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4000 Books

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I’m sure it’s just me…but I sometimes panic when I realize how few books I will read during my life. There’s so much to read and so little time! Is there a phobia for this…The fear of not being able to read?

Look at it this way: The average reader reads only four books per year. Over the course of a lifetime of 80 years (with reading taking place between the ages 15 and 95), this would be only 320 books!

But let’s say you read more. Let’s say you are an avid reader, and read one book a week, or about 50 books per year. Over the 80 years of reading, that is still only 4000 books! That’s about how many books I already have in my personal library! So even if I never buy another book, I will not be able to read all the books I already own.

That is so depressing…

Best Christian Books

So I guess the lesson for me is that I must carefully select the books I read.

Every time I pick up a book, I ask myself, is this a book that I want as one of my 4000? It makes me sad to think of some of the pointless books I’ve read.

Books I have Read

So I decided to keep track of the books I read. Since I don’t know how many I have read up to this point, I went through my library and counted all the books I remember reading, and then doubled it. I remember reading many hundreds of books in my teenage and college years that I no longer own, so I figure this was a good starting place. This process brought me to 1500 books. Down below, I list some of the best books I have read during these years.

Then, I am going to keep track of the books I read from year to  year, and update the count here.

Here is my count so far:

My goal is to average one book per week, or about 52 books per year, so that by the time I reach 80, I will have read 4000 books.

Best Books I Have Read

Below are some books I am glad I have read, and may even read again, thereby taking up not just one, but two spots on my list of 4000 books. These books have shaped my thinking in amazing ways. In the future, if I read some list-worthy books, I will include them in the comments.

For more of my favorite books, see my  Burning Books List…books that set my mind on fire.

That’s all I can think of right now off the top of my head. By including these books on this list, I am not saying I agree with everything written in them. All I am saying is that these books stretched my mind, and brought about paradigm shifts in my life and thinking. A few of them caused earthquakes.

Oh, and novels are good to read as well. Novels can sometimes shape your life and theology more than a book on theology. One of the novels I am glad I have read is Ender’s Game by Orson Scott Card. I’m not really into Sci-fi novels, but it was so good, I read it twice.

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  2. Jeremy Myers says

    I’ve decided to use this blog post to keep a list of books I’ve read. Clearly, I can’t go back and record all the books I’ve read up to this point, but as I read books, I will enter a comment here about the book. Below are some of the books I’ve read in the last year (the ones I can remember anyway).

    –Will This Rock in Rio by Ken Lottis
    –Attack Upon Christendom by Soren Kierkegaard
    –Plan B by Pete Wilson
    –Electing Not to Vote edited by Ted Lewis
    –The Sacred Journey by Charles Foster
    –Children of the Mind by Orson Scott Card
    –UnChristian by David Kinnaman
    –Resurrection of the Son of God by NT Wright
    –Church Without Walls by Jim Petersen
    –Repenting of Religion by Greg Boyd
    –Spontaneous Expansion of the Church Roland Allen
    –Unlearning Church by Michael Slaughter
    –The Open Secret by Lesslie Newbigin
    –When Helping Hurts by Steve Corbett and Brian Fikkert
    –The Ministry of the Spirit by Roland Allen
    –The Mission of God by Christopher J.H. Wright
    –An Emergent Theology for Emerging Churches by Ray S. Anderson
    –Provacative Faith by Matthew Paul Turner
    –Transforming Mission by David Bosch
    –The Roman Empire and the New Testament by Warren Carter
    –I’m Fine with God; It’s Chrsitians I Can’t Stand by Bruce Bickel and Stan Jantz
    –Jesus and Empire by Richard A. Horsley
    –Simply Christian by NT Wright
    –Jesus, the Jewish Theologian by Brad H. Young

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  3. Jeremy Myers says

    25. Understanding the Difficult Words of Jesus by David Bivin and Roy Blizzard, Jr.

    This book argued that the original “Life of Jesus” was written in Hebrew, and our Four Gospels used this Hebrew text as a soure. Based on this, many of the sayings of Jesus are more easily understood when they are translated from Greek back into Hebrew, and then read from a Hebraic perspective.

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  4. Jeremy Myers says

    Change Your Church for Good by Brad Powell.

    This is a typical “church growth” book filled with principles and lessons from a pastor who took a struggling church and transformed it into a mega church. The implication is in the book (as with all such books) is that if you do what he did, you can have a mega church too.

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  5. Jeremy Myers says

    The Subversion of Christianity by Jacques Ellul

    I may have another favorite author in Jacques. As a result of reading this book, I have already bought three of his others. But be warned, he is not easy reading.

    This book shows how Christianity is not what Jesus intended, and has, in fact, been subverted by other influences…satan, culture, politics, other religions, etc. He definitely makes you think.

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  6. Jeremy Myers says

    Transforming Culture by Sherwood Lingenfelter

    Using a system called “grids” and “groups”, Sherwood explained the different forms of interaction within various cultures. He shows that there is no “one right way” for government, work, family, leadership, etc. Therefore, followers of Jesus can interact in a meaningful way within any culture, bringing transformation where needed.

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  7. Jeremy Myers says

    The Myth of a Christian Religion by Greg Boyd

    This book should be read with The Myth of a Christian Nation and Repenting of Religion. It calls followers of Jesus to revolt against some of the “religious” elements of Christianity which have nothing to do with the kingdom of God. Many of these elements are widely accepted and practiced within the church (like nationalism, violence through war, social oppression, greed, and racism), but are actually damaging to the the kingdom of God.

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  9. Jeremy Myers says

    The Miracle in a Daddy’s Hug by John Burns

    A short book about the importance of affirming our children through physical touch and words of encouragement. Also, fathers should date their daughters. Being a father of three girls, I found this book to be a great encouragement.

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  10. Jeremy Myers says

    The Presence of the Kingdom by Jacques Ellul

    Ellul is not always easy reading, but generally worth the effort. He definitely makes you think. This book is about how we as Christians can live the gospel in a meaningful way in a world that has lost all sense of meaning:”In a civilization which has lost the meaning of life, the most useful thing a Christian can do is to live” (p. 77).

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  12. Jeremy Myers says

    Rabbi Jesus by Stephen D. Jones.

    The emphasis of this book is that we should call Jesus “Rabbi” or “Teacher” and approach Him in prayer and Bible reading looking for Him to teach us. I basically agree, but a summary of this idea might have made a good subject for a chapter of a book, but not a whole book by itself.

    The chapters were also poorly written, poorly organized, and repetative. I do not recommend this book.

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  14. Jeremy Myers says

    The Astonished Heart by Robert Farrar Capon.

    The first chapter alone is worth the price of this book. But it gets better from there. Capon is a playful writer; thought provoking and interesting to read.

    Capon summarizes 2000 years of church history, analyzing the good and the bad from the various church models that have been used, and then closes by stating some ideas for the models of the future. If you are a church planter, or a pastor of a church who wants to transform your church into something more mission-oriented, I highly recommend this book.

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  15. Jeremy Myers says

    36. (Yes. I’m starting to count. But this is only since I started counting in May).

    Lordship and Discipleship by Eduard Schweizer.

    Eduard attempts to show how the theology of the Jewish believers shifted when it encountered Greek thinking. There were a few gems in the book, but overall, I found his train of thought difficult to follow.

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  16. Jeremy Myers says

    37. Jerome by J. N. D. Kelly

    This is a biography on the Church Father, Jerome. I wanted to read about one of my namesakes. Jerome was a great scholar and exegete, as well as a master of Greek and Hebrew. He is, of course, the one who translated the Latin Vulgate from the Hebrew and Greek.

    Jerome was also quite prickley. He heaped verbal abuse on his opponents that made me cringe. And his exegesis tended toward plagiarism of Origen and heavy allegory. I don’t have any of his commentaries, but since I’m not a big fan of Origen or allegory, I probably wouldn’t like them.

    Still, it interesting to read about such an important and influential historical figure. If you want to learn about Jerome, I recommend this book.

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  18. Jeremy Myers says

    39. Action in Waiting by Christoph Blumhardt

    Blumhardt influenced the thinking of people like Karl Barth, Emil Brunner, Dietrich Bonhoeffer, Jacques Ellul, and Jurgen Moltmann. He thought that the greatest danger to human progress was “Christianity” – Sunday religion where people attended services to pray and sing, but never let the love of God flow through their lives to a hurting world.

    This book contains a collection of some of his sermons (if you can call them that…) which express some of his seminal ideas. It’s an easy to read, and thought provoking book.

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  20. Jeremy Myers says

    41. A Word Fitly Spoken by Philip Culbertson

    This is a book on the Parables of Jesus with an emphasis on Hebrew culture and Rabbinical backgrounds. The book is quite technical in places, but provides a wealth of information to help the Western 21st Century student understand some of the Parables in a new light.

    His discussion on the New Wine and Old Wineskins parables really helped me solidify my thinking on Luke 5:33-39 in my Grace Commentary on Luke.

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  21. Jeremy Myers says

    42. Meet the Rabbis by Brad Young.

    Brad Young wants to help Christians understand the Jewishness of Jesus, Paul, and the entire New Testament. This is one of his books toward that goal. It was helpful in many ways, especially in showing the connection between Jesus and other Rabbis of His day. The book contains many good insights on the Sermon on the Mount, which I will incorporate into my future commentary projects.

    My one complaint is that the book was not well organized, some of the chapters were poorly written, and the terms for Jewish writings needed to be explained more clearly.

    I was also a little uncomfortable with some of Brad Young’s conclusions. He seems to argue that Jesus was not really opposed to the legalism of the Pharisees, and in fact, such legalism never really existed. I see this as a common thread in a lot of Jewish background Rabbinical studies recently. Is this right, or are we simply trying to justify and excuse our own legalism?

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  22. Jeremy Myers says

    43. Guardians of the Singreale by Calvin Miller.

    Sometimes I read books out loud to my wife as part of our “go to sleep” routine at night. This is a book I read when I was about 10, and I remember thinking it was very good. So I read it to her. It is not as good as I remember, as most of the plot revolves around whether people should eat meat or not. Also, the main character constantly speaks in “poems” which I found quite annoying.

    However, I do recommend the book for adolescent boys. Also, there are three books in the series, and I seem to remember that the next two are better. I will probably read them out loud to my wife as well.

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  23. Jeremy Myers says

    44. Against the Protestant Gnostics by Philip J. Lee

    Apparently, I’m a Gnostic, you’re a Gnostic, we’re all Gnostics.

    In this book, Lee compares the early heresy of Gnosticism with some of the common beliefs and practices in churches today. I don’t think any group was left alone. He accuses pretty much everyone.

    And honestly, he’s probably somewhat right. I agree that there are dangerous dualistic, elitist, escapist, and hyper-spiritual tendencies in many Christian circles today. But I’m not sure I’m comfortable accusing everyone of Gnosticism. Just because we have similarities doesn’t mean we’re Gnostics. I mean, we have many similarities with Muslims, but we’re not all Muslims.

    The “cure” wasn’t so helpful either. He suggested that we preach. And it should be liturgical preaching in line with the creedal traditions of the church. I’m all for preaching, but I don’t think preaching is the cure.

    All in all, the book is well researched and documented, but the diagnosis and cure both seemed somewhat skewed.

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  25. Jeremy Myers says

    46. God in the Alley by Greg Paul

    This book reminded me of The Gutter by Craig Gross. And like Craig’s book, I couldn’t put this book down. As I read it, I laughed and cried, but most of all, I was inspired. This book put into words the longing and aching of my own heart to see and show Jesus among the outcast and downtrodden of this world.

    The book is not a book of deep theology, but through the stories and simple truths it contains, reveals some of the deepest and simplest theology that exists: the power of presence (theologians call it “incarnation”) among the sin, pain, and suffering of this world.

    Another thing Greg reveals is that all of us have pain and sorrow, fear and regret. Therefore, it’s not just the drug addicts, homeless, and prostitutes who need the love of Jesus. All of us need Jesus. And when we go to others in their life of pain and fear, sometimes Jesus shows up to speak into ours.

    I don’t re-read many books, but this will be one I read again.

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  26. Jeremy Myers says

    47. Plastic Jesus by Eric Sandras

    I cannot recommend this book. The ideas were not engaging or challenging, the content seemed empty and shallow, and I was not impressed at the attempts of humor and creativity. Also, I found the unique form of referencing Bible verses (e.g., Genesis@1:26) to be extremely annoying.

    I wish I could be more specific about some of the content of the book, but to be honest, I can’t remember a single thing I read. I know there were a lot of stories, but this is like eating cotton candy. They’re pretty and taste sweet, but you’re still hungry when you’re done.

    It scares me to think that Eric is the teaching pastor at Vineyard church. Is this the regular fare for the people who attend his church?

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  27. Jeremy Myers says

    48. Bringing Heaven Down to Earth by Nathan L. K. Bierma

    I almost gave up on this book. I’m glad I didn’t. Though I had trouble getting through the first 50 pages, after that, it really kept my attention.

    Bierma’s main point is that we’re not just here on earth to wait for heaven, and heaven, when we “get there” will be a lot like earth. We’re not going to sit around on clouds, playing harps. We’re going to live on earth, enjoying life and community the way God intended.

    I have thought this for a while, and was happy to find someone who has done some thinking and writing in this area.

    But Bierma doesn’t stop there. He argues convincingly that since our eternal life will be like this present life (only without all the negatives), we should live in this present life the way we will live in the eternal life, and that this is the message of the Kingdom and the Gospel. I wholeheartedly agree.

    My favorite parts of the book (as with any book) is where he provides insight into tricky or controversial passages of Scripture. He spends a lot of time unpacking Isaiah 60, and also helped my understanding of 1 John 2:15 and Mark 13. I’m sure his insights will find their way into my future commentary writing.

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  28. Jeremy Myers says

    49. Christianity: The First Three Thousand Years by Diarmaid MacCulloch

    This book should really count for four books in my 4000. It is 1000 pages long, and even a “long” book is 250-300 pages.

    MacCulloch is a great writer. He found a fine balance between concise summaries of church history and fascinating tidbits of information you probably won’t find anywhere else (e.g., the connection between Kellogg’s cornflakes and the Mormon church). But due to the length of the book, I frequently found myself wanting to put it aside.

    Therefore, this book is hard to recommend. You have to make a major commitment to get through it. So if you want a summary of church history, there are others that are more concise, Though you won’t get as much out of them. If you want historical information on a particular person or period, I recommend simply getting a book which deals specifically with that subject.

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  29. Jeremy Myers says

    50. Evil and the Justice of God by N. T. Wright

    In typical N. T. Wright fashion, this book pairs probing questions with insightful biblical exegesis resulting in a thought-provoking book that is well worth the read. Wright deals with the age-old question of the problem of evil, and again, as only Wright can, tackles the subject from a unique perspective.

    Wright says that there is not answer to the problem of evil, that is, how it came to be, but there is a solution. His solution begins with Abraham and Israel, ends with the church as the people of God, and finds its pinnacle in the life, death, and resurrection of Jesus Christ.

    In other words, evil exists and you and I are part of the cure. And the central ingredient to this cure is forgiveness. Evil is defeated when forgiveness is offered and accepted. If you want to know how, you’ll have to read the book.

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  30. Jeremy Myers says

    51. Yeshua: A Guide to the Real Jesus and the Original Church by Ron Moseley.

    While there is some decent introductory information in this book, it is poorly organized, poorly written, and the concepts are poorly explained. The chapter organization made no sense, and within the chapters, there was no sustained argument or thought flow. And though the book contains some informational diamonds, they lack clarity and brilliance.

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  31. Jeremy Myers says

    52. The Sage of Galilee by David Flusser.

    David Flusser was a Jewish New Testament scholar who taught at Hebrew University in Jerusalem. Many people cite him as an expert on the Jewish backgrounds of Jesus and the New Testament. This expertise was evident in this book. However, his expertise also made the book difficult to read. It’s not that he used big words or difficult concepts. The book is not overly academic.

    No, his book reminded me of an absent-minded professor who has not prepared well for the class he’s teaching. Sure, he knows the material forward and backward, but it all comes out in a “stream-of-consciousness” way that makes it difficult to follow and harder still to grasp his ultimate point.

    The chapters are loosely connected around some major theme, such as baptism, love, ethics, the Kingdom of Heaven, and the Son of Man. And while each chapter did indeed contain some helpful background information on each of these subjects, such information was too scattered and disorganized to be of much benefit to the reader.

    As I read more and more books on Jewish backgrounds, this type of book organization (or lack thereof) seems to be a common theme. Of course, many of the other authors I have read learned under Flusser, and so maybe now I have simply found the wellspring of this merry-go-round way of thinking.

    Maybe this is just the Jewish (Eastern?) way of thinking and writing.

    Now that I think about it, much of Jesus’ teaching as recorded in the Gospels also appears to be rather…scattered. So ultimately, maybe the difficulty is not with Flusser and his disciples and the books they write, but with my own western desire to see outlined organization and point-by-point argumentation. Someday I hope to find a book on Jewish backgrounds written with western thought-flow patterns.

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  38. Jeremy Myers says

    58. Crazy Love by Francis Chan

    Here is a summary of the book:

    God is great (1). You’re not (2). But He loves you (3). And we don’t love Him back, at least, not very well (4). This must mean we’re not really saved (5). So love God and get saved (6). Then go and serve others (7). Take risks (8). Here’s some stories of people who did this (9). Won’t you do the same? (10).

    I was less than inspired by the first six chapters, but after that, the chapters got progressively better. The last chapter was the best as he challenged us to quit waiting for God to call us to go, and just get up and go. There was no call to read your Bible more, spend a year in prayer, or attend church more frequently. That is not radical. Instead, he challenged us to take risks, be creative, go to hard places, and do what seems foolish. I wish he would write a whole book with that kind of message and passion.

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  43. David says

    Hey Jeremy,
    I was sure I read somewhere that you posted something about Vince Antonucci and his books. Did you ever end up reading, or even reviewing either of them?

    Reply

  44. bruce abercrombie says

    Ecclesiastes 12:11-12 NASB

    The words of wise men are like goads, and masters of these collections are like well-driven nails; they are given by one Shepherd. But beyond this, my son, be warned: the writing (reading) of many books is endless, and excessive devotion to books is wearying to the body.

    …That being said, here are my “top books” of profound interest:
    Letter to the Romans, by apostle Paul
    Proverbs, by Solomon
    Now That I Believe, by Robert Cook
    Reality Theory & Control Therapy, by William Glasser
    Handbook of Personal Evangelism, by Stanford & Seymour
    Exposition of Hebrews, by Arnold Fruchtenbaum
    The Gift of GOD, by Richard Seymour
    Sin, the Savior, & Salvation: The Theology of Everlasting Life, by Robert Lightner
    Systematic Theology, by Norman Geisler
    Systematic Theology, by L.S. Chafer
    Getting The Gospel Right: A Balanced View of Salvation Truth, by Gordon Olson
    Getting the Gospel Wrong, by J.B. Hixon
    His Needs Her Needs, by Willard Harley
    ***grin*** 😀

    Reply

    • Jeremy Myers says

      Much reading and writing certainly does weary the body …. but it’s a good weariness. And I find that, like working out, the more you do it, the longer you can go before getting weary. I hope we get to read and write in the eternal kingdom…

      That is a great list of books. I think I have read about half of them. I never did buy or read JB Hixon’s book. And I can’t say that I’ve read all of Chafer or Geisler. And I have never actually heard of Glasser’s book. What is that about?

      I’m sure you realized it, but this 4000 books list is not a book of my favorite books, just a record of books I’ve read. I’m not fully sure what books would be on my top 10 list.

      Reply

  45. Dan Pedersen says

    I was amazed when I read that Watchman Nee had read 4000 books during his lifetime. Now I’m amazed that you are doing it.

    Reply

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