Christian Literature

[Amanda Grace]

I was wondering if anyone has any amazing (or not so amazing) books they've read concerning Christianity lately?

I've recently made my way through most of Rob Bell's stuff, The Five Love Languages and Captivating.  Each and every one  blew my mind.

[Patrick Allen]

Idk if someone already said this, but Pilgrim's Progress is good. it was written in the sixteen hundreds so it's a bit heavy in the language department but it's very good.

[E_Lewis]

Dude, I was just going to put that! I just started reading it a few days ago, but it'll probably take me a while to finish.

It doesn't wait at all to get into anything, there is no filler and no build-up without it's own meaning. Every part I've read so far has had a meaning and a lesson behind it.

[James Michael DeMaio]

Who defines whether a book is Christian Literature or not?  I think that if you read their works from a Christian viewpoint there are far more authors that affirm Christian truths than would willingly be titled that way. Interestingly enough, John Green considers his literature Christian and especially in the case of TFiOS I agree.

I tend to group my Christian readings into three styles: theology, application, and narratives.

In the theology category: Athanasius, Augustine (besides City of God), Julian of Norwich, and Karl Barth are some of my favorites.

In the application department: C.S. Lewis, Shane Claiborne, Francis Lewis, Dietrich Bonhoeffer, and a ton of old Catholic guys and gals.

In the narrative subset: C.S. Lewis again, Flannery O'Connor, John Green, Tolkien and just about anyone that affirms Christian ideals intentionally or not: J.K. Rowling, George Lucas, etc...

If I were to recommend one thing, it'd be the short story "Parker's Back" by Flannery O'Connor.

[Crae]

If You Want to Walk on Water, You've Got to Get Out of the Boat by John Ortberg is powerfull stuff. Also He Chose the Nails by Max Lucado. =)

[Aravis the Tarkheena]

I would go with Francine River's Lineage of Grace series that talks about women who were in the direct family line of Jesus :) they were so insightful and wonderful!

[Matt C]

Okay, I'm going to hazard grave digging this old thread and give a couple more ideas. Lewis and Chesterton, like you've heard before, are brilliant. More recently in fiction, there's Gilead, a fantastic novel by Marilynne Robinson. Madeleine l'Engel's A Wrinkle Time series is children/YA lit, but still very worth the read. 

If you're looking for heavier theology stuff, see if you can pick up some Joseph Pieper. Chesterton's Orthodoxy is also great.

[Savannah Sullivan]

A few non-fiction books that kept my attention are:
'Soul Cravings" - Erwin Raphael McManus

"The Principle of the Path" - Andy Stanley

"The Fear of the Lord" - John Bevere

Some of my favorite spiritual novels are:
"The Five People You Meet In Heaven" - Mitch Albom

"The Centurion's Wife" - Janette Oke (I really didn't expect much out of this one, but it really captivated me)

And lastly, 'The Sword of Truth' Series by Terry Goodkind. This series is not 'Christian literature', but is in the epic fantasy genre and contains rather mature subject matter. I really don't recommend it to people under at least 16. It is my most favorite book series and it contains the most mind-blowing spiritual metaphors. It has seriously changed the way I think spiritually on multiple levels.

[James Michael DeMaio]

Just finished the humorous book, Stuff Christians Like. If you are not far liberal or far conservative (or you are and have a good sense of humour) I cannot recommend this book enough. 90% humor + 10% good honest confessional thoughts = all good.

[Danielle Prouty]

I've just started reading the book Crazy Love by Francis Chan and so far it's really good and very thought provoking and I've heard tons of great reviews on it so I would suggest checking it out! 

[Evan Stark]

Blue Like Jazz is great.  Anything by Dietrich Bonhoeffer.  I could go on really.  N.T. Wright is good.  

[Meghan Riedler]

If you are single and looking for something good to read in your free time I highly suggest How to Find Your Soulmate Without Losing Your Soul. It gives good insight on having a good healthy relationship, but in way that makes it entertaining at the same time.

[Ian McMichen]

I tend to lean toward Ted Dekker's stuff. He writes edgier material that could cause a lot of controversy, but his central themes are the fallacies of organized religion and the power of true love through God. I really liked Black, Red, and White of The Circle, but I haven't read Green yet. And I just recently read Forbidden and Mortal of The Books of Mortals, and am anxiously awaiting the final book, Sovereign in Spring next year.

Also, not to stir up any controversy or tear this group asunder, but I also like Harry Potter, which has a plethora of Christian themes throughout the series.