I have been thinking about Christian classics – the books I think everyone should read.  I’m not usually big on book recommendations because everyone has such individual reading tastes.  But there are some Christian books that I return to again and again.  They contain timeless truths or push me to grow in my faith.  I like books that challenge me to be better or think about God in new ways or remind me why I fell in love with Jesus in the first place.

The Bible is always at the top of the list and should be the starting place and the daily discipline of any Christian.  Other books, however, can inform our Bible reading, challenge us to grow, and keep our faith fresh.

These are books that I have read many times.  I have taught them and often hand them out as presents.  Here are some Christian classics that I recommend to everyone – in order of most recent to oldest.

1.  Celebration of Discipline by Richard Foster.  Each chapter deals with one of the classic disciplines of the spiritual life.  The disciplines are divided into three categories:  inward, outward, and corporate.  I especially like to use this book as a Lenten study.  The book was written in 1978 and, in my opinion, became an instant Christian classic because of its usefulness and clarity.
2. Mere Christianity or Screwtape Letters by CS Lewis.  If you are a new Christian or someone who is not a Christian yet, I recommend Mere Christianity.  This book explains Christianity clearly and in language everyone can understand.  Screwtape Letters is better for people who are Christians struggling with living as Christians every day (all of us!).  Although it is humorous, it is also deadly serious about the struggles of living the Christ-like life.  Screwtape Letters was first published in 1942 and Mere Christianity was published in 1952.
3. The Will of God by Leslie Weatherhead.  A perfect little book that clearly states the differences between God’s intentional will, his circumstantial will, and his ultimate will. I have read this book many times, trying to help people understand God’s will. This is a great book for Bible Studies.  Published in 1944, the writing is timeless in its teaching.
4. The Cost of Discipleship by Dietrich Bonhoeffer.  This book is powerful, with the ability to transform lives. It is even better because we know Bonhoeffer served as a witness to what he writes. How can we, as Christians, stand against an evil regime? By following Christ in everything. Christ calls us to die to ourselves, to be transformed in Christ’s image, not to be conformed to the world. I pray for the strength to live as wholeheartedly for Christ as Bonhoeffer.  Published in 1937, this book is relevant in a new way in our country today.
5. A Diary of Private Prayer by John Baillie.  This small collection of prayers is perfect for a daily devotional.  These prayers enlarge our understanding of God and challenge us to live into our faith.  Baillie intermingles adoring and meditative thoughts about God with a concern for the social and individual good.  These beautifully written prayers help and inspire us to find Christ.  Published in 1936.
6. My Utmost for His Highest by Oswald Chambers.  This may be the best daily devotional ever written.  These brief scripture-based readings, comforting and challenging, draw us into God’s presence and form us as disciples.  Although the book was first published in 1926, the insights are still fresh and vital.  As you read, you are challenged to offer God your very best for His greatest purpose.
7. In His Steps by Charles Sheldon.  This novel tells the story of four people in a small town who decide to live out their faith intentionally.  Published in 1897, it is the original “What would Jesus do?”  I find the book inspirational and challenging.  Am I living mindfully as a Christian or just going through the motions?  How can I be more Christlike in all I do?
8. The Pilgrim’s Progress by John Bunyan.  If you think Christian classics need to be at least 100 years old, this one is for you.  The Pilgrim’s Progress was first published in 1678.  It is an allegory of faith, following Christian as he encounters various trials on his journey to the Celestial City.  Christian confronts such emblematic characters as Worldly Wiseman, Giant Despair, Talkative, Ignorance, and the demons of the Valley of the Shadow of Death.  But he is also joined by Hopeful and Faithful.  Although the book is 350 years old, it remains one of the most widely read books in the English language.
9. Revelations of Divine Love by Julian of Norwich.  A fourteenth-century anchorite and mystic, Julian of Norwich experienced a series of divine revelations.  Christ’s sufferings were revealed to her with extraordinary intensity.  In addition, she received assurance of God’s unwavering love and infinite capacity for forgiveness.  The book was first published in 1393, but continues to captivate both the imagination and passion of faith.  I often repeat Julian’s words, “All shall be well, and all shall be well, and all manner of thing shall be well.”
10. The Imitation of Christ by Thomas a Kempis.  This book was written by the Augustinian monk Thomas a Kempis between 1420 and 1427.  Imitation contains clear instructions for renouncing wordly vanities and locating eternal truths. No book has more explicitly and movingly described the Christian ideal.

Those are the ten Christian classics that I recommend over and over.  Not only that, but I have read each of them multiple times and will probably read them again.  Have you read any of the books on my list?  What Christian classic would you recommend to me?