I made this posting before. However, there is a difference this time around. If you click on the book’s image, the link will take you to the book on Amazon.com. In other words, if you are interested in the book, you can buy it, easily and effortlessly. And if you buy it through this site, I will get a bit of a commission. That commission will either help pay for the site or help pay for my new SR22, which ever comes first. The SR22 is only $250K, standard.

The books I present are ones I believe will help you to grow as a Christian and will immunize you against the pimps and pimpettes. They will help you to understand who you are in Christ, who God is, and what it means to be a Christian.

I’ll tell you now that none of the recommended books are by such pimpologists as Benny Hinn, Marilyn Hickey or Fast Eddie Long. I suspect that for many of you, they are by writers you never heard of. But that’s fine. In fact, that is probably very good.
If you are interested in truly understanding what Christianity is and how it should look in your life, if you are tired of being told “This is the Year of Breakthrough”, or you just can’t take being loosed one more time, or if you’re tired of dancing in the aisles for a couple of hours only to have to go back to the same problems with no better understanding of how to deal with them, then I recommend you begin a program of prayerful reading that includes something weightier than Fred Prices’ “How Faith Works” published in 1976 and still in use by the Word Faith phonies today.

Developing as a Christian

If you want to actually develop as a Christian, I would suggest some books of substance. These books would include, but certainly would not be limited to, the following.

“Charity and Its Fruits” by Jonathan Edwards. This is an entirely sentimentality free exposition of 1 Corinthians 13. Edwards hammers the reader over and over again to get into him the habit of judging himself by the word of God and properly understanding what the Bible demands of us.

“Biblical Christianity” An easy-to-read and abridged version of the classic Institutes of Religion by John Calvin. This is a very brief distillation of the eighty chapter theological classic. I suspect this abridged version will do much to encourage you to eventually tackle the full version. By the way, this work bears no resemblance to the various works accomplished by Marilyn Hickey.

“Interpretation of the Scriptures” by Arthur W. Pink. In this work, Mr. Pink emphasizes the importance of right interpretation of the Scriptures. He steps the reader through the process - and it is a process - and aids the reader in avoiding the shipwreck of the faith that many of the pimps cause in the church. (1 Tim 1:19)

“A Survey of Bible Doctrine” by Charles C. Ryrie. As the title implies, this is not an in-depth treatment of the various doctrines of Christianity. However, it is a very good start for the Christian committed to God’s word. The book provides you with an easy-to-understand overview of the various doctrines of the Bible. It includes, by the way, a section on the importance of doctrine.

“The Holy Spirit” is a comprehensive study of the work and person of the Holy Spirit. Dr. Walvoord does a thorough job of letting Scripture speak on the issues surrounding the person and His work. If you read this one, you must have your Bible open. Dr Walvoord takes you for a ride through the depths of the Bible. You’ll see parts of the Bible you didn’t even know were there.

“How Should We Then Live?” by Francis A. Schaeffer. The book is a personal analysis of the key moments in history which have formed our present culture, and the thinking of men who brought those moments to pass. Schaeffer traces the causes and effects of human thought and actions as they are played out in life and society. He examines the reasons for modern society’s sorry state of affairs and presents the only viable alternative: living by the Christian ethic, acceptance of God’s revelation, and total affirmation of the Bible’s morals, values, and meaning.

“He That Is Spiritual” by L. S. Chafer. Chafer’s book defines true Christian living and unfolds the teaching concerning spirituality - what it is, and how it is secured. He cuts through all of the Word Faith pimps’ teachings on anointing and other terms they use to bamboozle you. By the way, this book was written long before Cashflow Dollar, Dexter Jakes, and Copeland ever came on the scene.

“True Evangelism” by L. S. Chafer. Written in 1911, this book provides the reader with the basics, as shown in Scripture, of evangelism. It doesn’t purport to present a method. Instead, it makes clear to the reader the responsibility we have to present the Gospel and the responsibility God has to act on the individual’s heart.

“Know Why You Believe” by Paul E. Little. One of the reasons the Watchtower and Tract Society (Jehovah’s Witnesses), the Mormons, Profit Jordan, and the Big Dogs can draw so many off from the denominations, is the fact that most of us don’t know much about Christianity and don’t know why we believe what we do know. Mr. Little hits the big items and working from Scripture, helps the layman (that’s you and me) understand what makes Christianity what it is.

“History of the Bible in English” by F. F. Bruce. This little books helps you and me to understand how we got the Bible most of us take to church every Sunday. Bruce traces the development of the English bible from its existence in Old English to modern translations. This link points you to a rather expensive edition ($30). However, do a search and it should take you to a cheaper, much cheaper one. Unfortunately, that edition doesn’t have an image for me to link to.

“Balancing the Christian Life” by Charles C. Ryrie. An outstanding overview of the essential doctrines for living the successful Christian life as God defines success. It includes such matters as true spirituality, using your gifts, confession and forgiveness, the process of sanctification, and how to know you are filled with the Spirit.

“Rightly Dividing the Word” by Clarence Larkin. The text looks funny and the charts are often stiff and complicated. But Mr. Larkin does an outstanding job of instructing and encouraging the committed Christian to study and rightly divide the word of truth.

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