25 Books Every Christian Should Read

Starred review from January 1, 2012

In an age much given to digests, lists, and brevity, it seems only natural that Christian spirituality should generate its own top 25. The nonprofit Christian organization Renovare has pulled together an editorial board, including, among others, Emilie Griffin, Richard Rohr, and Phyllis Tickle, to muster up selections of the best reading that the Christian tradition has to offer--other than the Bible itself. This gathering effectively presents the central core of Christian writing on faith, spirit, and doctrine, including St. Augustine, St. Teresa of Avila, C.S. Lewis, Dante Alighieri, and Henri Nouwen, as well as writers perhaps less known to nonspecialists, such as Brother Lawrence, Thomas R. Kelly, Julian of Norwich, and St. Athanasius. The excerpted texts are introduced by the presenting editor and followed by study questions and that editor's personal top-five list of Christian texts. VERDICT A beautiful introduction for the new Christian, and a fine refresher on the excellence of the classics for the longtime Christian.

Copyright 2012 Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.