BOOK REVIEW OF "25 BOOKS EVERY CHRISTIAN SHOULD READ" SELECTED BY RENOVARE AND MY SUMMER READING LIST OF 25 BOOKS I THINK SHOULD BE READ.

This book caught my attention, so I looked to see which 25 books they recommended. Before I opened to the contents, though, I noticed the four contributors they mentioned (there were a total of 12), and the only one I was familiar with was one I'm not a fan of. 

Renovare is the ministry that put this out, which is known for focusing on Spiritual foundations. The group is ecumenical, so there are approaches I agree with and those I don't. 

That being said, they had an interesting selection of books, from church fathers Athanasius and Augustine to Dietrich Bonhoeffer and C.S. Lewis. They describe each book and include an excerpt. 

For people who want a diverse list of Christian authorship from the past 1700 years, I would recommend it. While I'm surprised in some of the omissions, such as a lack of Tozer, I think this is a fair representation of Christian classics.

But if I made a list, what would be on it?

Well, I was curious so I created a list of books that I think would benefit all Christians. There are not as many classics on my list, and there are only two that are on both my list and Renovare's. There are books I haven't read which would edge some of these off if I did (e.g. Francis Schaeffer's "The God Who Is There" and Robby Gallaty's discipleship book "Growing Up"), but I didn't include them. Also, two of my books are by one author.

I'll include the list for summer reading here, and the next five weeks I'll go through my list with more detail on each book. I've listed them in alphabetic order by title.

Ready?

1. "Another Gospel?" by Alisa Childers.

2. "The Benedict Option" by Rod Dreher.

3. "Calling on the Name of the Lord" by J. Gary Millar.

4. "Evidence That Demands a Verdict" by Josh McDowell.

5. "50 People Every Christian Should Know" by Warren Wiersbe.

6. "Four Views on Eternal Security" edited by J. Matthew Pinson.

7. "Getting to Know the Church Fathers" by Bryan Litfin.

8. "The Gospel According to Jesus" by John MacArthur.

9. "In the Shadow of the Cross" by Glenn Penner. 

10. "Killing Calvinism" by Greg Dutcher. 

11. "The Knowledge of the Holy" by A.W. Tozer.

12. "Living the Cross Centered Life" by C.J. Mahaney.

13. "Love Your God With All Your Mind" by J.P. Moreland.

14. "Mere Christianity" by C.S. Lewis. 

15. "The Pilgrim's Progress" by John Bunyan.

16. "Pray & Go" by Thom Rainer.

17. "A Primer on Biblical Literacy" by Cory M. Marsh.

18. "The Pursuit of God" by A.W. Tozer.

19. "Sacred Pathways" by Gary Thomas. 

20. "Simplify Your Spiritual Life" by Don Whitney.

21. "Superheroes Can't Save You" by Todd Miles.

22. "Total Truth" by Nancy Pearcey.

23. "Turn Neither to the Right Nor to the Left" by D. Eric Shansberg.

24. "When Faith is Forbidden" by Todd Nettleton.

25. "You're Not Enough (and That's Okay) by Allie Beth Stuckey.

Well, Monday we'll start on the list.

 

BOOK REVIEW: "JESUS' ALTERNATIVE PLAN: THE SERMON ON THE MOUNT" BY RICHARD ROHR

I checked this book out when a Bible study I'm involved with was about to start on the Sermon on the Mount. He gives background information. For seven chapters - Rohr doesn't start dealing with the Sermon on the Mount until chapter 8. There are 9 chapters. No, it wasn't much help.

There were other things that bothered me about this book. It came across as a cross of mystical and liberal. For example, he does not believe that the Gospels were written by the person they're attributed to. He regularly states Jesus was killed. Traditional churches usually say "Jesus died," which is consistent with the Biblical view Jesus gave up His life for our sins; Rohr's method sounds like it was the Religious Leaders in control, not Christ. Shortly after reading this, I heard him referred to on podcasts I listen to as being progressive and new thought.

I recommend this for those who know the Bible well enough to realize what's off base and then read it so you can respond to what doesn't fit. As a book on the Sermon on the Mount, I do not recommend it.