Thank you community for recommending this book to me. It’s an exactly what I was looking for. A book that logically explains Christianity. Any other books like it? Thanks.
If you are looking for commentary on contemporary Christianity/evangelicalism and how/why it is the way it is:
Searching For Sunday by Rachel Held Evans
A personal more personal exploration of the evangelical movement and responses to it
How the Bible Actually Works by Peter Enns
A look at how assumptions and traditions have taken the place of historically accurate and theologically nuanced understanding of the Bible
macjoven on
*Orthodoxy* By GK Chesterton is what you are looking for.
Enough_Crow_636 on
Basic Christianity by John Stott is good.
chaffinchicorn on
The thing with *Mere Christianity* is that, despite its title, what it describes is a very specific kind of Christianity with a lot of viewpoints and arguments that apply to a middle-class traditionalist 1940s sort of Anglicanism but not to other traditions.
For different takes, with a similar sort of envisaged readership, you could try “Honest to God” by John Robinson, “Discovering Christianity” by Rowan Williams, “The Sea of Faith” by Don Cupitt, “The Orthodox Way” by Kallistos Ware, or “Sisters in the Wilderness” by Dolores Williams.
For classic introductory theological works from different traditions you could try “The Catechetical Oration” by Gregory of Nyssa, the “Confessions” of Augustine, “The Orthodox Faith” by John of Damascus, the “Summa Contra Gentiles” by Thomas Aquinas, or “On Christianity: Speeches to its Cultured Despisers” by Friedrich Schleiermacher.
i_am_the_archivist on
Its a little more theologically heavy, but you might try Father Richard Rohr’s books. Im a big fan of both him and Lewis and they have similar voices and views. The Universal Christ would be my recommendation for where to start with him.
MellowMallowMom on
*The Screwtape Letters, The Great Divorce* and *The Problem of Pain,* all by CS Lewis
*The Case for Christ* by Lee Strobel
*Blue Like Jazz* by Donald Miller
Bumblebeeas on
More than a Carpenter by Josh McDowell and Sean McDowell
Bumblebeeas on
Sex and Money, empty pleasures, satisfying grace by Paul David Tripp
lupuslibrorum on
*Core Christianity* by Michael Horton is a good companion to *Mere Christianity*. It’s more didactic compared to Lewis’s more exploratory approach, but it fills in some gaps and makes some things clearer than he does.
Chesterton’s *Orthodoxy* is a harder read today, full of early 20th century references and the author’s characteristically quirky thought patterns. But it can also be brilliant and fun. As I recall, it doesn’t so much explain Christianity as lay out reasons for why we need an orthodox faith in the first place. Chesterton discusses how and why he personally came to faith in Christ.
If you want to step further into a specific tradition, I’d recommend Gavin Ortlund’s *What It Means to be Protestant* and RC Sproul’s *What Is Reformed Theology?* Both lay out core Christian beliefs effectively.
9 Comments
If you are looking for commentary on contemporary Christianity/evangelicalism and how/why it is the way it is:
Searching For Sunday by Rachel Held Evans
A personal more personal exploration of the evangelical movement and responses to it
How the Bible Actually Works by Peter Enns
A look at how assumptions and traditions have taken the place of historically accurate and theologically nuanced understanding of the Bible
*Orthodoxy* By GK Chesterton is what you are looking for.
Basic Christianity by John Stott is good.
The thing with *Mere Christianity* is that, despite its title, what it describes is a very specific kind of Christianity with a lot of viewpoints and arguments that apply to a middle-class traditionalist 1940s sort of Anglicanism but not to other traditions.
For different takes, with a similar sort of envisaged readership, you could try “Honest to God” by John Robinson, “Discovering Christianity” by Rowan Williams, “The Sea of Faith” by Don Cupitt, “The Orthodox Way” by Kallistos Ware, or “Sisters in the Wilderness” by Dolores Williams.
For classic introductory theological works from different traditions you could try “The Catechetical Oration” by Gregory of Nyssa, the “Confessions” of Augustine, “The Orthodox Faith” by John of Damascus, the “Summa Contra Gentiles” by Thomas Aquinas, or “On Christianity: Speeches to its Cultured Despisers” by Friedrich Schleiermacher.
Its a little more theologically heavy, but you might try Father Richard Rohr’s books. Im a big fan of both him and Lewis and they have similar voices and views. The Universal Christ would be my recommendation for where to start with him.
*The Screwtape Letters, The Great Divorce* and *The Problem of Pain,* all by CS Lewis
*The Case for Christ* by Lee Strobel
*Blue Like Jazz* by Donald Miller
More than a Carpenter by Josh McDowell and Sean McDowell
Sex and Money, empty pleasures, satisfying grace by Paul David Tripp
*Core Christianity* by Michael Horton is a good companion to *Mere Christianity*. It’s more didactic compared to Lewis’s more exploratory approach, but it fills in some gaps and makes some things clearer than he does.
Chesterton’s *Orthodoxy* is a harder read today, full of early 20th century references and the author’s characteristically quirky thought patterns. But it can also be brilliant and fun. As I recall, it doesn’t so much explain Christianity as lay out reasons for why we need an orthodox faith in the first place. Chesterton discusses how and why he personally came to faith in Christ.
If you want to step further into a specific tradition, I’d recommend Gavin Ortlund’s *What It Means to be Protestant* and RC Sproul’s *What Is Reformed Theology?* Both lay out core Christian beliefs effectively.