and Jesus loves you so much