/lit/ - Literature

Good, good anon. Dull that edge.

Look up some G.K Chesterton books, he was an english theologist

>>3750953

Checkout "The Orthodox Way" by Metropolitan Kallistos Ware

its really good

christianity is retarded though, unless you do it in the way Tolstoy did.

>>3750953
As far as the Bible is concerned, this is excellent: http://www.ewordtoday.com/

It sends you small chunks of the Bible to read everyday, and in a year you will have read the entire thing. Also, you can pick your favourite translation, date of start, and the model according to which they´ll send you the passages.

>>3750960
>>3750976

Thanks. Both of these recs look good. I've never read Chesterton though. Could you suggest one or two of his most poignant ones regarding theology?

Include Acts and Romans in your NT reading. Read Genesis and Exodus in the OT.

Then, in addition to what you wrote:
"Mere Christianity: Comprising the Case for Christianity, Christian Behaviour, and Beyond Personality" by C. S. Lewis

"The Cost of Discipleship" by Dietrich Bonhoeffer


Enjoy

The Philosophy of Religion is a good book, since it gives you von Inwagen, Lewis, Brown, Roberts, and many other modern Christian philosophers/theologists - with numerous references and sometimes source material of old important texts like Aquinas/Kant/etc.

Otherwise the Catholic encyclopedia is a great read for huge interesting philosophical material (like the article on Transubstantiation - since most people don't get the depth that it operates with accidental/necessary qualities existing proximally alongside an 'alternate presence' etc.).

Or the arguments about resurrection of flesh vs spirit (Inwagen is hilariously clever and insane here).

A big other modern one who is funky is Plantinga as well, since he has some interested multiple-world scenarios for use in regards to the ontological argument and others.

Yeah....

>>3750992
When you ID the Chestertons you're gonna read, all of his stuff is at http://www.gutenberg.org/
for free

Pilgrims Progress by John Bunyan is one of the best selling of all time. I think it would be essential.

>>3751009
>>3751047

These look fantastic, I'll be adding these to my list... but who is The Philosophy of Religion by? I can't find it online.

Thank you anons

>>3751068
It was the book that Joseph Smith cribbed to invent Mormanism.

Institutes of the Christian Religion by John Calvin

>>3750953
Augustine of Hippo and St Jerome are the essential late antique Christian writers.

>Skipping from Bible to Aquinas

You are passing over 90% of worthwhile Christian writing...

>Skipping from Aquinas to Kierkegaard

...and there goes the other 10%.

>

>>3751129

Yeah I mentioned in the original post that there is obviously a lot to fill in. Why not suggest something instead of pointing out the obvious?

>>3751142
Everything worth reading and tons more ((up to 1216 in the West, and through the 16th century in the East) is included in the Patrologia Latina and Patrologia Graeca, assuming you can read at least Latin.

OP, read Jaroslav Pelikan's five volume work, The Christian Tradition: A History of the Development of Doctrine. It should give you a thorough understanding of the currents of Christian thought through the ages and you will be able to narrow down which writers interest you and that you would like to investigate further. The amount of Christian literature is incredibly vast so I think having an understanding of the larger historical picture will help you be appropriately selective of what to read.

>>3750953
Lossky's Orthodox Theology

>>3751209
>tfw kindof want to convert to eastern orthodoxy

>>3750953

Well, IF you believe that God doesn't lie, AND you believe that he promised to keep the collection of scrolls now know as the Bible in a good and complete integrity not removing the "least stroke of a pen".

AND if you believe that God is omnipotent enough to make good on his promise not to allow anyone to doctor it ever (as that is what I believe, having preached from a Koran and Torah and several different Christian Bible versions, they all said basically the exact same thing).

Then in that case one really should stick to the bible. Outside sources from the bible can be more than a little misleading.

Because tons of people argued about tons of things, but there is only one truth, so its like looking for a needle in a hay-stack.

ESPECIALLY WHEN... The book of Daniel says that at some point in history the set times and laws have been changed by the evil one for a certain period of time. In addition the book of revelations says the bible is a sealed scroll no one can read or understand except the root of David, who appears later to say "come to me" and in the last days put his law in our hearts.

That means that any time PRIOR to the restoration of the truth in the last days, any and every denomination before it is at best partially wrong, and at worst a complete lie set up by Teh Evil 1.

So assuming you believe the above as I believe the above, the whole mess is heresy, lock stock and barrel. We should look for the restoration of Zion in the last days.

On an academic level, I'd look up ancient writings in Iraneaus, Anicetus, and Polycarp. Tells the story of one side which bragged about its authority, while refusing to do what the other side said even though they themselves admitted that the other side was practicing the true teachings of Christ and the apostles.

>>3751101

Philosophy of Religion: An Anthology [Paperback]
Louis P. Pojman (Author), Michael Rea (Author)

Sorry about it. Yeah, it's an anthology - a good one. I'm an atheist but love my Christian theology.