by Michael Mcculley

Created on: April 25, 2009   Last Updated: May 09, 2009

The Christian faith is a difficult and complex subject. Even Americans who have attended church throughout their entire lives have a very poor understanding of Christ and His teachings, and American culture shows it. If you really want to learn, you must be prepared to do some heavy reading. You must invest some time. You must work patiently and carefully.

Here are three books that were and are extremely helpful to me. These books are well-suited for both the inquirer who has little or no prior knowledge of Christianity as well as the longtime churchgoer (or former churchgoer) who wants to go back to the foundation:

(1) Mere Christianity by C.S. Lewis: You will not find a better introduction to the Christian faith anywhere. All of Lewis' works are helpful, but an adult should start with this one. This book is readily available at most bookstores.

(2) What is Reformed Theology? by R.C. Sproul: This book is practically a sequel to Mere Christianity. Sproul (his name rhymes with "Roll") deals with many difficult and technical questions in clear and straightforward language. Sproul's works are also widely available, but you may have to special order this particular title, or order it online.

(3) The Reformation Study Bible: The Bible is the inspired Word of God, so it is obviously of the utmost importance. This particular one is an ESV (English Standard Version) translation with notes and commentary by R.C. Sproul and his colleagues. I own a few Bibles, but this is the one I use on a day-to-day basis.You will probably have to special order this one, or order it online.

A word of warning: the ESV is a very literal translation of the original works, so you might find some passages difficult to understand. When you need some extra help, I recommend consulting an NIV (New International Version) or NLT (New Living Translation) Bible. Both are available free online at Blue Letter Bible (www.blueletterbible.org).

If you have never read the Bible before, or have not read it in a long while, then I recommend that you start with Genesis 1:1 to 11:9,which is the story of where we came from and how we became estranged from God. Next, to learn how God brings us back to Him and what He expects of us, read the books of Mark, John, and Matthew.

Mark is brief history of Christ's ministry on earth. It reads a bit like a long article in a men's magazine. John is an in-depth description of Christ's basic message. Matthew reads like an expanded version of Mark with Christ's teachings given in much greater detail.

Finally, just for fun, you should read the notorious Jonathan Edwards sermon "Sinners in the Hands of an Angry God." This classic work of American literature will certainly motivate you to get to know Christ better...

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