I love to read. By God’s grace I am a pretty fast reader; I usually read a couple books each week. I find it helpful to summarize my thoughts on each book and I offer those thoughts in the hope that you will be encouraged to either read or pass over the given title.

It’s been a long while, 28 days to be exact (a record for me), since I did a Recent Reads post. Although my posting has been more infrequent my reading hasn’t. With quite a few titles this time around my thoughts will be shorter than normal, but I hope they will be useful in some way nonetheless.

Ordinary: Sustainable Faith in a Radical, Restless World by Michael Horton. A needed book for our restlessly radical age. Ordinary is often brilliant and occasionally redundant. In other words, it’s typical fare for the good doctor from Westminster Seminary California. Not everyone will be convinced he strikes the appropriate biblical balance between ordinary and risky faith, but I think he succeeds. This one is well worth reading.

Enjoy Your Prayer Life by Michael Reeves. One my reading maxims is: “If Michael Reeves writes it, read it.” Enjoy Your Prayer Life is more a booklet than a book, but that’s not a disadvantage at all. With his usually color and pithiness Reeves illuminates the struggle of prayer in wise ways. The treatment largely expounds Calvin’s conviction of prayer being “the chief exercise of faith.” I could see this one being a great resource for pastors to continually – and freely – hand out in their churches.

Habits of the Mind: Intellectual Life as Christian Calling by James Sire. Like Guiness, Noll, and Moreland before him, James Sire wants to rescue the mind for the glory of God. We are, after all, called to love the Lord will all our minds. Sire effectively and winsomely argues for pursuing an intellectual life unto the glory of God. Some of his counsel is curious, such as his rapturous affection for the lectio divina method of reading, but anyone concerned with the life of the mind would do well to consult this work.

They Say, I Say: The Moves that Matter in Academic Writing by Gerald Graff and Cathy Birkenstein. All academic writing, Graff and Birkenstein say, is “argumentative writing. . . . And we believe that to argue well you need to do more than assert your own position. You need to enter a conversation, using what others say (or might say) as a launching pad or sounding board for your own views” (3). To help writers engage in this kind of conversation They Say/I Say is built around a series of templates designed to help the writer understand and employ “the deep, underlying structure, the internal DNA as it were, of all effective argument.” The templates are really, really useful. I imagine I’ll be returning to this resource often int he future.

Research Strategies: Finding Your Way Through The Information Fog by William Badke. “Everyone does research. Some just do it better than others,” so says William Badke in the first sentence Research Strategies. Learning in “the information age” presents boundless opportunities for learning, but “faced with a humongous number of Internet sites, not to mention academic and commercial databases of increasing size and complexity, knowing how to navigate through the information fog isn’t something you can pick up easily on your own” (xvii). This textbook is no page turner (what textbook is?), but it abounds in up-to-date strategies for research students.

Stylish Academic Writing by Helen Sword. Sword’s mission in Stylish Academic Writing is clear from the outset, “In this book, I argue that elegant ideas deserve elegant expressions; that intellectual creativity thrives best in an atmosphere of experimentation rather than conformity” (vii). Her agenda then is “transformative,” one she hopes will result in improved reading conditions for all. Her research into the writing styles of academics is fascinating and undeniably useful. One of the better works I’ve read on the subject.

Quality Research Papers: For Students of Religion and Theology by Nancy Vhymeister. Catching on to a theme with these last few titles? Yep, these are all textbooks for an upcoming doctoral seminar on theological research. Quality Research Papers was originally written in Spanish for South American graduates students in 1980. Edits and additions were made throughout the years and in 2014 Zondervan published the third edition of Vhymeister’s work. Its purpose is simple: “to put several aspects of research writing – bibliography, search techniques, organization, and form – into a balanced perspective” (ix). Straight forward and simple.

History of the American People by Paul Johnson. I bought History of the American Peeople on sale at Amazon several months ago for $8 and it might be my best ever use of eight greenbacks. Johnson’s tome is, in every sense of the word, magisterial. This is history at its finest. The story is told with compelling verve, the analysis is objective, and the research is immense. Johnson leaves no stone unturned in his account of our fine nation – politics; business and economics; art, literature and science; society and customs; complex traditions and religious beliefs are all given adequate space. An astounding accomplishment!

The Escape by David Baldacci. Of all the various Baldacci series John Puller one is my favorite. Baldacci consumed much of last spring’s popular fiction reading and after several months with the author I knew I needed a break. The plots were becoming increasingly predictable which robbed joy from my pleasure reading. My expectations were thus quite tempered when I started The Escape, the third Puller title. Yet by the end I thought to myself, “This is the best Baldacci book I’ve ever read.” Enough said. Moving on . . .

Brilliance by Markus Sakey. I don’t remember how I came across this title – I probably was mindlessly perusing Amazon – but oh! how glad I am that I did. When I saw Gillian Flynn call Sakey “the master of the mindful page turner,” and Michael Connelly write say he’s “one of our best storytellers,” I said, “I’m definitely in.” Creativity and thrills abound in Brilliance; Sakey clearly has talent to spare. This book is soooooo good. Once I put it down I turned to my wife and said, “I can’t remember the last time I had this much fun reading a fiction book.” I’d be surprised if you’d be able to start this and not race your way to the end.

A Better Life by Markus Sakey. I didn’t think my delight towards Brilliance could increase, but when I found out it was the first of a trilogy (“The Brilliance Saga”) the happiness multiplied exponentially. A Better Life picks up the story three months from where Brilliance left off and Sakey in no way disappoints. The story is full of texture, suspense, and roller coaster rides of fun. I can only hope the brilliant Mr. Sakey is racing to finish the trilogy’s final volume. Can’t wait!

My Sister’s Grave by Robert Dugoni. My holiday binge of mystery/suspense novels continued with Dugoni’s story of Tracy Crosswhite, a Seattle detective who’s been consumed for the last twenty years with the disappearance of her beloved sister. I must give Dugoni credit because two-thirds of the way through I was convinced I had his endgame all sorted, but he threw me an unexpected curve ball as the book ramped up to its conclusion. A breeze of a read, if it is a bit dark at points.

Terminal City by Linda Fairstein. Sometime last summer I watched an interview with Daniel Silva (author of the great Gabriel Allon series) and he recommended Terminal City as a wonderful summer read. Well, I got around to it in the winter, but it was wonderful nonetheless. This is the seventeenth (!) book in Fairstein’s series centered on one Alexandra Cooper. While Terminal City isn’t a work of historical fiction it still manages to pack in a stunning amount of history. All of it surrounding New York City’s Grand Central Terminal. The historical asides will undoubtedly stilt the narrative for some, yet I think they add peculiar flavor to the story. I did find the ending less than satisfying, but I can forgive that for a suprisingly informative work of fiction.

Click here to find other entries in the Recent Reads series.

I love to read. By God’s grace I am a pretty fast reader; I usually read a couple books each week. I find it helpful to summarize my thoughts on each book and I offer those thoughts in the hope that you will be encouraged to either read or pass over the given title.

Job: The Wisdom of the Cross by Christopher Ash. Lord willing, tomorrow night at IDC we will conclude our sermon series on the book of Job. Ash’s commentary is hands down the best commentary on Job I’ve used and – this isn’t a stretch – one of the finest commentaries I’ve ever read. Ash’s command of Job’s theological nuances and potential hermeneutical pitfalls is immense, and his pastoral antennae are always on alert. I rarely found myself in disagreement with his interpretations of the difficult speeches, and routinely found the conclusions illuminating and convincing. If you ever preach on Job this is the one commentary you must have. If you don’t plan to preach on Job anytime soon grab a copy anyway, this is red meat for the soul.

Here are the other commentaries on Job I read cover to cover:

• The Storm Breaks by Derek Thomas. Thomas did his PhD on John Calvin’s sermons through Job. So it shouldn’t surprise the reader to see great similarity between the Welsh man’s commentary and the old reformer’s preaching on this wisdom book. A fantastic pastoral and devotional commentary.
• Job by Steve Lawson. Lawson’s homiletical scheme (his astounding ability to alliterate notwithstanding) feels forced on the text at points, but this one was surprisingly useful.
• The Message of Job by David Atkinson. Largely solid, but I found the format unusually frustrating for a BST volume. Rather than work through the text with consecutive commentary, Atkinson breaks it up by figure – Eliphaz’s speeches, Bildad’s speeches, etc. Understandable, yet maddening for sermon preparation.
• Job by Elmer Smick. The concision of Smick’s commentary is a welcome departure from the normal verbosity associated with Job, but some sections demanded more attention than Smick was willing to give. Still, it’s a useful volume.
• Crying Out for Vindication: The Gospel According to Job by David Jackson. On the whole I found this one not very helpful. I can forgive the topical arrangement of Job’s material, but Jackson is way too quick at many points to jump out of Job into the New Testament. The book might be more aptly titled, “New Testament Themes Found in the Book of Job.”

Naming the Elephant: Worldview as a Concept by James Sire. In 1976 James Sire published The Universe Next Door, a widely used textbook on worldview that not only defined worldview, but examined seven dominant worldviews of the time. As students, colleagues, and critics interacted with his seminal text Sire increasingly felt the need to revise his original thesis. Naming the Elephant is his effort at revision. Sire’s refinement concentrates on recognizing worldview as not merely a set of basic concepts, but a fundament orientation of the heart (channeling the recent work by David Naugle). Furthermore, he emphasizes the role of behavior in the determination of what a person’s worldview really is, after all Jesus said, “Out of the overflow of the heart the mouth speaks.” A solid book for anyone interested in the concept of worldview.

Finally Free: Fighting for Purity with the Power of Grace by Heath Lambert. We plan to have our men at IDC read through Lambert’s little book in February, so our elders read it in preparation. If you took out the chapter on “Using Your Spouse (or Your Singleness)” to Fight Pornography” the book is actually a field manual for killing all kinds of sin. Surely one can use sorrow, humility, gratitude, and confession to slay various, fleshly enemies. If Lambert ever does a second edition I’d love to see added focus on the roles a local church and the ordinary means play in fighting for purity. Nevertheless, Finally Free is the finest book on the subject I’ve ever read. Churches everyone would do well to have this one available.

The Burning Room by Michael Connelly. I love Connelly’s Lincoln Lawyer series focused on Mickey Haller, but I had yet to read any one of the volumes in his longer-running and better-selling Harry Bosch series. Finally, after sufficient prodding from a few family members I dove into Mr. Bosch by reading the latest entry The Burning Room. It’s a bit strange I’m sure, but when jumping into a tenured series I read the most recent entry in a series rather than the first. Bosch is a L.A. cold-case detective (he was previously one of the best homicide detectives in the city) in the twilight of his career and is confronted with two prominent cold cases that prove to be intensely emotional and political. The Burning Room is fun, simple, and informative . . . everything you’d expect from Connelly.

Click here to find other entries in the Recent Reads series.

I love to read. By God’s grace I am a pretty fast reader; I usually read a couple books each week. I find it helpful to summarize my thoughts on each book and I offer those thoughts in the hope that you will be encouraged to either read or pass over the given title.

By the Renewing of Your Minds: The Pastoral Function of Christian Doctrine by Ellen Charry. Charry decries the dichotomization of knowledge as either “insight-oriented” or “practice-oriented” that now typifies modern theology. She believes three primary figures perpetuated this decline: John Locke, David Hume, and Immanuel Kant. Their contributions stand in direct opposition to major figures of classical theology who “based their understanding of human excellence on knowing and loving God, the imitation of or assimilation to whom brings proper human dignity and flourishing” (18). The bulk of Charry’s work is taken up with an analysis of nine theologians – ranging from Paul to Athanasius to Dame Julian to Calvin – and their “artegenic” (conducive to virtue) theology. While I would quibble with some of her evaluations of the representative theologians, I can’t question her dominant burden, which says our theologizing must have an undeniable pastoral thrust.

The Trinitarian Devotion of John Owen by Sinclair Ferguson. I love Reformation Trust’s “Long Line of Godly Men Series.” Every volume is simple and heart-searching. Once I saw that the latest volume featured Sinclair Ferguson on John Owen I rushed to grab a copy. Few theologians are as worth the slog of study as John Owen; his teaching is profound and scales theological summits precious few have ever reached. And if anyone is going to introduce the Prince of Puritans to a wider audience I would want it to be Ferguson. He has a brilliant understanding of Owen and the communicative tools necessary to make the Prince accessible to an average church member. The Trinitarian Devotion of John Owen begins with a wonderful – and brief – biography of the titular figure. Then rest of the book then functions as Ferguson’s summary of Owen’s timeless Communion with the Triune God. This is a great invitation into the mind that had unusual insight into the Christian’s delight in God.

The Mortification of Sin by John Owen. A couple weeks ago I mentioned how CJ Mahaney’s Humility is one of two books I feel I must reread every year. Owen’s The Mortification of Sin is the other one. In fact, if I could get every Christian to read only one book outside of Scripture it would be this masterpiece from the Prince. His understanding of sin’s contagious nature and power is unmatched. And his application of truth to the believer’s sin-slaying work is, at certain points, breathtaking. If you read one book the rest of this year, make it Owen’s classic. I promise your soul will say, “Thank you.”

The Intellectual Life: It’s Spirit, Conditions, Methods by A.P. Sertillanges. Antonin-Gilbert Sertillanges was an influential French Catholic of the Dominican order in the late 1800s to early 1900s. In the preface to The Intellectual Life Sertillanges asks, “Do you want to do intellectual work? Begin by creating within you a zone of silence, a habit of recollection, a will to renunciation and detachment which puts you entirely at the disposal of the work” (xviii). That simple sentence gives a good sense of what Setillanges believes a fruitful intellectual life requires: solitude, ardent concentration, and immovable devotion. He summons students and professors to a kind of academic devotion not unlike a conqueror of a barbarian horde. In Sertillanges mind, that horde is research and understanding. The intellectual must have heroic focus to conquer the work of study to which he is committed. I loved this book for many reasons, most centrally for its pithiness and practicality. Zingers about throughout and Sertillanges offers counsel on everything from how to best use one’s time, choose the best book, cultivate a lively memory, and collect and classify notations from one’s research. Sertillanges also promises the reader much as his final sentence says, “If you will do [everything I’ve recommended], you will bear fruit and will attain what you desire.” His certainty may sound pretentious, but I think he’s right. The Intellectual Life ought to be a ready for anyone interested in scholarship.

Dispatches from the Front: Stories of Gospel Advance in the World’s Difficult Places by Tim Keesee. In many areas this book met the expectations I came into it with. I expected to be moved by Keesee’s stories of God’s work among the nations, and Dispatches from the Front often got the tear-ducts flowing. I love it when a book broadens my, often too narrow, western worldview. Stories of God’s sovereign, global grace never cease to move the soul. But what I didn’t expect from Keesee’s work is its beautiful prose. Keesee clearly has a gift with language and his language alone powerfully moves one’s affections. Highly recommended!

How to Write a Lot: A Practical Guide to Academic Writing by Paul Silvia. From the very outset of his work Dr. Paul Silvia writes, “How to Write a Lot isn’t a scholarly book – it’s a lighthearted, personal, practical book for a scholarly audience” (xi). He knows many post-graduates students and professors find writing to be a difficult task. Many want to publish, but never seem to get their writing wheels churning. Even those that do write with some proficiency often find writing to be a boorish responsibility. Silvia says, “How to Write a Lot is about becoming a reflective disciplined writer – it isn’t about cranking out fluff, publishing second-rate material for the sake of amassing publications, or turning a crisp journal article in to an exegetical exposition” (3). This simple book does exactly what it sets out to do: offer winsome advice for picking up one’s proverbial pen and putting it to work. His counsel is nothing unusual – set a schedule for writing, learn how to write good words and sentences, understand the publishing industry – but it’s still helpful.

Wolf Hall by Hilary Mantel. A few years ago someone, who knew my love for historical novels said, “Oh, you have to read Mantel’s Wolf Hall!” Wolf Hall is Mantel’s fictional portrayal of Henry VIII’s turbulent, soap-opera like court. Thomas Cromwell plays the protagonist role in this recounting of those seminal days in British history, and really, world history as England broke ties with Rome. Other notable figures such as Thomas More, Cardinal Wolsey, Anne Boleyn, and King Henry himself inhabit the story. I wanted to like this story, but I found Mantel’s literary style (which many call dazzling and magnificent in its art) obstructive to what could have been an engrossing read. This is just my personal perspective and one that many might say reveals my artistic deficiencies. It did win the Man Booker Prize after all! But, for me, Mantel’s literary style feels episodic, detached, and often profuse in detail. This results in a storyline that repeatedly loses steam just as you think it’s going to take off.

Click here to find other entries in the Recent Reads series.

I love to read. By God’s grace I am a pretty fast reader; I usually read a couple books each week. I find it helpful to summarize my thoughts on each book and I offer those thoughts in the hope that you will be encouraged to either read or pass over the given title.

Prayer: Experience Awe and Intimacy with God by Tim Keller. The Manhattan Man once said, “If you wait to write until you are older, the writing will go much faster, because you will have reams of material and many layers of thought about a lot of subjects and texts. Writing a book in your 50s will go twice as fast and be twice as good as if you try the same book in your 30s. It’s just good stewardship to wait.” Keller has modeled his own wisdom and his books are always the “twice as good” for it. He published Ministries of Mercy in the late 80s and waited twenty years to publish a second book. Now, the man is a machine, annually churning out substantial volume. And the Keller machine just produced one of the best books on prayer you can read.

Based on early reviews and commendations my expectations for Prayer were sky high. I was a bit fearful that my hopes were unrealistic and would inevitably be somewhat dashed. But, God be praised, I wasn’t even close to being disappointed. Keller has done something almost magical in this book as he manages to strike all the right balances on the timeless subject at hand. He is forcefully clear about the duty of prayer, joyfully winsome about the privilege of prayer, reverently affectionate about the awe-filled experience of prayer, and immanently useful on the daily practice of prayer. The work abounds with piercing insights from Keller and all the saints of old upon which he calls. One needs only to read the chapter on praising God in prayer to see how Keller enlivens a most basic – and often assumed – aspect of communion with God. This may just be the best book I’ve read all year.

Encountering Jesus, Encountering Scripture: Reading the Bible Critically in Faith by David Crump. David Crump, a professor in the Religion Department of Calvin College, has a simple purpose in this volume: “My goal in this book is to secure thorough integration of heart, mind, and soul by keeping first things first. . . . the basic issues in this arena are epistemological and spiritual. How can a person come to know God?” While that purposeful question has universal application, Crump’s volume is almost exclusively aimed at scholars wrestling with the implications of higher criticism. Crump wants Christians scholars to see that they don’t need to surrender intellectual curiosity or critical thinking in study, but they must “perceive and evaluate academic subjectivity in light of the subjectivity of faith.” A deep affinity for Kierkegaardian existentialism, sympathies for the New Perspective on Paul, catering to higher criticism of the gospel narratives, and a near absence of focus on the Spirit’s role in faith make this a curious book. For I agree with his destination – faith must govern our academic study, not the other way around – but I find those winding roads on which he travels are ones I would not trod.

Mindscape: What to Think About Instead of Worrying by Tim Witmer. David Powlison says there are three problems “so characteristic of human nature, and come in so many variants, that if we learn to face them in our own lives and in the lives of others, we will cover the majority of ministry needs.” Those three problems are: anxiety, anger, and escapism. You don’t have to minister to others very long before you see how wise Powlison is on this point. In my church, anxiety is one of the most prevalent “respectable sins.” Tim Witmer’s Mindscape aims to answer the issue of worry a simple two-fold structure: 1) briefly outline the problem of worry, and 2) show how Philippians 4:8 provides a new “operating system” for the mind. The reader is wisely exhorted to put the mind’s attention on “whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable—if anything is excellent or praiseworthy—think about such things.” I wish Witmer gave a more sustained diagnosis of the spiritual roots undergirding worry, and the book could – and probably should – be significantly shorter (the content often feels redundant). Nevertheless, this is one worth meditative reading for anyone who struggles to slay the sin of worry.

The Courage to Be Protestant: Truth-lovers, Marketers, and Emergents in the Postmodern World by David Wells. For over fifteen years Wells was occupied with a publishing project deconstructing western evangelicalism. Al Mohler called Wells’ No Place for Truth (1993) “the bomb that exploded on the evangelical playground.” That book was followed by God in the Wasteland (1994), Losing Our Virtue (1998), and Above All Earthly Powers (2005). Running through these winsome, yet devastating, critiques were five main doctrinal themes: truth, God, self, Christ, and the church. Published in 2008, The Courage to Be Protestant represents Wells’ attempt to summarize the previous four works and their main doctrinal themes. Therefore, anyone familiar with Wells and his evangelical critique won’t find anything new, just a fresh recapturing of his sobering assessment. If you haven’t encountered Well before this may just be the best place to start.

Perspectives on the Word of God: An Introduction to Christian Ethics by John Frame. In 1988 Trinity Evangelical Divinity School invited John Frame to deliver that year’s Kenneth Kantzer Lectures. The previous year saw Frame publish The Doctrine of the Knowledge of God, the first volume in his Theology of Lordship Series. Frame’s three Kantzer lectures presented a few main theses from the eventual Lordship volumes on The Doctrine of the Word of God and The Doctrine of the Christian Life. So Perspectives functions as something like super-short study guide on Frame’s theological method (tri-perspectivalism) and how he applies it to the word of God and ethics. If you’ve ever wanted a quick introduction to Frame’s love of triads this is a good place to start.

When Sinners Say “I Do”: Discovering the Power of the Gospel for Marriage by Dave Harvey. My wife and I just wrapped up premarital counseling with a young couple in our church and When Sinners Say “I Do” was a small part of our weekly discussion. Harvey does a good job applying the gospel to all matters of marriage, but he often spends the majority of each chapter in telling stories and anecdotes. So I wonder if the book wouldn’t be served by cutting some of those in order to more clearly amplify the rich biblical teaching he offers. His final chapter (“When Sinners Say Goodbye”) on marriage in light of eternity is superb. All in all, When Sinners Say “I Do” is a solid resource to make available in your church.

Sycamore Row by John Grisham. The first “grown up” author I read as a young teenager was John Grisham. His southern-set legal thrillers filled many late night moments. In time I moved on to other authors and genres, but Grisham has always maintained something of a sentimental place in my heart. When I heard one of his recent novels was a sequel to the blockbuster A Time to Kill I knew it was time to return to Ford County, Mississippi after an absence of almost two decades. Set three years after the Carl Lee Hailey trial, Sycamore Row finds lawyer Jake Brigance caught up in another tense, racially-charged trial. This one isn’t about murder, but Jake’s probation of a holographic will written by a rich local citizen named Seth Hubbard. Just before he committed suicide Hubbard sent Jake the will and left 90% of his estate to his black housekeeper. The ensuing thrills are somewhat predictable, but oh so satisfying.

Click here to find other entries in the Recent Reads series.

I love to read. By God’s grace I am a pretty fast reader; I usually read a couple books each week. I find it helpful to summarize my thoughts on each book and I offer those thoughts in the hope that you will be encouraged to either read or pass over the given title.

The Institutes of the Christian Religion by John Calvin. Banner of Truth continues, with quiet significance, to serve the church through republishing classic works of Puritan and Reformed theology. Their most recent offering of unusual importance is Robert White’s translation of the 1541 edition of Calvin’s Institutes of the Christian Religion. Carl Trueman says, “Calvin aficionados will know that the 1539 and 1541 editions embody key structural changes and elaboration of the somewhat brief 1536 edition and stand in significant continuity with the 1559. It is also worth knowing that the French editions were often less caustic about opponents and more explicitly precise in their polemical targets than the Latin.” This volume might be the best introduction into the great Reformer’s theology for the average lay member. It functions like an “abridgement for the common man” of the final, and most widely used, 1559 Latin edition. If you have some extra Christmas dollars lying around next month buy this book and slowly work through it next year. An immense spiritual feast awaits.

Am I Really a Christian? by Mike McKinley. It’s rare I hear anyone recommending this book, but recommend they should. Am I Really a Christian? is the most accessible contemporary book on assurance any Christian can read. I reread it recently in preparation for a three-hour sermon on 1 John I hope to give before a group of college students this week. Anyone familiar with McKinley knows he possesses witty wisdom to boot and one can see it in how he titles the first seven chapters:

1. You Are Not a Christian Just Because You Say That You Are
2. You Are Not a Christian Just Because You Like Jesus
3. You Are Not a Christian If You Haven’t Been Born Again
4. You Are Not a Christian If You Enjoy Sin
5. You Are Not a Christian If You Do Not Endure to the End
6. You Are Not a Christian If You Don’t Love Other People
7. You Are Not a Christian If You Love Your Stuff

The eighth chapter ably answers the logical question generated by the first seven, “Can I Ever Really Know If I Am a Christian?” “Yes you can!” says McKinely. But it’s the final chapter that makes this offering unique. There McKinley details the necessity of a local church in the assurance of an individual Christians. Not only can conversations on assurance become overly objective or subjective, they often become ridiculously individualistic. Placing assurance of salvation in the context of a local church is just what the conversation and doctrine needs. With a thoroughly irenic tone saturating the Christ-centered content, this is a book I’d love to see used in every church.

Thomas Boston as Preacher of the Fourfold State by Phil Ryken. Part of my master’s thesis was occupied with Boston and ever since then I’ve found myself returning to his works with increasing frequency. His life is fascinating and his ministry a model of faithfulness to the ordinary means. Jonathan Edwards was taken with the Scotsman, calling him a “truly great divine.” Edwards doesn’t seem to overreach; Boston’s most famous theological work, Human Nature in Its Fourfold State, was the widest selling English book in the 18th century. Thomas Boston as Preacher of the Fourfold State is a lightly edited version of Ryken’s doctoral dissertation and what a fine study it is. The prose is clear, the research immense, and the analysis incisive. Like any dissertation, the audience is limited. This title will be most attractive – and maybe even essential – for any student of 18th century evangelicalism.

Power Through Prayer by E.M. Bounds. Whenever I need some counsel to quick start my devotion to prayer I usually turn to E.M. Bounds. The old Methodist man writes with a fervor and lucidity that constantly makes me drop his book to bend my knees before God. That’s what every book on prayer should aspire to do. Power Through Prayer is written to gospel preachers, so it will be of unique benefit to pastors. The chapters on “Men of Prayer Needed” and “Much Prayer the Price of Unction” will hit home for any man who regularly ascends to the sacred desk. Highly recommended!

Humility by CJ Mahaney. I once heard Dever say Mahaney’s Humility should be the 28th book in the New Testament. Personally, that self-conscious exaggeration isn’t misplaced. I have a list of books I want to reread every year, and a list of books I must reread every year. There are only two books in that latter category and Humility is one of them. I bet it’s because I am so prone to pride and thus continually need the truth in this book. It always disrupts roots of arrogance and increases my affection for lowly weakness. If there is one book, outside of the Bible, I could get every church member to read and emulate, it would be this one. If you’ve yet to read it, order a copy today and let this Scripture-shaped scalpel do its work on your soul.

One Minute to Midnight: Kennedy, Krushchev, Castro on the Brink of Nuclear War by Michael Dobbs. My recent forays into historical fiction have included or focused on the Cuban Missile Crisis, so I figured it was time to read Dobbs’ highly commended treatment of that epochal event. Dobbs admits that the Crisis has generated a cottage industry of publications, theories, and analyses of those thirteen days in October. So why another book? His book is needed for two reasons. First, the discovery of new evidence that debunks popular myths that have surrounded the Crisis for decades. “Here, for the first time, are gripping accounts of Khrushchev’s plan to destroy the U.S. naval base at Guantánamo; the handling of Soviet nuclear warheads on Cuba; and the extraordinary story of a U-2 spy plane that got lost over Russia at the peak of the crisis.” Secondly, the book is utterly unlike anything in the field. Written like a thriller, Dobbs focuses on Black Saturday treating each hour of the day in one chapter. It feels almost like a 24 account of the Crisis. He should be applauded for not letting his exhaustive research slow down the fast-paced retelling. One Minute to Midnight is a mighty fine example of how thrilling history can be.

11/22/63 by Stephen King. For years I’ve had friends tell me King is one of the best American storytellers around. The problem is, for me at least, his stories are far too horrifying and gruesome to merit attention. One of those friends recently challenged my presuppositions saying, “You know all his stuff isn’t sci-fi horror right?” And so it was that I came across 11/22/63, a novel which takes as its title the date President Kennedy was assassinated. King’s novel focuses on Jake Epping, a high school English teacher from Maine, whose old friend Al Templeton shows him a time portal (“the rabbit hole”) in the back of a hamburger diner.

The rules are simple: walk through the rabbit hole and suddenly you’re back on Sept. 9, 1958. It’s 11:58 a.m. There are, Al says, only two conditions. One, it’s not a one-way trip. It doesn’t have to be. But when you return, no matter how long you’ve stayed in the past — two days, five years, whatever — only two minutes have gone by in the present. Two, each time you go back to the past, there is a reset. Like a Magic Slate. It’s 11:58 a.m., and everything you did on your previous trip has been erased.

Al is about to die of cancer and he reveals the time portal to Jake in hopes he will return and save Kennedy from Lee Harvey Oswald. The potential for good is enormous. “If you ever wanted to change the world,” Al tells Jake, “this is your chance. Save Kennedy, save his brother. Save Martin Luther King. Stop the race riots. Stop Vietnam, maybe. . . . You could save millions of lives.” And so, off goes Jake. The ensuing story is brilliant, engrossing, and moving.

This one was some kind of fun.

Click here to find other entries in the Recent Reads series.

I love to read. By God’s grace I am a pretty fast reader; I usually read a couple books each week. I find it helpful to summarize my thoughts on each book and I offer those thoughts in the hope that you will be encouraged to either read or pass over the given title.

Evangelical Eloquence: A Course of Lectures on Preaching by R.L. Dabney. For years my Presbyterian friends have said, “You’ve got to read Dabney’s Evangelical Eloquence!” The poor Southern Presbyterian’s lectures have been collecting dust in my study for some time, but a few weeks ago I finally pulled it out . . . and I may have just discovered my personal authorized text on preaching. If I ever taught a class on preaching, this would be the primary text. Here we find the preaching ministry treated with gravity, scripturalness, and simplicity (which, incidentally enough are Dabney’s “3 Special Qualities of Biblical Preaching”). Originally published in 1879 as Sacred Rhetoric, these lectures have more than passed the test of time; over and over I found myself convicted, challenged, and led to write, “Amen!” in the margin. Dabney’s introductory lecture on “The Preacher’s Commission” will fan aflame a love for the sacred desk, and his lectures on the “Cardinal Requisites of the Sermon” should be requisite reading for preachers young and old. The old man gets extra credit for concluding the work with a lecture on public prayer. A fantastic volume!

The Ministry by Charles Brown. An old seminary friend used to always be reading some book on pastoral ministry. The titles were often obscure and many stretched back to the church fathers. Several years ago he was reading Charles Brown’s The Ministry and it looked helpful enough, so I bought a copy. It proved to be medicine for my soul during a trying time in ministry. I reread it last week and was freshly encouraged. Brown was a 19th century Scottish pastor who was said to possess “a rare combination of intellectual power and spiritual earnestness, proceeding from a mind and heart full of the treasure of the Word.” His book on ministry consists of four chapters covering the essentials of pastoring: godliness, prayer, and preaching. Brown’s little volume will help pastors return to the apostolic rule of Acts 6:4.

The Path of True Godliness by Willem Teellinck. Teellinck has been called “The Father of the Dutch Nadere Reformatie“, a movement among the Dutch Reformed that generally paralleled the Puritan movement in England and Scotland. The Path of True Godliness, first published in 1621, is Teellinck’s major work on sanctification. In true Puritan fashion the work is exhaustive and covers everything from what true godliness is, to how the kingdom of darkness wars against the kingdom of grace, and the means by which we grow in true godliness. The book can, and probably should, be much shorter as Teelinck’s discussion gets quite redundant at points. If basketball was around in the 17th century this Dutchman would have been deadly from behind the arc: he organizes almost everything in triads. It’s rather amazing how many sections begin with something like, “Notice that this activity begins in three parts,” or, “As the Holy Spirit leads believers into truth, he offers three distinct works of grace.”

A Display of God’s Glory: Basics of Church Structure by Mark Dever. Dever’s little discussed manual on church polity is an absolute gem. We use it in our church officer training at Imago Dei and I had the chance to reread it again as we just finished our first round of deacon training. In the short compass of four chapters Dever covers the essentials of congregational polity: deacons, elders, congregationalism, and membership. Not only is this a an excellent resource for training prospective officers it would also serve as an excellent discipling tool for any member who needs to understand basics of Baptist polity. I’d love to see a publishing house pick up this title and make it more widely available.

Growing in Christ by J.I. Packer. For Packer, Growing in Christ is the logical companion to his classic Knowing God. This book is his work of catechesis; his commentary on “the three formulae which have always been central in Christian teaching – the Apostle’s Creed, the Lord’s Prayer, and the Ten Commandments, plus Christian baptism.” But don’t let the word “commentary” give you pause, Packer sprints through the content. Each chapter is 2-3 pages in length and includes useful discussion questions. Thoroughly evangelical and warmly ecumenical, I could see this book being a great resource for small groups or discipling relationships.

Memoirs of an Ordinary Pastor: The Life and Reflections of Tom Carson by D.A. Carson. I’m not sure why it’s taken me so long to read this book, I am something of a sucker for pastoral memoirs. Carson is to be greatly commended, along with Crossway, for giving us a glimpse into the trials and joys of ordinary ministry through the life and memoirs of his father. After reading the work, Carson’s administrative assistant said, ““I used to aspire to be the next Henry Martyn [heroic British Bible translator and missionary to the Muslim peoples of India and Persia]. However, after reading your dad’s diaries, the Lord has given my heart a far loftier goal: simply to be faithful. I know we as men are but dust, but what dust the man I read about in these diaries was!” No higher praise could be given.

The Goldfinch by Donna Tartt. The Goldfinch won the 2014 Pulitzer Prize for fiction and my first response upon completing it was, “How did this win the Pulitzer?” I’m not one who generally enjoys the “art” of literature, so it’s possible my distaste is simply the product of unrefined artistic taste buds. So I decided to do some research to see if my sentiments were completely unfounded. Little did I know that Tartt is something of a cult hero and her latest book has created something of a impenetrable divide among literary critics: you love it or you hate it. Although I didn’t loathe the book, I definitely didn’t love it. The narrative seamlessly moves from the rivetingly sensational to boringly bloated. I find most of the prose to fall in the latter category.

Click here to find other entries in the Recent Reads series.

I love to read. By God’s grace I am a pretty fast reader; I usually read a couple books each week. I find it helpful to summarize my thoughts on each book and I offer those thoughts in the hope that you will be encouraged to either read or pass over the given title.

God’s Forever Family: The Jesus People Movement in America by Larry Eskridge. For two and a half years during high school I attended a Calvary Chapel in Sarasota, Florida. It was an utterly unique experience for me; casually dressed pastors preached through books of the Bible and men with guitars led corporate singing that consisted mostly of contemporary songs of praise. It was all very different from my traditional Southern Baptist upbringing. In time I learned how the Calvary Chapel movement descended from Chuck Smith and the Jesus People movement of the late 1960s and early 1970s. So when I saw, late last year, that evangelical historian Larry Eskridge published a book detailing the history and influence of the Jesus People movement I knew I had to read it. God’s Forever Family is book every pastor should consider reading if he wants to better understand the current landscape of evangelicalism.

Eskridge’s able recounting of the movement’s movers and leaders is fascinating on a historical level. Stories of communes, coffee houses, rock bands, musicals, The Late Great Planet Earth, and hippie Christians make the book interesting even for casual readers. But the huge payoff comes in the final chapter where Eskridge evaluates “The Long-Term Impact of the Jesus People Movement.” He identifies three primary categories of the movement’s long-term impact and influence: music, popular youth culture, and church life. The primary takeaway for today’s pastor is how the Jesus People served as a catalyst for modern evangelicalism’s infatuation with “youth culture.” One reviewer wisely concludes, “When worship looks and sounds like youth group, the church is in danger of being led astray. The church needs youthful energy and boldness, but it also needs the experience and wisdom of older brothers and sisters who find themselves alienated from many evangelical congregations.” Amen. Any pastor would benefit greatly from Eskridge’s excellent work.

Yawning at Tigers: You Can’t Tame God, So Stop Trying by Drew Dyck. After reading the first three chapters of Yawning at Tigers I was about ready to proclaim it as a modern version of Sproul’s The Holiness of God. Dyck is an excellent writer and his presentation of the Almighty is brilliant. Consider his comments on the scene at Sinai in Exodus:

[Exodus 19:16-19 is] a powerful scene, one that underscores God’s holiness and majesty. It’s also absolutely terrifying. After such an overwhelming encounter, I wonder if the idea of a mute idol seemed strangely attractive – for comfort if nothing else.

Here the contrast between God and an idol couldn’t be clearer. We’re told that after offering sacrifices to the golden calf, the Israelites ‘sat down to eat and drink and got up to indulge in revelry’ (Ex. 32:6). But when God descended on Mount Sinai ‘everyone in the camp trembled’ (Ex. 19:16). You don’t tremble before an idol.

Now that’s good. Yet, from chapter four on I found Dyck’s argumentation less compelling as he slides into more comfortable evangelical language about God’s holiness and love. Maybe my decreased enthusiasm is his tendency to over-illustrate; at least half the book is anecdotal or illustrative. Or maybe it’s how he can quote John Calvin in one sentence and John Eldridge in the next with equal favor. Don’t get me wrong, the book is solid. I bet my sense of disappoint largely stems from the incredibly high – and probably unrealistic – expectations those first three chapters created.

Burning Hearts: Preaching to the Affections by Josh Moody and Robin Weekes. I love books like this one; short volumes that simply address one aspect of faithful proclamation. Moody and Weekes have a burden to see pastors effectively target their congregation’s heart – i.e. affections – in preaching. They define preaching as “the God-ordained means by which He meets with His people through His word and by His Spirit in such a way that His people’s eyes are opened to see Jesus and be captivated by Him” (25). For just over sixty-five pages the authors cover the what, why, and how of preaching to the affections; this is a quick and edifying read. The book’s usefulness is greatly multiplied in the final four chapters where the authors reproduce a sermon manuscript and then comment on its effectiveness in reaching the affections. Carson’s endorsement is a healthy summary, “For some, this will be a healthy reminder; for others, it will revolutionize their preaching.”

Click here to find other entries in the Recent Reads series.

I love to read. By God’s grace I am a pretty fast reader; I usually read a couple books each week. I find it helpful to summarize my thoughts on each book and I offer those thoughts in the hope that you will be encouraged to either read or pass over the given title.

The Pure Flame of Devotion: The History of Christian Spirituality edited by Steve Weaver and Ian Clary. Last fall, on the occasion of his 60th birthday, Dr. Michael Haykin received an honor of which he is most worthy – a feschrift. Now, a feschrift, like any edited volume, is often be a mixed bag. Some chapters are better than others and coherent unity is not always achievable. But I am pleased to tell you The Pure Flame is excellent from beginning to end. The book is broken down into four parts: Patristic & Medieval Spirituality, Reformation & Puritan Spirituality, Evangelicalism & Modern Spirituality, and Baptist Spirituality. These sections not only correspond to a logical flow of church history, but are also linked to Dr. Haykin’s primary areas of expertise. I found every chapter edifying and insightful, but here are a few uniquely applicable to the pastor’s current ministry:

• “Martin Luther: Preaching and Protestant Spirituality” by Carl Trueman
• William Perkins: Application in Preaching” by Erroll Hulse
• “A Resolved Piety: Living in Light of Eternity with Jonathan Edwards” by Peter Beck
• “Benjamin Keach: Cultivating Corporate Spirituality and Church Covenants” by Austin Walker
• “A Gregarious Spirituality: The Personal Piety of Charles H. Spurgeon” by Tom Nettles

The Pure Flame is a fantastic achievement. Well done!

Discovering the Joy of a Clear Conscience by Christopher Ash. When I preached through 1 Timothy last year one of the letter’s striking themes was the importance of a clear conscience for the Christian life. I did some research and really couldn’t find any contemporary books that spoke biblically to the issue of pursuing and keeping a tender, Christlike conscience. Christopher Ash did the same research, noticed a dearth in the field, and decided to write a book about the Christian’s conscience. And my, my – what a book this is! Discovering the Joy of a Clear Conscience is pastoral counseling at its best. Thoroughly rooted in the Bible, centered on the cleansing power of Christ’s gospel, and filled with storied application this book should make its way onto every church’s bookshelf. My only quibble with the work is its cover and title. It may seem tangential, but I’m not sure very many church members would pick up the book, look at it, and then think, “I want to read that!” P&R could, and should, do better. I tip my hat to Ash and hope the second edition gets an aesthetic makeover.

What is the Gospel? by Greg Gilbert. Just like its subject matter, this little book is a unending treasure trove of useful truth. “Convictional clarity” is the operative phrase for Gilbert’s exposition of that which is of first importance. I’m walking through What is the Gospel? with a potential church member who is a little fuzzy on the good news and Gilbert is a steady guide. The work is ordered around a clear articulate of “God, Man, Christ, Response” and has unique value in its pastoral critique of substitute gospels common in the evangelical world. I’d love to see this little volume become a consistent discipling resource in every church.

The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe by CS Lewis. Several weeks ago I decided to read Lewis’ classic tale to my four year old son. I soon realized how much I missed Narnia and so I decided to plow through the short tale in a couple sittings this week. I’ve often said, “If you haven’t read the Chronicles of Narnia, you have yet to live.” After another reading, especially through the eyes of my son, I stand by that statement. Warmth and imagination not only permeate the pages, but the reader’s soul as well.

Back Channel: A Novel by Stephen Carter. I hadn’t heard of Stephen Carter until I saw Daniel Silva recommend his latest book, Back Channel, as a mighty fine summer read. Because I enjoy Silva’s book and had no reason to suspect his recommendations would fall flat, I picked up Carter’s latest and . . . O, this was fun! Back Channel is, as the publisher says, “a brilliant amalgam of fact and fiction—a suspenseful retelling of the Cuban Missile Crisis, in which the fate of the world rests unexpectedly on the shoulders of a young college student.” Carter vividly captures the horror of nuclear war, the “you can’t trust anyone” nature of Cold War espionage, and the quirks of various politicians and generals presiding over the crisis. I wouldn’t be surprised if readers who know little about those tense days in October 1962 actually take Carter’s tale as fact. He tells it that well.

Click here to find other entries in the Recent Reads series.

I love to read. By God’s grace I am a pretty fast reader; I usually read a couple books each week. I find it helpful to summarize my thoughts on each book and I offer those thoughts in the hope that you will be encouraged to either read or pass over the given title.

Dynamics of Spiritual Life: An Evangelical Theology of Renewal by Richard Lovelace. For years I’ve heard pastors I deeply respect recommend Lovelace’s classic book on spirituality. Tim Keller once said, “Anyone who knows my ministry and reads this book will say, ‘So that’s where Keller got all this stuff!’” After reading it, I totally agree. Many tenets of TGC spirituality we’ve come to know (gospel-centrality, the dangers of moralism, social and urban activism, among others) Lovelace articulated back in the late 1970s. While I think Lovelace is too kind to Pentecostal expressions of piety, Dynamics of Spiritual Life is, one the whole, utterly compelling. Few stones of spirituality are left unturned in this near 400-page work. The work’s unique values is the fact that it comes from the pen of a trained historian. Lovelace’s biblical and systematic theology is – in a good way! – nothing revolutionary, but he weds those disciplines to historical perspectives on revival and renewal I often found captivating. You probably won’t agree with every jot and tittle of Lovelace’s vision for renewal, but Dyanamics will nonetheless stir you to dream about biblical revival in your local church. So buy it, read it, and dream away.

The Spirit of Early Christian Thought: Seeking the Face of God by Robert Louis Wilken. Wilken, Professor of Historical Theology and Patristic Studies at Creighton University, aims to uncover – recover might be the better word – the spirituality of the Church Fathers in The Spirit of Early Christian Thought. He says the intellectual work of the Fathers was “at the service of a much loftier goal than giving conceptual form to Christian belief. Its mission was to win the hearts and minds of men and women and to change their lives.” Focusing primarily on Origen, Gregory of Nissa, Augustine, and Maximus the Confession displays how these theological giants of old were preeminently “spiritual giants.” There is much food for thought in this book, but some of it is overshadowed by some of Wilken’s conclusions, which come from his worldview as a former Lutheran who converted to Roman Catholicism. While one can quibble with his interpretations, one cannot but sing the praise of the man’s prose. Wilken wields a mastery of language that at times left me speechless in its grandeur.

Christian Spirituality: An Introduction by Alistair McGrath. “Textbook” is the right word for McGrath’s introduction to the history of Christian spirituality. Filled with charts, pictures, and various visual aids, Christian Spirituality deals with the types of piety that “ultimately flow from the life, death, and resurrection of Jesus Christ.” McGrath’s approach is broad and thus includes Roman Catholic and Eastern Orthodox traditions of spirituality. Although I’ve still yet to read a textbook-ish introduction to biblical spirituality, McGrath’s volume is as fine an entry into Christian spirituality as you can read.

Evangelical Spirituality by James Gordon. When I saw the Table of Contents of this book I thought, “This is going to be a delightful read!” Chapters on giants of godliness like Edwards, Newton, M’Cheyne, Spurgeon, and Lloyd-Jones, alongside those focused on the lesser known Cowper, More, Dale, and Whyte looked magnificent. Well, let’s just say I was a wee bit disappointed. Gordon assumes too much from his readers; if your familiarity with an individual is only in name the author does little to help you gain additional familiarity. Evangelical Spirituality suffers greatly from a lack of cohesion, as many of the chapters read like a collection of quotes from primary and secondary sources with little care to coherent unity and transition. If you are in the academic pursuit of evangelical spirituality, this is a book to have on the shelf. If not, just move along.

I Am Pilgrim by Terry Hayes. The cover of I Am Pilgrim proclaims, “The only thriller you will need to read this year.” I am something of a sucker for espionage thrillers, let alone ones with superlative reviews to such an extent that one major online magazine calls it “the best book of 2014 . . . so far.” So I jumped in with moderately high expectations. The plot is quite simple: the greatest living US intelligence agent, “Pilgrim”, is sent to find “the Saracen”, the most terrifying terrorist to ever threaten our country. Yet, the simplicity belies a rather complex thriller. An investigation into a shocking NY murder gets your attention and Hayes never really lets it go until the final page. The tale does wander at brief points, most usually when it focuses on the Saracen’s movements, but Hayes’ debut novel is a thrilling triumph.

Click here to find other entries in the Recent Reads series.