For more Books recommendations, click here: My
Top Book Lists
“He that walketh with
the wise men shall be wise”
(Proverbs 13:20)
(Proverbs 13:20)
Philip Brooks, preacher, and author, said, “A biography is, indeed,
a book; but far more than a book, it is a man… Never lay the biography down
until the man is a living, breathing, acting person to you.” We
who are in the ministry – of all people – ought to read biographies. We minister
to real people, and the better we understand great men and their times, the
better we can minister to our people in our times. A truly good biography of a
great person “has a universal quality
about it that makes it touch life at many points” writes Warren W. Wiersbe.
But I have to warn us (and
to remind myself) that after reading a biography of a great man we must never
try to merely imitate him. To be honest, today there are many pastors and
preachers who are carbon copies of great men, who try to be someone else but
themselves. I’m convinced that God wants each one of us to be ourselves. There is
no need for us to imitate others – yes, to imitate their faith and passion for
Christ; but no, to imitate their ministries and gifts – when God has a work for
each of us to do in His own special way. Again, Brooks advises, “The
object of reading biography… is not imitation but inspiration.” Oh yes,
for inspiration!
Here are my 20 top
biographies and autobiographies in this writing. The possibilities of Christian
biography/autography are limitless, and obviously, I only read as much as I can
from the vast library of great biographies out there. My purpose in sharing my ‘top’
list of books is to get you, the reader, to start discovering Christian
biography for yourself by giving you suggestions of what books to read, in other words, to inspire you to read books.
And to cultivate your passion for great literature. By the way, here are my lists:
1) Walking with the Giants: A
Minster’s Guide to Good Reading and Great Preaching (1976) by Warren W. Wiersbe.
This book covers 18 great preacher-authors such as Samuel Rutherford, F.W.
Robertson, Alexander Maclaren, R.W. Dale, Joseph Parker, J. Hudson Taylor,
Charles H. Spurgeon, Phillips Brooks, Alexander Whyte, W. Robertson Nicoll,
Charles E. Jefferson, A.C. Gaebelein, B.H. Carroll, G. Campbell Morgan, J.D.
Jones, George H. Morrison, Frank W. Boreham, A.W. Tozer, and W.E. Sangster. I read
this a long time ago, and need to read it again.
2) More than Conquerors:
Portraits of Believers from All Walks of Life (1992) edited by John Woodbridge. This book covers
about 69 great men and women of God. I like reading particularly about George
MacDonald, C.S. Lewis, Hudson Tailor, Jim Elliot, Amy Carmichael, Ken Taylor,
D.L. Moody, Sadhu Sundar Singh, Billy Sunday, John Sung, Billy Graham, C.H.
Spurgeon, A.W. Tozer, Martyn Lloyd-Jones, J.I. Packer, etc.
3) Spurgeon, A New Biography (1988) by Arnold Dallimore.
What can I say, this is a very inspiring book about Charles Haddon Spurgeon (1834
– 1892), a great Baptist preacher and writer. My favorite!
4) Charles Spurgeon: The
Prince of Preachers (1997) by Dan Harmon, under Barbour Publishing Heroes
of the Faith series.
5) John Calvin: Father of
Reformed Theology (2001) by Sam
Wellman. Heroes of the Faith Series.
6) John Wycliffe: Herald of
the Reformation (?) by Ellen Caughey. Heroes of the Faith Series
7) Jonathan Edwards: The Great
Awakener (?) by Helen K. Hosier. Heroes
of the Faith Series
8) Martin Luther: The Great
Reformer (1995) by Edwin P. Booth. Heroes
of the Faith Series
9) William Tyndale: Bible
Translator and Martyr (?) by Bruce Fish. Heroes of the Faith Series
10) God’s Passion for His
Glory: Living the Vision of Jonathan Edwards (1998) by John Piper. The first part of this book
tells the story of Jonathan Edward’s life.
11) A Could of Witnesses: The
Great Christian Thinkers (1990) by Alister McGrath. He covers the life and
theology of Athanasius, Augustine of Hippo, Anselm of Canterbury, Thomas
Aquinas, Martin Luther, Huldrych Zwingli, John Calvin, Jonathan Edwards, Karl
Barth, and C.S. Lewis. Wonderful!
12) Five Leading Reformers:
Live at a Watershed of History (2000) by Christopher Caterwood. This book covers the five
most influential reformers who shape the theology and thinking of the Reformed.
They are Martin Luther, Thomas Cranmer, John Calvin, John Knox, and Ulrich
Zwingli.
13) Mother Teresa: Come Be My
Light (2007) by Brian
Kolodiejchuk. This work reveals the inner spiritual life of Mother Teresa and
her private writings.
14) The Confessions (actually written in Latin
between AD 397 and 400) by Saint Augustine. This is his autobiography in the form
of prayers to God to tell about the conflict between good and evil in his life and how he found spiritual growth and unshakeable faith in Christ alone.
15) Tortured for Christ (1969) by Richard Wurmbrand.
This is an autobiography about a Romanian pastor who physically torture for his
faith, who constantly suffer from hunger and cold, and who went through anguish
brainwashing, and mental cruelty and yet survived to tell the story. Very touching
and inspiring!
16) The Heavenly Man: The
Remarkable True Story of Chinese Christian Brother Yun (2002) by Paul Hattaway and
Brother Yun. A dramatic autobiography of one of China's dedicated, courageous,
and intensely persecuted house church leaders.
17) Sadhu Sundar Singh: A
Biography of the Remarkable Indian Disciple of Jesus Christ (1992) by Phyllis Thompson.
He is one of the most influential Indian preachers.
18) Revolution in World
Missions: One Man's Journey to Change a Generation (2009) by K. P. Yohannan. I
fully recommend this book. Period.
19) 50 People Every Christian
Should Know (2009) by Warren W.
Wiersbe. This book combined stories of fifty faithful men and women in
Christian history. Very simple, short, and compact.
20) Here I Stand: A Life of
Martin Luther (1950) by Ronald H.
Bainton. You’re not really Luther’s follower if you haven’t read this book. As
it was said that this book is “a vivid
portrait of Martin Luther, the man of unshakeable faith in God who helped bring
about the Protestant Reformation.” I will read it a second time this year.
THINK BIG.
START SMALL. GO DEEP.
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