InterVarsity alumni may remember receiving a book from a staff member. Today books are still valuable in the lives of alumni, church members, and seekers. Here, in no particular order, are ten IVP books that InterVarsity staff have recommended often to students. (To see several hundred others, visit www.ivpress.com .)
1. Passport to the Bible For students with no knowledge of Scripture, here’s a book that teaches, through actual Bible studies, what the Holy Bible is, where it came from, and what it can do for us.
2. Grow Your Christian Life For people who are ready to get serious about Christian discipleship, this twelve-week Bible study explores the practical areas of life. It’s good for either personal or group study.
3. Search the Scriptures And for someone already familiar with the Bible, who wants an in-depth study that really “makes you think,” here’s a major devotional guide that uses a question-and-answer approach to take the reader through the entire Bible in three years. With over a million copies in print, this classic has been appreciated by readers for over half a century.
4. The World According to God Here’s a look at God’s basic design for the whole of human life—people and relationships, sexuality, culture and work, science and education, suffering and death, and the life beyond—as seen in the opening chapters of Genesis.
5. The Universe Next Door Whether or not they realize it, students (and others) are looking for a worldview that will undergird all their thinking. This best-selling book describes eight possible perspectives, ranging from naturalism, New Age, and postmodernism through Christian theism. It can help you anchor your faith.
6. Jesus with Dirty Feet Sometimes we need to get back to the basics. Written for people who are tired of churchy jargon and for those with no church background, this little book tells—in simple and sometimes shocking terms—who this Jesus was and is. There’s also an accompanying discussion guide, which makes the book great for use in a group.
7. The Adventure For readers on campus or off, this refreshing book will “put energy into your walk with God.” Discipleship is not random, the author says; it has a direction. Responding to God’s initiative in our lives makes walking with him a huge and wonderful adventure.
8. Knowing God’s Will “Okay, I want to follow God—but how do I know what he wants from me?” Here is some down-to-earth counsel on making the tough choices that come along (and not laboring under false guilt feelings).
9. Small Group Leaders’ Handbook A new InterVarsity chapter often begins simply as a small group of believing students who study Scripture and pray together. Later the campus may have ten or twenty small groups. This book offers help to anyone who plans to lead a small group on campus, at church, or in a home.
10. An Incomplete Guide to the Rest of Your Life In trying to find the right career path and life direction, students can be overwhelmed and paralyzed by overchoice—or run themselves ragged in the pursuit of fulfillment. This book points beyond temporary diversions and shows us how to craft a life worth living, even though we don’t have all the answers.
