Good Reads for tough questions college students face

Here is a short list of good reads for college students, high-schoolers going away to college, or parents!


True Story by James Choung is a sure winner! James is our former San Diego Divisional Director with InterVarsity and wrote this book in response to a lot of the specific questions InterVarsity staff in San Diego were getting from college students while doing evangelism on campus. Make sure to add this one to your reading list! Out of all the books listed here, this might be the one your child makes it all the way through!

Mere Christianity by CS Lewis  This is a classic and will help your student deal with atheist professors (Lewis was a staunch atheist into his 50s). It is also a great intellectual apologetic for our faith in Jesus. Out of all these books, these first two would be great summer reading for a pre-college student!

A New kind of Christian by Brian McClaren 
Some people don’t like McClaren, but I do. This book is going to meet your child in a way that few others can. Let’s face it, your kid lives in a post-modern world and thinks and interacts with the world in a completely new way than CS Lewis did. McClaren knows how to write about it and ask hard questions about faith from this context.

Finding God in the questions by Dr. Timothy Johnson is another great book, in 2004 it was #8 on the NY Times Bestsellers list, and its from InterVarsity Press!! (can you feel the pride?) Here’s a quote, "Doubt doesn't have to tear down belief, however; it can purify it. When it does, the beliefs on the other side become more certain. This is why I would like to affirm that it is possible to find God even while you are still asking the big questions."

Is Belief in God Good, Bad or Irrelevant?: A Professor and a Punk Rocker Discuss Science, Religion, Naturalism & Christianity This is a fun one, I read it a couple years ago. It’s a compilation of emails between a pastor and the atheist lead singer of a very popular punk band called Bad Religion. If your kids are into music try this one, it’s a good book because this guy is a very, very smart atheist, and yet his arguments can’t discredit the pastors answers to his questions. Also by IVP!

Mind Your Faith: A Student's Guide to Thinking and Living Well by David Horner. This is a great handbook for your student! For young Christians about to embark on the collegiate experience, Horner provides a guide to thinking as a Christian. Carefully exploring how ideas work, he gives students essential tools for thinking critically, contextually and coherently, unpacking worldviews and discerning truth.

Is Believing in God Irrational? by Amy Orr-Ewing. I haven’t read this one, but if you or your child is struggling with this, it’s a good one. The author addresses key questions and objections that many people today have about God. She probes whether the Christian claim to a unique personal relationship with God is plausible in light of other world religions, and how anyone can continue to believe in God in a world of pain and suffering.

God on Campus: Sacred Causes & Global Effects By Trent Sheppard. This one is about the prayer movement of young people on campus and the impact that they are having on the world. If you are in doubt about sending your kid to college, read this to be inspired with what God wants to do to change the world and what He can do with young passionate hearts.

Finding God at Harvard by Kelly Kullberg. 
Another great IVP and Boston Globe Bestseller. In it she finds and records the testimonies of 42 Harvard professors. Encouraging that God is still moving at some of our most prestigious institutions and explodes the myth that Christian faith cannot survive a rigorous intellectual atmosphere!

Shaping the Spiritual Life of Student: A Guide for Youth Workers, Pastors, Teachers & Campus Ministers By Richard Dunn. In this book, Dunn shows you how to set the pace with sensitivity to the unique spiritual issues that occur during each stage of adolescent development: junior high, senior high and college. It seems like a good spiritual development book for parents of kids of all ages.