The Helwys Society Forum (“HSF”) is pleased to share with its readers the Book Recommendations of its contributors. We believe strongly in the importance of reading for all people, but especially for those men and women who hold leadership roles in the local church. We hope to encourage our readers to engage with these texts and to provide resources for life and ministry.
Each main HSF contributor (six in total) will share two books each quarter that they have found particularly helpful or meaningful over the previous three months. Each recommendation will also include a short review. Recommendations are listed in alphabetical order, according to the author’s last name.
Please note that the Helwys Society’s inclusion or review of a book is not necessarily a blanket endorsement of its contents. Finally, feel free to leave a comment letting us know what you’ve been reading lately, and what you’ve found especially meaningful.
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Gregg R. Allison, Historical Theology: An Introduction to Christian Doctrine (Grand Rapids: Zondervan, 2011), 784 pages.
Written as a companion book to Wayne Grudem’s Systematic Theology, Gregg Allison’s work is wonderful in its own right. Differing from most historical theologies, Allison categorizes his book first by doctrine and then by time period, rather than the other way. For this reason, among others, Allison’s volume is both accessible and a wonderful reference tool.
While any historical theology will necessitate some generalizations and omissions, Allison’s work is usually fair and balanced. Each chapter looks at a specific doctrine of the church and traces it through the church’s history: the early church, the middle ages, the reformation, post-reformation, and the modern period. This process gives the reader a helpful “bird’s-eye” view of how doctrine has been expressed through the ages.
—Recommended by Christopher Talbot
The Song of Roland, trans. Dorothy L. Sayers (1075, London: Penguin Books, 1957), 206 pages.
The Song of Roland is a French epic poem based on an actual battle fought in 778 by Charlemagne’s army. The story’s final form, present in the late 11th century, had developed over the previous 300 years into legend. The tale is full of nobility and the pursuit of justice, which in enlivens the reader’s spirit like a cool, fragrant, spring breeze when compared to the popular culture of today and its themes. In the book’s introduction, Dorothy Sayers states, “In every age, art holds up to us the standard pattern of exemplary conduct, and real life does its best to conform.” This is why this story is so refreshing to me. It flows from an artistic understanding of the world that is sympathetic to my Christian worldview, unlike the debased offerings pushed on me by modern literature. I was able to enjoy my reading time and was not forced to spend every minute resisting the influence of an atheistic, materialistic, evolutionary worldview.
—Recommended by Phillip Morgan
James P. Byrd, Sacred Scripture, Sacred War (Oxford University Press, 2013), 256 pages.
Sacred Scripture, Sacred War is an insightful, succinct look into the way Scripture was used to defend and promote the American Revolution. By examining over 500 Revolutionary era sermons, James P. Byrd identifies which biblical passages were most often used during wartime sermons, and how they were employed.
Byrd’s thesis is that American clergymen, by justifying the Revolution with Scripture, imbued it with sacred significance. Make no mistake, Byrd’s portrayal of wartime sermons and the patriot interpretation of Scripture is decidedly negative. However, this unique study helps the reader better understand some of the ways in which the Bible was used during the American Revolution.
—Recommended by Jesse Owens
Kevin DeYoung, Taking God At His Word: Why the Bible Is Knowable, Necessary, and Enough, and What That Means for You and Me (Wheaton: Crossway, 2014), 144 pages.
In his own popular style, pastor Kevin DeYoung explains and encourages readers toward the doctrine of Scripture. His purpose is not so much an apologetic argument for Scripture, but rather a statement of its vitality for the life of the believer. In a winsome and accessible way, DeYoung unpacks what the Bible says about itself—that it is knowable, necessary, and sufficient for the life of the believer. I highly recommend this book for readers looking for a primer on this ever-important doctrine, or for pastors seeking to introduce their congregants to this fundamental belief anew. Perhaps this is just the book you need for Sunday school or a men’s small group.
—Recommended by Christopher Talbot
Carl F.H. Henry, Twilight of a Great Civilization: The Drift Toward Neo-Paganism (Westchester: Crossway Books, 1988), 182 pages.
Twilight of a Great Civilization is a collection of essays that were either previously published or presented as lectures, which have been bound together for their common theme. Many in the 1970’s believed that Henry was being extreme when he made the prophetically true statement, “The Barbarians are coming,” and they seek to demoralize the foundations of Western civilization. Yet here we are today. Henry shows us that this barbarianism grows out of a humanistic rejection of God and seeks to embrace a new pagan mentality.
Even though the essays are connected by a common theme, they were not written to form an organized development like a normal book. I found his short essay, “We Are Warriors With A Mission In The World” to be especially helpful. Henry writes,
Christian duty requires of us more than personal piety and devotion, important as that is …We need Christian counterculture that sets itself alongside the secular rivals and publishes openly the difference that belief in God and His Christ makes in the arenas of thought and action.
I was challenged by the way Henry called Christian intellectuals and leaders of his day to be concerned about the coming post-Christian culture, and I found his warnings applicable for today.
—Recommended by Zachery Maloney
Kelly Kapic, A Little Book for New Theologians: Why and How to Study Theology (Downers Grove: IVP Academic, 2012), 126 pages.
For anyone interested in a good, concise primer on the practice of theology, I recommend Kapic’s A Little Book for New Theologians. Students pursuing ministerial or theological studies, pastors keeping current on such books, or laymen hoping to flex their theology muscle: you are good candidates for this book. And at only 126 pages, it’s a fairly quick read.
In this book, Kapic answers questions such as how and why we study theology. We learn that theology is an act of communion, worship, and sanctification. In addition, characteristics such as reason, prayer, humility, and action should accompany this queen of the sciences. As a sample, here are some quotes from the book:
How we treat others—whether living neighbors or ancient authors—reveals a great deal about how we view ourselves before God (1 Jn 3:10-17; 4:7-21) (Kapic, 71).
The community of the church—past and present—always stands under the Word of God. Still, if our theology does not resonate with historical theology and within our present communities, we are standing on thin ice (Kapic, 105).
For more information on this book, you may read a more extensive review here.
—Recommended by Matthew Bracey
Tim Keller, Ministries of Mercy: The Call of the Jericho Road (Phillipsburg: P&R Publishing Company, 1997), 233 pages.
In Ministries of Mercy, Tim Keller begins with the call to mercy as an essential part of the Christian life. Under the Lordship of Christ, believers are called to care for other’s needs. Referring to relief work, Keller writes, “[It] is generally looked at as a secondary duty.” He says, “It is something we get to if there is time and money in the budget, after we are satisfied with our educational and evangelistic ministries.”
This should not be so. The call to care for others is not optional, but rather a fundamental part of what it means to be a Christian. I particularly enjoyed his explanation of the local church’s role in this task. The church should be the place in which society can see these areas of healing take place. Keller writes, “The church is to be a new society in which the world can see what family dynamics, business practices, race relations, and all of life can be under the kingship of Jesus Christ.” There should be a concern for every Christian to do ministries of mercy individually, but also in their local church. Great read!
—Recommended by Zachery Maloney
Madeleine L’Engle, A Wrinkle in Time (New York: Square Fish: Farrar, Straus and Girourx, 2007), 256 pages.
For fans of The Curdie Books, The Hobbit, and The Chronicles of Narnia, you may enjoy Madeleine L’Engle’s A Wrinkle in Time. It won numerous awards in 1962, its year of publication, including the Newberry Medal. Much like MacDonald, Tolkien, and Lewis, L’Engle locates herself in the Christian tradition, which influences her themes, emphases, and morals.
This young adult, science fiction novel follows a young girl, Meg, as she searches for her lost father. Her journey takes her through space and teaches her about the spiritual battle between good and evil. This book also teaches us about the limitations of sight and words, the importance of faith and love, and the power of humility and forgiveness. Some of the lessons we see coming from this book include:
Beware of pride and arrogance, Charles, for they may betray you.
Believing takes practice.
Filled with awe and wonder, I highly recommend this great piece of fiction.
—Recommended by Matthew Bracey
C.S. Lewis, God in the Dock: Essays on Theology and Ethics, ed. Walter Hooper (Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 1970), 340 pages.
Without a doubt, C.S. Lewis’ effect on 20th and 21st century Christianity has been far reaching. God in the Dock is a wonderful collection of approximately 50 short essays (usually only 3 or 4 pages in length) by Lewis that cover a wide range of topics, yet always relate back to what it means to live Christianly in the world. More so than his well-known works, I have found this book to engender my own creativity concerning Christian thought. His short essays act as a launching pad for deep reflection and imaginative application of Scriptural truth in our lives. I found two essays from this collection especially enriching: “On the Reading of Old Books” and “Christian Apologetics.” Some of my favorite quotes include:
We may be sure that the characteristic blindness of the twentieth century. . .lies where we have never suspected it, and concerns something about which there is untroubled agreement. . . .None of us can fully escape this blindness, but we shall certainly increase it, and weaken our guard against it, if we read only modern books.
Our business is to present that which is timeless. . .in the particular language of our own age. The bad preacher does exactly the opposite: he takes the ideas of our own age and tricks them out in the traditional language of Christianity.
—Recommended by Phillip Morgan
Jonathan H. Rogers, The Terrible Speed of Mercy: A Spiritual Biography of Flannery O’Connor (Nashville: Thomas Nelson, 2012), 208 pages.
There are few authors more shocking and powerful than Flannery O’Connor. O’Connor sought to critique nominal Christians, and by critiquing them she hoped to awaken them. Jonathan Rogers’s spiritual biography succinctly portrays Flannery O’Connor in her historical and theological context. This work will not only introduce you to a literary genius and Christian herald, it will stir and convict you through Rogers’s eloquent writing and O’Connor’s striking message.
—Recommended by Jesse Owens
James Turner, Without God, Without Creed: The Origins of Unbelief in America (Johns Hopkins University Press, 1985), 269 pages.
Without God, Without Creed is an impressive combination of social and intellectual history, as well as an extensive theological discussion. But Turner’s real achievement is the explanatory power of his book concerning the religious environment in America, especially as it developed in the 19th century. Specifically, Turner explains how disbelief in God became a plausible intellectual and moral option for Americans. Evangelicalism in the early-mid 1800s increasingly saw religion primarily in moral-ethical terms as opposed to theological or confessional terms. Turner shows how this development coincided with the rise of modernism in all its various permutations. For students of American religious history, or those simply trying to better grasp the underpinnings of secularism in contemporary times, Turner’s book is a must-read.
—Recommended by W. Jackson Watts
Gregory Wills, Democratic Religion: Freedom, Authority, and Church Discipline in the Baptist South, 1785-1900 (Oxford University Press, 1997), 140 pages.
Democracy’s uneasy relationship with biblical religion has been the subject of a number of books over the years. However, Wills’ Democratic Religion provides an erudite study of a subject many Baptists have long-forgotten: church discipline. In this 1997 work, Wills focuses on the essence, evolution, and eventual decline of disciplinary practices and procedures among Baptists in the South.
Although he primarily focuses on records from 19th century Southern Baptists in Georgia, his narrative, with the practices and principles described, provides an illuminating look at the ecclesial character of the Baptist tradition. Wills has not only done Southern Baptists a favor with this publication, but Baptists as a whole who are seeking to better understand the profound concern American Baptists have historically had for the purity of the church.
—Recommended by W. Jackson Watts
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