Recommended Reading

Basic Christianity - John Stott
The classic on Christianity. More ‘theological’ than Lewis.

Mere Christianity -C S Lewis
Another classic. Thought provoking but more ‘philosophical’ in approach than Stott. Jim Packer’s Knowing God is a good book to move on to, but needs to be read in small chunks, not one hit.

The Abolition of Man - C S Lewis
A ‘thought provoker’, looking at the way that traditional morality was undermined through the education process.

The Screwtape Letters - C S Lewis
Lewis’ classic on good and evil. Letters from a senior devil to a junior devil. Lewis found the discipline of ‘thinking evil’ very tiresome and tiring, but it is a great work.

The Last Word on Guidance - Tony Payne and Phillip Jensen
One of the biggest problems facing young (and not-so-young) Christians is the question of God’s guidance. This book will sort out many of the difficulties and could save much heartache.

Gospel and Kingdom - Graeme Goldsworthy
According to Plan - Graeme Goldsworthy
Get Into the Bible - John Richardson
Three books to help you understand the Bible in general and the Old Testament in particular. GITB is the shortest, G & K is a classic. You might also try Bill Dumbrell’s The Faith of Israel.

Holiness - J C Ryle
Try to get the edition with the preface by Jim Packer. This book will clear up a lot of the confusion surrounding the nature of living the ‘normal Christian life’.

The Reformation - Owen Chadwick
The Essence of the Reformation - Kirsten Birkett
Chadwick’s book provides a solid if not exactly ‘rip-roaring’ introduction. Birkett’s book is much smaller and an easier read, but leaves a lot out. You may add Roland Bainton’s biography of Luther, Here I Stand. You should also read This Sceptred Isle if you don’t know much English history, otherwise understanding Anglicanism is going to be tricky! Stephen Neill’s Anglicanism is probably the classic on that subject.

A Cloud of Witnesses: Ten Great Christian Thinkers - Alastair McGrath
A summary of several key Christian thinkers, from Luther to Lewis. It is inevitably sketchy, but helpful.

Know and Tell the Gospel - John Chapman
A Fresh Start - John Chapman
KT is a ‘must read’. FS is a very helpful read, that has even led to the conversion of some people. Chapman combines good practical help with sound theology. Try also Missionary Methods: St Paul’s or Ours? and The Spontaneous Expansion of the Church by Roland Allen.

The New Testament Documents: Are they Reliable? - F F Bruce
I must have owned at least three copies of this in my time as I keep lending it out and not getting it back. A good book to tell you how the New Testament came to be and why we can rely on it. Peter Jensen’s new book The Revelation of God develops the theme of the Bible’s authority, but is a ‘solid’ read.

Ishmael my Brother - Anne Cooper (Ed)
An excellent introduction to Islam for Christians. Try also The Unseen Face of Islam by Bill Musk, which deals with ‘folk Islam’ - what Muslims really believe. For a good guide to Christian theology, read Jens Christensen’s The Practical Approach to Muslims.

God, Sex and Marriage - John Richardson
Pure Sex - Tony Payne and Phillip Jensen
Short and ‘to the point’ on sex and Christianity. On the subject of homosexuality, Straight and Narrow by Thomas Schmidt is excellent, as is What Some of You Were, edited by Christopher Keane, which is testimonies on living with homosexuality in oneself or others.

Speaking God’s Words - Peter Adam
If you’re going to teach the Bible, or want to understand how (and why!) the Bible should be taught, this is a ‘must have’.

John Richardson (13 December 2002)