Books That Shaped my Views
Here is a list of books that helped to shape my personal views
in a significant way. I am only listing those books that made my
heart glow when I read them first, that left traces of that feeling till
today, and that I still read with interest and with profit.
(Hmmm, the list seems still incomplete, the longer I think of it...)
Of course, there is
the bible,
the eternal classic. I was taught to read it at home,
but wasn't too impressed. Later, however,
I rediscovered the bible.
Then there are the two books that deepened my initial commitment to
Christ:
- A.W. Tozer,
God tells the man who cares
(The title of the German translation,
``God doesn't love compromises'' tells it all...)
- Juan Carlos Ortiz,
Call to discipleship
(You are not a Christian to be happy, but to serve!
It costs you everything!)
and valuable books I came across later:
- Soren Kierkegaard,
Christenspiegel
[a German selection of his Christian writings]
(What's the point of being saved if you don't try to live a
Christ-like life?)
- Thomas à Kempis,
The Imitation of Christ
(Uncompromising, but full of heart, not exerting pressure)
- Charles H. Spurgeon,
Advice for pastors
(Know what to preach and how to do it)
- Angelus Silesius,
The Cherubinic Pilgrim
(Two-liners on conquering the kingdom of God)
- Richard Wurmbrand,
[various books in German]
(Learn to die so that you may live, by a 20th century Martyr)
- Juan Carlos Ortiz,
The cry of the human heart
(More encouragement to take Jesus' words seriously)
- Dietrich Bonhoeffer,
Letters from prison
(More encouragement to victory through suffering; and the quest
for a new language to teach the old Christian message to
contemporary people)
- Jörg Erb,
The cloud of witnesses
(366 lives of saints; St. Christophorus is the one who mirrors
some of my own path)
Some non-Christian books also had a major influence on my thinking:
- A.S. Neill,
Summerhill
(He taught me a deep respect for children, and showed me the
meaning of love)
- Carlos Castaneda,
Journey to Ixtlan
(For me the eye-opener to transcendence, a year before I became
a Christian; though non-Christian, the book is excellent to teach
an understanding of baptism as death, and to make it real in your
life)
- Idries Shah,
Thinkers of the East
- Idries Shah,
The ways of the Sufi
(Two books with parables on pitfalls on the way to Truth)
- Lao Tse,
Tao Te Ching
(like a friend's voice)
An example (69):
``If two armies meet in battle, the victory is with
the one that fights with a sorrow heart.''
This always meant a lot to me in my struggle to find a way to
live with my former wife ...
- Confucius,
Analects
(practical wisdom)
- Robert M. Pirsig,
Zen and the art of motorcycle maintenance
(the best book on Quality I know of, wrapped into a
motorcycle trip across the United States)
This is the main trace of my eating through mountains of books.
There are many other books that left a little impact here or there,
but not as much as these. (Apart from science books, but this is
another story...)
My Views on the Christian Way of Life
Gedanken zum Leben als Christ (German)
Book Information
my
home page (http://arnold-neumaier.at)
Arnold Neumaier (Arnold.Neumaier@univie.ac.at)