Christianity Today published this list of the Top 50 Books That Have Shaped Evangelicals. The rule was that they only included books published since World War II. I’ve put in bold the ones I’ve read. I’ve heard of or know something about almost all of the books listed. I thought it was interesting that they listed Paul Tournier’s The Meaning of Persons. I haven’t heard anyone mention that book, by a Swiss psychiatrist, in years. But it was very popular among a certain group of Christians that influenced me when I was in college.

50.Revivalism and Social Reform by Timothy L. Smith
49.Knowledge of the Holy by A. W. Tozer. Mr. Tozer and I have not had the pleasure although I have heard many people recommend him.
48.The Hiding Place by Corrie ten Boom with John and Elizabeth Sherrill Corrie Ten Boom I do know. Of course, evangelicals have been influenced by the story of Corrie and her sister Betsy. “There is no pit so deep that God’s love is not deeper still.”
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 I read this one while I was still in college. I’m not sure I became a better evangelist, but I did realize how insulated I had allowed my self to be.
45.The Scandal of the Evangelical Mind by Mark A. Noll. I was supposed to read this book last year. Eldest Daughter read it at college, and I told her I would read it. However, I didn’t. I suppose I never could get interested because I think I already know what it will say. I’m tired of hearing about how anti-intellectual, “poor, uneducated and easily led” evangelicals are. Sometimes we are, but I’m not sure we’re any less interested in the life of the mind than any other group of people in the United States of America.
44.The Gospel of the Kingdom by George Eldon Ladd. Never heard of it.
43.Operation World by Patrick Johnstone.This one is not a reading book but rather a book of information and statistics about the state of missions and the Christian church in the countries of the world. It’s probably been quite influential in giving evangelicals a worldwide perspective on church growth.
42.The Purpose-Driven Life by Rick Warren Yes, I read it. No, I don’t think it’s the last word on Christianity and how to live the Christian life. Nevertheless, it’s not a bad start. “It’s not about you. The purpose of your life is far greater than your own personal fulfillment, your peace of mind, or even your happiness. . . If you want to know why you were placed on this planet, you must begin with God.”
41.Born Again by Charles W. Colson. Chuck Colson’s spiritual autobiography shaped evengelicals, but even more it told non-evangelicals who we are. After all, I knew what “born again” meant long before Jimmy Carter or Chuck Colson used term. In fact, I remember thinking that journalists back in the mid-seventies were making fun of evangelical Christians by pretending to have never heard the phrase.
40.Darwin on Trial by Phillip E. Johnson Engineer Husband has made a more thorough study of the subject of Darwinism and creationism than I have, but I’ve read enough to be skeptical of the answers we have now from both sides of the debate.
39.Desiring God by John Piper. I haven’t read Piper either although I have one of his books on my TBR list.

38.The Gospel in a Pluralist Society by Leslie Newbigin. The name of the author sounds familiar, but I cna’t say I’ve heard of it.
37.God’s Smuggler by Brother Andrew with John and Elizabeth Sherrill I remember being quite impressed by Brother Andrew’s Bible smuggling operation. Such adventure!
36.Left Behind by Tim LaHaye and Jerry B. Jenkins. Never read it, but I feel as if I have.
35.The Stork Is Dead by Charlie W. Shedd. I must admit I got my first dose of sex ed from reading All You Ever Wanted to Know . . . , but I did read The Stork Is Dead somewhat later.
34.This Present Darkness by Frank E. Peretti. Read it. Thought it was interesting. Didn’t let it influence my theology or my prayer life.
33.The Late Great Planet Earth by Hal Lindsey with C. C. Carlson. About the time I read this book, back many years ago, I decided that I would most likely remain undecided on matters eschatological.
32.The Cross and the Switchblade by David Wilkerson with John and Elizabeth Sherrill. Oh, yes, what a great story! Nicki Cruz, gangs, the dangers of drugs, the power of Christ to redeem anyone.
31.The Next Christendom by Philip Jenkins. Never heard of it.
30.Roaring Lambs by Robert Briner. I always intended to read this book, but somehow I never got ahold of a copy. Is it still relevant, or have we moved on?
29.Dare to Discipline by James Dobson. I read it and don’t think there’s anything terribly controversial here. Correct, discipline and teach them when they’re young.
28.The Act of Marriage by Tim and Beverly LaHaye. We got a copy of this book and of Intended for Pleasure by Ed Wheat when we got married. Influential? Maybe. Helpful to a couple of virgins who were just starting into this marital relation thing? Definitely.
27.Christy by Catherine Marshall. Christy is a wonderful story, too. Yes, I would say it shaped me, besides being one of the few “Christian romance novels” I would recommend.
26.Know Why You Believe by Paul E. Little This book sets down in easy to understand language just what Christians and why.
25.Boundaries by Henry Cloud and John Townsend. I think I started this book once, and I know it’s about setting boundaries and learning how to say no.

24.The Meaning of Persons by Paul Tournier I said I was surprised to see this book on the list. I thought my friends and I were all reading it as a result of a much more popular book (as I remember it), The Edge of Adventure by Keith Miller and Bruce Larson. Mr. Miller and Mr. Larson refer to Tournier frequently in their book(s), and because of them and the recommendations of a friend I read some Tournier. I wonder how it would sound now if I went back and re-read it.
23.All We’re Meant to Be by Letha Dawson Scanzoni and Nancy A. Hardesty. I’ve heard of this book—frequently and usually negatively. Never read it.
22.The Genesis Flood by Henry M. Morris and John C. Whitcomb. We have this one, but I’ve never read it. Did I ever mention that I’m not a science sort of person?
21.The Master Plan of Evangelism by Robert Emerson Coleman. Never heard of it.
20.A Wrinkle In Time by Madeleine L’Engle I love A Wrinkle in TIme, but I’m not sure how it influenced or shaped evangelicals. I’d say all of Mrs. L’Engle’s books together influenced and shaped me and other evangelical lovers of story to see that Christanity could be discussed in fictional terms as well as nonfictional ones.
19.The Cost of Discipleship by Dietrich Bonhoeffer Of course.
18.The Divine Conspiracy by Dallas Willard. I’ve read something else by Mr. Willard, but I can’t think of the title. I’m left with the impression that the book I read had to do with Christian disciplines and reminded me of Rachard Foster’s book, The Celebration of Discipline.
17.What’s So Amazing About Grace? by Philip Yancey. I’ve read oter books by Yancey, too, but not this famous one.
16.Basic Christianity by John Stott. Good, basic stuff.
15.The Uneasy Conscience of Modern Fundamentalism by F. H. Henry. Why is our conscience uneasy? I’ve read about it, but I don’t recall.
14.Let Justice Roll Down by John M. Perkins.
13.Evidence That Demands a Verdict by Josh McDowell. I was quite impressed with this compilation of evidences for the reliability of Scripture and the historicity of the Resurrection back when I was first introduced to it in high school. I daresay I’d still be impressed.
12.Power Evangelism by John Wimber with Kevin Springer. I heard all about this one —signs and wonders.
11.Celebration of Discipline by Richard J. Foster I read it; now if I could only practice what I read.
10.Evangelism Explosion by D. James Kennedy. One of those books I don’t feel as if I need to read because I already know all about it. I attended the Baptist version of EE, called WIN Institute, and I, too, learned the famous question: “If you were to die tonight, do you know for sure that you would go to heaven?”
9.Through Gates of Splendor by Elisabeth Elliot Inspiring story of martyr Jim Elliot. However, I think some of Elisabeth Elliot’s other books ave been just as mind-shaping as her biography of her husband.
8.Managing Your Time by Ted W. Engstrom
7.Rich Christians in an Age of Hunger by Ronald J. Sider. As a poor college student, this book made me feel really guilty without giving me much idea of what to do about it. Eat less meat? Would that help anyone else?
6.The Living Bible by Kenneth N. Taylor I had a green puffy Bible. Did you have a green puffy Bible? It really was helpful because I could read the Bible and share it with friends and it made sense!
5.Knowing God by J. I. Packer. Never read it, to my shame.

4.The God Who Is There by Francis A. Schaeffer. I did read Francis Schaeffer, but I think the books by his wife Edith (What Is a Family? and The Hidden Art of Homemaking) were much more influential in my life and in that of many other evangelical women. Mr. Schaeffer wrote very dense prose and tended to repeat himself. I got a lot more out of his film series, How Should We Then Live?.
3.Mere Christianity by C. S. Lewis Of course. However, I think Lewis could have taken places 1-6 on the list with his other books, too. What about The Great Divorce and The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe and Till We Have Faces and The Screwtape Letters and ?
2.Understanding Church Growth by Donald Anderson McGavran. Never heard of it, but at #2, it must have shaped someone.
1.Prayer: Conversing With God by Rosalind Rinker. Ah yes, I’m a little surprised to see that CT places this book at #1, but I agree it was revolutionary for its time. In my youth group we began to talk to God in regular words, and I became impatient with those who were older than I and used “thees” and “thous” in their prayers. I’m ashamed of the impatience, but I’m glad I learned to talk to God in colloquial speech and read his word in Ken Taylor’s paraphrased words.

It’s a pretty good list. I’ve read twenty-six out of fifty, and I’m familiar with many of the rest. I haven’t heard of a few of the books on the list, but it’s supposed to be list off the books that have shaped evangelicals as a whole, not just the books that shaped me as an evangelical. There are only four works of fiction on the list, but that’s probably about right. Fiction is not as easy to point to as mind-shaping; the ideas in fiction are more nebulous, encased in story, and therefore more enduring perhaps, but that’s another discussion. Still, I would add the following books to the list (in addition to the C.S. Lewis books I mentioned above):

The Lord of the Rings by JRR Tolkien. Not just the story itself, but the whole idea that you could write a great work of fiction without even mentioning God or Christianity and still have it be infused throughout with a Christian worldview and atmosphere . . . that was mind-bending and exciting. Yes, I know Tolkien was Catholic, not evangelical. He could still shape the evangelical mind.

Joni by Joni Eareckson. I don’t know why this book wasn’t on the list. As much as anyone, Joni helped me and other evangelicals understand that God allows suffering for His own purposes, that God doesn’t always heal, that He is always there even when we don’t understand what He’s doing, that handicapped persons are valuable to God and can glorify Him in their afflictions. What a wonderful gift to the Church of Jesus Christ and to evangelicals Joni’s life and work have been!

The Kingdom of Cults by Walter Martin. I know there are all sorts of controversies about Martin’s life and his writing, but I’m just stating facts when I say that he drew the lines that evangelical Christians still hold to today in differentiating between Christian denominations and cults.

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