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My Favorite Books for the 12 Days of Christmas (and beyond) by Rev. Dr. Lee B. Spitzer Recently, I was asked to compile a short reading list of recommended books for a group of ministers. How does one judge what are the 10 or 12 best spirituality books? Should the criteria emphasize influence, contemporary popularity, depth of insight, or even personal affinity to the book's teachings or style? There does not seem to be any objective way to handle such an exercise, and yet, the attempt in and of itself is not only fun, but potentially helpful to others who cannot read everything that has ever been published. Accordingly, this list presents, for the first time, a collection of books I personally would recommend as "must reads" for people who want to deepen their appreciation for spiritual journeying. The list, as always, is eclectic and obviously not exhaustive, and represents my personal favorites from three decades of reading on the subject. You will note that I have also cheated by listing some additional "honorable mentions" under many sections. Please feel free to check out the dozens of books listed in the sections above. For your convenience (since many of these books may not be readily available in your local bookstore), I have directly linked each book to its page at Amazon.com; just click its title and you can order in no time! Spiritual Journey Press is an associate of Amazon.com. Please note: the books presented throughout the web site represent a variety of perspectives. When a book receives a recommendation on this web site, it means that it is significant and well-written, and not necessarily that I agree with everything the author states.
Day One: My Favorite Book of Spiritual Autobiography
Augustine's autobiographical account of his journey to Christ is rightly acclaimed a spiritual masterpiece. His encounter with God's love. mercy and forgiveness in a garden is an archetypal evangelical conversion. Quick Quote: "I probed the hidden depths of my soul and wrung its pitiful secrets from it, and when I mustered them all before the eyes of my heart, a great storm broke within me, bringing with it a great deluge of tears."
Day Two: My Favorite Book about Spiritual Direction
The small but profound work on the mystical life which forever changed my own spiritual journey. St. John, perhaps the greatest psychologist of the soul, has influenced many contemplatives over the past four centuries, including Merton, Nouwen and Pope John Paul II. His works, along with those of Teresa of Avila, are invaluable to the more mature Christian. John's understanding of the stages of the contemplative journey has never been surpassed, but it is not a book for beginners.
Day Three: My Favorite Allegory about Spiritual Journeying
This is still the best description of the classical spiritual journey, as viewed from a Protestant perspective. Although often relegated to the world of children's literature, it is really a superb guide for adults who are seeking a deeper understanding of how God guides the soul into spiritual maturity. Quick Quote: "I never thought that by awakening for sin, God at first begins the conversion of a sinner."
Day Four: My Favorite Book about Prayer
This slim volume is one of the best introductions to solitude, silence and prayer I have read. Nouwen gets to the heart of the matter in elegant but simple language. Though originally addressed to religious workers, any lay person will find it a joy to read. Quick Quote: "Solitude is the furnace of transformation. Without solitude we remain victims of our society and continue to be entangled in the illusions of the false self."
Day Five: My Favorite Historical Overview(s) of Early Christian Spirituality
This is a classic scholarly introduction to the beginnings of Christian mysticism and the monastic movement. I had the privilege of listening to Dr, McGinn while I was on sabbatical in Israel in 2001 and was impressed. Honorable Mention:
Alister E. McGrath,
Christian
Spirituality : An Introduction
Day Six: My Favorite Spiritual Journey Novel Okay - so I can't limit this section to just one book! Who's going to complain, anyway? And to be honest, I feel that a skilled novelist can often present spiritual journey themes in a more effective manner than most theologians.
I discovered the movie and later the book as a teenager, and both impacted my journey in significant ways. Lost Horizon is the story of the spiritual journey of Robert Conway, a British diplomat in 1930's war-torn China. His plane is hijacked and he is carried off to Shangri-la, where he meets a lama (actually a Catholic missionary who is centuries old) who commits the idyllic valley community to his safekeeping. Will Conway accept this call and stay? Also on VHS tape. The DVD also contains extra footage, including an alternate ending.
Hobbits are, of course, small, furry creatures who love nothing better than a leisurely life quite free from adventure. But in that first novel and the Lord of the Rings trilogy, the hobbits Bilbo and Frodo and their elfish friends get swept up into a mighty conflict with the dragon Smaug, the dark lord Sauron, the monstrous Gollum, the Cracks of Doom, and the awful power of the magical Ring. The four books' characters--good and evil--are recognizably human, and the realism is deepened by the magnificent detail of the vast parallel world Tolkien devised, inspired partly by his influential Anglo-Saxon scholarship and his Christian beliefs. If you wish to watch the movie on DVD, I urge you to purchase the extended cut DVD offerings, which are better than the original theatrical releases.
The story of a seventeenth century Portuguese missionary-priest who is persecuted in Japan. This novel probes the meaning of the Cross and the suffering of Jesus as European Christianity and Japanese culture and tradition confront one another. See also Endo's A Life of Jesus. The greatest Japanese novelist of the twentieth century shares Jesus with non-Christian Japanese readers by taking a novelist's approach to the Gospel narratives. Two other works by Endo which explore Christian themes are The Girl I left Behind and The Final Martyrs. Honorable Mention: C.S. Lewis, The Chronicles of Narnia BOXED SET. If you are going to recommend Tolkien, how can you leave out Lewis? This set includes: The Magician's Nephew/The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe/The Horse and His Boy/Prince Caspian/Voyage of the Dawn Treader/The Silver Chair/The Last Battle. For a younger reader than the Hobbit series.
Day Seven: My Favorite Protestant Book about Spirituality lease feel free to check out the dozens of books listed in the sections above. For your convenience (since many of these N. T. Wright, The Way of the Lord: Christian Pilgrimage Today For Wright, pilgrimage is deeper than tourism. A tourist visits a place, while a pilgrim seeks an encounter with God utilizing place as a sign of God's presence. Wright explores Holy Land sites and places them within the context of Christian faith.
Day Eight: My Favorite Evangelical Book about Spirituality
Soul Guide: Following Jesus As Spiritual Director by Dr. Bruce A. Demarest This wonderful book was written recently by a friend of mine, Bruce Demarest, who is a professor at Denver Seminary. If you buy just one book this season to inspire you, this should be the one! Bruce's advice on how to journey is very helpful and his survey of soul care - Jesus style - is excellent. And how can I not recommend a book that refers to Endless Possibilities' redemptive and mission level journey model (see page 28)? See also Bruce Demarest, Satisfy Your Soul: Restoring the Heart of Christian Spirituality. This is an excellent overview of the subject of spiritual formation from an evangelical perspective.
Day Nine: My Favorite Book(s) of Devotions on Mystical Musings
Born Jewish, this French mystic delighted in being outside the Catholic Church while believing in Jesus. Weil's reflections on gravity and grace, detachment, and attention (as prayer) are illuminating and brilliant. She is creative and always counter-intuitive in her probing of the mysteries of God's presence in our lives. She's not an easy read, but well worth your effort.
Day Ten: My Favorite Spirituality Book for Young Children
I fell in love with this story in when
the youth from FBC, Lincoln, performed it. It is a wonderful "journey"
story and makes an excellent Christmas gift for children. From the
Amazon.com web site: "Featuring the wonderful illustrations of Tim
Jonke, this best-selling children’s book tells the Easter story from a new and
unusual point of view. Children will be deeply touched as they understand,
perhaps for the first time, the significance of Christ’s life and his atoning
sacrifice on the cross."
Day Eleven: My Favorite Book of Essays about Spirituality
In the first half of the book, Auden has written a brilliant set of essays on Christian doctrine, thought and mysticism. The essays on Protestant Mysticism and Kierkegaard are worth the price of the entire volume.
Day Twelve: My Favorite Book about the Sabbath (Jewish Spirituality)
There is no better work on the spirituality of the Sabbath than this brief reflection by one of the greatest Jewish writers of the twentieth century. Heschel probes the beauty, mystery and power of the Sabbath with a writing style that is almost poetic. Every page elevates the soul to new heights of appreciation for God. Quick Quote: "The Sabbath is the day on which we learn the art of surpassing civilization. . . The Sabbath itself is a sanctuary which we build, a sanctuary in time."
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