Five books plus one

I'm a reader, and I always have been. Other than the Bible, there are very few of the thousands of books that I've read that have had a profound effect on me and what I believe. Here are five.

1. The Screwtape Letters 

I've always said Mere Christianity was the book that led me to God, but this was the first Lewis book I read, and the one that still affects me nearly 30 years later.

2. Will the Real Heretics Please Stand Up 

It would be difficult to estimate the impact this small book, and the person who first loaned it to me, have had on me. All I know is that when I started this book I wasn't a Christian. When I returned it a week later, I was.

3. The Cost of Discipleship 

It's not just the gate that leads to life that's narrow. The way beyond it is, too.

4. The Ragamuffin Gospel 

This is a hard book to read. I don't like it because it's hard, but because it's true.

5. The Myth of a Christian Nation 

We're far too ready to claim this as a "Christian nation" without really thinking about what that means. In its most basic sense, "Christian" means "like Christ", and that's something this country's never been.

And here's a bonus:

Revolution in World Missions 

Jesus didn't just die for Americans. He died for everyone.