When I began to build my humble library of Christian books, I immediately encountered the quandary of which books to start a library with.   I soon found that everyone had their own opinion of this: their own list of books to start with.  And, none agreed.

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This made me develop my own goals for what types of Christian literature I should read.  I formed three goals, four really.

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1. To familiarize myself with the classics such as Pilgrim's Progress and Mere Christianity.

2. To read the foundation works laid by the past stalwarts of the faith, such as Religious Affections and The Cost of Discipleship.

3. To learn from the writers of today, such as The Case for Christ and Don't Waste Your Life.

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My fourth goal was to read biographies of Christian brothers and sisters, to hear their testimonies.  I enjoy most every book, but I particularly enjoy biographies.

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I purposefully reached back to the eras of early Church, the Medieval Church, the Reformation and the industrial revolution to select some of my books.  I wanted to read firsthand from the saints who witnessed how God has worked through His church.

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I have found the following general categories to be very helpful in organizing my humble library of Christian books.  They also help me balance the content of my library.

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Biographies (Those Who Have Gone Before Us)

Christian Living (Disciplines, Marriage, Life, Personal Growth)

Theology (About God, His Son, His Spirit, His Kingdom, His Word)

Devotionals (Devotionals, Prayers, Special Bibles)

Academics (History, Apologetic, Apocalyptic, Earth Science)

Counseling (Equipping the Biblical Counselor)

Doctrinal (Beliefs, Systematic Theology)

Fiction (Allegories, Stories)

Study Tools (Bible Aids)

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In most every category listed above there are the Classics (The Golden Oldies)

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Where is the Holy Bible category?  My four Holy Bibles sit apart: one in the living room, one on my work desk, two in my study.  They are not on my library shelf.

 

Of all my books, the Holy Bible is by far the most important book!  It is my source of true knowledge, understanding and wisdom.  Every other book in my library must align with the Holy Bible, or it is not in my library.

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In addition to the Holy Bible, I consider these five books to be an excellent starter kit for a personal Christian Library:

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• The Knowledge of the Holy - A. W. Tozer  (Theology)

• The Hiding Place - Corrie Ten Boom (Biography)

• My Utmost for His Highest - Oswald Chambers (Devotional)

• Don't Waste Your Life - John Piper (Christian Living - Primer)

• The Case for Christ - Lee Strobel (Apologetic)

 

I consider these ten books, plus the five above (15 in total), to provide a well sorted, well balanced immersion into Christian literature: 

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• Confessions – Saint Augustine (Biography) or The Practice of the Presence of God - Brother Lawrence (Biography)

• Pilgrim's Progress – John Bunyan (Fiction) or The Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe – C. S. Lewis (Fiction)

• Mere Christianity – C. S. Lewis (Academics – Apologetic) or Basic Christianity – John Stott (Doctrinal)

• Everlasting Man or Orthodoxy – G. K. Chesterton (Academic - Philosophy)

• What’s So Amazing About Grace? – Philip Yancey (Of God) or The Holiness of God – R. C. Sproul (Of God)

• The Cross of Christ – John Stott (Academic - Theology) or Our Sufficiency in Christ – John MacArthur (Academic – Humanity)

• A Chance to Die: The Life and Legacy of Amy Carmichael – Elisabeth Elliot (Biography)

• Idols of the Heart: Learning to Long for God Alone – Elyse Fitzpatrick (Christian Living)

• Five Love Languages - Gary Chapman (Communication, Marriage)

• Seeing with New Eyes – David Powlison (Counseling)

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With no further ado, here is my humble library of Christian literature by author, title, original year of publication, category and theme.  One can sort the table by any label.

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