What makes a Christian book? Different Christians have provided different answers throughout church history. Some have favored devotionals and accounts about “the real world.” Others have praised how fiction, from romance to fantasy, allows readers to consider spiritual ideas in ways they would never consider before.
There’s also great value in reading books from different Christian traditions. Reading something written by someone from a different denomination challenges us to consider how we prioritize things and whether we can learn from their perspective. As religious studies professor Rebecca Todd Peters says, ecumenical Christian dialogue is about seeing how big the body of Christ is, “about sharing our faith with one another across our lines of difference, and about learning from one another new ways to follow God.”
Furthermore, there is value in reading books from other periods. Reading something from an earlier time helps us consider what Christianity’s truly everlasting values really are, how our current concerns fit into the big picture. As C.S. Lewis put it, “It is a good rule, after reading a new book, never to allow yourself another new one till you have read an old one in between.”
The following selection provides something for each of these tastes—old and new, “realistic” and fanciful. Where possible, these selections also include links to articles that will tell you more about the writers who created these inspiring works.
Further Reading: What Books Should Christians Read to Help Them Grow?
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10 Great Devotional Books Every Christian Should Read
10 Great Devotional Books Every Christian Should Read
A foundational part of our spiritual journey is what we decide to think about when we get up in the morning. Will we focus on God and his teachings, or let the world decide our attitude today? These devotional books, from anthologies of classic teachings to short Bible reflections and prayers, provide something biblical and substantial to start the day with.
1. My Utmost for His Highest by Oswald Chambers
2. Jesus Calling by Sarah Young
3. Streams in the Desert by L.B. Cowman
4. The Purpose-Driven Life by Rick Warren
5. The Valley of Vision by Arthur Bennett
6. The Imitation of Christ by Thomas à Kempis
7. The Violence of Love by Oscar Romero https://amzn.to/3UKpmVq
8. Practice of the Presence of God by Brother Lawrence
9. Morning and Evening by Charles Spurgeon
10. A Gospel Primer by Milton Vincent
Further Reading: Daily Devotional – Today’s Inspiring Devotions
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10 Great Theology Books Every Christian Should Read
10 Great Theology Books Every Christian Should Read
Theology means knowledge of God, and the subject can cover many topics about God: who he is, how he relates to us, what his promises are for the future, and much more. These books cover some of the key theological subjects. Some are systematic (attempts to give a detailed vision of how many theological concepts ideas fit together). Others cover a specific subject. All are well-regarded classics that have been helping Christians know God better for generations.
1. On the Bondage of the Will by Martin Luther
2. Knowing God by J.I. Packer
3. Unspoken Sermons by George MacDonald
4. The Mind of the Maker by Dorothy L. Sayers
5. Christ the Controversialist by John R.W. Stott
6. The Holiness of God by R.C. Sproul
7. Summa Theologica by Thomas Aquinas
8. Institutes of the Christian Religion by John Calvin
9. Christ Plays in Ten Thousand Places by Eugene Peterson
10. The Cost of Discipleship by Dietrich Bonhoeffer
Further Reading: 100 Good Christian Books You Should Read Soon
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10 Apologetics Books Every Christian Should Read
10 Apologetics Books Every Christian Should Read
One of the more challenging directions the New Testament gives is to always have a ready defense for your hope (1 Peter 3:15). The defense may look like giving a logical argument for God’s existence or nudging people to consider whether a worldview without God gives much meaning. Whatever approach you take, these books are time-tested discussions about how to worship God with all our minds (Matthew 22:37).
1. Orthodoxy by G.K. Chesterton
2. Creed or Chaos? by Dorothy L. Sayers
3. The Reason for God by Timothy Keller
4. I Don’t Have Enough Faith to Be an Atheist by Norman Geisler and Frank Turek
5. Mere Christianity by C.S. Lewis
6. The Defense of the Faith by Cornelius Van Til
7. The God Who Is There by Francis Schaeffer
8. Cold-Case Christianity by J. Warner Wallace
9. The City of God by Augustine
10. The Christian Mind by Harry Blamires
Further Reading: Why Should Christians Study Apologetics?
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10 Great Biographies Every Christian Should Read
10 Great Biographies Every Christian Should Read
One vital feature of the New Testament is how much it emphasizes history. The gospel message is rooted in the Old Testament promises. The stories of followers who have come before us, ancient and recent, inspire us to follow God well (and show mistakes we can watch out for). The following books are no replacement for the Bible’s history, but they help us to understand the saints who have come before us.
1. Bearing Witness: Stories of Martyrdom and Costly Discipleship by Charles E. Moore and Timothy J. Keiderling
2. Through Gates of Splendor by Elizabeth Elliott
3. George Müller of Bristol by Arthur Tappan Pierson
4. Here I Stand: A Life of Martin Luther by Roland Bainton
5. Dietrich Bonhoeffer 1906-1945 by Ferdinand Schlingensiepen
6. Paul: A Biography by N.T. Wright
7. C.S. Lewis - A Life by Alister McGrath
8. The Life and Diary of David Brainard by Jonathan Edwards
9. My God and My All: The Life of Saint Francis of Assisi by Elizabeth Goudge
10. William Wilberforce by Stephen Tomkins
Further Reading: 50 Best Christian Books for Deeper Learning
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10 Great Historical Fiction Books Every Christian Should Read
10 Great Historical Fiction Books Every Christian Should Read
Depending on your religious background, you may not be comfortable with fiction. While it is key to remember the difference between facts and storytelling, the best stories provide new ways to learn. Educators worldwide, from Harvard business leaders to Sunday School teachers, have shown how storytelling makes us process ideas differently. We learn things from a good story that we can’t learn any other way. The following books use storytelling to discuss many sides to the church’s history: glorious moments like Easter Sunday and dark moments like the Trail of a Thousand Tears where faith and suffering intermingled. In each case, they challenge readers to look deeper at faith.
1. Ben Hur by Lew Wallace
2. The Robe by Lloyd C. Douglas
3. Five Wives by Joan Thomas
4. Death Comes for the Archbishop by Willa Cather
5. The Red Tent by Anita Diamant
6. Brendan by Frederick Buechner
7. Quo Vadis by Henryk Sienkiewicz
8. Silence by Shūsaku Endō
9. The Last Sin Eater by Francine Rivers
10. Pushing the Bear: After the Trail of Tears by Diane Glancy
Further Reading: 100 Christian Novels You Haven’t Read Yet
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10 Books on Prayer Every Christian Should Read
10 Books on Prayer Every Christian Should Read
Few spiritual activities are as intimate as prayer. In fact, the Bible even tells us to pray without ceasing (1 Thessalonians 5:17). But how do we practice this command? Are some subjects, such as anger or disappointment, too scary to tell God about? These authors come from various spiritual traditions and periods, but each provides life-giving answers to our questions about prayer.
1. The Prayer God Answers by Eberhard Arnold and Richard J. Foster
2. Praying God’s Word by Beth Moore
3. The Way of a Pilgrim
4. The Valley of Prayer by Arthur G. Bennett
5. Before Amen by Max Lucado
6. A Call to Prayer by J.C. Ryle
7. Prayer Through Power by E.M. Bounds
8. A Way to Pray by Matthew Henry
9. The Kneeling Christian
10. The Interior Castle by Teresa of Avila
Further Reading: 30 Top Christian Books about Faith and Community
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10 Mystery Novels Every Christian Should Read
10 Mystery Novels Every Christian Should Read
Christians aren’t forbidden from writing in most genres, but some have a particularly clear way of discussing spiritual ideas. Scholars like Douglas G. Greene have discussed how detective stories speak to our spiritual concerns and our craving for justice. The following authors combine mystery and faith in various ways. Some write about spiritual ideas in overt ways. Others make the ideas subtle, prompting us to consider what a “Christian novel” really is. All provide a great mix of entertainment and substance.
1. The Missing Link by Katherin Farrer
2. The Quiet Woman by Terence Faherty
3. Do We Not Bleed? by Daniel Taylor
4. The Nine Tailors by Dorothy L. Sayers
5. Sinner by Mike Nappa
6. The Pit-Pop Syndicate by Freeman Wills Crofts
7. The Name of the Rose by Umberto Eco
8. Fatal Remains by Eleanor Taylor Bland
9. Blind Justice by James Scott Bell
10. A Taste for Death by P.D. James
Further Reading: Classic Christian Mystery Novels You Should Read
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10 Autobiographies Every Christian Should Read
10 Autobiographies Every Christian Should Read
While biographies often give us a full overview of Christian lives, we gain unique details when we look at someone’s description of their own life. Christians often frame their lives—what they sought at different stages when they saw God’s provision and instruction appear—in ways that onlookers would not expect. So, autobiographies have become not a competing form with biographies and history books but another lens for seeing the complete picture. These classic autobiographies range from books by missionaries to books by convicts-turned-ministers, each providing inspiring lessons about how God changed their lives.
1. A Joyful Pilgrimage by Emmy Arnold
2. The Interesting Narrative of the Life of Olaudah Equiano by Olaudah Equiano
3. The Story of a Soul by St. Thérèse of Lisieux
4. The Hiding Place by Corrie ten Boom with John and Elizabeth Sherrill
5. The Seven Storey Mountain by Thomas Merton
6. The Long Loneliness by Dorothy Day
7. The Cross and the Switchblade by David Wilkerson with John and Elizabeth Sherrill
8. God’s Smuggler by Brother Andrew with John and Elizabeth Sherrill
9. Born Again by Charles W. Colson
10. Out of the Depths by John Newton
Further Reading: 50 Christian Authors You Should Know
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10 Books on the Holy Spirit Every Christian Should Read
10 Books on the Holy Spirit Every Christian Should Read
Few Christian topics raise more arguments and concerns than the Holy Spirit. How does it work? How do we become better at letting it guide us—without deceiving ourselves into believing we can control it? Can we be open to its leading while valuing things like Bible study and liturgy that don’t seem very spontaneous? The answers are often complex, but church leaders have found some clear answers and guidelines. These books range from the early church period to the modern day, each considering how we can wisely but enthusiastically seek the most mysterious member of the Trinity.
1. On the Holy Spirit by St. Basil the Great
2. Religious Affections by Jonathan Edwards
3. The Pursuit of God by A.W. Tozer
4. The Spirit of Christ by Andrew Murray
5. Celebration of Discipline by Richard J. Foster
6. The Spirit and the Sacrament by Andrew Wilson
7. Forgotten God by Francis Chan
8. The Person and Work of the Holy Spirit by R.A. Torrey
9. Secret Power by D.L. Moody
10. The Holy Spirit by John Owen
Further Reading: 7 Christian Books to Read This Year
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10 Great Speculative Fiction Books Every Christian Should Read
10 Great Speculative Fiction Books Every Christian Should Read
While “realistic” stories like mystery novels or historical fiction are entertaining and great teaching tools, they are not the only kinds of fiction Christians can read. From its earliest days, in books like The Pilgrim’s Progress or The Divine Comedy, Christians have used fables, fairytales, and other fantastic formats to tell God-honoring stories. These 10 books mostly fit into the genres we now call fantasy and science fiction, but whatever label we use, they are each informed by spiritual themes.
1. The Pilgrim’s Progress by John Bunyan
2. Taliesin by Stephen Lawhead
3. The Chronicles of Narnia by C.S. Lewis
4. A Wrinkle in Time by Madeleine L’Engle
5. Whalesong by Robert Siegel
6. The Lord of the Rings by J.R.R. Tolkien
7. Everything Sad Is Untrue by Daniel Nayeri
8. The Back of the North Wind by George MacDonald
9. Ingathering: The Complete People Stories by Zenna Henderson
10. Doomsday Book by Connie Willis
Further Reading: 15 Classic Christian Fantasy Books for Kids and Adults
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Originally published May 01, 2024.
