Feast Your Soul > Read good Christian books

There is one book that is infinitely better than anything else we could recommend on this page.  It is called the Bible, and is life-changing and sufficient.  By God’s Spirit, every reading is a soul-feast; every reading helps us see the one, true, awesome God more clearly; every reading helps us feel his majesty more; every reading helps us know the depth of our sin and need for God, and the glorious wonder of redemption through Jesus.  The Bible is the best book.  Read that.

Even with that said, any book which unpacks the Bible rightly for us, and helps us to understand and love the truths of the Bible more, can only be a good thing.  So here are a few on different topics to try out.  The books have been roughly categorised into ‘moderate’ (quite easy to read), ‘meaty’ (a bit more of a brain work-out) and ‘mighty’ (take your time!)

The Cross

At the same time the most terrible and glorious moment in human history.  God himself — the eternal source of all life — was delivered up to be murdered, so that we could escape God’s rightful wrath for our rebellion.  It’s the crux of our faith, and worth getting our heads around…

Mark Meynell, Cross Examined [moderate]
John Stott, The Cross of Christ [meaty]
Steve Jeffrey (et al), Pierced for Our Transgressions [mighty]

Evangelism

Once God has captured our affections with his greatness, we need to tell others about him!

John Chapman, Know and Tell the Gospel [moderate]
Rico Tice and Barry Cooper, Christianity Explored [moderate]
Vaughan Roberts, Turning Points [moderate]
J.I. Packer, Evangelism and the Sovereignty of God [meaty] 

Guys and girls

God made us male and female.  Our culture says, ’so what?’  Aren’t views that men and women are different outdated, prejudiced and an excuse for abuse?  Was the apostle Paul a misogynist?  These books help us love and live out our roles as men and women for Jesus.

Josh Harris, Boy Meets Girl [moderate]
Kent Hughes, Disciplines of a Godly Man [meaty]
Barbara Hughes, Disciplines of a Godly Woman [meaty]
John Piper and Wayne Grudem, Recovering Biblical Manhood and Womanhood [mighty] 

Biography

One of the most enjoyable ways to read in a way that stirs your love for Jesus is to read how he has been at work in the lives of men and women through history — aim to read at least one of these this summer and pray that God would move similarly in you that you might live radically for his glory.

Elizabeth Elliot, Through Gates of Splendour [moderate]
Lindsay Brown, Shining Like Stars [moderate]
David Wilkerson, The Cross and the Switchblade [moderate]
Robert Steer, J. Hudson Taylor: A Man in Christ [moderate]
Piggin and Roxborough, The St Andrew’s Seven [meaty]

And Some Other Classics

John Piper, Don’t Waste Your Life [moderate] (available in full online)
C.S. Lewis, Mere Christianity [meaty]
John Flavel, The Mystery of Providence [meaty]
J.I. Packer, Knowing God [meaty]
Jeremiah Burroughs, The Rare Jewel of Christian Contentment [mighty]
John Calvin, Institutes of the Christian Religion [mighty] (available online)
Wayne Grudem, Systematic Theology [mighty]
John Piper, The Pleasures of God [mighty]