What five books would you want with you if you were stranded on a deserted island?
In this episode of Calvary Life, Charles, Paul, and Justin tackle that question—and quickly discover that choosing only five books is harder than it sounds. Their lists range from the extremely practical How to Stay Alive in the Woods to classic fiction like The Lord of the Rings, Pilgrim’s Progress, The Brothers Karamazov, The Screwtape Letters, Shakespeare, and even Skipping Christmas.
They also venture into some much heavier reading: Herman Bavinck’s Reformed Dogmatics, the works of Jonathan Edwards, Augustine’s Confessions, Josephus’ Antiquities of the Jews, the complete works of Tacitus, Homer’s Iliad and Odyssey, Stephen Charnock’s The Existence and Attributes of God, and theological resources from Wayne Grudem and John Calvin’s Institutes. And, of course, someone even brings a hymnal.
Along the way, the conversation moves beyond favorite books to a bigger question: Why does reading matter for Christians? They discuss building a personal library, choosing trustworthy resources, training ourselves to read in a distracted age, and remembering that while no other book replaces Scripture, good books can help us think carefully, grow spiritually, and better understand the world around us.
So grab a book—and maybe a survival guide—and join the conversation.