25 Books Every Christian Should Read

During his lifetime; John Wesley compiled a list of 100 books that he believed all Christians should read.  Borrowing from this idea, Renovaré, a ministry dedicated to helping people live a life with God through the process of Spiritual Formation, published the book, 25 Books Every Christian Should Read.  These books were selected by Renovaré and a specially created editorial board that includes such writers and teachers as Richard Rohr, Richard Foster, Phyllis Tickle and Dallas Willard. 

If you have ever felt intimidated when looking at a copy of Augustine’s Confessions or when someone talked about the discipline of spiritual reading and study; then 25 Books Every Christian Should Read: A Guide to the Essential Spiritual Classics; is a great place for you to start.  This book not only contains excerpts from each of these 25 classic books but also notes and study questions for each excerpt. 

25 Books Every Christian Should Read opens with a foreword by Chris Webb President of Renovaré which leads into an introduction that provides a reader with a description of the process of how and why the 25 books were chosen.  As a bonus; at the end of the book there is a contemporary authors section in which they have selected living authors whom they recommend.  A description of each author and his/her recommended works is given.

Each of the 25 chapters follow the same format; there is  an introduction about the book, some explanation about why reading this work is essential and how to read it followed by the excerpt of the work and then study question perfect for individual or group study.  Also throughout the book the various members of the editorial board share their top 5 personal favorites that they would recommend for spiritual reading. 

Since the 25 chapters are each excerpts of different works; they did not have to be read  in any order making it more enjoyable.  For example if you found Orthodoxy by G.K. Chesterton particularly taxing; you could then jump to read the excerpt of The Return of the Prodigal Son by Henri J.M. Nouwen.  Then perhaps you might go back and read an excerpt from The Rule of St. Benedict followed by C.S. Lewis’s Mere Christianity.

This book is available in paperback, kindle and epub formats.  In 416 pages; the reader will gain a vast knowledge of some of the best literature representing the various streams and traditions with Christianity.  I personally purchased the book in order to study some of the famous works that I found intimidating but I love it also for its excerpts of some of my favorite Christian Classics that I have read in their entirety including A Testament of Devotion by Thomas Kelly and The Seven Storey Mountain by Thomas Merton. 

The book is a very worthwhile investment not only to provide you with a challenge in your reading but access to a range of spiritual classics without having to buy all of the books.  Julian of Norwich, Augustine, Gerald Manley Hopkins, John Calvin and Teresa Avila are among those whose works are included along with those previously mentioned and the rest well you will just have to read the book to discover them.

First appeared  as an article written by me in the  October newsletter of Jackson First United Methodist Church