Christianity Today Announces Top 50 Evangelical Books
Christianity Today, the evangelical magazine founded by the Rev. Billy Graham, presented a list of “The Top 50 Books That Have Shaped Evangelicals” in the past century, producing a list that touches on a mixed bag of topics including evangelism, prayer, end times, pluralism, poverty, and marriage.
“These are books that have shaped evangelicalism as we see it today—not an evangelicalism we wish and hope for,” the Oct. 6 list explained. “[These are] books that over the last 50 years have altered the way American evangelicals pray, gather, talk, and reach out—not books that merely entertained.”
Compilations of influential Christian books have been made before. In a May 2005 update, the Barna Group produced a specific list of books and authors that influenced everyday pastors most. Barna’s list consisted mostly of titles related to discipleship, spirituality, and church growth – topics most directly related to hands-on ministry.
Get Our Latest News for FREE
Christianity Today’s list, having been compiled by top evangelical leaders and scholars, was more comprehensive, including titles like “A Wrinkle in Time” by Madeleine L'Engle, and “Rich Christians in an Age of Hunger” by Ron Sider.
The Top 50 are as follows:
50. Revivalism and Social Reform
by Timothy L. Smith
49. Knowledge of the Holy
by A. W. Tozer
48. The Hiding Place
by Corrie ten Boom with John and Elizabeth Sherrill
47. The New Testament Documents: Are They Reliable?
by F. F. Bruce
46. Out of the Saltshaker and into the World
by Rebecca Manley Pippert
45. The Scandal of the Evangelical Mind
by Mark A. Noll
44. The Gospel of the Kingdom
by George Eldon Ladd
43. Operation World
by Patrick Johnstone
42. The Purpose-Driven Life
by Rick Warren
41. Born Again
by Charles W. Colson
40. Darwin on Trial
by Phillip E. Johnson
39. Desiring God
by John Piper
38. The Gospel in a Pluralist Society
by Lesslie Newbigin
37. God's Smuggler
by Brother Andrew with John and Elizabeth Sherrill
36. Left Behind
by Tim LaHaye and Jerry B. Jenkins
35. The Stork Is Dead
by Charlie W. Shedd
34. This Present Darkness
by Frank E. Peretti
33. The Late Great Planet Earth
by Hal Lindsey with C. C. Carlson
32. The Cross and the Switchblade
by David Wilkerson with John and Elizabeth Sherrill
31. The Next Christendom
by Philip Jenkins
30. Roaring Lambs
by Robert Briner
29. Dare to Discipline
by James Dobson
28. The Act of Marriage
by Tim and Beverly LaHaye
27. Christy
by Catherine Marshall
26. Know Why You Believe
by Paul E. Little
25. Boundaries
by Henry Cloud and John Townsend
24. The Meaning of Persons
by Paul Tournier
23. All We're Meant to Be
by Letha Dawson Scanzoni and Nancy A. Hardesty
22. The Genesis Flood
by Henry M. Morris and John C. Whitcomb
21. The Master Plan of Evangelism
by Robert Emerson Coleman
20. A Wrinkle In Time
by Madeleine L'Engle
19. The Cost of Discipleship
by Dietrich Bonhoeffer
18. The Divine Conspiracy
by Dallas Willard
17. What's So Amazing About Grace?
by Philip Yancey
16. Basic Christianity
by John Stott
15. The Uneasy Conscience of Modern Fundamentalism
by F. H. Henry
14. Let Justice Roll Down
by John M. Perkins
13. Evidence That Demands a Verdict
by Josh McDowell
12. Power Evangelism
by John Wimber with Kevin Springer
11. Celebration of Discipline
by Richard J. Foster
10. Evangelism Explosion
by D. James Kennedy
9. Through Gates of Splendor
by Elisabeth Elliot
8. Managing Your Time
by Ted W. Engstrom
7. Rich Christians in an Age of Hunger
by Ronald J. Sider
6. The Living Bible
by Kenneth N. Taylor
5. Knowing God
by J. I. Packer
4. The God Who Is There
by Francis A. Schaeffer
3. Mere Christianity
by C. S. Lewis
2. Understanding Church Growth
by Donald Anderson McGavran
1. Prayer: Conversing With God
by Rosalind Rinker
