I oftentimes receive requests for a "top 10" book list, with folks asking me to identify the books that have shaped me theologically. It's always so difficult to name just 10, and then to list them in some level of importance. So, in an effort to honor an honest question, I've put together this list, with the following self-imposed rules: No book is "off limits" (if it's had an indelible impact on my faith, it's here); these books aren't ranked (no book is more important than another in this list); and finally, this is my list (someone else's will look very different).
1. Dietrich Bonhoeffer, Cost of Discipleship
2. Karl Barth, The Word of God and the Word of Man
3. Geoffrey Wainwight, Doxology: The Praise of God in Worship, Doctrine and Life
4. Miguel Cervantes, Don Quixote
5. Stanley Hauerwas, The Peaceable Kingdom
6. Roberta Bondi, Memories of God
7. Thomas Oden, Pastoral Theology
8. Thomas Langford, Reflections on Grace
9. Richard Allen, Watership Down
10. Aldous Huxley, Brave New World
11. Aristotle, Nichomachean Ethics
12. Fred Herzog, God-Walk: Liberation Shaping Dogmatics
13. Thomas Oden, Classic Christianity
14. Richard Foster, Celebration of Discipline
15. Karl Barth, Epistle to the Romans
16. Dietrich Bonhoeffer, Life Together
17. Dietrich Bonhoeffer, Ethics
18. W. Randolf Tate, Biblical Hermeneutics
19. Gerhard von Rad, Old Testament Theology
20. TF Torrance, Meditation on Christ
21. TF Torrance, Trinitarian Faith
22. Oliver O'Donovan, Resurrection and Moral Order
23. Harmon Smith, Where Two or Three Are Gathered: Liturgy and the Moral Life
24. Dietrich Bonhoeffer, Wordly Preaching
25. Dietrich Bonhoeffer, Letters and Papers from Prison
26. Karl Barth, Dogmatics in Outline
27. Karl Barth, Humanity of God
28. James McClendon, Systematic Theology
29. Justo Gonzalez, The Story of Christianity
30. The Desert Fathers
31. Gregory the Great, The Pastoral Rule
32. Anne Tyler, Saint Maybe
33. Oscar Hijuelos, Mr Ives' Christmas
34. Athanasius, On the Incarnation
35. The Cloud of Unknowing
36. Julian of Norwich, Revelations of Divine Love
37. The Book of Common Prayer
38. Gary Thomas, Sacred Marriage
39. Lauren Winner, Real Sex
40. Marva Dawn, Reaching Out without Dumbing Down
41. Marva Dawn, Truly the Community: Romans 12 and How to be the Church
42. Richard Lischer, Open Secrets: A Memoir of Faith and Discovery
43. Abraham Joshua Heschel, The Prophets
44. Walter Bruggemann, The Prophetic Imagination
45. Augustine, Confessions
46. Geoffrey Wainwright, For Our Salvation: Two Approaches to the Work of Christ
47. Dietrich Bonhoeffer, Creation and Fall and Temptation: Two Biblical Studies
48. Richard Foster, Prayer: Finding the Heart's True Home
49. Will Campbell, Brother to a Dragonfly
50. Jurgen Moltmann, Theology of Hope