Recommended Reading Lists

The pastor and other leaders of RSL are commending these books to you because they have helped us along in our journey to know God and to experience His love.  You will hear quotes from these books often at the beginning of our services because each of these books wrestles with how religion, culture, and the day-to-day of our lives are interconnected.  The readings listed below can be found on amazon.com for the most part.  If you would like to borrow one of the books listed below, just let us know.

Spirituality & Christianity:  Essentials of the faith and suggested readings on what it means to follow Jesus.

  • The Jesus Way, by Eugene Petersen
  • Christ Plays in 10,000 Places, Eugene Petersen
  • Making Room, Christine Pohl
  • unchristian, by Kinnaman & Lyons
  • Simply Christian, NT Wright
  • The Reason for God, Tim Keller
  • Saved by Grace, Anthony Hoekema
  • How People Change, Dick Keyes
  • Chameleon Christianity, Dick Keyes
  • Life Together, Deitrich Bonhoeffer
  • The Mark of a Christian, Francis Schaeffer

Cultural Engagement & the Arts:  Readings on a Biblical view of God's delight in our world and who He calls us to have that same perspective.

  • Creation Regained, Albert Wolter
  • All God's Children and Blue Suede Shoes, Ken Meyers
  • Amusing ourselves to Death, Neil Postman
  • Signposts in a Strange Land, Walker Percy
  • Engaging God's World, Cornelius Plantinga
  • He Shines in All that's Fair, Richard Mouw

Developing Spiritual Practices:  Suggested readings to think through what it means to draw near to God and develop spiritual practices.

  • The Book of Common Prayer
  • The Book of Daily Prayers, Robert Webber
  • Handbook to Prayer, Kenneth Boa
  • Dynamics of Spiritual Life, Richard Lovelace
  • Face to Face, Kenneth Boa
  • Religious Affections, Jonathan Edwards

Ecclesiology & Mission of the Church:  A few readings on the philosophy of how we "do church" at RSL.

  • Household of God, Leslie Newbigin
  • The Open Secret, Leslie Newbigin
  • Evangelical Reunion:  Denominations and the Body of Christ, by John Frame
  • The Jesus of Suburbia, Mike Erre
  • The Church, Edmond Clowney
  • Treaties on the Sacraments, John Calvin
  • Ecumenical Creeds & Reformed Confessions
  • Ancient-Future Faith, Robert Webber
  • Anceint-Future Time, Rober Webber