Everyone's a theologian because everyone unavoidably thinks about God.  Ironically, even those who say he doesn't exist think about him.  And so the question is never merely, "Do I like theology or not?"  But rather is this: "Is the theology that's filling my thoughts about God real or a deception?  Is it leading me to life and reality or death and delusion?"  God is very intent on us knowing who he actually is, who we actually are, and what our true needs really are.  And most importantly, he intends to tell us the true story of Reality--that the world and everyone in it are profoundly broken and that he is doing something about it through Jesus and his Spirit.

So, why bother reading any of the books mentioned below?  Because they can be like an outstretched arm to you, offering to lift you to a new vantage point to see God and his action in the world more clearly.  While bad theology can kill you (the same way a bad GPS can lead you into the middle of nowhere), the Bible and books that are steeped in it can rescue you and point the way home.  So why not grab a friend or two and give one of these a try?  If you want to BORROW the book, let Jonathan know as he has many of these. If you want to BUY the book, here's a great online bookstore with cheap prices.

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BASIC READING & LITERATURE

• The Bible
  
• The Chronicles of Narnia, C.S. Lewis
  
• Collection of Short Stories, Flannery O'Connor
  
• Mystery & Manners, Flannery O'Connor
  
• Pensees, Blaise Pascal
• Telling the Truth: The Gospel as Tragedy, Comedy, & Fairytale, Frederich Buechner
  
• Wishful Thinking: A Seeker's ABCs, Frederich Buechner

BECOMING A CHRISTIAN

• The Reason For God, Tim Keller
  
• Cries of the Heart, Ravi Zacharaeus
• Knowing God, J.I. Packer
  
• Simply Christian, N.T. Wright
• God's Way of Peace, Horatious Bonar

READING & UNDERSTANDING THE BIBLE

• Getting the Message, Dan Doriani
• Cross Talk: Where Life & Scripture Meet, Mike Emlet
• The Jesus Storybook Bible, Sally Lloyd-Jones
• Jesus on Every Page, David Murray

BIBLICAL WORLDVIEW

• Creation Regained, Al Wolters 
• Not the Way it’s Supposed to Be, Cornelius Plantinga 
• Desiring The Kingdom, James K.A. Smith
• Institutes of the Christian Religion, Jean Calvin

LEARNING TO LOVE THE CHURCH 

• Life Together, Dietrich Bonhoeffer 
  
• Why We Love the Church: In Praise of Institutions & Organized Religion, Kevin DeYoung & Ted Kluck
• The Enduring Community, Brian Habig and Les Newsom 
• On Being Presbyterian, Sean Michael Lucas
• The Church, Edmond Clowney

THE CHRISTIAN LIFE

• How People Change, Paul Tripp & Tim Lane
• The Enemy Within, Kris Lundgaard  
• Principles of Conduct, John Murray
• Children of the Living God, Sinclair Ferguson
• Discovering God's Will, Sinclair Ferguson
• The Bruised Reed, Richard Sibbes
• Running Scared: Fear, Worry & the Rest of God, Ed Welch
• When People Are Big & God Is Small, Ed Welch
• A Praying Life, Paul Miller

LEARNING TO THINK LIKE A CHRISTIAN

• Reasons of the Heart, William Edgar
• Redemption Accomplished & Applied, John Murray
• Rebels Rescued: A Student's Guide to Reformed Theology,    Brian Cosby
• Every Thought Captive, Richard Pratt 
• The Sermon on the Mount: Kingdom Life in a Fallen World, Sinclair Ferguson

RELATIONSHIPS

• A Loving Life, Paul Miller
• Making Room, Christine Pohl
• What's a Family, Edith Schaeffer
• Relationships: A Mess Worth Making, Tim Lane and Paul Tripp
• The Meaning of Marriage, Tim Keller
• As for Me and My House, Walter Wangerin

MINISTRY

• Get Real: Sharing Your Everyday Faith Every Day, John Leonard
• The Contemplative Pastor, Eugene Peterson
• A Word In Season, Lesslie Newbigin
• Under the Unpredictable Plant, Eugene Peterson
• Ministries of Mercy, Tim Keller 
• The Crucifixion of Ministry, Andrew Purves
• Dangerous Calling, Paul David Tripp