When we began our quest for the 100 best Christian books, we knew that the material we were contemplating had already been through several refining fires. It had been worked on by its author, judged worthy to be published, and, over time, had impressed enough readers to be noticed \u201d\u201d and, mostly, to be kept in print.<\/p>\n
IT IS sometimes easy to forget it, given the variable quality of the books that come into the Church Times office for review, but works that get into print can be categorised, by and large, as quite good. Many that we review are not only good: some are very good. But \u201cbest\u201d\u009d?<\/p>\n
Best is, of course, a value judgement. We have kept it for this project because it is so obviously subjective. \u201cBest\u201d\u009d does not just cover a book\u2019s intrinsic worth: it also prompts a consideration of what a book can achieve. Throughout our debate, we found ourselves balancing a title\u2019s historical position with its place in our memories. A different set of judges on a different day \u201d\u201d perhaps even the same set of judges \u201d\u201d would certainly have come up with a different list.<\/p>\n
But, perhaps, not that different.<\/p>\n