I have been reading Christian books for over 35 years, since I first became a Christian. The following are my favourite Christian books and the ones which have had the biggest impact on me as a Christian.
Packer's classic was an Christian early book I read. It is a wide ranging work, which deals with God's attributes and the gospel of salvation.
The Sovereignty of God by Arthur W. Pink
One of the first Christian books I read, and one that has had a lasting impact on me. Pink's book is a thorough and robust explanation of the sovereignty of God in creation, providence and salvation. I was probably a Calvinist ever since reading this classic.
John Stott's classic work on the atonement was. again, one of the earliest Christian books I read and it helped me to gain a lifelong grasp of the centrality of the cross and the penal substitutionary atonement. It is still the best book on the subject, I would argue.
Systematic Theology by Louis Berkhof
I am very interested in Reformed theology and systematic theology and Berkhof's classic work was the first one I bought and read. Again, it has had a massive influence on my Christian life and thinking.
Another Christian classic from the much-loved Christian writier, C. S. Lewis. Mere Christianity started as a number of wartime radio broadcasts and then became this best-selling introduction to Christianity. Here "mere" means "pure" or "general" in the sense that Lewis tries to present Christianity from the point of view of the common ground among all Christians.
Some of Lewis's arguments have became mainstays of Christian apologetics.
One of the best books I've ever read on practical holiness in the Christian life from a sound evangelical perspective.
One of my favourite books of church history, or rather historical theology, this short work by James Walker is a very interesting and informative survey of Scottish theology from the period of the Reformation in 1560 through to the mid 18th century. The book includes discussions of the work of some of Scotland's greatest theologians including John Knox, Andrew Melville, Samuel Rutherford, Thomas Boston and many others.
This book by William Milligan was originally a series of public lectures. I had read several books about the resurrection. Most of them didn't go much beyond either the resurrection as evidence that the sacrifice of the cross was accepted by God or as evidence that the resurrection actually occurred. What always impressed me about Milligan's work was that it was the first I read that sought to explain the meaning of the resurrection in its own right and its central place in Christianity alongside the cross.
The Screwtape Letters by C. S. Lewis
Another of Lewis's Christian writings is a unique work in which Lewis imagines a series of letters exchanged between a senior devil and a junior devil who is working to undermine a young Christian's faith. All at once, humorous, wise, thought-provoking and helpful to the Christian in his or her daily walk. A must read.
The Hour That Changes the World by Dick Eastman
This is my favourite book on prayer, bar none. There may be more theological books on prayer out there, but Eastman's book is supremely practical book that I have found very helpul and have re-read several times.
The approach here is simply to divide an hour up into twelve sections, each devoted to a different aspect of personal prayer time. Covers everything from praise and confession through to intercession and quiet contemplation of the Word of God.
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