Christian Books

[Anonymous No.15158976]

Any good recommendations for quarantine reading?

I decided to re-read The Pilgrim's Progress then C. S. Lewis's Pilgrim's Regress then The Journey by Peter Kreeft, but I'm not sure where to go next.

In the meantime I've been going through The Westminster Confession of Faith and Catechism which has been pretty enlightening, but I'm ready for another book now.

https://www.apuritansmind.com/westminster-standards/larger-catechism/

https://www.ligonier.org/learn/articles/westminster-confession-faith/

[Anonymous No.15158997]

>>15158976

[Anonymous No.15159005]

.

[Anonymous No.15159006]

>>15158997
Not OP, but thanks for this.

[Anonymous No.15159012]

Thomas Watson wrote a great exposition on the Westminster Shorter Catechism. It is called A Body of Practical Divinity. Very easy to read.

[Anonymous No.15159057]

>>15158997
I am so tired of images. Every single gott damn place on the internet substitutes conversation with pictures, pre-packaged thoughts and ideas nicely arranged so you don't have to wrack your brain just a bit and do a little thinking for yourself. Well I'm not going to join. I opt out. You think you're clever? Because someone else put together a "meme" and you reposted it? You thought about to subject for five seconds and think yourself something of an authority figure? There was a time on the internet, before the slackjawed invasion of the jpeg community and gif riffraff, where people had to put research into every single line. We might get three posts a week on our most busy threads, and you know what? We savored every one of them. Because they were more than just extensions of our personal "brand," we were more than cut-and-dry wholesale consumerist drones. We were men! And we fought for ideals, we argued not for internet points. But for truth! For meaning! We aspired to become something greater. And we lost it all, the moment you lot appeared. Well I hope you're satisfied. I hope you realize what you've done. Because this was to be the last bastion of original thought, the actualization of man's greatest desires. And you sold us out for your shitty little memes.

[Anonymous No.15159074]

>>15159057
based

[Anonymous No.15159092]

>>15158997
>John Donne
Absolutely based. It's a crime how underappreciated his writings are.

[Anonymous No.15159095]

>>15159057
kek shut the fuck up you autist

[Anonymous No.15159096]

>>15158976
I suggest anything by Soren Kierkegaard or G K Chesterton. Both fascinating people with some profound insight

[Anonymous No.15159111]

>>15159005
The Imitation of Christ is a masterpiece.

[Anonymous No.15159127]

>>15159092
Is that the edition you'd recommend?

[Anonymous No.15159148]

>>15159127
It doesn't have all of his poetry like the complete penguin editions do, but the selection of poems I think is still excellent, personally I wanted one that contained some sermons and prose so I'm very happy with it.

[Anonymous No.15159166]

>>15159148
Cool will check it out

Sidenote, been reading pic related and really enjoying it. Some of it goes over my head at times but I can always figure it out eventually. Very rewarding read.

[Anonymous No.15159180]

>>15158976
This is a pretty good history book on The Heidelberg Catechism.

https://students.wts.edu/resources/creeds/heidelberg.html

[Anonymous No.15159181]

>>15158976
Is Anne Edwards Child's Old Testament a good intro? Have anyone read it?

[Anonymous No.15159183]

>>15158997
How come protestant literature is so much better than catholic and orthodox literature

[Anonymous No.15159194]

>>15159183
Dante alone is better than most things in the Protestant area.

[Anonymous No.15159238]

>>15159092
If you are already a fan of Donne you really ought to read some Gerard Manley Hopkins.

[Anonymous No.15159394]

>>15159092
I tried reading Devotions upon Emergent Occasions and got really fucking bored. I did like the quote on solitude however. Dropped in in favor of Thomas Young’s Reason, the Only Oracle of Man. Is Death’s Duel any better?

[Anonymous No.15159953]

>>15158976
Close your eyes and pick one OP

[Anonymous No.15160076]

Read more Calvin.

[Anonymous No.15160222]

>>15160076
upload it to library genesis bruh

[Anonymous No.15161358]

>>15158976
https://b-ok.cc/book/5301746/a7047b

[Anonymous No.15161418]

Any recommendations for apologetics?

[Anonymous No.15161437]

>>15161418
http://www.marcionite-scripture.info/CB_The_Antithesis.pdf

[Anonymous No.15161732]

>>15161418
Greg Bahnsen

[Anonymous No.15161795]

>>15159057
I agree with most of what have you said but on 4chan people never argued for truth, rather for the argument itself and having the last word

[Anonymous No.15161808]

>>15161418
These are some good newer ones I've come across, hope this helps.

[Anonymous No.15161969]

>>15158997
I'm happy they included some devotional poetry like George Herbert.

[Anonymous No.15162065]

The Betrothed is catholic lit in its most wholesome form. Also good plague lit.

[Anonymous No.15162068]

>>15161795
This is bullshit and you’re wrong.

[Anonymous No.15162090]

>>15159057
This is bullshit and you’re wrong.

[Anonymous No.15162098]

Anyone have more interesting books about the problem of evil?

[Anonymous No.15162332]

>>15158976
try MahaPrajnaParamita-Sastra by Nagarjuna

[Anonymous No.15162365]

>>15162098
The Doors of the Sea: Where Was God in the Tsunami? by David Bentley Hart covers the problem of evil

[Anonymous No.15162422]

>>15162098
The Many Faces of Evil

[Anonymous No.15162487]

I recently finished Mere Christianity by Lewis and I was a little disappointed in it, I guess I wanted more theory / theology, and he really only covers that at the end of the book and kinda states "No one really wants to hear this shit anyway but it's crucial".

I recently picked up all these book and am reading 'Catholicism' now. I much prefer this author - he seems to be writing for an audience that likes to read, or at least has a philosophical bent.

>How do men face up to this awareness of meaninglessness, the absurd condition of man? There would seem to be no escape for him who would not evade life: he must no only adopt an attitude, but pursue the logic of his attitude.

>Catholicism understands the need for meaning as a desire for God. From the discovery of God in nature, the revelation in reason and nature, to the direct revelation of God in Christ and in His Church, Catholicism acknowledges that before there can be human response: there must be need...Gabriel Marcel has suggest that pessimism and despair are often the necessary passage towards spiritual affirmation, that a man must be stripped down to the painful point of ultimate ontological awareness and aloneness before he can affirm value and meaning.

Who talks and thinks like this? Catholic bishops and theologians? Just this author - who himself may not even be a Catholic but instead approach Catholicism from a secular/rational/philosophical angle? Is Catholicism the must "rational"/reason-affirming of the Christian religions?

[Anonymous No.15162510]

>>15162487
You would enjoy the early church father's and orthodoxy in general

[Anonymous No.15162530]

>>15162487
The Romans are the most likely to talk using big fancy theological language (for better or worse, often worse in my opinion), but honestly, you'll find people who talk like that in many/all denominations. Intro books are often meant to be simple and accessible though, which is why Mere Christianity can be disappointing. It's also not written with a denominational bent, so a lot of theology just can't be put in. If you want some theological takes/better writing, the Anglican suggestion would be The Catholic Religion by Vernon Staley and the Eastern Orthodox suggestion would be The Orthodox Way. Those are some somewhat basic texts, although The Catholic Religion is a bit exhaustive and it's almost a catechism for Anglo-Catholic types whereas The Orthodox Way is more of a "here's a small taste of Orthodox takes."

[Anonymous No.15162548]

>>15162510
>>15162530
Thanks guys. Honestly I really wanted to read this next. Benedict XVI is a theologian right? Has anyone read this? part of me thinks this is somewhat of a shame, reading all this other auxiliary stuff and not actually reading The Holy Bible.

I was raised Catholic but it left absolutely zero impression on me and I am now beginning to rediscover Christianity in general

[Anonymous No.15162587]

>>15162548
Yes, Benedict XVI is/was a theologian. Before he was ordained, his name was Ratzinger (although presumably, you knew that).
Read some theology (especially some Roman Catholic commentaries, if you're becoming Roman Catholic) as you read Scripture. If you're still looking into denominations, I'd recommend reading a few different denomination's takes, at least those denominations who believe in sacraments--I don't think any form of Calvinism is worth the time, for example, whereas Anglicanism/Episcopalianism may be worth it. Ultimately though, it's a complicated thing and religion is lived not read, so I'd go hit up some churches in your area when quarantine is over and ask everything that comes to mind.

[Anonymous No.15162594]

>>15162587
>religion is lived not read
I really needed to hear that. thanks

[Anonymous No.15162677]

>>15162594
It's something that tends to crop up in a lot of online circles, especially with Catholics and Orthodox, where they begin quoting countless theologians and make it more of a legal system wherein God is some big judge with arbitrary rules than a religion with hope and faith. That's honestly my biggest qualm with Roman Catholicism--it's too rigid in all the wrong places, and when I look at Eastern Orthodoxy and the concept of oikonomia/economy, I see a sense of hope and all the right things. Ultimately I'm an Episcopalian due to my takes on certain social issues and not all Catholics fall into the legalist takes (and despite Orthodoxy's good aspects, some Orthodox converts fall into legalist takes), but it's an especially easy hole to fall into with Catholicism.
My best advice for anyone looking into Christianity is always to go to church and just learn to pray. It doesn't matter if you can explain by what manner the sacraments work in detail, what matters is how we've lived and prayed. Obviously do some reading so you can describe the basis of what you believe, but just like you don't need to know every part of political theory to be a good citizen or know astrophysics to know that the Earth moves, you don't need to be able to explain how the Trinity makes sense/"works" to be a Christian.
I've rambled, so the tl;dr is pray, don't focus too heavily on reading, and especially if you become Catholic, do try to avoid the easy pit that is legalism and scrupulosity.

[Anonymous No.15162694]

>>15162587
>I don't think any form of Calvinism is worth the time
Care to elaborate? I have mixed feelings on Catholicism as well as Calvin but saying one isn't worth the time at all sounds very ignorant.

[Anonymous No.15162753]

>>15162694
It's somewhat hyperbolic--if you really, truly, want to read Calvin, go for it. However, if double predestination is right, then ultimately everything Christ did was performative, plus His sacrifice wasn't for all, but only a select few. Due to God being Love and Good, it's also incredibly questionable to believe that God would intentionally make Adam with a will that would absolutely not be capable of resisting the Serpent (which is from the Institutes, I think).
Plus it doesn't have any sort of sacraments, and any Christianity that claims to rely on the tradition and faith that was had by the Early Church (aka the one that Christ left, note that He didn't leave a Bible) that doesn't have sacraments is worrying, as it's fairly clear that sacraments have played an incredibly high role in the church (even if the number has changed, the Eucharist, Holy Orders, and Baptism [and to a lesser degree, Confirmation/Chrismation] their importance hasn't changed much)

[Anonymous No.15162782]

>>15159183
Lmao, is this a joke? I'm not even part of an apostolic faith, but this is just flat out wrong

[Anonymous No.15162793]

>>15162753
>Plus it doesn't have any sort of sacraments
Baptism and the Lord's Supper.

[Anonymous No.15162809]

>>15162677
good post.
>>15162548
>part of me thinks this is somewhat of a shame, reading all this other auxiliary stuff and not actually reading The Holy Bible.
You're free to read what you're interested in. Laymen aren't obligated to read the Bible, especially from a Catholic or Orthodox perspective. Prayer is certainly more important: I haven't read it myself but I've heard Learning to Pray by Anthony Bloom recommended by some good people.

[Anonymous No.15162815]

>>15162809
*Beginning to Pray by Anthony Bloom

[Anonymous No.15162847]

>>15162793
Touché, I will concede that I forgot that Reformed folks do hold to those two.
The take on Baptism is even good enough, since they're paedobaptists and not credobaptists, which would reduce the sacraments to something that we do rather than something that God does. However, they don't hold to the Real Presence, or hold to the Physical Presence, which is an idea fairly divorced from Tradition (although I will concede that it did exist to some degree), especially when one doesn't hold to the idea of Apostolic Succession, which was generally seen as necessary to consecrating the Eucharist. That said, my knowledge of Reformed sacramentology isn't the best, despite me listing it as a point of contention--double predestination is a much greater issue.

[Anonymous No.15162873]

>>15158976
I just read and really enjoyed ROGER’S VERSION by John Updike. It’s an Updike novel so there’s an adultery plot and the protagonist is an ass— and Roger a pretty serious ass even for Updike, but it was funny and interesting and full of Christian themes. It’s about a Divinity prof (Roger) who locks horns with a computer science student who wants to use a computer to prove the existence of God. Roger is a Karl Barth specialist and his version of God is very impersonal whereas Dale, the grad student believes in a personal god he can track down through data and stats. Aside from the sex which is kind of Updike-ishly creepy, there are some really interesting debates about religion and cosmology, computers and physics. Both Roger and Dale are full of themselves and sort of deluded and Updike uses them to explore issues of faith, responsibly, judgement, belief, casting stones when you’re just as flawed as the person you’re judging.

[Anonymous No.15163008]

>>15162847
>double predestination
I was literally just reading about that:

https://www.ligonier.org/learn/articles/double-predestination

[Anonymous No.15163103]

>>15158976
>>15159183

John Owen's books are top tier.
I'm reading his book on Overcoming sin & Temptation and pic related. Not easy reads but definite masterpieces.

>>15161418
If you prefer presuppositional arguments go with Cornelius Van Til and Gordon Clark. I think presupp is valid as a personal proof, but not so good for persuading others because most people will have a hard time understanding meta-narratives and the need to "justify" wordviews at such autistic levels.

That's why I'd rather go with the classic approach personally, and just think about presupp foundations for my own personal enrichment.

>>15163008
>https://www.ligonier.org/
umm hello, Based department???

[Anonymous No.15163237]

>>15158976
Anyone have worthwhile recommendations for christian philosophy books?

https://www.thegospelcoalition.org/article/christians-study-philosophy/

[Anonymous No.15163251]

>>15158976
City of God

[Anonymous No.15163289]

>>15163103
>John Owen
Really good pick, might be reading this soon.

[Anonymous No.15163310]

>>15163103
fucking trash homie

read some dawkins and get gud