Kingdom Living and Spiritual Formation

  1. Thomas a Kempis, The Imitation of Christ. Apart from the Bible itself, this is undoubtedly the more republished work in Christian history. Absolutely indispensable.
  2. Law, William. A Serious Call to a Devout and Holy Life. Try to get a complete edition of it.
  3. The Autobiography of Charles Finney and his Systematic Theology.
  4. Lauson, J. Gilchrist. Deeper Experiences of Famous Christians. Anderson, IN: Warner, 1970. "This book opened the reality of Christians through the ages to me, and caused me to see that a life of holiness and power in the kingdom of Christ was possible." - DW
  5. Laubach, Frank C. Man of Prayer, from "The Heritage Collection" (Within that especially Letters by a "Modern Mystic" and "Game With Minutes") ISBN 0-88336-580
  6. Wilberforce, William. A Practical View of Christianity
  7. Murray, Andrew. Humility and Absolute Surrender
  8. Baxter, Richard. The Practical Works of Richard Baxter. Grand Rapids: Baker Book House, 1981. Practical advice on applying Scripture to all areas of life.
  9. Finney, Charles, Revival Lectures. Old Tappan, N.J.: Fleming H. Revell Company, n.d.
  10. Johnson, Jan, Invitation to the Jesus Life. Colorado Springs, CO: Navpress, 2008. This is Jan's "Curriculum for Christlikeness."

Spiritual Disciplines/Discipleship

  1. Bonar, Horatius. God's Way of Holiness. Chicago: Moody, n.d.
  2. Bonhoeffer, Dietrich. Letters and Papers from Prison. London: Fontana, 1953.
  3. Bouyer, Louis. A History of Christian Spirituality. 3 vols. New York: Seabury, 1982.
  4. Brightman, Edgar S. The Spiritual Life. New York: Abingdon Cokesbury, 1942.
  5. Bruce, Alexander Balmain. The Training of the Twelve. Garden City, NY: Doubleday, Doran, 1928.
  6. Chambers, Oswald. The Psychology of Redemption. London: Simpkin Marshall, 1947.
  7. Christenson, Evelyn. Lord, Change Me! Wheaton, IL: Victor, 1979.
  8. Foster, Richard. Celebration of Discipline. New York: Harper & Row, 1978.
  9. Lewis, C. S. The Screwtape Letters and Screwtape Proposes a Toast. New York: Macmillan, 1962.
  10. Lives of the Saints. Translated with an Introduction by J. F. Webb. Baltimore, MD: Penguin, 1973.
  11. Lowen, Alexander. The Betrayal of the Body. New York: Collier, 1971.
  12. Magnus, Albertus. Of Cleaving Unto God. Translated by Elizabeth Stopp. London: Mowbray, 1954
  13. Marshall, Walter. The Gospel Mystery of Sanctification. 1692. Reprint. Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan, 1954.
  14. Ortberg, John. The Life You've Always Wanted: Spiritual Disciplines for Ordinary People. Zondervan, 2002.
  15. Robinson, John A. T. The Body: A Study in Pauline Theology. London: SCM, 1952.
  16. Schaeffer, Francis A. True Spirituality. Wheaton, IL: Tyndale, 1971.
  17. Suso, Henry. The Life of the Servant. Translated by James M. Clarke. Cambridge: Clarke, 1982.
  18. Taylor, Jeremy. Holy Living and Dying. London: Bohn, 1858.
  19. Taylor, J. (1992). Holy Living and Holy Dying, "Classics of Western Spirituality" series. New York: Paulist. Many other editions. Practical directions on the use of the body for spiritual growth by a great Christian of the sixteenth century.
  20. Trueblood, Elton. Alternative to Futility. Waco, TX: Word, 1972.
  21. Underhill, Evelyn. Mysticism. New York: New American Library, 1974.
  22. Foster, Richard. Life With God: Reading the Bible for Spiritual Transformation. San Francisco, CA: HarperOne, 2008.

Spiritual Disciplines for Children
Habits of a Child's Heart: Raising Your Kids with the Spiritual Disciplines, by Valerie E. Hess and Marti Watson Garlett. Colorado Springs, CO: NavPress, 2004.

Introduction to Philosophy

Philosophical Foundations for a Christian Worldview, J.P. Moreland & William Lane Craig
Intervarsity Press, 2003.

This is an excellent discussion by the finest of scholars and philosophers, who are also Christians. Good as an introduction to Philosophy and Theology for those with limited background and a desire to dig deeper. (Winner of a 2004 Gold Medallion award in the Reference category from the Evangelical Christian Publishers Association.)

"Simple" Logic
We have frequent requests for a logic book "for dummies". Dr. Willard recommends getting an older edition of Irving M. Copi's Introduction to Logic.

  

The Gift of Work
by Bill Heatley

Dr. Willard recommends The Gift of Work as a true picture of what our life in the Kingdom ought to be.

From the Foreword by Dr. Willard:
"We are now, as disciples of Jesus, members of a divine community that, when we seek it, we find with us in our job and throughout life, and thereby we turn all that we do into work for and under God. Thus, Paul advises: "Whatever you do, do your work heartily"—literally, 'from the soul'—"as for the Lord rather than for men, knowing that from the Lord you will receive the reward of the inheritance. It is the Lord Christ whom you serve." (Col. 3:23-24) We are not to try to look good (do "eyeservice"), as men-pleasers, but on our job we simply "do the will of God from the heart." (Eph. 6:6-8)

"Now this book tells us exactly how to do this. Intelligent, well-informed, and biblical to the core, it is intensely focused upon the real-life context of the job: on what really goes on there, and how, for our part, we can turn it into divine work. In this respect the author is telling us how to live a life that is spiritual throughout, full of meaning, strength and joy. He thus stands in the solid tradition of Christian teaching throughout the ages. He does so with the freshness of personal experience and the forcefulness of careful thought."

A Note From the Author:
God has you exactly where He needs you. Your work done faithfully and well, blesses others—answers countless prayers for food, clothing, shelter, health, justice, knowledge and joy—and glorifies God. Work is one significant way that you love God and love your neighbor.

Included in the book you will find the essays "Unto This Last" by John Ruskin, "Business: A Profession" by Louis D. Brandeis, and a transcript of the talk "How God is in Business" by Dr. Willard.

Devotional Classics

  1. Francis de Sales. Introduction to the Devout Life. Translated by John K. Ryan. Garden City, NY: Doubleday, Image Books, 1957.
  2. Brother Lawrence. The Practice of the Presence of God, many editions.
  3. Meisel, Anthony C. The Rule of St. Benedict. and M. L. del Mastro, eds. Garden City, NY: Doubleday, 1975.
  4. Penn, William. No Cross, No Crown. London: Philips and Fardon, 1806.
  5. Thomas a Kempis. The Imitation of Christ. Many editions.

The Four Gospels
Edersheim's Life and Times of Jesus the Messiah is an excellent help in understanding the four Gospels.

Contemplative Prayer

  1. Foster, Richard. Prayer: Finding the Heart's True Home. New York, NY: HarperCollins,1992.
  2. Nouwen, Henri. The Way of the Heart. New York: Ballantine Books, 1981.
  3. Johnson, Jan. When The Soul Listens. Colorado Springs, CO: NavPress, 1999.
  4. Ignatius. The Spiritual Exercises of St. Ignatius. Garden City, NY: Doubleday, Image Books, 1964.

Sanctification
Dr. Willard has called John Wesley's book, A Plain Account of Christian Perfection, the best explanation of sanctification he has ever read.

Spiritual Healing
E. Stanley Jones' Is The Kingdom of God Realism?, then Agnes Sanford's The Healing Light. The former you will have to get from a library or order over the web, it's long out of print. The latter is an inexpensive paperback, still printing.

Biographies/Autobiographies - Examples to Follow

  1. Athanasius. The Life of St. Antony. New York: Newman, 1978.
  2. The Confessions of St. Augustine. Many editions.
  3. Fox, George. Journal of George Fox. Edited by Norman Penney. London: Dent, 1948. Also in various other editions.
  4. Madame Jeanne Guyon: Her Autobiography, by Jan Johnson. 2008.
  5. Laubach, Frank C. Letters by a Modern Mystic. Foreword by Alden H. Clark. Edited and compiled by Constance E. Padwick. Syracuse, N.Y.: New Readers Press, 1955. First published in 1937. See Dr. Willard's review from Christian Spirituality.
  6. Teresa of Avila. Interior Castle. Translated and edited by E. Allison Peers. Garden City, NY: Doubleday, 1961.

Moral Development
John C. Gibbs, Moral Development and Reality: Beyond the Theories of Kohlberg and Hoffman, and C.S. Lewis, The Abolition of Man.