Must Have Books

The below list of book are books recommended by Frank Viola. I already wrote a post on books to have, by different Christian leaders or organizations, that you’ll find here.

What is different on Viola’s list is that he doesn’t recommend those “must have” or “core” books, instead he gives a list of books that are “outside the status quo”, a list of “exceptional” books.

So here are the list, by different categories without being listed in any particular order:

Mission & Ministry Shelf

The Stewardship of the Mystery, by Theodore Austin Sparks

Created for Community: Connecting Christian Belief with Christian Living , by Stanley J. Grenz

Destined for the Throne: How Spiritual Warfare Prepares the Bride of Christ for Her Eternal Destiny, by Paul E. Billheimer

The Character of God’s Workman, by Watchman Nee

Prophetic Ministry, by J. Austin Sparks

Nudge: Awakening Each Other to the God Who’s Already There, by Leonard Sweet, Ph.D

Gospel of the Kingdom: Scriptural Studies in the Kingdom of God, by George Eldon Ladd

The Release of the Spirit, by Watchman Nee

The Community Life of God: Seeing the Godhead As the Model for All Relationships, by Milt Rodriguez

Church Life Shelf

Paul’s Idea of Community: The Early House Churches in Their Cultural Setting, Revised Edition, by Robert J. Banks

God’s Spiritual House: A Classic Study on the Ministry of Jesus Christ in the Church, by T. Austin Sparks

The Normal Christian Church Life, by Watchman Nee

Community 101, by Gilbert Bilezikian

The Community of the King, by Howard A. Snyder

Body Politics: Five Practices of the Christian Community Before the Watching World, by John Howard Yoder

Life Together: The Classic Exploration of Faith in Community, by Dietrich Bonhoeffer

A Church Building Every 1/2 Mile: What Makes American Christianity Tick?, by Jon Zens

Spiritual Growth Shelf

The Normal Christian Life, by Watchman Nee

Sit Walk Stand, by Watchman Nee

A Generous Orthodoxy: Why I am a missional, evangelical, post/protestant, liberal/conservative, mystical/poetic, biblical, charismatic/contemplative, fundamentalist/calvinist, anabaptist/anglican, methodist, catholic, green, incarnational, depressed-yet-hopeful, emergent, unfinished Christian (Emergentys), by Brian D. McLaren

Experiencing God Through Prayer, by Guyon Jeanne

Prayer, by Rosalind Rinker

The Spirit of Christ, by Andrew Murray

Hearing God, by Peter Lord

Changed Into His Likeness, by Watchman Nee

Mere Christianity, by C. S. Lewis

Love Not the World: A Prophetic Call To Holy Living, by Watchman Nee

Classic Christianity: Life’s Too Short to Miss the Real Thing, by Bob George

The Misunderstood God: The Lies Religion Tells About God, by Darin Hufford

Satisfy Your Soul: Renewing the Heart of Christian Spirituality, by Bruce Demarest

The Butterfly in You: Discovering Your True Identity in Christ, by Milt Rodrigues

What Shall This Man Do?: A Fresh Approach to the Study of Christian Service, by Watchman Nee

God’s Chosen Fast, by Arthur Wallis

Church History Shelf

The Reformers and Their Stepchildren (Dissent and Nonconformity), by Leonard Verduin

The Torch of the Testimony, by John W. Kennedy

Paul Apostle of the Heart Set Free, by Frederick Fyvie Bruce

New Testament History, by Frederick Fyvie Bruce

Spreading Flame: The Rise and Progress of Christianity from Its First Beginnings to the Conversion of the English, by Frederick Fyvie Bruce

Biblical Tools Shelf

The Chronological Study Bible: New King James Version, By Thomas Nelson

The Narrated Bible in Chronological Order (NIV), by F. LaGard Smith

The Message of the New Testament, by Frederick Fyvie Bruce

Thompson Chain Reference Bible-NASB, by Frank Charles Thompson (editor)

Essential Evangelical Parallel Bible, by John R., III Kohlengerger (editor)

The IVP Bible Background Commentary: New Testament, by Craig S. Keener

The IVP Bible Background Commentary: Old Testament, by John H. Walton, Victor H. Matthews, Mark W. Chavalas

Comparative Study Bible, Revised (Zoncervan)

Dictionary of Jesus and the Gospels (The IVP Bible Dictionary Series), Joel B. Green, Scot McKnight, I. Howard Marshal (editors)

Dictionary of Paul and His Letters (The IVP Bible Dictionary Series), Gerald F. Hawthorne, Ralph P. Martin, Daniel G. Reid (editors)

Dictionary of the Later New Testament & Its Developments (The IVP Bible Dictionary Series), Ralph P. Martin, Peter H. Davis (editors)

Dictionary of New Testament Background (The IVP Bible Dictionary Series), Craig A. Evans, Stanley  E. Porter (editors)

New Bible Dictionary, I. Howard Marshal, A. R. Millard, J. I. Packer, D. J. Wiseman (editors)

A Greek-English Lexicon of the New Testament and Other Early Christian Literature, 3rd Edition, by Walter Bauer (author), Frederick William Danker (editor)

Alleged Discrepancies Of The Bible, by Haley John

Tools for Writers

Sally Stuart’s Guide to Getting Published (Reference/Literary), by Sally Stuart

Christian Writers’ Market Guide 2011, by Sally Stuart

The Classic Guide to Better Writing: Step-by-Step Techniques and Exercises to Write Simply, Clearly and Correctly, by Rudolf Flesch

My Books, you decide if they are “must have’s” or not (I would say “must”)

From Eternity to Here: Rediscovering the Ageless Purpose of God, by Frank Viola

Jesus Manifesto: Restoring the Supremacy and Sovereignty of Jesus Christ, by Leonard Sweet, Frank Viola

Reimagining Church: Pursuing the Dream of Organic Christianity, by Frank Viola

The Untold Story of the New Testament Church: An Extraordinary Guide to Understanding the New Testament [Illustrated], by Frank Viola

Finding Organic Church: A Comprehensive Guide to Starting and Sustaining Authentic Christian Communities, by Frank Viola

Pagan Christianity?: Exploring the Roots of Our Church Practices, by Frank Viola, George Barna

Frank Viola’s blog: Reimagining Church http://frankviola.wordpress.com/

Frank Viola’s official website: Present Testimony Ministry http://www.ptmin.org

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