Recommended Reading For 2009

[John81]

Recommended Reading For 2009
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By Chuck Baldwin
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The Covenant News ~ January 09, 2008
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I would like to take the opportunity this column affords for my annual review of some books that I have found to be extremely helpful and that, I believe, would greatly benefit any American who truly loves freedom and constitutional government. The Old Testament prophet warned, "My people are destroyed for lack of knowledge." That adage is as applicable today as it was then. Truly, our country is being destroyed because of a huge ignorance regarding the principles upon which freedom and liberty rest.

Accordingly, I strongly recommend that readers locate and consume as many of the following books as possible. Some will be difficult to find, while others will be easily obtained.

1. "A History of the American People" by Paul Johnson

2. "History of the United States" by Alexander H. Stephens

3. "Political Sermons of the American Founding Era, 1730-1805" Edited by Ellis Sandoz

4. "Common Sense," "The American Crisis," and "Rights of Man" by Thomas Paine

5. "Discourses on Government, Vol. 1" by Algernon Sidney
6. "The Rights of War and Peace" by Hugo Grotius

7. "Commentaries on the Laws of England" (Book 1) by William Blackstone

8. "A View of the Constitution of the United States of America" by William Rawle

9. "Two Treatises of Government" by John Locke

10. "Lex Rex, or the Law and the Prince" by Samuel Rutherford

11. "The Essays or Counsels, Civil and Moral" by Sir Francis Bacon

12. "Of the Law of Nature and Nations" by Samuel Pufendorf (A large set of at least 8 volumes, but highly regarded and widely quoted.)

13. "The Law" by Frederic Bastiat

14. "Vindiciae, Contra Tyrannos" edited by George Garnett

15. "Hitler's Cross" by Erwin Lutzer (I consider this book to be of highest priority for every Christian minister and layman. If you have not read this book, go buy it immediately!)

16. "The True Story of The Bilderberg Group" by Daniel Estulin
17. "The Secret Team" by L. Fletcher Prouty

18. "The Secrets of the Federal Reserve" by Eustace Mullins

19. "The Creature from Jekyll Island" by G. Edward Griffin

20. "Defending The Declaration" by Gary T. Amos

21. "Christianity and the Constitution" by John Eidsmoe

22. "Christianity and the American Commonwealth" by Charles B. Galloway

23. "We Hold These Truths" by Lawrence Patton McDonald

24. "The Five Thousand Year Leap" by W. Cleon Skousen

25. "Freedom in Chains" by James Bovard

26. "Global Bondage" by Cliff Kincaid

27. "The Late Great U.S.A." by Jerome Corsi

28. "A Foreign Policy of Freedom" by Ron Paul

29. "Constitutional 'Homeland Security,' Vol. 1" by Edwin Vieira, Jr.

Of course, I also encourage readers to not forsake the greatest of all books, The Holy Bible. As President Theodore Roosevelt said, "No educated man can afford to be ignorant of the Bible." And as President Andrew Jackson said, "That Book [the Bible], Sir, is the Rock upon which our republic rests."

Obviously, I would not agree with every word or every conclusion propounded by the authors listed above (except the authors of the Bible, of course). Taken on the whole, however, a familiarization with the above volumes would greatly assist any person who desires to contribute to the survival of liberty in these United States of America.

Of course, it is also essential that readers be thoroughly familiar with the three great documents upon which America was founded: the Declaration of Independence, the U.S. Constitution, and the Bill of Rights.

For those who are interested in the War for Southern Independence (otherwise known as The Civil War), I recommend the following books:

1. "The War Between the States" by John J. Dwyer

2. "A Constitutional View of the Late War Between the States" by Alexander H. Stephens

3. "The Story of the Confederacy" by Robert Selph Henry

4. "Story of the Confederate States" by Joseph T. Derry

5. "A Short History of the Confederate States of America" by Jefferson Davis

6. "The South Was Right!" by James Ronald Kennedy and Walter Donald Kennedy

7. "The Real Lincoln" and "Lincoln Unmasked" by Thomas J. DiLorenzo

8. "Life and Campaigns of Lt. General T. J. (Stonewall) Jackson" by R. L. Dabney

9. "Stonewall Jackson: The Man, The Soldier, The Legend" by James I. Robertson, Jr.

10. "Call of Duty" by J. Steven Wilkins

11. "Life & Letters of Gen. Robert Edward Lee" by Dr. J. W. Jones

For spiritual inspiration and enlightenment, I recommend the following works:

1. "The Road to the Cross" by Herbert F. Stevenson

2. "The Pilgrim's Progress" by John Bunyan

3. "Morning and Evening" by Charles Haddon Spurgeon

4. "The Normal Christian Life" by Watchman Nee (Any book written by Nee is worth reading.)

5. Just about anything written by Madame Guyon, especially "Union with God" and "Experiencing the Depths of Jesus Christ" (There is no need to send me a nasty letter about her being a "mystic." Her writings are fantastic.)

6. "The Treasury of David" by Charles Haddon Spurgeon (This is the best commentary on the book of Psalms that I have ever read. It is magnificent.)

7. "The Christian in Complete Armour, Vol. 1" by William Gurnall

8. Just about anything from Andrew Murray, including: "The Master's Indwelling," "Holy in Christ," "The Blood of the Cross," and "With Christ in the School of Prayer"

9. "The True Bounds of Christian Freedom" by Samuel Bolton

10. "Communion with God" by John Owen

11. "The Pursuit of God" by A.W. Tozer

I remember someone telling me, "A man is only as great as the people he associates with and the books he reads." There is certainly much truth in that statement. Therefore, we should all choose our friends carefully and drink deeply from the well of good books.

Happy reading!

http://www.covenantnews.com/baldwin090109.htm

[John81]

Would anyone like to comment on any of the books they may have already read from this list?