Here are 100 books that Love Wins fans have personally recommended if you like
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My faith is core to who I am. I love Jesus wholeheartedly and believe true fulfillment only comes through a relationship with Him. I believe we are all created on purpose for a purpose. I want every person I come in contact with to know that they are powerful, chosen, loved, and never alone. I also love creating and reading real and fictional stories that have a message. I believe that stories can seep through our layers and speak to the deepest parts of who we are. The books on my list are the ones that seeped deep down into my heart.
Understanding what we believe is foundational to following Jesus. I love how Lewis breaks down Christian faith fundamentals in real-life application. I found it powerful and thought-provoking. I go back to this book repeatedly, and it always reminds me that my ultimate purpose is to know God and make Him known.
One of the most popular and beloved introductions to the concept of faith ever written, 'Mere Christianity' has sold millions of copies worldwide.
The book brings together C.S. Lewis's legendary radio broadcasts during the war years, in which he set out simply to 'explain and defend the belief that has been common to nearly all Christians at all times'.
Rejecting the boundaries that divide Christianity's many denominations, Mere Christianity provides an unequalled opportunity for believers and nonbelievers alike to absorb a powerful, rational case for the Christian faith.
I love to hear the reasons behind what people think regarding the origin of the universe, the existence of God, and the fate of mankind. These topics are all closely related to apologetics, the study of defending one’s faith. I was taught in church that most of humanity is destined for endless torment in hell. However, I now see there is a wealth of scriptural and historical evidence to support the contention that all people will ultimately see the truth and be saved by Jesus Christ. This is a crucial question every Christian must confront, as it is central to defining the character and identity of God.
As a former atheist, Lee Strobel is uniquely qualified to explore the question of theism. In his easy-to-follow style, the author presents compelling evidence that quashed his skepticism and led him to conclude that a Creator exists and that Jesus Christ is His manifestation to mankind.
This is a thorough and popular apologetic work. There is, however, one caveat: Strobel’s interpretation of Christ’s victory is far more narrow than other works on this list that, in my view, correctly acknowledge the ultimate reconciliation of all people to God through Jesus Christ. In short, while the Bible promises that Christ will ultimately and completely eradicate sin and death, Strobel’s works suggest endless conscious torment in hell awaits most of humanity.
Is there credible proof that Jesus of Nazareth really is the Son of God? In The Case for Christ, Lee Strobel, former legal editor of the Chicago Tribune and New York Times bestselling author, retraces his own spiritual journey from atheism to faith and builds a captivating case for Christ's divinity.
In this revised and updated edition of The Case for Christ, Strobel cross-examines a dozen experts with doctorates from schools such as Cambridge, Princeton, and Brandeis, asking hard-hitting questions--and taking a deeper look at the evidence from the fields of science, philosophy, and history.
I love to hear the reasons behind what people think regarding the origin of the universe, the existence of God, and the fate of mankind. These topics are all closely related to apologetics, the study of defending one’s faith. I was taught in church that most of humanity is destined for endless torment in hell. However, I now see there is a wealth of scriptural and historical evidence to support the contention that all people will ultimately see the truth and be saved by Jesus Christ. This is a crucial question every Christian must confront, as it is central to defining the character and identity of God.
What basis is there for hope in the salvation of all? This book explores the possibility that Jesus may one day truly become “the Savior of All”―a view that many Christian literary works avoid or reject despite abundant evidence in its favor.
Jersak explores various views surrounding the topic of final judgment with clear and thoughtful objectivity. Many experts seem to want to impress―rather than inform―the reader, but this author’s accessible style conveys a powerful command of scripture and history in words most any reader can appreciate and benefit from.
I love to hear the reasons behind what people think regarding the origin of the universe, the existence of God, and the fate of mankind. These topics are all closely related to apologetics, the study of defending one’s faith. I was taught in church that most of humanity is destined for endless torment in hell. However, I now see there is a wealth of scriptural and historical evidence to support the contention that all people will ultimately see the truth and be saved by Jesus Christ. This is a crucial question every Christian must confront, as it is central to defining the character and identity of God.
First published in 1999, this book has since been heralded as required reading for anyone considering the possibility that God might save all of His creatures in the end. Talbott’s approach is humble and thorough, and, like any good book, the message is easily grasped by the interested reader. Drawing from a wealth of knowledge, he tests numerous salient scriptures and the history of their interpretation.
If God seems to be reacting to an out-of-control creation rather than proactively controlling the outcome to align with His perfect will, this book should be next on your list.
Will the love of God save us all? In this book Thomas Talbott seeks to expose the extent to which the Western theological tradition has managed to twist the New Testament message of love, forgiveness, and hope into a message of fear and guilt. According to the New Testament proclamation, he argues, God's love is both unconditional in its nature and unlimited in its scope; hence, no one need fear, for example, that God's love might suddenly turn into loveless hatred at the moment of one's physical death. For God's love remains the same yesterday, today, and forever. But neither…
I am King George III Professor in British History at the Ohio State University. While later medieval England is my specialty, I approach it through a study of the legal record. Medieval people were highly litigious – the average person ended up in court far more often than we do today, making legal records the best means to unearth information about the lives of normal people from the era. Most of my research has been sparked by questions students have asked me in class, such as: did medieval women stay with their abusive husbands? Did medieval children have rights? What was it like to be a single woman in medieval England?
When comparing the Protestant and Catholic versions of Mary, the Catholics always come out on top. The Protestant Mary is little more than a vessel to house the Godhead, while the Catholic Mary is the Queen of Heaven. Indeed, medieval sermons stories and miracles align Mary most closely with the superheroes of the modern era: ready to help at a moment’s notice, she takes on the worst of villains and always wins. Yet, there’s something about Mary… despite being best known for a quintessentially feminine act (giving birth), she’s really not your typical woman. Why is that?
In this movingly written book, Monagle explains how scholastic theologians of the Middle Ages refashioned the ideal Mary by stripping away the inherent messiness of femininity. Monagle explores also the pitfalls of this perfection for the modern woman, taking aim at Gwyneth Paltrow, Marie Kondo, and Jordan Peterson, all of whom seek to…
Scholastic theologians made the Virgin Mary increasingly perfect over the Middle Ages in Europe. Mary became stainless, offering an impossible but ideologically useful vision of womanhood. This work offers an implicit theory of the utility and feelings of women in a Christian salvationary economy. The Virgin was put to use as a shaming technology, one that silenced and effaced women's affective lives. The shame still stands to this day, although in secularised mutated forms. This Element deploys the intellectual history of medieval thought to map the moves made in codifying Mary's perfection. It then uses contemporary gender and affect theory…
My life is one of two halves; I spent the first half living in the industrial West Midlands, at school and then training to become a doctor, and the second half living in rural bliss in the southwest of England. For the day job, I’m an anesthesiologist, but my true passion, thanks to my mother being an English teacher, is reading romance and writing my own. I am well-travelled and spend a quarter of each year in France, so my books often have characters from all over Europe as well as characters working in the medical profession or overcoming/ living with a variety of health conditions.
As a Brit, I love books set in the US; I love exploring our cultural differences. This one is an angsty emotional journey with a very strong female character, which isn’t always successfully pulled off in romance novels. Love isn’t always rainbows and sunshine, and I think this is one of those stories reminding us that it needs to be worked at.
Twenty-one year old Laura Sedgwick is a rebel without a cause. Her only plans for life are to make no plans She revels in her fascination of the unexpected as she navigates her way through mid-nineties' Dallas nightlife. One very bad night brings her face to face with the one man likely to change her mind about…well...everything.
Twenty-three year old Seth Whitaker has every intention of seeing through with his well mapped out life. He is a hard working over-achiever that has no intentions of slowing his pace for anyone. With a fierce…
If you spend as long looking at medieval churches as I do, you also end up collecting a lot of books on the subject. Any church archaeologist cannot help also becoming something of a librarian. A passion for churches - and books. There are hundreds of church guidebooks out there, all of which have their own merits, but these are a small selection of books that look at different aspects of church history. They look at these amazing buildings through a different lens. These aren't a definitive guide - just books that I find myself returning to time and time again - for both information and pleasure.
Definitely not as grim as the title might suggest. All churches are crammed full of memorials to the dead, and many dozens of books have been written that focus upon the people who lie in these tombs, or beneath the elegant grave slabs. However, sometimes little attention has been given to these memorials themselves, and the craftspeople who made them. This book is the culmination of a lifetime's research and will fascinate anyone who has an interest in church decoration - or dead people.
I write historical fiction and survival adventures, but I’m a historian at heart. The past fascinates me and provides the best fodder to explore age-old questions about life, love, and the hero and heroine’s journey to greatness. History has sparked inspiration for some of the most beautiful fictional and reimagined stories I’ve ever read, and transports readers to places long forgotten and unknown—and all without cell phones and internet at the core. Perhaps that’s what I love—a crueler but more hard-earned, simpler life. I hope you enjoy these epic tales of love and adventure as much as I did, and lose yourself in the magic of story.
This was my first adult historical fantasy (not Young Adult) and I loved it. It’s epic in all ways that matter, with amazing world building, endearing and complex characters, sweeping landscapes and battles, love stories, and it’s beautifully written. This is one of those novels you would binge if it was a show, episode by episode, and wish that you could.
From the New York Times bestselling author comes a breathtaking fantasy of a cursed kingdom, warring clans, and unexpected salvation.
Bayr of Saylok, bastard son of a powerful and jealous chieftain, is haunted by the curse once leveled by his dying mother. Bartered, abandoned, and rarely loved, she plagued the land with her words: From this day forward, there will be no daughters in Saylok.
Raised among the Keepers at Temple Hill, Bayr is gifted with inhuman strength. But he's also blessed with an all-too-human heart that beats with one purpose: to protect Alba, the first girl child born in…
I’m an ADHD author who struggles finding books that grasp my attention and keep it so I’m often left in a reading slump. I seem to read samples of countless books before I find something that really draws me in and can engross me. I’ve done the footwork, now you can reap the benefits of all my late-night searching. I hope you enjoy the books on my list as much as I did!
I remember reading this book when I was in a particularly bad reading slump.
The story was so captivating and the world was so fresh I totally got lost in it. The main character was so vicious while also being incredibly vulnerable I couldn’t help but love her. And who doesn’t love a book about a female assassin?
If you like sassy female characters, dark magic, and an underdog story you’ll love this one!
In a world shrouded in darkness and cruelty, Arayna Gamon's life has been nothing but a relentless struggle against the grip of a sadistic slaver. But the tides of fate change when an unexpected opportunity arises, thrusting her into the heart of a clandestine order known as the Soul Stealers—an elite group of assassins with a chilling purpose.
For the first time in sixteen years, Arayna glimpses a chance at freedom, but it comes at a steep price. Bound to serve the insidious Dark Throne, she must harness her nascent powers, powers that dance at the edge of her fingertips,…
During college, I attended an inner-city black church during the years of the civil rights movement—and it changed the course of my life. My husband and I have lived in diverse neighborhoods and attended multicultural churches for most of our 56 years of marriage, realizing we have much to learn from our brothers and sisters of color. But the biggest influence that caused me to write theYada Yada Prayer Group novels was/is the prayer group of sisters of color that I’ve been part of for over 25 years. As we spent time together every week for years (!), these sisters helped turn my life and my faith upside down—or maybe “right side up.”
I didn’t know Rachel Held Evans personally, though I did meet her at one of the “Why Christian?” conferences she co-hosted with Nadia Bolz-Weber. But Rachel, who grew up in a white conservative culture like I did, boldly gave me permission to struggle with my faith, to dare to doubt cultural overlays on the basic truths of the gospel. This book—only partially completed when she died suddenly a couple years ago but finished from her various blogs and other writings by author-friend, Jeff Chu—continues to remind me that “wholehearted faith” is to “love God with my whole being and to love my neighbor as myself.” The two greatest commandments. It’s as simple—and as difficult—as that.
"A touching series of essays in which Evans, with Chu's invisible pen, explores how one might find a path forward in Christianity beyond conservative evangelicalism" -Eliza Griswold, The New Yorker
"Evans died at 37, but a beautiful new book captures her brave outlook. . . . I could not help but notice the poetry in Evans's prose. . . . What readers will find in these pages was someone deeply human: funny, irreverent, curious, wise, forgiving, nonjudgmental." -Maggie Smith, The Washington Post
A collection of original writings by Rachel Held Evans, whose reflections on faith and…
