For those who follow the Western church calendar, today is Ash Wednesday—the beginning of Lent.
Lent is a season of preparation that traditionally includes penitence, prayer and fasting, and culminates in the celebration of Easter.
In addition to my regular Bible reading, one tradition that I began a few years ago was deliberately choosing books to read during Lent that would focus my mind and heart on Jesus. I’ve come up with a list, by no means exhaustive, of books that may make for good Lenten reading.
Three on Lent:
- The Services of the Christian Year (Library of Christian Worship Vol. 5) contains an informative section on Lent.
- The Nicene and Post-Nicene Fathers Second Series, Vol. 12, which you can find in Early Church Fathers Protestant Edition (37 vols.), contains a series of sermons on Lent by Leo the Great.
- John Adams Hebrew Studies Collection (3 vols.) contains a volume on the Lenten Psalms.
One on Fasting:
- A Hunger for God is a book by John Piper on the practice of fasting.
Six on the Cross and the Atonement:
- The Radical Cross by A.W. Tozer is a collection of Tozer’s writings on the cross, arranged thematically.
- Cries from the Cross: A Journey into the Heart of Jesus by Erwin Lutzer is an invitation to ponder the seven words of Jesus from the cross.
- The Works of John Owen, Vol. 10: The Death of Christ contains A Display of Arminianism, The Death of Death in the Death of Christ, Of the Death of Christ and A Dissertation on Divine Justice.
- King, Priest and Prophet: A Trinitarian Theology of Atonement by Robert Sherman is an attempt to read the atonement in light of the Trinity and the three offices of Christ.
- The Death Christ Died: A Biblical Case for Unlimited Atonement by Robert Lightner is an attempt to answer the question, “For whom did Christ die?”
- The Major Works of Anselm of Canterbury includes Cur Deus Homo, Anselm’s classic work on the Incarnation which lays out the satisfaction theory of the atonement.
Do you have some Logos resources that you find particularly appropriate for the Lenten season?
Today’s guest post is by Elliot Ritzema, from the Logos Bible Software Design & Editorial team.