Bright Wings

Because the Holy Ghost over the bent World broods with warm breast and with Ah! Bright Wings.

January 19, 2010

Time and Money to Spare? Here’s a reading list!

I was poked and prodded by a dear brother to provide for him a good biblical/theological reading list. Making a reading list is hard work…it’s like picking your top 10 movies of all time. Just when you put Sleepless in Seattle in the top spot you suddenly remember how much you loved Big Momma’s House 2. So, this is of course a list in progress. If you want to build your library, or have some great resources at your fingertips, I commend these to you.

There’s the books I’d put in the ‘classics’ list:

Augustine, Confessions

Bunyan, Pilgrim’s Progress and Grace Abounding

Calvin, Institutes of the Christian Religion

Edwards, Religious Affections

Luther, Bondage of the Will

Knowing God by Packer is a modern classic and so is Piper’s Desiring God


Here are some classic Biographies:

Iain Murray, Jonathan Edwards

Arnold Dallimore, George Whitefield (2 big vols)

Charles Spurgeon’s Autobiography (or the Spurgeon Biography by Arnold Dallimore)

Any of the ‘Swans Are Not Silent’ Christian biography series by John Piper (I think there are five volumes, but they are really great)


Here is a rather broad and general list: (bit more ‘heady’ and theological)

John Piper, Future Grace

John Piper, Pleasures of God

Horton, Putting the Amazing Back into Grace (an easy primer on faith alone by grace alone as the keystone of the reformation)

John Murray, Redemption Accomplished and Applied (a small but heavy duty classic on the atonement- hard not to be a five point Calvinist after reading)

O. Palmer Robertson, Christ of the Covenants (a look at ‘covenantal theology’ – God’s work through his ‘covenants’ through Scripture)

Graeme Goldsworthy, According to Plan (a big, detailed portrait of the biblical outworking of God’s redemptive plan through Christ)

Wayne Grudem, Systematic Theology (good to read by sections- maybe think of theological areas you need to grow in and read Grudem’s section on it)

D. Carson, Divine Sovereignty and Human Responsibility

D. Carson, The Gagging of God

David Wells’ 4 Volume Opus on Evangelical Church and Theology:

          -God in the Wasteland

          -No Place for Truth

          -Losing our Virtue

          -Above All Earthly Powers

A.W. Pink, Attributes of God

R.C. Sproul:

          -Chosen By God

          -Holiness of God

          -Just Shall Live By Faith: Exposition of Romans

John MacArthur,  The Gospel According To Jesus


On Counseling, Manhood and Womanhood, Marriage/Family:

Piper and Grudem, Recovering Biblical Manhood and Womanhood (big volume- but crucial work facing down the great challenge of feminism in the evangelical church)

Andreas Kostenberger, God, Marriage, Family

Ted Tripp, Shepherding a Child’s Heart

Paul Tripp, War of Words;  Lost in the Middle; Age of Opportunity; Instruments in Redeemer’s Hands

David Powlison, Seeing With New Eyes; Speaking the Truth in Love


Here are some good Devotional works:

Donald Whitney, Spiritual Disciplines for the Christian Life (another good one - Spiritual Disciplines Within the Church)

C.J. Mahaney, The Cross Centered Life

Paul Miller, A Praying Life (just started reading it- but it is GREAT!)

(of course the ‘classics’ above are great devotional works, too)

Bennett (editor), Valley of Vision – Puritan prayers

Any volume of Spurgeon’s sermons

Any volume of Whitefield’s sermons (Banner of Truth press has a great ‘selected sermons’ of Whitefield)

J.C. Ryle, Holiness


As you can see, I could have titled this post - “How I Have Single-handedly Funded John Piper’s Ministry’.  Enjoy!

 

posted by Erik Braun