Recommended Books
Think About It:
Recommended Books
1 Timothy 4:13 “Till I come, give attendance to reading, to exhortation, to doctrine.”
2 Timothy 4:13 “The cloak that I left at Troas with Carpus, when thou comest, bring with thee,
and the books, but especially the parchments.”
I love to read. I wish I had started reading more in my younger days. I wish I had more time to read. The Bible should be our number one read, but when you have time, reading the right books can be enjoyable and edifying. Keep in mind that one of the trademarks of a good book is that it will encourage you to continue studying that particular subject further and deeper.
Some people enjoy reading more in the fall and winter when they are inside more often. One can only endure so much television and "news," so I hope that reading will be your alternative to those.
This past year (October 2023 to present), I have read several books, and am currently reading a few others. Some of these are fairly recent releases, and some have been out for a while. Some of these I have read previously, and read them (or am reading them) again this year. Here is a list of them. I hope that you will find one or many of these interesting and helpful for you. Most of them can be purchased from Amazon, Christian Book Distributors, eBay, and other online sellers. Some are available in online versions (Kindle, etc.) and audio versions. Personally, I like to buy used books as much as possible (thrift stores, book sales, online stores, etc.). Here we go, in no particular order.
Currently Reading:
Shepherds for Sale How Evangelical Leaders Traded the Truth for a Leftist Agenda by Megan Basham (2024) GET THIS BOOK! Every Christian (pastor, staff member, church member) needs to read this. Now!
The Eclipse of God: Our Nation's Disastrous Search for a More Inclusive Deity (and What We Must Do About It) by Erwin L. Lutzer (2024) Get this book! Secularism has blinded people to truth and has infiltrated churches. This is a great companion to Shepherds for Sale by Megan Basham and 7 Men Who Rule the World From the Grave by Dave Breese (listed below).
Balancing the Christian Life by Charles C. Ryrie (1969, 1994) I read this years ago for a class. I forgot how good this book is! This is a great help for the growing Christian. It’s a great combination of doctrinal and practical.
Rightly Dividing the Word by Clarence Larkin (1921, 2014) This is a seminal work for a Biblical study of dispensations. Excellent. A must-read for any serious student of Scripture. (This is a "primer" for Larkin's book, Dispensational Truth).
Not What You Think Why the Bible Might Be Nothing We Expected Yet Everything We Need by Michael and Lauren McAfee (2019) This book presents the Bible and its importance from the perspective of the Millennials and Gen Z.
Completed Reading (October 2023 through October 2024):
The Men We Need God's Purpose for the Manly Man and the Avid Indoorsman, or any Man Willing to Show Up by Brent Hansen (2022) Men...GET THIS BOOK! It is not a hard read, and it WILL challenge you to be the man that the Lord, your wife, your family, your church, and your community deserve!
Why Men Hate Going to Church by David Murrow (2011). It’s a little dated but interesting. It was written pre-COVID, so some statistics have changed.
7 Men Who Rule the World From the Grave by Dave Breese (1990). This is a seminal work that explains much of the mess we are in today in the Church and the world. (See The Eclipse of God mentioned above.)
Long Live the King James by Dr. Alan W. Shelby and Greg Axe (2023). This is an excellent book on understanding the Bible in the English language - how we got it, how it was preserved, and why it is the Book above all other books!
How Should We Then Live? The Rise and Decline of Western Thought and Culture by Francis A. Schaeffer (1976, 2022) Though I disagree doctrinally with Dr. Schaeffer (he was a Calvinist), he was ahead of his time in describing where are and are headed in America and the rest of the Western World. This book "pairs well” with 7 Men Who Rule the World From the Grave (mentioned earlier).
Eight Stages of Christian Growth by Dr. Philip A. Captain (1984) This is an excellent one-of-a-kind book about lifespan from before birth to death. I disagree with some of his views that lean toward Lordship Salvation, but his theory of human development is excellent. This book is no longer in print, but used copies can be found.
Understand the Scriptures Rightly Dividing Reconsidered by Pastor James W. Knox (2009, 2019) -- an excellent further study of Rightly Dividing the Word by Clarence Larkin (previously mentioned). This can be read on Amazon Kindle, or ordered as a paperback through The Bible Baptist Bookstore, DeLand, FL.
Emotional Victory: A Biblical View of Feelings and Relationships by Deb Molder (2021) This book presents emotional health as found in Jesus Christ.
Our Unmet Needs by Dr. Charles Stanley (1999) This book helps us to look at our past from a Biblical perspective. This book "pairs well" with Emotional Victory (previously mentioned).
A Path Well Lit by Brandon Briscoe and Jonathan Kindler (2022) A quote from their book: "The main premise of this book and this philosophy of counseling is that scripture holds all the answers we need for this life and the one to come."
In closing, some quotes about books and reading:
"You will be the same person in five years as you are today except for the people you meet and the books you read." - Charlie "Tremendous" Jones
“We should always choose our books as God chooses our friends, just a bit beyond us, so that we have to do our level best to keep up with them.” - Oswald Chambers, from Shade of His Hand
“When I was your age, television was called books.” - William Goldman, author of The Princess Bride
“A man who does not read good books has no advantage over the man who can’t read them.”
- Mark Twain
Enjoy reading!
Think About It!
Barry