There is certainly no shortage of stimulating and challenging books on the Christian faith. But how do you know what to read? And when you've read it who can you discuss it with?

Let's face it, reading books on theology can be a lonely occupation. Most Christians struggle to find the time to read their Bibles, never mind supplementary material that might illuminate or challenge their faith.

So why not start a theology book group? My experience of the last 6 years (has it really been that long?) has been nothing but positive, the pleasure of reading enhanced significantly by the group discussion afterwards and the friendships that I have gradually developed with my fellow groupies.

Compared with your common or garden book group - which usually focuses around fiction and is primarily the domain of the fairer sex - you might think that sticking to theology is rather limiting the scope. After all, is there really that much to say about the church and the Bible? The answer is a resounding "Yes!" - there is indeed a universe of thoughts to explore, encourage and challenge us.

As my own group is now 6 years old, it seems as appropriate a time as any to take stock of our journey. Here are the books we've read so far: 

The Challenge of Jesus by Tom Wright

Colossians Remixed by Brian Walsh

Surprised by Hope by Tom Wright

The Shack by Paul Young

The New Conspirators by Tom Sine

Velvet Elvis by Rob Bell

Engaging the Powers by Walter Wink

Church after Christendom by Stuart Murray

Creation or Evolution? By Denis Alexander

Justification: God’s Plan & Paul’s Vision by Tom Wright

Different Eyes by Steve Chalke

Hope Against Hope by Richard Bauckham

Angels by Jane Williams

Exclusion and Embrace by Miroslav Volf

Eat This Book by Eugene Peterson

Tom Wright for Everyone by Stephen Kuhrt

Heaven by Paula Gooder

Journey to the Common Good by Walter Brueggemann

Hannah’s Child by Stanley Hauerwas

Unapologetic by Francis Spufford

God and Government by  Nick Spencer

Belief and the Nation by John Scriven

Creation, truth and power by Tom Wright

The Way of Wisdom by Patrick Whitworth

The Great Partnership by Jonathan Sacks

Our first book - The Challenge of Jesus - set the tone perfectly, introducing us to a whole new way of perceiving the Son of God; to Tom Wright, who as you can see is our most read author; and to a pile of theological terms that we would find repeating over and over in subsequent texts (so best read with a dictionary alongside).

Our most attended meeting followed Creation or Evolution?, a dissection of Darwin and faith by a Christian evolutionary biologist; strip out the chapters on theology and you have an excellent science book but combine the two together and you have more than an evening's discussion and debate.

Unapologetic drew the widest range of views - with members passionately for it offset by some who really couldn't engage with it at all.

And don't think you have to be an academic and digest weighty tomes to engage properly. Different Eyes and Velvet Elvis we read together and discussed in a single session; relatively light reads but no less thought-provoking.

And we haven't just stuck with Christian authors either; Jonathan Sack's The Great Partnership proved to be a highly popular diversion despite it's Jewish focus.

So if you don't know where to start then you won't go far wrong drawing from the list above. And if you really want to make a book group fly then it's not a bad idea to add wine and cake into the mix...