Trying to build up my husband’s bookshelf with books that challenge him as a Christian man, stuff that really makes me dig into Scripture.
But what books have stuck with you guys? Looking for recommendations for men who want to take their faith more seriously.
The Cost of Discipleship by Dietrich Bonhoeffer is near the top of my list for anyone, let alone just for men.
His sections on costly grace and the Sermon on the Mount are especially strong, and the whole book keeps pressing you to look at what following Christ actually asks of you. It’s dense and some might find it hard to get through, so it’s best read a chapter at a time with a Bible open next to it. For someone who wants to dig into Scripture and take his faith more seriously, it’ll push him.
Knowing God by J. I. Packer belongs on this list. I could probably come up with 100 suggestions but this should be the first on any shelf.
It goes deep into Scripture and theology, but the whole book stays focused on knowing God personally and how that should shape the way you worship and live. It’s a good pick for a guy who wants more depth in something that’s still readable.
This goes well with the Bonhoeffer suggestion, especially since you mentioned wanting books that push him into Scripture.
The whole book is built around passages like Isaiah 6, where Isaiah sees the Lord high and lifted up and can only cry out “woe is me.” Sproul keeps sending you back to the text. He wants you to sit with what it means that God is holy, that He’s completely different from us and set apart from everything He made.
I think anyone could get value from reading it but there are some I’m more likely to suggest to a guy and this is one of them.
Books on holiness and day-to-day obedience tend to age better than the ones aimed at masculinity specifically. Nothing wrong with that.
Donald Whitney’s Spiritual Disciplines for the Christian Life is the practical one if you want something with concrete steps instead.
J. I, packer’s Knowing God.
Kent Hughes’ Disciplines of a Godly Man
Another vote for Bonhoeffer’s The Cost of Discipleship
There are some that lean a little heavier into the “manosphere” side but I don’t think they’re actually true to scripture.
I mean the obvious one first of all is The Bible. Assuming he already has that then the that stuck with me are the ones that made me slow down and open the Bible.
Eugene Peterson’s ‘A Long Obedience in the Same Direction’ is one and Tim Keller’s ‘Every Good Endeavor.’ It takes work and ambition and places them under Scripture. If you want something that sends him straight into Scripture, start with D. A. Carson’s ‘For the Love of God.’
Carson’s For the Love of God single-handedly saved my soul, or at least it finally got me through a full Bible reading plan.
Whitney’s book lives on my nightstand with so many sticky notes poking out it looks like a porcupine, and the chapter on journaling finally got me consistent.