A Brief Book Notice from Books At a Glance
by Fred G. Zaspel
Someone asked me recently to recommend some books particularly suitable for discipleship purposes. It’s a great request, and happily, there are many excellent resources available. Of course, there are many more that could and doubtless should be mentioned, but below are the titles that first come to mind. All these are easily accessible and do not assume any significant previous learning on the part of the reader.
For an introduction to Christianity, John Stott’s Basic Christianity (Kindle, Audiobook) is a classic and a great read, but if I had to choose, for a basic understanding of the gospel I’d probably opt to recommend Gilbert’s What is the Gospel? (Kindle, Audiobook).
For a fuller understanding of what salvation is, Sinclair Ferguson’s The Christian Life is essential reading. I’ve given away dozens over the years.
For a basic introduction to the Bible, Rob Plummer’s The Story of Scripture is very helpful.
For brief Bible overview, there are several choices:
- Wayne Grudem, Understanding the Big Picture of the Bible (Kindle)
- Chris Bruno, The Whole Message of the Bible in 16 Words (Kindle)
- Chris Bruno, The Whole Message of the Bible in 16 Verses (Kindle)
- Matt Emerson, The Story of Scripture (Kindle)
- Stephen Nichols, Welcome to the Story (Kindle)
- Jim Hamilton, What Is Biblical Theology? (Kindle) A really simple and helpful guide.
- D.A. Carson, The God Who is There (Kindle, Audiobook) comes with a Leader’s Guide. This is more lengthy than the others, but it is gold, easily accessible, and with the leader’s guide great for group discussion.
- Barber & Peterson, Life Everlasting: The Unfolding Story of Heaven (Kindle). I put this book in this category because of its “unfolding” of the story with the end goal in view. Real gold. One of my wife’s very favorite reads.
For basic Bible doctrine, you’d be hard-pressed to beat Tom Castor’s Simple Answers to Not So Simple Questions. Really excellent, well-informed, and easily accessible for anyone who can read. I wish every Christian would read this book!
For the Christian disciplines, Don Whitney’s Spiritual Disciplines (Kindle, Audiobook) is excellent. David Mathis’ Habits of Grace (Kindle, Audiobook) is more basic and practical.
For a basic guide to reading / studying the Bible profitably, Matthew Harmon’s Asking the Right Questions (Kindle) is hard to beat – excellent and very practical.
And of course classics such as John Bunyan’s Pilgrim’s Progress (Kindle, Audiobook), J.I. Packer’s Knowing God (Kindle), Michael Reeves’ Delighting in the Trinity (Kindle) and Rejoicing in Christ (Kindle) should be read by all Christians, young and old.
What a great program of reading this would be for any Christian! Enjoy!