If you could give a Christian any book to read, what would you give them?

Question is self-explanatory, I think. However, I am a Christian and am looking for books for and against Christianity explaining doctrine, science, history, etc. Can't wait to see what you guys think!If you could give a Christian any book to read, what would you give them?
I'm agnostic, feel like I'd like to stimulate your Christian brain in 2 nearly opposite directions.



1. On the one hand, I'd like to urge you to be a better Christian, to be what Jesus described as the "salt of the earth" and "the light of the world." To me, this means working for peace, not war; for compassion and mercy in public and private life, not callousness or neglect or cruelty. It means forgiving other people for what they've done against you, and even trying to love your enemies as explained in the Sermon on the Mount in Matthew's gospel.



To inspire you in that direction, I'd recommend that you read the Sermon on the Mount and the rest of Matthew's gospel. I also recommend the writings of a Protestant missionary named Richard Shaull, an American proponent of liberation theology, and the writings of Catholic peace activists Daniel and Philip Berrigan, among other radical Christians.



From a more agnostic perspective, but from a perspective still focused on the "social gospel" aspect of Christianity, I recommend George Bernard Shaw's introduction to his play "Androcles and the Lion." Although a staunch atheist, Shaw in this introduction shows a surprising admiration for the teachings of Jesus -- up to a point, at least.



2. On the other hand, I have many doubts about the literal truth of the Christian scriptures and about Christianity as it has generally been practiced. I'd recommend a different set of readings to convey those ideas:



-- Voltaire's "Candide," which is not exactly anti-religious, but a very funny satire on certain kinds of religious complacency



-- Alan Watts' little book "The Book: On the Taboo Against Knowing Who You Are," which makes the case for a non-dualistic, more Eastern form of religion that sees human life as a part of nature, not at war with it.



-- You should read historian Lynn White's views on the ways in which Christianity, in his view, contributed to modern environmental crisis, by "desacralizing" the physical world.



White describes some problems with traditional Judaeo-Christian views on nature, I think: he doesn't necessarily refute Christianity, but points to ways in which it needs to evolve to become environmentally moral rather than environmentally destructive. Some Christian proponents of "Stewardship Theology" are now attempting to correct some of the problems that White identifies; in my agnostic opinion, you should join them.



-- You should probably also read historian Norman Cohn's rather critical book on medieval Christian heresies: "The Pursuit of the Millennium." Cohn sees certain medieval heresies as laying the moral foundation for modern communism, anarchism and even fascism, all of which he pretty much condemns.



I personally think some of the leftwing impulses of the medieval heretics were praiseworthy, not bad, but I think Cohn does a good job of showing some of the possible uses %26amp; abuses of "end of the world" apocalypticism.



For another somewhat critical look at Christianity as it has traditionally been practiced, see also a good history of the Crusades -- English historian Elizabeth Hallam has written one, but there must be many others.



See also a good history of Venice and the shameful role that Venice played in the disastrous Fourth Crusade, which began as an effort to fight Muslims in the "Holy" Land %26amp; ended with the Crusaders brutally conquering and sacking the great Christian city of Constantinople.



A history of the shameful Albigensian Crusade in southern France and a history of the Catholic Inquisition, from the Fourth Lateran Council in the early 1200s through the Inquisition's tortures %26amp; executions of suspected Jews in Spain in the 1500s and 1600s, also would be worth looking at.



To be an intelligent Christian, you probably should familiarize yourself with the terrible religous wars of the Reformation as well -- notably the struggles of Catholics vs. Huegenots in France, and the devastating 30 Years War in Germany.



IMO, these scandalous wars that pitted Christian against Christian provide an excellent reason why so many people, Christian %26amp; otherwise, have since embraced the religious toleration promoted by the French Enlightenment, and embedded in the Bill of the Rights to the US Constitution.



To really understand why a drive to create a new theocracy in the United States would be really, really bad, it helps to be aware of the religious and human costs of the wars of the Reformation.



If your Christian faith is pretty strong, it should be possible for you to examine ways in which the church has gone wrong over the centuries, so that you can join with other Christians in trying to put it right. I hope some of these suggested readings will help you do that.
I recommend a book that was recommended by another R%26amp;Ser, Super Atheist, several years ago: "Superstition in All Ages."



Read text:

http://englishatheist.org/zing/MeslierSu…



Free download:

http://www.gutenberg.org/etext/17607

.If you could give a Christian any book to read, what would you give them?
There never were greater things made manifest than those which were made manifest unto the brother of Jared.



5 Wherefore the Lord hath commanded me to write them; and I have written them. And he commanded me that I should seal them up; and he also hath commanded that I should seal up the interpretation thereof; wherefore I have sealed up the interpreters, according to the commandment of the Lord.



6 For the Lord said unto me: They shall not go forth unto the Gentiles until the day that they shall repent of their iniquity, and become clean before the Lord.
God Against the Gods: The History of the War Between Monotheism and Polytheism by Jonathan Kirsch

Religion in the Sociological Perspective 4th edition by Keith A. Roberts



Neither of them necessarily are for or against Christianity, but they're really good and I would recommend them to anybody.If you could give a Christian any book to read, what would you give them?
"The Hole in Our Gospel", is one of the most influential books I've read, it goes through how we Christians can and need to help people, It rocked my world. For Doctrine I recommend "What's So Great About Christianity," or "The Case for a Creator."

God Bless
It would depend on the Christian,I'd recommend The Selfish Gene for some,for history of religion for the last century I'd recommend The Secular Age by Charles Taylor but it's heavy reading and at 776 pages quite a tome.
For sincere, professed Christians who have been misled by false doctrines I would give them:



'What Does The Bible Really Teach?".



The contents are available online for free reading, actually:



http://www.watchtower.org/e/bh/article_0…
"Atheist Universe" to show them tons of beliefs Christians have and the actual scientific facts. Christian programs have pseudo-scientists on them who twist facts around in order to favor their belief system.
I would recommend "The Shack".



While not a deep theological analysis, it does a great job of demonstrating how a triune God loves his creation.
Parallel worlds by Michio Kaku - It's a good explanation of physics theories, past and present.



Heavy reading though.
A railway timetable, with a note attached saying, the Bible is about as reliable as this...
Mere Christianity by CS Lewis
On the Origin of Species by Charles Darwin.
Any book written by The Dalai Lama.

Pick one at random, they are all profound.
The Misunderstood God by Darin Hufford, though The Shack is really good, too.
Logic for Dummies
I will take a play girl book