Grace Baptist Church (Cape Coral, Florida), pastored by Tom Ascol, lists on its website the following list of recommended books by and about Charles Spurgeon:
- Morning and Evening
, by Charles Spurgeon
- Lectures to My Students
, by Charles Spurgeon
- The Treasury of David
(3 vol.), by Charles Spurgeon
- The Soulwinner
, by Charles Spurgeon
- All of Grace
, by Charles Spurgeon
- Autobiography of C.H. Spurgeon
, by Banner of Truth
- The Forgotten Spurgeon
, by Iain Murray
- Spurgeon v. Hyper-Calvinism: The Battle for Gospel Preaching
, by Iain Murray
- Spurgeon: Prince of Preachers
, by Lewis Drummond
- Spurgeon
, by Arnold Dallimore
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RELATED
The Eschatology of Charles Haddon Spurgeon (Dictionary of Premillennial Theology
)
Select Quotes of Charles Haddon Spurgeon
Charles Spurgeon on Reading
__________
Check out the Spurgeon Archive
“It is always essential for us to supplement our reading of theology with the reading of church history…
If we do not, we shall be in danger of becoming abstract, theoretical, and academic in our view of truth;
and, failing to relate it to the practicalities of life and daily living, we shall soon be in trouble.”
Martyn Lloyd-Jones, “Can We Learn from History?” Puritans
, pp. 215-16
* * *
In his course on the Ancient and Medieval Church at Covenant Theological Seminary, David Calhoun used the textbook The Story of Christianity, Volume 1: The Early Church to the Dawn of the Reformation
by Justo Gonzalez. In his lecture on “The Study of Church History”, he recommended the following texts:
Clarke, Kenneth. Civilisation: A Personal View
. 1969.
An overview of western history with special emphasis on the arts and a humanistic interpretation of what it all means.
McGrath, Alister E. Christian Theology: An Introduction
. 1994.
Historical theology presented ably and as simply as possible.
Moffett, Samuel H. A History of Christianity in Asia: Beginnings to 1500
. 1992.
The first of two masterful volumes covering the neglected story of Asian Christianity, this history traces the spread of Christianity to Persia and India, and then overland to China, where evidence exists of Christian activity dating from the 7th century.
Pelikan, Jaroslav. The Christian Tradition: A History of the Development of Doctrine
(5 vols.)
The magnum opus of a great scholar (a Lutheran who recently converted to Eastern Orthodoxy).
Potok, Chaim. Wanderings: History of the Jews
. 1978.
A wonderfully written story of the Jews by an acclaimed novelist.
Schaeffer, Francis A. How Should We Then Live?: The Rise and Decline of Western Thought and Culture
. 1976.
Schaeffer’s influential study of the rise and (mainly) the decline of western thought.
Shaw, Mark R. The Kingdom of God in Africa: A Short History of African Christianity
. 1996.
Part 1 covers the church before the emergence of Islam; part 2, the medieval centuries of Islamic domination; part 3, the missions and colonial eras; and part 4, the remarkable story of twentieth-century African Christianity.
Williams, Charles. The Descent of the Dove
. 1939.
Idiosyncratic, brilliant, perplexing, and illuminating history. Eugene H. Peterson wrote in Take and Read
, “When I started reading [Charles] Williams [The Descent of the Dove], I was a sectarian, ‘related’ only to a small coterie of people who lived and thought and prayed like me. When I finished, I was part of a congregation centuries deep and continents wide” (p. 1).
* * *
And in the subsequent lecture on “The Growth of the Church,” he recommends:
The Missionary Movement in Christian History: Studies in Transmission of Faith
.
One of the most important books of Christian history of the 1990s. By a Scottish mission
historian and missionary.
* * *
In lecture three on The Martyrs, he quotes from and/or recommends the following:
Henryk Sienkiewicz, Quo Vadis
F. F. Bruce, Spreading Flame: The Rise and Progress of Christianity from Its First Beginnings to the Conversion of the English
Maier, Paul L. The Flames of Rome: A Documentary Novel
Some team members of the Youth Specialties one day conference on “Unleashing Scripture in Your Life and Ministry” recommended the following as some of their favorite Bible study resources.
Dave Ambrose
- www.blueletterbible.org
- www.biblegateway.com
Heather Flies
Dan Jessup
Crystal Kirgiss
Danny Kwon
Fred Lynch
Mark Matlock
Brock Morgan
Marv Penner
Duffy Robbins
__________
RELATED
Youth Specialties Recommendations For Building Your Library
Life & Thought Seminars at The College At Southwestern
Master List of Great Quotes
At a recent Youth Specialties conference on “Unleashing Scripture In Your Life & Ministry”, the following list of helpful resources were suggested for youth ministers as they build their libraries.
Biblical Encyclopedias
Biblical encyclopedias are often written with regard to a particular subject like Bible Difficulties or Biblical Characters. They often provide more extensive and comprehensive information in comparison to a Bible Dictionary. There are any number of these available depending on what, in particular, you want to study.
Lexicon
Lexicons give you insight into the original languages o the Biblical text. For beginners try A Reader’s Hebrew-English Lexicon of the Old Testament
by Terry A. Armstrong, Douglas L. Busby and Cyril F. Carr and A Reader’s Greek-English Lexicon of the New Testament
by Sakae Kubo.
Bible Dictionary
Want to get some more information on a Biblical topic? A Bible dictionary is where you want to look. The NIV Compact Dictionary of the Bible
by J.D. Douglas, Merrill C. Tenney is both easy to manage and simple to understand.
Concordance
A concordance lists every occurrence of a particular word in the Bible. Strong’s 
is the most popular, but uses only the King James. If the NIV is more your style, check out The Strongest NIV Exhaustive Concordance
by Edward W. Goodrick, John R. Kohlenberger III.
Bible Handbook
Bible handbooks help give you insight into the cultural, religious, geographical and archaeological context of the Biblical narrative. By far the most popular and helpful is Halley’s Bible Handbook 
by Henry H. Halley.
Commentary
Commentaries are written by Biblical scholars to give you insight into the overarching themes of scripture as well as the details contained within each individual verse. For one trusted and used by academics and casual students alike, check out The Expositor’s Bible Commentary
by Zondervan.
__________
RELATED
I breathed a deep sigh of relief when I learned that their was only minimal Hurricane Katriana damage to the library and books at New Orleans Baptist Theological Seminary. They have some jewels in their collection that would be impossible to replace. The following article describes some of their special items.
* * *
Rare Books At NOBTS Get Attention
By Gary D. Myers
NEW ORLEANS–The strong but pleasant smell of old leather and parchment fills the rare books room in New Orleans Baptist Theological Seminary’s John T. Christian Library. Shelf after shelf of ancient books and documents line the walls of this long narrow room.
Stepping into the room is a step back in time -– into the world of Reformers and the dawn of the printing press. It’s also a step back to the earlier days of the seminary when the library’s namesake, John T. Christian, donated the collection shortly before his death. Because they are so delicate, the books have rarely been seen, much less used.
Though closed to the general public, the room has been the site of intense research since February. Last spring Ellen Middlebrook Herron, a Chicago-based scholar specializing in medieval history and rare books, spent four months carefully assessing and cataloging the collection.
For years, library workers suspected that the collection was special, if not remarkable. Herron’s research has confirmed its uniqueness and importance.
“It’s a really nice collection and now that it’s getting organized, it’s a great opportunity to get students fired up,” Herron said. “I’m excited to have a small part in helping these books that have been quiet for 80 years or so live again.”
The books and documents include an illuminated manuscript from the 12th century, a leaf from the Gutenberg Bible, a Geneva Bible and works by the Reformers such as Martin Luther and Ulrich Zwingli. Several books are inscribed with handwritten notes by Charles H. Spurgeon.
In total, the seminary owns 600 rare and unique books and documents.
Herron first became acquainted with the collection in early 2005. At the time, she was serving as the curator of the traveling Dead Sea Scrolls exhibit, for which NOBTS was an institutional sponsor for the exhibit’s stop in Mobile, Ala. In connection with the display of the scrolls, Herron put together an exhibit on the history of Bible translation. She chose several volumes from the NOBTS collection to help illustrate how the Bible has been preserved and passed down through the centuries.
After the Dead Sea Scroll exhibit, Jeff Griffin, director of libraries at NOBTS, invited Herron to assess the NOBTS collection on a contract basis. She planned to come on Aug. 30, 2005, and begin the work of cataloging the collection. When Hurricane Katrina hit on Aug. 29, her trip was postponed.
But the books were safe. Before evacuating, Griffin and his staff packed the rare books in plastic boxes and placed them in an interior room on the second floor of the library.
After the seminary’s initial hurricane recovery stage, Griffin decided to get the rare book project got back on track. In November 2006, he offered Herron a short-term contract to work with the books. For her, it was an easy decision.
“I developed a great affection for the seminary when I was working on the Dead Sea Scrolls [exhibit] and a great affection for the city,” she said. “I wanted to come down and do some things to help.”
Herron said that many universities and seminaries have similar collections that are not cataloged or utilized. She emphasized the importance of organizing, cataloging and registering the existence of these rare books. The cataloging process often leads to surprises.
“You never know what you will find,” she said.
It didn’t take long for Herron to make an exciting discovery at the NOBTS library.
Shortly after arriving in February, she discovered a book she had not seen before -– a collection of sermons by an Italian preacher printed in 1479. She called the volume “one of the treasures” in the John T. Christian Collection. Only two other known copies of this pre-Reformation book exist.
Printed just 24 years after Johannes Gutenberg produced the first press-printed Bible, the volume belongs to a rare class of books called incunabules. Herron said the term means “from the cradle of printing” and refers to books printed before 1500.
“I think this is a particularly great find and needs to have some research done on it,” Herron said. “This is one of my favorite things in the collection.”
Besides the sermons, the book reflects the story of how printing and binding developed, Herron said. “It is a really great example of early printing,” she said. “It looks a lot like a manuscript. It’s a really nice example of book history.”
Early printers carried over the practice of hand-lettering highly decorative initials from manuscript production. The wear of the book also offers a look at early book construction. The missing inside of the cover reveals that the pages were bound together by thick leather straps. The straps also attach the pages to wooden end boards, forming a sturdy cover. The end boards were then covered with fine leather.
The faded shelf mark on the book attests to how books were stored. Unlike current shelving procedure which stores books vertically with the spine out, in that period books were stored flat with titles written across the page edges.
“This is in remarkable condition for a book that’s 550 years old,” Herron said.
Another book that caught Herron’s attention is a volume that profiles the leaders of the Reformation. Written by Theodore Beza in 1581, the book gives descriptions of important Reformers and the work they did. The book also includes engravings of each of the Reformers.
While engravings of John Calvin and Martin Luther are common, Herron said woodcuts of other Reformers are extremely rare.
“I think this is a really neat find. I’ve never seen anything like it,” she said. “To be able to see the faces of the early Reformers, I think, is pretty amazing. The engravings are just beautiful.”
Other collection rarities include a theological work by Zwingli written in 1523 and the Gutenberg Bible leaf from the Book of Isaiah. The collection also features a Mennonite confession from 1620, of which only three other copies of this Dutch text exist.
“This is history,” Herron said about the Gutenberg page. “It’s the first book ever printed. It’s amazing.”
The introduction of metal-alloy moveable type by Gutenberg revolutionized book production. Before Gutenberg developed his technique, books were copied by hand. The press paved the way to increased literacy and the availability and affordability of Scriptures for common people.
Though not as rare as some of the other volumes, the collection includes a copy of the Geneva Bible, an important English Bible printed in 1562. This Bible, sometimes called the “Breeches Bible” due to the somewhat humorous translation of Genesis 3:7, was the first English Bible to include chapter divisions. The Puritans would have had a copy of this Bible with them on the Mayflower, Herron noted.
The quality, quantity and rarity of the collection raises the question, “How did the seminary acquire the books?” Griffin recounted that John T. Christian collected most of the books in Europe in the early 20th century. While pastoring churches in Mississippi, Arkansas, Tennessee and Kentucky, Christian made frequent summer trips to London. The trained church historian frequented the shops and stalls looking for important and unique books.
One of the seminary’s founding fathers, Christian served on the committee that recommended the establishment of the seminary in 1917. In 1919, trustees elected Christian to the faculty. From 1919 until his death in 1925, he taught church history and served as the seminary’s librarian. Now, 82 years after his death, the full impact of Christian’s diligent work of collection is finally coming into focus.
Griffin said there are no plans to begin showing the books in the current library. However, the board of trustees approved the planning process for a new, state-of-the-art library. When the new library is built, space will be available for display of these important works.
This does not diminish the importance of Herron’s work in cataloging and organizing the collection. Through her efforts, the academic community now knows the existence of additional copies of several rare volumes.
In the General Bibliography of I’m Glad You Asked
, Kenneth Boa & Larry Moody recommend the following as books that “cover the whole range of topics related to apologetics and evangelism” in a manner less technical than most philosophy of religion books:
Joseph Aldrich, Lifestyle Evangelism
J.N.D. Anderson, Christianity and Comparative Religion
Kenneth Boa, God I Don’t Understand
Kenneth Boa, Cults, World Religions, and You
James Montgomery Boice, Does Inerrancy Matter?
James Mongomery Boice, ed., The Foundation of Biblical Authority
Colin Brown, ed., History, Criticism, & Faith
F.F. Bruce, The New Testament Documents: Are They Reliable?
Edward John Carnell, The Case for Biblical Christianity
Edward John Carnell, An Introduction to Christian Apologetics
Edward John Carnell, A Philosophy of the Christian Religion
J.V. Langmead Casserly, Apologetics and Evangelism
Colin Chapman, The Case For Christianity
Colin Chapman, Christianity on Trial
Gordon, H. Clark, ed., Can I Trust My Bible
Robert E.D. Clark, Science and Christianity–A Partnership
James F. Coppedge, Evolution: Possible or Impossible?
William Lane Craig, the Existence of God and the Beginning of the Universe
William Lane Craig, the Son Rises: Historical Evidence for the Resurrection of Jesus Christ
Bolton Davidheiser, Evolution and Christian Faith
David A. DeWitt, Answering the Tough Ones
David Hugh Freeman, A Philosophical Study of Religion
Norman L. Geisler, Apologetics
Norman L. Geisler, ed., Inerrancy
Norman L. Geisler, Philosophy of Religion
Norman L. Geisler an Paul D. Feinberg, Introduction to Philosophy
John Gerstner, Reason for Faith
Jerry H. Gill, the Possibility of Religious knowledge
Michael Green, Man Alive!
Os Guinness, The Dust of Death
Don J. Gutteridge, Jr., The Defense Rests Its Case
Gary R. Habermas, The Resurrection of Jesus
R. Laird Harris, Inspiration and Canonicity of the Bible
Arthur F. Holmes, Faith Seeks Understanding
Arlie J. Hoover, The Case for Christian Theism
Arlie J. Hoover, Fallacies of Unbelief
Cedric B. Johnson and H. Newton Malony, Christian Conversion: biblical and Psychological Perspectives
C.S. Lewis, The Abolition of Man
C.S. Lewis, God in the Dock
C.S. Lewis, Mere Christianity
C.S. Lewis, Miracles. A Preliminary Study
C. S. Lewis, The Problem of Pain
Gordon R. Lewis, Judge for Yourself
Gordon R. Lewis, Testing Christianity’s Truth Claims
Paul E. Little, How to Give Away Your Faith
Paul E. Little, Know Why You Believe
Wayne McDill, Making Friends for Christ
Josh McDowell, Evidence That Demands a Verdict
Josh McDowell, More Than A Carpenter
Josh McDowell, The Resurrection Factor
Josh McDowell and Don Stewart, Answers To Tough Questions
Josh McDowell and Don Stewart, Reasons Why Skeptics Ought to Consider Christianity
Alan Loy McGinnis, The Friendship Factor
John Warwick Montgomery, ed., Christianity for the Tough Minded
John Warwick Montgomery, Faith Founded on Fact
John Warwick Montgomery, ed., God’s Inerrant Word
John Warwick Montgomery, History and Christianity
Frank Morrison, Who Moved the Stone?
Henry Morris, biblical Cosmology and Modern Science
Henry Morris, Many Infallible Proofs
Jon Tal Murphree, A Loving God and A Suffering World
J.I. Packer, God Has Spoken
Jim Peterson, Evangelism As A Lifestyle
Clark Pinnock, Reason Enough
Clark H. Pinnock, Set Forth Your Case
Mattew Prince, Winning Through Caring
Richard L. Purtill, Reason To Believe
Earl Radmacher, ed., Can We Trust the Bible?
Bernard Ramm, A Christian Appeal to Reason
Robert L. Reymond, The Justification of Knowledge
Don Richardson, Eternity In Their Hearts
Francis Schaeffer, Escape From Reason
Francis Schaeffer, The God Who Is There
Francis Schaeffer, He Is There and he Is Not Silent
Francis Schaeffer, How Should We Then Live
Hugh Sylvester, Arguing With God
James Sire, The Universe Next Door
A.E. Wilder Smith, Man’s Origin, Man’s Destiny
R.C. Sproul, If There Is a God, Why Are There Atheists
R.C. Sproul, Objections Answered
Kenneth E. Stevenson and Gary R. Habermas, Verdict on the Shroud
John R.W. Stott, Basic Christianity
Merrill C. Tenney, The Reality of the Resurrection
L. Duane Thurman, How to Think About Evolution
Cornelius Van Til, Apologetics
Cornelius Van Til, Christian-Theistic Evidences
Cornelius Van Til, The Defense of the Faith
John Wenham, The Goodness of God
Rheinallt Nantlais Williams, Faith, Facts, History, Science–and How They Fit Together
Clifford A. Wilson, Rocks, Relics, and Biblical Reliability
Nicholas Wolterstorff, Reason Within the Bounds of Religion
Barry Wood, Questions Non-Christians Ask
Edwin Yamauchi, The Stones and the Scriptures
Philip Yancey, Where is God When It Hurts?
__________
More Books of Interest
Tags: Apologetics, Bibliology, Blog, Evangelism, Evolution, history, justification, Missions, Philosophy of Religion, reason, Resurrection
In his book Why Should Anyone Believe Anything At All, James Sire recommends the following books on The Character of Jesus Christ:
The Gospels of Mathew, Mark, Luke and John
Jesus Christ: The Witness of History, by Norman Anderson
Between Heaven and Hell, by Peter Kreeft
Socrates Meets Jesus, by Peter Kreeft
Understanding Jesus, by Alister McGrath
Meeting Jesus, by James Sire
Basic Christianity, by John Stott
The Christology of Jesus, by Ben Witherington, III
Jesus and the Victory of God, N.T. Wright
Who Is Jesus?, by N.T. Wright
Set
; by Howard Hendricks and Willam D. Hendricks
; by Craig S. Keener
; by John H. Walton, Victor H. Matthews and Mark W. Chavalas
; by Lawrence O. Richards
; by Warren W. Wiersbe
; by John F. Walvoord and Roy Zuck
; by Walter A. Elwell
; by Walt Russell
; by W. E. Vine, Merrill F. Unger, and William White
