12 Great Christian Books You Should Read

In the Spring 2024 issue of The Classical Teacher, Martin wrote about 12 great Christian novels. In this episode, we dive deeper into these 12 novels, why Martin picked them, and why you should read them. You'll hear about themes of redemption, morality, and the providential world. And, you'll discover the diverse ways these themes are explored by various authors.
From Tolstoy's epic tales to Tolkien's mythic adventures, the list includes a wide range of styles and settings. Watch now to hear lively debates and differing opinions from our regular crew, as they share their thoughts on what makes a novel truly Christian.
Twelve Great Christian Novels by Martin Cothran
"To say that a book is a great Christian novel obviously and necessarily implies two things: first, that it is great and, second, that it is Christian. A Christian book in the sense I am using the term is one that articulates distinctly Christian principles or ideas, whether it intends to or not. Many of the books here are widely considered to be great, but there seems to be little consciousness that they are also explicitly Christian..." Read More: www.memoriapre...
Anna Karenina by Leo Tolstoy
#1 on Martin's list
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[@Roland96351]

For many of us beginners, we need book lists because we have not yet developed the taste and experience to recognize good and great books.

[@deborahracette9755]

I'm going to use Martin's list to pick this year's summer classic. Great episode - so much literary information!

[@AnnRMitchell1]

Happy to see this format back. Always enjoy these discussions.

[@HosiePosie13]

Lists make actionable steps of these great discussions! I love these and am beginning my first book from the list tonight!

[@manditarte6167]

I was listening to this in the car this morning and as Paul is trying to remember the officer from Les Miserables, I'm yelling at the phone "it's Javert!". I really loved this discussion and the article.

[@user-so6fh1bu9f]

I may have recommended Patrick O'Brians' Aubrey/Maturin Series of 21 books about a British Naval Officer and his friend, Irish/Catalan Catholic Physician/Spy and how their relationship develops over 20+ years. Specifically Christian, no, but an excellent characterization of very different Gentleman in a superb, watery World at war in the Napoleon's Era. Definitely first rate, and the best description of Naval warships and the sailors who manned them.

[@smb0621]

I love North and South! ❤

[@SWKS_AG05]

I'm glad to hear from you guys 😁.

[@juliea2864]

I read Anna Karenina one summer when my daughter was a baby.

[@macnlace]

I am surprised A Tale of Two Cities didn't make the list.

[@garlandofbooks4494]

Thank you for the fascinating list! I love it. I’ve read 5/12 so far, 4 I’ve never heard of before, and I want to read War and Peace and The Talisman within the next year or 2. Jane Eyre is one of my favorite, I don’t know if it matches all your criteria or not but I love it. I read Dracula last year, and it was very good too, and had a fascinating amount of biblical and Christian holy day references. I had to throw away a Barnes and noble edition we had a with a nasty preface. The Ignatius Critical edition is a better copy to own. We found one of Martin’s flaws - he can’t read Norwegian. 😂

[@tammyschilling5362]

what was nasty about the preface? I seldom read those unless I find the book so interesting that I want to go back after and see what was added.

[@garlandofbooks4494]

@@tammyschilling5362 preface or foreword, but it was NOT written by the author. It was the typical smutty modernist / postmodernist approach, they claim everything under Freudian ideas and celebratory sexual depravity.

[@angelaweaver9497]

I'm with Martin and Paul on cars. I've been driving the same car for over 20 years.

[@DiannaKennedy]

We have a sedan that we've had for 20 years. I'm torn between getting it back on the road again for my twin sons, or parting with it. It feels like part of the family.

[@meryuk]

I love Mario Reading's books, wouldn't call them christian, but the main character in his books is always a religious person, a Christian. And they're quite witty and interesting. That's an ITV production, an excellent tv series Hornblower with Ioan Gruffudd.

[@user-so6fh1bu9f]

Your group has gotten me into “Jayber Crow” and Wendell Berrys Port William Series

[@sunshinemuldoon]

Mrs Gaskell was Charlotte Bronte's biographer. :) She was (perhaps) CB's closest friend in adulthood - and the biography is wonderful.

[@user-so6fh1bu9f]

Things as They Are; or The Adventures of Caleb Williams” by William Godwin is an excellent book about a man’s battle with his soul against a vicious judicial system.

[@janetbolden597]

Dude... Hearing you talk about people missing the point- I can't tell you how many people I've encountered online who think the romance between Anna Karenina and Vronsky is completely enviable. Ugh.

[@Mamaisawake]

Not me chanting AK, AK, AK like it’s a sporting event 😂🎉

[@willway9378]

Did Steinbeck not write in his letters from a Marxist perspective about needing and trying to wake the American people to the fact they were poor and to do so he had to separate them from their God/religion? You can use language and claim temshe l is from Hebrew, but he went to Asian non-Christian persons to interpret it. Grapes and Easy of Eden are not Christian books/novels.