May 20th, 2024
Some of you were asking about the application I mentioned in a recent sermon regarding the idea of befriending a Christian in every century. That idea may seem daunting, but if you make one new friend every three months, then you will have read a Christian thinker from every century in a little over five years. Again, some people strive to read as many books as they can. But friendship takes time, and it’s nice to linger. No need to rush.
So with that, here are some suggestions for making a Christian friend in every century. You should expect to disagree with a lot of these thinkers. But good friends can survive disagreement. And sometimes we learn a lot through our disagreements. Moreover, if you ask other people, they will likely suggest different authors or books. Great. Read whatever you want. I am also leaving out so many wonderful authors to read. But my hope is that this will inspire some of you to stretch your minds and offer your intellect to the Spirit, who transforms us even when we do not fully comprehend what it is that we are reading, thinking, or doing.
1st century: lot of suggestions here, but I might start with Clement of Rome, and the letter known as “2 Clement.” The Didache is another place to start.
2nd century: Justin Martyr is a classic, either his 1st Apology or 2nd Apology.
3rd century: again, several to choose from, but I’d suggest Origen. On Prayer is a place to start, though Against Celsus or On First Principles may be for those who are bold.
4th century: Augustine’s Confessions is a no-brainer. Read it.
5th century: given my own theological proclivities, I’m going with Pseudo-Dionysius (Dionysius the Areopagite), On Divine Names.
6th century: one of my favs, Boethius’ The Consolation of Philosophy. This will stretch you.
7th century: one that I recently discovered and have benefited from greatly is John Climacus’ The Ladder of Divine Ascent.
8th century: I’m going with John of Damascus’ Three Treatises on Divine Images.
9th century: this is a challenging read, but I believe reading John Scotus Eriugena’s On Division of Nature is worth the labor.
10th century: to be blunt, not a lot to choose from, but I benefited from Gregory of Narek’s Book of Lamentation. (But if you want to ready some crazy stuff about the antichrist, check out Adso of Montier-en-Der)
11th century: a brilliant theologian and philosopher, Anselm of Canterbury, either Proslogion or Cur Deus Homo.
12th century: one of my favs is Bernard of Clairvaux’s On Loving God.
13th century: another one of my favs is The Rule of Saint Clare. If you’re daring, try Thomas Aquinas’ Summa Theologiae. It’s super long (I haven’t even read the whole thing), but you can find shorter versions by Peter Kreeft entitled Summa of the Summa (and there’s an even shorter version called A Shorter Summa).
14th century: another no-brainer is Dante Alighieri’s Divine Comedy. But another one you may want to check out is Julian of Norwich’s Revelation of Divine Love.
15th century: Thomas a Kempis’ The Imitation of Christ was one that was relevant for me recently.
16th century: anything by William Shakespeare. But maybe also check out Teresa of Avila’s The Interior Castle (this will be gnarly for some of you, but I get a lot out of it every time I read it).
17th century: John Milton’s Paradise Lost is a classic. For something short, check out Practicing the Presence of God by Brother Lawrence.
18th century: find sermons (many free online) by Jonathan Edwards (for you more Reformed types) or John Wesley (for you more Arminian types).
19th century: too many to choose from, but I’m going with George MacDonald, either Phantastes or The Princess and the Goblin.
20th century: anything by Dorothy Sayers and anything by C.S. Lewis.
21st century: way too many to choose from. But if you haven’t read Marilynne Robinson’s Gilead or Rebecca DeYoung’s Glittering Vices, then start reading.
It doesn’t matter that you read these all. It doesn’t matter that you go in order. Pick one that seems intriguing to you. Pick another one that someone else suggests. But get to reading. New friends await.
So with that, here are some suggestions for making a Christian friend in every century. You should expect to disagree with a lot of these thinkers. But good friends can survive disagreement. And sometimes we learn a lot through our disagreements. Moreover, if you ask other people, they will likely suggest different authors or books. Great. Read whatever you want. I am also leaving out so many wonderful authors to read. But my hope is that this will inspire some of you to stretch your minds and offer your intellect to the Spirit, who transforms us even when we do not fully comprehend what it is that we are reading, thinking, or doing.
1st century: lot of suggestions here, but I might start with Clement of Rome, and the letter known as “2 Clement.” The Didache is another place to start.
2nd century: Justin Martyr is a classic, either his 1st Apology or 2nd Apology.
3rd century: again, several to choose from, but I’d suggest Origen. On Prayer is a place to start, though Against Celsus or On First Principles may be for those who are bold.
4th century: Augustine’s Confessions is a no-brainer. Read it.
5th century: given my own theological proclivities, I’m going with Pseudo-Dionysius (Dionysius the Areopagite), On Divine Names.
6th century: one of my favs, Boethius’ The Consolation of Philosophy. This will stretch you.
7th century: one that I recently discovered and have benefited from greatly is John Climacus’ The Ladder of Divine Ascent.
8th century: I’m going with John of Damascus’ Three Treatises on Divine Images.
9th century: this is a challenging read, but I believe reading John Scotus Eriugena’s On Division of Nature is worth the labor.
10th century: to be blunt, not a lot to choose from, but I benefited from Gregory of Narek’s Book of Lamentation. (But if you want to ready some crazy stuff about the antichrist, check out Adso of Montier-en-Der)
11th century: a brilliant theologian and philosopher, Anselm of Canterbury, either Proslogion or Cur Deus Homo.
12th century: one of my favs is Bernard of Clairvaux’s On Loving God.
13th century: another one of my favs is The Rule of Saint Clare. If you’re daring, try Thomas Aquinas’ Summa Theologiae. It’s super long (I haven’t even read the whole thing), but you can find shorter versions by Peter Kreeft entitled Summa of the Summa (and there’s an even shorter version called A Shorter Summa).
14th century: another no-brainer is Dante Alighieri’s Divine Comedy. But another one you may want to check out is Julian of Norwich’s Revelation of Divine Love.
15th century: Thomas a Kempis’ The Imitation of Christ was one that was relevant for me recently.
16th century: anything by William Shakespeare. But maybe also check out Teresa of Avila’s The Interior Castle (this will be gnarly for some of you, but I get a lot out of it every time I read it).
17th century: John Milton’s Paradise Lost is a classic. For something short, check out Practicing the Presence of God by Brother Lawrence.
18th century: find sermons (many free online) by Jonathan Edwards (for you more Reformed types) or John Wesley (for you more Arminian types).
19th century: too many to choose from, but I’m going with George MacDonald, either Phantastes or The Princess and the Goblin.
20th century: anything by Dorothy Sayers and anything by C.S. Lewis.
21st century: way too many to choose from. But if you haven’t read Marilynne Robinson’s Gilead or Rebecca DeYoung’s Glittering Vices, then start reading.
It doesn’t matter that you read these all. It doesn’t matter that you go in order. Pick one that seems intriguing to you. Pick another one that someone else suggests. But get to reading. New friends await.
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