The following books deal with the heart in various ways. Those by Jerry Bridges, Murray Capill, Elyse Fitzpatrick, and Kris Lundgaard feature extended sections on a biblical view of the heart. They build on John Owen and explain his insights in easily understood terms. Reading Owen directly is a challenge, but he rewards richly. John Flavel will put your heart to the test with a velvet hammer.
Phillip Cary, Os Guinness, C. S. Lewis, and R. C. Sproul each pay tribute to the mind and its importance in following Christ. Jonathan Edwards’s famous work displays his unique approach to the desires of the heart, but his is a handsome voice that adds a distinctive part to this distinguished choir.
- Jerry Bridges, The Pursuit of Holiness, 25th anniversary edition (NavPress, 2003).
- Murray Capill, The Heart Is the Target: Preaching Practical Application from Every Text (P&R, 2014).
- Phillip Cary, Good News for Anxious Christians: 10 Practical Things You Don’t Have to Do (Brazos Press, 2022). See ch. 6, “Why You Don’t Need to Worry about Splitting Head from Heart.”
- Jonathan Edwards, The Religious Affections (1746; Banner of Truth Trust, 2013).
- Sinclair B. Ferguson, “Preaching to the Heart,” in Feed My Sheep: A Passionate Plea for Preaching, edited by Don Kistler (Reformation Trust, 2008).
- Elyse Fitzpatrick, Idols of the Heart: Learning to Long for God Alone (P&R, 2016).
- John Flavel, Keeping the Heart: How to Maintain Your Love for God (Christian Focus, 2012).
- Os Guinness, Doubt: Faith in Two Minds (Lion, 1976).
- C. S. Lewis, The Abolition of Man (Macmillan, 1955; HarperOne, 2015).
- Kris Lundgaard, The Enemy Within: Straight Talk about the Power and Defeat of Sin (P&R, 2023).
- John Owen, The Mortification of Sin (1656; Banner of Truth Trust, 2022); Indwelling Sin in Believers (1667; Banner of Truth Trust, 2022).
- R. C. Sproul, “Preaching to the Mind,” in Feed My Sheep: A Passionate Plea for Preaching, edited by Don Kistler (Reformation Trust, 2008).
