7 Books to Read to Refresh Your Faith This Summer

Sometimes what we want for strengthened faith just isn’t a latest book, but an old one. Or on this case, a recent one which incorporates the writings of individuals from the past. We can learn rather a lot from Christians who’ve gone before us, as their words can encourage in addition to convict.  

Lots of the writers included on this collection, brought together by Renovaré, are time-tested guides into the deeper avenues of religion, who invite us to affix them and learn alongside their ancient wisdom. This includes writers like Martin Luther, Augustine, Julian of Norwich, C. S. Lewis, John Bunyan, Thomas à Kempis, and plenty of more. The goal of using their writings is identical: to assist us turn out to be more like Christ.  

What caught my eye about this collection, as I used to be browsing among the many limitless piles at a used bookstore, was that it contained selections from devotional classics. I had been trying to find copies of works by these authors and so bought the gathering to start my study. What I used to be given, though, was far more than I expected because the editors thoughtfully curated the selections and included questions for careful meditation.  

As readers are introduced to beloved authors, in addition to latest friends, they encounter areas of religion they could not have fully considered before. For me, this area was justice. I read the collection of writings by John Woolman, about his realization that most of the items he had purchased (and other Christians had purchased as well) got here from sweatshops, places where laborers were treated poorly. His conviction over Christ was rejected because His followers were supporters of injustice made me consider my very own consumption habits. Through regular purchasing for items (groceries, other necessities, and desires), was I also supporting causes that brought shame to the name of Christ? I began researching modern-day sweatshops and learned concerning the injustice of slave labor. This collection of reading made me aware of how my faith can, and may, impact how I interact with the world of commerce. What we do with our resources matters.   

This is a book to review slowly with intention and an openness to be transformed by Christ-centered writings.   

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