Of making many books there is no end, and much study wearies the body - Ecclesiastes 12:12

There are a lot of books out there. Medical students already have a lot of textbooks, journals and web resources they're supposed to read. Study can be wearisome!

So why read Christian books too? Why not just read the Bible in my quiet time? The answer is that Christian books can help us to understand and apply the Bible better. So that we learn to know and love Christ more, to live more like him, to speak of him more clearly, and to be inspired by the examples of other Christians. When Paul was cold and lonely in prison, he asked Timothy for three things: companions, warm clothes, and books. Books were key for Paul and his ministry. And they're key for us too.

But there are a lot of Christian books out there. Which ones should I read? Good Christian books need to be both biblical, and readable. Both faithful to God's Word in the Bible, and helpful to the reader. These are the sort of books which will help us grow as Christians, and as Christian medics.

But there are lots of good Christian books - so where do I start? This is why at conference this year we launched '12-12' - twelve good Christian books to get you started. The idea is that these twelve books cover a broad range of topics expecially relevant to students and medics, as a basis from which to develop a hunger for reading more. They're certainly not the only good books on these topics (there are lots of other books we'd recommend, on our online reading list).