As I was listening to R. C. Sproul on "Renewing Your Mind," I heard him say that the most personally rewarding book he has written is The Glory of Christ. Ironically, that book absolutely flopped in sales, which probably explains why I had never heard of it. Dr. Sproul asked his publisher about the possible reasons for the dismal interest in the book. The publisher explained that Christian books written specifically about Christ don't sell...they can't even give them away. Surprised? I was. So, I tried to think of books that I've read about Christ...nothing immediately came to mind. I went to one bookshelf, where I found The Murder of Jesus by John MacArthur. Does that count? Then I went to another bookshelf, where I was relieved to find The Suffering Savior by F. W. Krummacher (thanks to Mike for taking us through that book last spring). The next stop was my basket of books in progress...nothing there. Finally, I went to my stack of new books waiting to be read...success! We just received The Jesus You Can't Ignore by John MacArthur. That book might just move to the top of the pecking order, and I'd like to get a copy of Sproul's book. Why aren't books about our Lord and Savior, the Lover of our souls, in demand? Is it a reflection of our sinful hearts, preoccupation with other topics, lackluster love for Jesus, or some other reason? I'd love to hear your thoughts. Also, have you read a book about Christ that you would highly recommend?
One of my favorites is Thomas Vincent's "True Christian's Love to the Unseen Christ." Another is Octavius Winslow's "The Sympathy of Christ." Both of these are old, but easy enough to read that I read them in college while working out in our college gym. Ryan's favorite-most-encouraging-book-of-all-time is Stott's "The Cross of Christ" (does that count?)... we also have Stott's "The Incomparable Christ" on our shelf, but I haven't read it. HOW COULD I FORGET?? A book that totally changed my life in high school: "Seeing & Savoring Jesus Christ" by John Piper. And as a child, a book that helped me love Christ more was the fictional "The Bronze Bow" by Elizabeth George Speare, which is the story of a 1st century Jewish boy who comes into contact with Jesus of Nazereth and is finally set free from his hatred of the Romans.
ReplyDeleteHmmm...I know I we had a copy of Seeing and Savoring Jesus Christ around here (and I read it), but I don't see it anywhere now. Maybe it was Ashlea's book. Thanks for your suggestions!
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