Timeless Books Every Christian Should Read at Least Once
I know, it’s all you can do to keep up with what you want to binge on Netflix. But now is a time like never before to recapture the lost art of reading.
A survey was once taken of English professors to recommend the 20 classics every American should read at least once in their lifetime. The list does not include novels written in languages other than English. The top five included Romeo and Juliet by William Shakespeare, Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen, A Tale of Two Cities by Charles Dickens, Huckleberry Finn by Mark Twain and The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald.
In case you want to know the other 15, here they are:
- Gone with the Wind by Margaret Mitchell
- Of Mice and Men by John Steinbeck
- The Grapes of Wrath by John Steinbeck
- Anne Frank: The Diary of a Young Girl by Anne Frank
- 1984 by George Orwell
- The Catcher in the Rye by J.D. Salinger
- Fahrenheit 451 by Ray Bradbury
- The Lord of the Rings by J.R.R. Tolkien
- Lolita by Vladimir Nabokov
- On the Road by Jack Kerouac
- To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee
- A Clockwork Orange by Anthony Burgess
- Stoner by John Williams
- The Handmaid’s Tale by Margaret Atwood
“Whatever You’re Interested in” (meaning, this is one is up to you)
I don’t have too much disagreement with the list. Were it to be broadened out, under its own parameters, I might add some newer titles such as Beloved by Toni Morrison, The Remains of the Day by Kazuo Ishiguro or Invisible Man by Ralph Ellison. And nothing by the Brontes?
But this list brought to mind the deeply spiritual novels that I would encourage every Christian to read at least once in their lifetime that did not appear on the list (And I will most certainly free myself from confining them to the English language.). So as not to overwhelm you, particularly in light of those already suggested, here are five more to add into the mix:
- Paradise Lost by John Milton
- The Pilgrim’s Progress by John Bunyan
- The Brothers Karamazov by Fyodor Dostoevsky
- A Good Man Is Hard to Find by Flannery O’Connor
- The Gulag Archipelago by Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn
If you read any one of those books, it will be worth the investment of your time. It will give your mind and soul a much needed workout.
James Emery White
Editor’s Note
This blog was originally published in 2020 and the Church & Culture Team thought that you would enjoy reading it again.
Sources
Hristina Byrnes, “20 Classics Every American Should Read, According to English Professors,” 24/7 Wall Street, January 15, 2020, read online.
Photo Courtesy: ©Getty Images/Viorika
Published Date: July 14, 2025
James Emery White is the founding and senior pastor of Mecklenburg Community Church in Charlotte, NC, and a former professor of theology and culture at Gordon-Conwell Theological Seminary, where he also served as their fourth president. His latest book, Hybrid Church: Rethinking the Church for a Post-Christian Digital Age, is now available on Amazon or from your favorite bookseller. To enjoy a free subscription to the Church & Culture blog, visit churchandculture.org where you can view past blogs in our archive, read the latest church and culture news from around the world, and listen to the Church & Culture Podcast. Follow Dr. White on X, Facebook, and Instagram at @JamesEmeryWhite.
Originally published July 14, 2025.
