A Few Essential Christian Books

Many Christians go in search of books that help them grow holistically deeper in the faith. By holistically deeper, I mean a depth that is measured in more than simple piety. People are realizing perhaps more and more that while books by C.S. Lewis and Rick Warren may nature the Christian mind and heart, respectively, they don't root the Christian in his or her tradition and historic formulations. Enough said on that point...

1) The Bible--This may seem like common sense, but there are better and worse Bibles out there. For one, "The Message" by Eugene Peterson is not a Bible, but a paraphrase, and should never be used as more than a supplement. It is not God-breathed. I would also not suggest the King James Version, as its old-English colloquialisms are becoming more difficult to understand in the modern vernacular. It also doesn't draw directly from the ancient Greek and Hebrew as other contemporary translations do, and thus lacks the valuable proximity to the original autographs. I personally prefer the ESV, but also love the NIV and preach from the latter.

2) The Confessions--The most important works for the Christian after Holy Scripture are the historic confessions. For all Christians, this includes the ancient texts like the Apostles Creed and the Nicene Creed. For those who align themselves with one of the two great branches of the Reformation (outside of Lutheranism)--Dutch Reformed or Presbyterian--that would also include the Three Forms of Unity or Westminster Confession of Faith, respectively. For Reformed Baptists, it would be the London Confession from the mid-nineteenth century, though I am not sure of its title.

3) Systematic Theology by Berkhof--There are three editions of this comprehensive systematic work by deceased Calvin Seminary professor, Louis Berkhof. They are each different sizes, appealing to people of different levels of spiritual maturity. Other great systematic works exist by other past figures, such as Bavinck, and more contemporary theologians, such as Horton.

4) Institutes by John Calvin--Calvin is the father of the Presbyterian/Reformed wing of the Reformation and his Institutes provide a tremendous intellectual grounding to the faith. His commentaries on Scripture are also unparalleled in many respects. Works by other figures of the orthodox past, such as Augustine and Luther, are also very profitable.

5) Christianity and Liberalism (1923) by Machen--Out of the ashes of the modernist-fundamentalist controversy of the 1920's came an enduring classic which pitted Christian orthodoxy against paganistic counterfeits within the Church. In a time in which the line was drawn between "conservative" and "liberal," Machen reminded the Church that there was still a historic line called "confessional," which traced its roots through the Reformation to the Holy Scriptures and early Church Fathers. Through Machen, there still exists this historic, confessional movement in the form of three denominations--OPC, PCA, and EPC, and many seminaries--Westminster Philadelphia, Westminster California, Covenant Seminary, Reformed Theological Seminary. This book has also been life-changing for countless thousands, including yours truly, in reminding us what Christianity is all about.