Reformed Reading List FAQs

Today I'm launching the Reformed Reading List blog which I've been meaning to do for around 12 months.

And now that the day has finally come, my first post will attempt to anticipate some Frequently Asked Questions that people may have about the blog.

Why the need for book recommendations in the first place?
There are a lot of Christian books in the world but only so much time.  Therefore each of us must choose which books are worthy of our time. 

This is important to note, particularly because not all books are as helpful as others.  You cannot walk into a Christian book store and assume that whatever you buy will be edifying.  Some books will be very profitable, some are a complete waste of your time or even detrimental to your walk with the Lord.

So recommended reading lists help prevent you from wasting your time on rubbish.

Why another reading list?
There are many excellent lists of good Christian books available online and offline.  So why another list? 

I'm hoping my list will be a little more helpful in comparison to other lists for a few reasons.

1. One weakness of other lists is that they tend to be fairly static.

Most lists tend to be written, published and then left that way.

This is a problem because new books continue to be written.  And they will continue to be written, for many reasons including the fact that the kingdom of God faces new challenges in new societies as language and human behaviours change.  This is not to suggest that old books should not be read.  But there will always be a place for contemporary books and so reading lists should be maintained to include new titles.

Static lists are also a problem because the author of the list is bound to read old books that they hadn't read when they published the list, unless they published the list at the end of their life.  And some of those books newly read often need to be added to the list.

So a blog format for this reading list allows readers to be aware of changes to the list.  As I make changes, I will make a blog post about the new book and readers will be alerted to the change to the list.

2. Another weakness of other lists is that they tend to be long and overwhelming.

I know it is hard to recommend just one book on a given topic, yet I know that when I look at someone else's list and see ten books on a subject, I feel like I don't know where to start.

Whereas with this list I will try and recommend one excellent Christian book on major Christian topics.  When I know of multiple books on a given subject, e.g. prayer, I will restrict myself to one that I think is truly excellent - the book that I would recommend you read first on the subject.

3. A further weakness of other lists is that they don't tell you much other than the title and author.
Before you accept someone's recommendation sometimes you want to know a little more about the book.  Now you could go hunting on the internet for book reviews which is definitely a good idea.  But I often want to know why the author of the list recommends that particular title.

So each time I recommend a book, I will post a quick review of the book as a separate blog post, and then link that post into the master list.

4. One final problem with other lists is that they can recommend trash themselves.
Now I'm no super-Christian.  I have many weaknesses and sinful biases.  But I need to be upfront and let you know that the books on this list will generally be in line with Reformed Christianity.  This is because I do think that Reformed Christianity is that which is most faithful to the Scripture and therefore most helpful to the Christian.

Now, not all authors will fit the Reformed mould, but I will endeavour to keep the list free from books that would argue against Reformed theology.

How will the reading list start?
To begin with, I will start the list with one book and then try and add another book every week.  Once the major topics are covered, the list will then go into more of a 'maintenance' mode.

Why I need you?
Now, of course I have not read everything.  My time is limited too (and so is my budget!).

So if you think you know a better book or think that I have missed an important subject altogether leave a comment below and I will consider modifying the list.