Christian Readers discussion

I only want to read the best, and would appreciate seeing your list of Top Ten books for Christians, five fiction and five non-fiction. Thanks!

That's a tough list to come up with. There are so many great books I'd want to include. A lot of it would depend on who I was giving the list to - a baby Christian or a strong one... male or female... and so on.

Going by what I know, here's my best shot in no particular order:

Non- Fiction

1.

2.

3.

4.

5.



Fiction

1.

2.

3.

4.

5.

I would have a hard time recommending non fiction also since I do not know where you stand with the Lord. I believe I read really deep stuff.Christian biographies are always a good place to start; I read piles of them when I was first saved. For someone Spiritually strong I recommend:The Spiritual Man, The Normal Christian Life,Sit Walk Stand,What the Bible Is All About,Know the Bible in 30 Days

As far as fiction goes i totally agree with lee on I know you only want 10, but the best series other the the other one mentioned is this one which is 12 books. So good I have read them all 3 x.( left Behind series pictured at bottom of my post.) I also recommend , , This is a little known author, but the books a real good. I hope this helps. Lee's list is good also.

That is a difficult list to come up with. One reason is that readers may judge differently as to what constitutes excellence. I've seen some superb writing lately in crime fiction from big houses with excellent editing. I've also read some Christian Indie crime fiction that was organic and raw in its power.

Here's my list of the best of Christian crime ficiton. Not in any particular order, but in the way they spring to mind.

1. K-I-L-L FM 100 by Teric Darken (Indie)

2. Back On Murder by J. Mark Bertran (large house)

3. The Pawn by Stephen James (lg house)

4. The Clouds Roll Away by Sibella Giorello (lg house)

5. Comes A Horseman by Robert Liparulo (lg house)

6. The Rook by Stephen James (lg house)

7. Germ by Robert Liparulo (lg house)

8. The Knight by Stephen James (lg house)

9. Try Dying by James Scott Bell (lg house)

10. Life Support by Rob Whitlow (Indie)

I like Nike's list also. Virginia, there is a lot to go on here and work with in all we've given you. I hope you are not overwhelmed.

Here's my favorite Christian Fiction that I've read over the past year:
1. Head in the Clouds - historical
2. Intervention - suspense
3. No Other - post WWII historical
4. Lonestar sanctuary - contemporary
5. From a Distance - historical

I don't read a lot of non-fiction, but here's a few that have been very helpful at different stages of my life:
1. The Five Love Languages: How to Express Heartfelt Commitment to Your Mate - marriage
2. Finding the Love of Your Life: Ten Principles for Choosing the Right Marriage Partner - great for singles
3. The Friendships of Women - this book changed my life and understanding of the importance of friendships.

I also have two books that I've authored that have received multiple 5-star reviews on Amazon and Goodreads:
A Dream Unfolding - Prescott Pioneers #1
A Heart Renewed - Prescott Pioneers #2

With all our diversified ideas, you are gong to have to do some digging.

The books I would recommend are:

Nonfiction
Crazy Love: Overwhelmed by a Relentless God by Francis Chan
Slave: The Hidden Truth About Your Identity in Christ by Dr. John MacArthur
A Praying Life by Paul Miller - Highly Recommend!!!
Choosing Gratitude by Nancy Leigh DeMoss


Fiction

Intervention: A Novel by Terri Blackstock
The Shape of Mercy by Susan Meissner
A Proper Pursuit by Lynn Austin
Unlocked: A Love Story by Karen Kingsbury - Loved it!!!
A Light to My Path by Lynn Austin

Nonfiction
The Hiding Place by Corrie Ten Boom
The Irresistible Revolution: Living as an Ordinary Radical by Shane Claiborne
Anything by Philip Yancey
Letters to Marc About Jesus: Living a Spiritual Life in a Material World by Henri J.M. Nouwen
Messy Spirituality Mike Yaconelli

Fiction
Mark of the Lion Trilogy by Francine Rivers
Lying Awake by Mark Salzman
Refiners Fire Pack, #1-3 by Lynn Austin

read The Book of Mormon. it's another testement of Jesus Christ and his gospel

I recommend ,,He liked Tuesdays best". The book speaks about an ordinary day of John Paul II in the Vatican, about what was making him emotional and what was making him laugh, about his conversations with important politicians, about to whom he confided and what he read, about what he really liked to sing and who he invited for holidays.

See at http://jp2books.com

Virginia wrote: "I only want to read the best, and would appreciate seeing your list of Top Ten books for Christians, five fiction and five non-fiction. Thanks!"

Lee wrote: "That's a tough list to come up with. There are so many great books I'd want to include. A lot of it would depend on who I was giving the list to - a baby Christian or a strong one... male or female..."

Sara wrote: "I recommend ,,He liked Tuesdays best". The book speaks about an ordinary day of John Paul II in the Vatican, about what was making him emotional and what was making him laugh, about his conversatio..."

Lee wrote: "That's a tough list to come up with. There are so many great books I'd want to include. A lot of it would depend on who I was giving the list to - a baby Christian or a strong one... male or female..."

Lee wrote: "That's a tough list to come up with. There are so many great books I'd want to include. A lot of it would depend on who I was giving the list to - a baby Christian or a strong one... male or female..."

Prayer Never Fails Especially During Trials is a Christian non-fiction.

I don't read much Christian fiction, but here's a decent selection of non-fiction. I agree with an earlier reply that Christian biographies are a great place to start. But here are a few that I've benefitted from:

1. Through Gates of Splendor (Elisabeth Elliot)
2. Don't Waste Your Life (John Piper)
3. Twelve Ordinary Men (John McArthur--He also wrote "Twelve Extraordinary Women")
4. Evidence Not Seen (Darlene Deibler Rose--one of my very favorites!)
5. The Jesus I Never Knew (Phillip Yancey)
6. Next Door Savior (Max Lucado)

I do have two fiction books coming up soon on my reading list--both by Tom Davis. The first book is "Scared" and the second book is "Priceless"--a short series (so far).

Whatever books you choose or come across I hope they help you grow as a Christian! Blessings!

I don't read Christian fiction but my non-fiction picks are below:

1. The Gospel According to Jesus by John MacArthur.
2. The Prodigal God by Timothy Keller.
3. Psalm 23 by Phillip Keller.
4. The Reason for God by Timothy Keller.
5. Mere Christianity by C.S. Lewis.

1. Safely Home by Randy Alcorn (fiction)

2. The Hiding Place by Corrie Ten Boom (non-fiction)

Try
The Return


It has some good 5 star reviews
Night Owl Reviews

Title: The Return
Authors: Carter Vance
Score: 5.00 / 5 - Reviewer Top Pick

A young man discovers a hidden library filled with books and papers mentioning the Knights Templar. Soon after, he is found murdered, surrounded by the mysterious ancient symbols of an ancient order long thought to be disbanded. His friend, a wealthy business man, Peter Christos, meets and begins a romance with a mutual friend, Sarah Morales. Unknown to them, the Templars are alive and well and want to protect the couple from forces that seek to prevent the fulfillment of the prophecy about Christ's return. Thus begins a cat-and-mouse game of biblical proportions involving the Holy Grail, the Ark of the Covenant and the ultimate battle for Humanity itself.
The Return is the first in a series about the Christian prophecy of the eventual return of Jesus. I found the book to be a fascinating read, well-written and engaging. While it is similar to The DaVinci Code, it is at the same time quite different. I give this book 5 stars and encourage everyone to read it.


MyBookAddictionsReviews.com
>
> I found The Return to be a very interesting and intense book something on the order of the Da Vinci Code. It kept you wondering what would happen next. You wondered if the Knights Templar really do exist. Will good be over taken by evil? In order to find out you have to read The Return by Carter Vance. It was a very well written book that will make you think. The Return was a love story, a mystery, and a thriller all rolled into one.
>
> Rating: 5
>
> Heat Rating: Mild
>
> Reviewed by: Susan

can someone send me all the books everyone has been puttin in comments to me n book recommendations? please i dont have enoughtime to go through and add them al i have a good christian book n movie october baby, fire proof and courageous. all books n movies.

Claudia wrote: "I don't read Christian fiction but my non-fiction picks are below:

1. The Gospel According to Jesus by John MacArthur.
2. The Prodigal God by Timothy Keller.
3. Psalm 23 by Phillip Keller.
4. The ..."

can u recomeend these books to me and add me to ur frieds please i love to read everything

october baby, fire proof and couragoeus. please anyone send me christian book recomendations i can send them out to just tell me what u like to read n i will come upwith something

Savvy wrote: "read The Book of Mormon. it's another testement of Jesus Christ and his gospel"

I'm sorry to tell you this, but it goes against the Bible, as do essentially all their doctrines. When a religious convention came to his town, Joseph Smith, Jr., went to ask God which denomination he should join, only to have a vision that "God" had told him all the Bibles were corrupted and that he needed to write a new gospel. Yet, in the New Testament, God had made clear, with no exceptions at all, that there was to never be any additions made His Word, yet Smith did it. I honestly believe that was not God he had a vision of, especially since he did not test the spirit (a very profound thing to do in all the Bible) to see if it was God or not (and Satan has no shame parading around as God, let alone making cruel fun and completely tearing Him down in any way possible). So, the Book of Mormon (I only capitalize to respect it as a book) was not a Christian book, let alone a "new testament of Jesus," sorry to tell you this. The worst part is, when Joseph wrote this, he was also an open practitioner to different forms of occultic magic (including one that highly illegalized in his time- crystal gazing) and when he wrote the Book of Mormon, he did so with "Egyptian plates" he found using a magickal object called a seer stone. You won't find any of this information from a biography of his life through any current Mormon, their church never lets anyone write about his life, it's forbidden by their top church. Stick with Bible, only the Christian Bible, okay?
As for fiction, I can't narrow it down easily, since my tastes aren't for everyone, and vice versa.

I feel 'My Burden is Light' is a book all parents should read with their YA with an open mind discussion afterwards.Here is my review.
My husband won this in a giveaway or we probably never would have purchased it -
a BIG MISTAKE!
This is a story for all of us in today's society to read. It puts a different light on
same sex attraction and will help each individual become more aware and less
condemning.
Just as all of us struggle with trials, the important thing is how we react to those
trials.
This is a clean, emotional, inspiring, and bittersweet story of a young man's struggles
and solutions.
A must read for all and especially, for Christian people.

Here are my top five non-fiction (in no particular order):
The Cross of Christ by John Stott
Holiness: Its Nature, Hinderances, Difficulties, and Roots by J. C. Ryle
The Attributes of God by A.W. Pink
The Holiness of God by R.C. Sproul
The Mortification of Sin by John Owen

Here are my top five fiction (in no particular order):
The Screwtape Letters by C.S. Lewis
The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe by C.S. Lewis
Farenheit 451 by Ray Bradbury
Flowers for Algernon by Daniel Keyes
The Color of Water by James McBride

Sorry to market my book, but....
Book of Revelation commentary Study Guide
a premillennial, pretribulation, dispensation view.

Google search for lowest prices: e-book, paperback, hard cover
WestBow Press: A division of Thomas Nelson Publishing

http://www.google.com/#hl=en&gs_r...

Virginia, if this thread has taught you anything, it should be that one man's trash is another man's treasure. You say you only read the best. Well, when it comes to Christian literature, fiction and non-fiction, the word, "BEST" is an extremely fluid term.

And even more importantly, as Margaret said, it depends on the Christian. Are they a newborn, or a seasoned Christian? Do they need a doctrinal foundation laid, or do they need to drill down into specific doctrinal points, like soteriology or eschatology? Do they ascribe to a hard-hermaneutical or soft-hermaneutical approach to Scripture interpretation? Lots of variables. MANY times have I laid a book down that didn't resonate with me until I came to a different stage in my walk with Christ, at which point, I couldn't put the book down. To do so would have been equated to slamming the door in God's face.

I am afraid there are no shortcuts. You are going to have to read books for yourself, and separate the wheat from the chaff yourself. Don't worry too much about it. God has a way of leading you to books that resonate with you. That doesn't mean you shouldn't read the books friends suggest to you. I am only saying that the book your friend is ga-ga over might not resonate with you in the same manner. It is the same with us. We all have our favorites, but what I like might not appeal to you.

For example, when I first got serious about God, I went to the Christian bookstore just to see who was hot, and who was not. At the time, it was Lucado, Swindoll, and writers in that vein. I bought a bunch of books, and found them nauseatingly visceral, "feel-good", books. I wanted something that was more intellectually stimulating. I wanted to experience those "Ah-Ha!" moments. I noticed these authors were fond of quoting C. S. Lewis, so I bought an anthology, The Business of Heaven: Daily Readings from C. S. Lewis, just to whet my palate.

I was amazed. Lewis spoke to me. It seemed his books were written just for me.

I have now read everything Lewis has ever written, likely dozens of times each.

In other words, I had to find my niche. And so will you.

Since I did not speak well of writers like Lucado, I will say that Lucado's redeeming factor was one of his first books written in the 80's, called God Came Near, which is par excellence.

Now, after proving most verbose, I will offer what I think is an essential Christian library, from my own library...

http://www.goodreads.com/review/list/...

I don't read much Christian fiction (although I write it, isn't that strange?) but the top five nonfiction Christian books which have impacted me the most in the last years are these:



A Severe Mercy
Bonhoeffer: Pastor, Martyr, Prophet, Spy
Shaping History Through Prayer and Fasting
Gods Generals Volume 1: Why They Succeeded and Why Some Fail

And I am currently reading Shattering Your Strongholds: Freedom from Your Struggles which is probably groundbreaking for most Christians,and reinforces what many seasoned ones already know. It is very helpful in ministering to others who are struggling.

P.S. I find, and this is probably true of most of us who are growing in the Lord, that what challenges and inspires me changes as time goes on. My favorite Bible teacher of all time, hands down, has been Derek Prince for several years. He is so clear, so lucid, and yet profound. I also like Bible teachers who are able to give contextual, historical, and language background, which he does, esp. as he was a Hebrew/Greek scholar and also made his home in Jerusalem, after living all over the world.

by Kathryn Hewitt

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Got it! Thanks.