Tolstoy and Tea is a book study club made up of people who appreciate and enjoy reading and discussing classic Christian books. Everyone’s invited and new members are always welcome. We meet at 9:30 a.m. on the second Friday of each month (excluding summer months) in the Adult Lounge.

Book list for the 2011-2012 season

The Question of God by Armand Nicholi, Jr.

The group will continue their discussion of the views of Sigmund Freud and C.S. Lewis as they relate to God.

Prayer: Does it Make a Difference? by Philip Yancey

Polls reveal that 90 percent of people pray. Yet prayer, which should be the most nourishing and uplifting time of the believer's day, can also be frustrating, confusing, and fraught with mystery. This book explores the intimate place where God and humans meet in prayer. Yancey tackles the tough questions and in the process comes up with a fresh new approach to this timeless topic.

Experiencing the Depths of Jesus Christ by Jeanne Guyon

The autobiography of the seventeenth-century mystic who was jailed for her beliefs. Her writings, banned by the authorities, explain her belief in remaining in an attitude of prayer at all times and during all activities as a way of coming closer to God.

Man’s Search for Meaning by Victor Frankl

Psychiatrist Viktor Frankl's memoir has riveted generations of readers with its descriptions of life in Nazi death camps and its lessons for spiritual survival. Between 1942 and 1945 Frankl labored in four different camps, including Auschwitz, while his parents, brother and pregnant wife perished. Based on his own experience and the experiences of those he treated in his practice, Frankl argues that we cannot avoid suffering but we can choose how to cope with it, find meaning in it and move forward with renewed purpose. Frankl's theory—known as logotherapy, from the Greek word logos ("meaning")—holds that our primary drive in life is not pleasure, as Freud maintained, but the discovery and pursuit of what we personally find meaningful.

The Epistle to the Romans by Karl Barth

In this text, Barth argues that the modern Christian preacher and theologian face the same basic problems that confronted Paul. Assessing the whole Protestant argument in relation to modern attitudes and problems, he focuses on topics such as Biblical exegesis; the interrelationship between theology, the Church, and religious experience; the relevance of the truth of the Bible to culture; and what preachers should preach.

Heaven is for Real by Todd Burpo

This is the true story of the 4-year-old son of a small-town Nebraska pastor who during emergency surgery slips from consciousness and enters heaven. He survives and begins talking about being able to look down and see the doctor operating and his dad praying in the waiting room. The family didn't know what to believe but soon the evidence was clear.