The conference I told you about in my previous influential book post about Reading the Bible with the Damned, ended up being key for a second reason: A book recommendation.

On the first night of the conference, before we’d had a single meeting, we all sat down for dinner. I was one of the last to enter, as was Bob Ekblad, the keynote speaker. We therefore ended up sitting next to each other. And as you do…

I have a confession to make. When I heard the title of this book, Reading the Bible with the Damned, I despaired. I was heading to a conference in 2007 where the author, Bob Ekblad, was the keynote speaker, and his book was required reading. What was I being asked to read?

Velvet Elvis was the first Christian book I read after leaving Bible College in June 2006. I felt I needed a long break from theology and even reading in general, but there was also the small mitigating factor of my daughter arriving two weeks early and mere hours after I handed in my final essay.

I grew up in the church, yet for the majority of my childhood my faith remained a moral code to follow or a set of beliefs to give intellectual acceptance to. I didn't begin praying until I was eighteen and about to head off to university.

I’ve decided over the first half of this year to write about five of the books I have found influential on my Christian journey. Like many of you may have done, I’ve read hundreds of Christian books, so as I make my choices I’ve been contemplating what, for me, moves a book from very good to influential.