Beautiful days are back! Spring has sprung in most areas of the country, and we are all excited about the possibility of getting outside and soaking up some wonderful vitamin D. However, we should not let the outside lead us away from sharpening our minds and spirits through good books. Below you will find a collection of reading material that we have found beneficial. We hope you will find some to place on your reading list for the coming months. If you have a good recommendation, please leave us a comment.
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D. G. Hart, ed., J. Gresham Machen: Selected Shorter Writings (Phillipsburg, NJ: P&R, 2004), 590 pages.
Few books have influenced my thinking more than J. Gresham Machen’s classic Christianity and Liberalism (1923), which is remarkably pertinent nearly a century after its original publication. I have read it no fewer than ten times. However, I had not read much of Machen’s other writings; then I discovered this collection of his shorter writings put together by the Presbyterian historian and biographer D. G. Hart.
This collection of Machen’s essays covers a variety of topics from the virgin birth to the minister’s use of the Greek New Testament. There are even some reviews from Machen on seminal books such as E. Y. Mullins’s Christianity at the Crossroads (1924) and Harry Emerson Fosdick’s The Modern Use of the Bible (1924).
The essays give some sense of the sort of arguments that Machen employed to defend biblical Christianity against the influence of Protestant Liberalism in the early twentieth century. It is striking how little twenty-first century forms of “progressive Christianity” have strayed from the essential elements of Protestant Liberalism in the twentieth century. Machen is an invaluable guide in helping us think through the nature of biblical Christianity.
—Recommended by Jesse Owens
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Russell Herbert, Living Hope: A Practical Theology of Hope for the Dying (Minneapolis: Augsburg, 2014), 188 pages.
One of the highest privileges and most daunting tasks of pastoral ministry is providing care to the dying. Of course, in a sense all of us are dying—as Paul put it, “outwardly we are wasting away” (2 Cor. 4:16, ESV). Yet Russell Herbert’s newest book, Living Hope, focuses primarily on those who have been given a terminal diagnosis of some sort. As the title suggests, Herbert wishes to help pastors engender and sustain hope in the lives of members facing death. The hope of which he speaks, however, is not a hope for a disembodied future in a spiritual realm.
Rather, building on the work of theologians like Jürgen Moltmann and N. T. Wright, Herbert attempts to recapture genuine Christian hope—hope for a bodily resurrection like Jesus’ own. Such hope, he argues, affirms the beauty and acknowledges the pain (e.g., crucifixion) of embodied life in the present and is crucial for those staring down their own mortality. Herbert channels the best of pastoral, theological, psychological, and medical studies to explain how to share resurrection hope with the dying. This book is simply a must-read for any pastor or chaplain.
—Recommended by Joshua R. Colson
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John Kasson, Civilizing the Machine: Technology and Republican Values in America, 1776–
1900, Hill and Wang paperback ed. (New York: Hill and Wang, 1999), 292 pages.
In Civilizing the Machine, John Kasson explores the many ways that industrial technology informed America’s first century. Beginning with the founding generation, Americans saw industrial innovation and manufacturing as essential for political independence from Britain and cultural liberation from Europe. However, even at this early stage there was a strong counter narrative that criticized the abuses of industrialization.
Kasson lays out the development of this dialectic over the nineteenth century as the American North industrialized, arguing that America’s development was intertwined with technological innovation. This work is especially helpful for outlining the development of technological utopianism that undergirded the Progressive movement at the turn of the twentieth century. In this way, Kasson’s work is a helpful historical palliative to modern appeals to technology as our social savior.
—Recommended by Phillip T. Morgan
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John A. L. Lee, Basics of Greek Accents: Eight Lessons with Exercises (Grand Rapids: Zondervan, 2018), 64 pages.
There is so much to cover in the beginning stages of learning Greek that we often overlook Greek accents in elementary classes. Typically, we highlight the distinction between rough and smooth breathing marks, but not much is said beyond that. Some books have been written on Greek accents, but none are as accessible as John Lee’s Basics of Greek Accents. Though they may seem insignificant, accents can affect our interpretation of the Greek text, so Greek students should give them appropriate attention. Lee teaches the essentials of Greek accentuation in eight lessons and provides helpful exercises for each chapter. This book is the perfect starting point for learning more about Greek accentuation.
—Recommended by Zach Vickery
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C. S. Lewis, The Weight of Glory (1949; repr., New York: HarperOne, 2001), 208 pages.
Recently, fellow HSF contributor Chris Talbot and I have been leading a group of students through this collection of essays and talks from C. S. Lewis. We both read the work probably a decade or so ago, but we have been reminded of just how insightful many of these short talks are. For example, in “The Inner Ring,” Lewis explores the desire that each person has to belong to a group—to be an “insider.” However, after gaining membership to the group, we find that our insider status loses its allure over time. What Lewis ultimately says is that these “inner rings,” which we often long so deeply to be in, are alluring because they are founded upon exclusion. What we really desire is not another “inner ring” but true friendship with people we admire and love.
A second example comes from the essay “Learning in War-Time,” in which Lewis, writing amid World War II, argues that noble pursuits such as education are worthy of our attention, even (and especially) in a time of great crises. Emergencies might tempt us to see some pursuits, such as education, as “polishing the brass of the Titanic.” But Lewis insightfully notes that even amid great crises, we cannot afford to be intentionally ignorant. He explains, “To be ignorant and simple now—not to be able to meet the enemies on their own ground—would be to throw down our weapons, and to betray the uneducated brethren who have, under God, no defence but us against the intellectual attack of the heathen. Good philosophy must exist, if for no other reason, because bad philosophy needs to be answered” (58).
—Recommended by Jesse Owens
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Ranald Macaulay and Jerram Barrs, Being Human: The Nature of Spiritual Experience (Downers Grove: IVP, 1978), 212 pages.
Francis Schaeffer once stated that he agreed completely with the theological anthropology articulated in Ranald Macaulay and Jerram Barrs’s Being Human. Barrs is a former L’Abri worker and one-time director of the Francis Schaeffer Institute, and Macaulay is one of Schaeffer’s sons-in-law, who has had a rich ministry in his own right. Barrs and Macaulay seek to utilize a biblical-theological anthropology as their guiding principle in discerning right spiritual practice.
The first two chapters seek to develop and define a biblical anthropology. From this base, the authors stress the importance of centering our lives on Christ, active obedience to His Word, and our relationship with the Holy Spirit. They also offer helpful practical implications of our faith for the life of the mind and the health of the family. Their evaluation of spiritual trends in the 1970s remains relevant to our own time—not least of which is the rise of hyper-spirituality prominent in more charismatic churches. This volume is wonderful for both anthropology and spiritual formation.
—Recommended by Christopher Talbot
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Russell D. Moore, Adopted for Life: The Priority of Adoption for Christian Families and Churches (Wheaton: Crossway, 2009), 230 pages.
Russell Moore’s Adopted for Life made me stop and think about my own adoption into the family of God; from there, I was led to consider the implications for earthly adoption. Moore effortlessly weaves the significance of both spiritual and physical adoption together in this applicable and theological work. Just as marriage on earth is a sign of a greater Marriage in heaven, so adoption on earth can point to our spiritual Adoption. Moore writes not only as a theologian, but also as an adoptive dad, and his biblical reasoning and compassionate heart for orphans shines through, sure to ignite a flame in his readers. I recommend this book as you contemplate how to fulfill your Christian duty toward widows and orphans.
—Recommended by Rebekah Zuñiga
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George L. Mosse, The Crisis of German Ideology: Intellectual Origins of the Third Reich with a critical introduction by Steven E. Aschheim (Madison, WI: University of Wisconsin Press, 2021), 367 pages.
The first generation of historians to analyze the rise of Adolf Hitler and the German National Socialist Party (Nazis) generally assumed that the rhetoric of racial essentialism, Neo-Romantic concepts of German identity and destiny, and the supremacy of the human will was merely a façade hiding a raw desire for power. According to them, the German commoner had been somehow mesmerized by Hitler’s rhetoric that appealed to their unsophisticated and backwards desires, while the educated were cowed into silence by the masses.
However, in 1964, George L. Mosse, a refuge from Nazi Germany, transformed the historical debate by showing that Nazi rhetoric was grounded in an ideology that had been fashioned by German intellectuals over half a century. He argued that the Neo-Romantic concepts of German identity and destiny grew out of intellectuals’ disappointment over the failed promises of liberalism that had led to the unification of Germany in 1871. As democracy and industrialization eroded traditional society and turned men into quantifiable data points, these intellectual leaders sought a cultural unity in racialized national identity, pre-Christian paganism, and naturalism. Mosse contends that, in this kind of intellectual environment, the educated and wealthy made it socially unacceptable to “ignorantly” reject Nazi ideology.
A careful intellectual history, The Crisis of German Ideology, is a fascinating read that explores the development of ideas and the process of their adoption in a culture. I found this book particularly helpful for thinking through the ways in which intellectual fads in our own day are propagated through the education system, media outlets, and other social institutions. Further, Mosse’s work serves as a warning about the dangers of popular false ideas that remain unchallenged in the public square for lack of courage. This read is helpful for all who seek to walk circumspectly in our challenging days.
—Recommended by Phillip T. Morgan
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Pat Quinn, Praying in Public: A Guidebook for Prayer in Corporate Worship (Wheaton: Crossway, 2021), 166 pages.
Most everyone would admit that prayer in corporate worship is essential. Still, we are often guilty of letting our prayers become empty repetitions of the same prayers we pray every week as we transition to the next part of our church meeting. Pat Quinn points out how prayer should be a vital part of the church and how leaders should be thoughtful and deliberate in leading their congregations in prayer. He argues that we should take prayer just as seriously as we take the other elements of worship, like singing and preaching. Quinn offers several guidelines for preparing to pray publicly that are extremely helpful. He also includes sample prayers in this book from the Latin Liturgy, John Calvin, John Wesley, the Puritans, and several of his own prayers he has prepared for his congregation. This book has helped me take a more thoughtful approach to leading my congregation in prayer, and I think others would find it helpful as well.
—Recommended by Zach Vickery
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Robert Louis Stevenson,Treasure Island, Children’s Classics Everyman’s Library(1883; repr., New York: Knopf, 1992), 319 pages.
I did not read (much) as a child. Consequently, I am making up for lost time. I recently finished Treasure Island by the nineteenth-century Scottish author Robert Louis Stevenson, and I loved it. Some years ago, I read his Jekyll and Hyde; it was interesting and something I was glad to have read but not something I wanted to read again or necessarily recommend. Jekyll and Hyde kept me from reading more Stevenson (until now). I would not describe Treasure Island as having deep themes in the manner of Fyodor Dostoyevsky’s The Brothers Karamazov or Victor Hugo’s Les Misérables or Alexandre Dumas’s Monte Christo (which I am currently working through); Treasure Island is a different kind of book.
Rather than the difficult slow burn that occurs over the course of thousands of pages, Treasure Island is swashbuckling fun as you follow the adventures of young Jim Hawkins, who finds himself on a ship with dangerous pirates, including the one-legged Long John Silver. (Also, what is not to like with characters named Ben Gunn, Billy Bones, and Black Dog?!) Treasure Island is a delightful and charming read that I cannot recommend enough. It is appropriate for children and the childlike alike.
—Recommended by Matthew Steven Bracey
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J. R. R. Tolkien, The Two Towers: Being the Second Part of The Lord of the Rings (Boston: Houghton Mifflin Company, 1954), 352 pages.
It has been fifteen years since I first read The Lord of the Rings trilogy, so I thought I was due for another round. This time, I have listened to the books on audio about fifty percent of the time, and Rob Inglis is a delightful narrator. I was surprised that, although I last read the books as a high schooler, (and am not sure I followed very well with the intricacies of the plot at the time), I have remembered many scenes and details quite accurately. The story apparently became a part of me more than I had realized.
I recalled finding The Two Towers a bit of a slog when I read it first, but I enjoyed it much more this time. (Rob Inglis helps!) After the breaking of the Fellowship, Boromir gives his life in defense of Merry and Pippin, who are then captured by orcs, leaving Legolas, Gimli, and Aragorn to track them down, while Frodo and Sam set off for Mordor on their own, eventually picking up Smeagol as a guide. Especially noteworthy to me in this reading are Tolkien’s inexhaustible creativity in describing landscapes, the relationships of those landscapes to the greater themes of the plot, and the character arcs of Saruman and Smeagol. Additionally, the significance of Aragorn’s place in the story totally escaped me previously; it is the best part! I highly recommend a second, third, or fourth reading to anyone who is due for one—once every fifteen years, or as recommended by your doctor.
—Recommended by Rebekah Zuñiga
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Paul Tyson, Returning to Reality: Christian Platonism for Our Times,Kalos Series (Eugene, OR: Cascade, 2014), 218 pages.
Discussions of metaphysics can often elicit declarations of boredom or worrisome groans. Yet Tyson does neither of these when seeking to emphasize a Christian Platonism that is needed in our current worldviews. He notes the difficulties of discussing metaphysics; still, he sees the incredible importance of re-enchanting our understanding with the metaphysical realism found in Christian Platonism.
The book surveys the Western metaphysic tradition, while also introducing readers to Christian Platonism. He also seeks to survey why Christian Platonism has been on the demise, explores whether it is compatible with the New Testament, and suggests what it entails for its subscribers. Lastly, in his final chapter, Tyson encourages the reader to imagine what it might look like for Christian believers to grasp again a deeper understanding of reality. Tyson writes in an accessible manner that makes this book helpful for wide variety of readers who will benefit from his perspective on the Christian worldview.
—Recommended by Christopher Talbot
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Dallas Willard and Gary Black, Jr., The Divine Conspiracy Continued: Fulfilling God’s Kingdom on Earth (New York: HarperOne, 2014), 352 pages.
I read through The Divine Conspiracy Continued with a group of men, with whom I discussed its implications for life and ministry, and I commend the same to others. I had known for some time that Dallas Willard (1935–2013) was an important figure of the late-twentieth and early twenty-first centuries (Gary W. Moon’s Becoming Dallas Willard is an engaging and worthwhile biography) but had not read much by him (save Hearing God, which did not make a lasting impression).
Willard was a Christian professor of philosophy at The University of Southern California, but I had not prioritized reading him because his most popular works (about spiritual formation) promote a mystical spirituality that differs considerably from a down-to-earth Baptist spirituality. Notwithstanding these associations, I had read that Divine Conspiracy Continued was less about spirituality and more about leadership and vocation. So I gave it a try and am glad I did.
Central to Willard’s purpose in the book is the significance that servant leadership and moral leadership plays in the life of the Christian as he or she works in God’s world—spheres of education, economics, politics, business, medicine, the law, and the church. The basic premise is that, in a manner of speaking, God has a “divine conspiracy” by which He realizes kingdom work within the world by virtue of true Christian leadership.
On the topic of the Christian’s relationship to culture, Willard seems to fit squarely in the Reformed tradition. On occasion Willard’s problematic spirituality arises within this book; otherwise, it is a great read and could be appropriate for a spiritual leader, say within a church, to read and discuss with a group of lay leaders in his church.
—Recommended by Matthew Steven Bracey
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April 25, 2022
Dark Clouds, Deep Mercy: Discovering the Grace of Lament by Mark Vroegop
May 3, 2022
I’ve not read the book. It’s got great reviews, though. Thanks for the recommendation.