Posted By The Helwys Society on Apr 16, 2024 | 2 comments

Setting plans for your summer vacation, and need some good reads to take with you? Weary of reading the same old genre for work or school? We would like to recommend some fresh options for you from our recent reading. Some of our latest favorite reads were just published, while others are hundreds of years old. Regardless, we think you will find something of benefit here.

Below, you will find reading suggestions from our group that come from a wide range of disciplines and topics. We think these selections will be great for personal and family reading. Most of all, we think they will broaden your understanding of God’s creation and His work in it because they have had that result in our lives. Please leave us your favorite reads in the comment section.

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Lloyd Alexander,The High King (New York: Yearling, 1968), 304 pages.

The High King is the fifth and final book of The Chronicles of Prydain, published between 1964 and 1968. The second book, The Black Cauldron, won a Newbery Honor in 1965, and the fifth book, The High King, won the Newbery Medal in 1969. This is a delightful series and a delightful book. It is a children’s high fantasy series falling somewhere between The Chronicles of Narnia and The Lord of the Rings in terms of difficulty and complexity. If The Lord of the Rings celebrates English culture, The Chronicles of Prydain celebrates Welsh culture. Readers can see the influence of Tolkien on Alexander, as well as the influence of Alexander on subsequent authors such as J. K. Rowling.

The Chronicles of Prydain tells the story of Taran, an Assistant Pig-Keeper, as he grows into a teenager and a young man. Its themes are rich and worthwhile. For example, Taran reflects on the connections between heroism and selflessness: “I yearned to be a hero without knowing, in truth, what a hero was. Now, perhaps, I understand it a little better. A grower of turnips or a shaper of clay, a Commot farmer or a king—every man is a hero if he strives more for others than for himself alone” (292). In addition, the series is just a lot of fun. If you are a person who enjoys Narnia or Middle Earth or Aerwiar, I recommend this series to you.

—Recommended by Matthew Steven Bracey

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Wendell Berry, The Unsettling of America: Culture and Agriculture, 3rd ed. (Berkeley, CA: Counterpoint, 1996), 240 pages.

The author and Kentucky farmer Wendell Berry has been writing wonderful works of poetry, fiction, and political and cultural critique for over a half century. His thinking is rooted in premodern, agrarian sensibilities that contrast significantly with the consumerist individualism of modern America. In The Unsettling of America, Berry sketches the path that brought Americans out of a richly communal and bucolic culture into this brave new world.

Several themes come to light as Berry explores the motivations behind and unintended consequences that flow from technological innovation, the commodification of all areas of life, and the bureaucratization of government activity. One of the most striking themes for me is the limitations of human knowledge and power over the physical world. At a deeper level of analysis, Berry describes the myriad web-like connections between every area of society, showing how consumerism, government policy, our perception of nature, and the cultural expectations of farmers and average Americans influence and respond to each other. As he proceeds through his analysis, Berry also investigates the relationship between good intentions and destructive actions in the context of democratic politics.

The Unsettling of America calls us to remember our essential connection to the created order and reveals the manifold ways our culture, dominated by scientism and technological optimism, seeks to pretend those connections are merely outdated features of the benighted past. While readers may find portions of this classic work of agrarian thought challenging (i.e., the detailed analysis of federal agricultural policy in the third quarter of the twentieth century), Berry’s The Unsettling of America is worth the work.

—Recommended by Phillip T. Morgan

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John Currid, Against the Gods: The Polemical Theology of the Old Testament (Wheaton, IL: Crossway, 2013), 160 pages.

The Old Testament was not composed in a cultural or religious vacuum. Rather, the ancient Hebrews were surrounded by and interacted with many other cultures and religions in the Near East. Greater knowledge of the surrounding religions has led to the recognition of many similarities between the narratives of the Old Testament and those of other Near Eastern religions. While some have posited that such similarities suggest that the Hebrews “borrowed . . . myths” from their neighbors (17), John Currid incisively argues that biblical authors were instead engaging in polemics by employing “thought forms and stories that were common in ancient Near Eastern culture, while filling them with radically new meaning” (25). In other words, the Old Testament writers, under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit, took the myths and pagan religions of the ancient Near East and turned them on their heads, pointing to Yahweh, the God of Israel, as the one true God of all creation.

In this introductory book, Currid does not attempt an exhaustive treatment of the polemical-theological arguments throughout the entire Old Testament. Nevertheless, he ably highlights several polemical angles in the creation, flood, patriarchal, and Exodus accounts, which any preacher or serious student of the Bible would be well-served to study.

—Recommended by Joshua R. Colson

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Malcome Guite, The Word in the Wilderness: A Poem a Day for Lent and Easter (London: Canterbury, 2014), 188 pages.

Poet, Anglican priest, and academic Malcome Guite has collected a poem or excerpt for every day of the six weeks leading up to Easter. His selections feature a variety of poets from different centuries and religious backgrounds, from Dante and George Herbert to Seamus Heaney and Kelly Belmonte. He also includes many original poems. All of these offerings provided a unique angle on the meaning and experience of our spiritual pilgrimage and, accompanied by Guite’s short reflections on each poem, served as a wonderful feast for the soul in the weeks before we celebrated Christ’s resurrection this year. I plan to return to this volume again in the future. It has served as an impetus for devotional reflection and for whetting my appetite for more good poetry.

—Recommended by Rebekah Zuñiga

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Vigen Guroian, Inheriting Paradise: Meditations on Gardening (Grand Rapids, MI: Eerdmans, 1999), 95 pages.

Working with the ground is hard work. As we tend the little corners of creation that God has given us a specific calling to steward, we sweat and struggle as we battle the thorns and pests that seek to hamper our labor. A long day working in the garden, cutting down trees, or landscaping finds us battered and sore, longing for rest in a favorite chair or the smooth comfort of our pillows and sheets. The ground gives up its fruits only through strain and struggle; but the rewards are great—the fruit is sweet.

In Inheriting Paradise, Vigen Guroian explores the incarnation of God’s eternal truths in our engagement with God’s general revelation in creation. This book is an extended reflection on the nature of the Christian life that exists between Eden and the eschaton. Guroian calls us to relish the wonders of God’s bejeweled creation while pursuing a life of repentance and humility before God. Although I have some points of disagreement with Guroian’s Eastern Orthodoxy, Inheriting Paradise is a small treasure—a delightful after-dinner trifle that is rich, airy, and satisfying.

—Recommended by Phillip T. Morgan

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Michael A. G. Haykin, Brian Croft, and James B. Carroll, Pastoral Friendship: The Forgotten Piece to a Persevering Ministry (Ross-shire, Scotland: Christian Focus, 2022), 149 pages.

One of the saddest realities of pastoral ministry is that few pastors have deep, personal friendships, even though they spend their days working with people. When congregants are in need, they can often rely on their pastor to visit them at home or in the hospital, to pray over their needs, and to offer them a word of encouragement or comfort. This is right and good. But who can pastors go to about the pains and disappointments of life and ministry? Oftentimes, pastors feel as if they simply need to bear the weight of their own difficulties. This struggle can result in burnout or quitting ministry altogether.

Michael Haykin, Brian Croft, and James Carroll give a biblical and historical defense of the importance of friendship for pastors as a key means of persevering in ministry. The authors describe pastors befriending other pastors with whom they can be honest and entrust their deepest concerns and sorrows. In making their case for pastoral friendship, they give some biblical and historical examples along with practical guidelines for developing healthy pastoral friendships. I was particularly struck by a letter from Charles Spurgeon to his dear friend Archibald Brown just before Spurgeon’s death. Spurgeon wrote, “Debtors to free and sovereign grace, we will together sing to our redeeming Lord, world without end” (14). When Brown stood to preach the next Sunday, he said of Spurgeon, “He has been to me a very Elijah, and I have loved in any way possible to minister to him. Our roots have been intertwined for well nigh thirty years. Is it any wonder that I feel almost powerless this morning to think of him as a preacher, as an orator, as an organizer, or as anything except the dearest friend I have ever known” (15).

Pastors desperately need pastoral friendship. This excellent resource will help sharpen our thinking on the subject, refine our existing friendships, and help us be more intentional about seeking out fellow ministers as lifelong friends who can help us persevere in the ministry.

—Recommended by Jesse Owens

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Ross D. Inman, Christian Philosophy as a Way of Life (Grand Rapids, MI: Baker Academic, 2023), 192 pages.

Fellow HSF contributor Chris Talbot and I have been reading through Christian Philosophy as a Way of Life with a couple of Welch College students who are interested in philosophy. As the title implies, Ross Inman focuses on seeing philosophy as a way of living in the world rather than a collection of abstract ideas. Inman puts it this way: “this is precisely what the Christian philosophical way of life is all about: cultivating the capacity to see reality in all its fullness and orienting one’s life accordingly” (10). One section I found particularly helpful focuses on philosophy as an invitation to wonder—to wonder about the triune God who is beyond total comprehension and His creation. Inman writes, “You were made, then, as a key is made for a lock, to forever know and love and enjoy the Being who is immeasurably vast beyond complete comprehension” (29). He goes on to say, “By God’s own design, we will be eternally awestruck by the vastness, splendor, and beauty of the triune God and the wonderful works of his hands” (29).

Inman’s work is ultimately a reflection on how Christians can pursue the truth, beauty, and wisdom of God and allow our lives to be shaped by these things. The book addresses some important philosophical concepts but always with an eye towards virtue. Christian philosophy, according to Inman, is not just about thinking. It is a way of life.

—Recommended by Jesse Owens

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Ross D. Inman, Christian Philosophy as a Way of Life (Grand Rapids: Baker Academic, 2023), 192 pages.

Like Ross Inman, I think philosophy has suffered from a public relations problem. Too often when we think of philosophy, Christian or otherwise, we tend to think about formal logic and special terminology like epistemology and metaphysics. And yet we engage in philosophy every day. Inman has written a book that should be required reading for introductory philosophy classes at Christian colleges. Instead of giving a primer on the basics of Christian philosophy, Inman argues that Christian philosophy is a way of life. Moreover, he encourages readers to think of how this approach to philosophy leads to a life of wonder. I encourage those who are interested in the life of the mind to get a copy of this helpful (and short) book.

—Recommended by Christopher Talbot

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Cindy Rollins, Mere Motherhood: Morning Times, Nursery Rhymes, and My Journey toward Sanctification (Concord, NC: CiRCE Institute, 2016), 165 pages.

After following Cindy Rollins’s podcast for some time, I finally read her autobiographical reflection on motherhood and homeschooling, Mere Motherhood. In this book Rollins shares many stories full of wisdom and wit collected from thirty years of homeschooling her nine children, and she writes with a humility and wonder that makes each chapter a treasure. Her stories communicate the profound joy and pain of raising and educating other human beings, not merely for the purpose of commiserating but also to draw out the deeper significance of the educational endeavors we undertake with our children. For Rollins, education is “tethering our children to the past so that they are not adrift in the universe” (129). I recommend this lovely little book for the many treasures that Rollins brings out of her storeroom of experience and wisdom.

—Recommended by Rebekah Zuñiga

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Doug Serven, ed., Firstfruits of a New Creation: Essays Honoring Jerram Barrs (Baltimore, MD: White Blackbird Books, 2019), 268 pages.

I came across Jerram Barrs’s work a few years ago when I read his book Echoes of Eden. At the time, I did not realize how closely he was associated with Francis Schaeffer. Barrs spent time with Schaeffer, worked at L’Abri, and currently works with the Francis Schaeffer Institute at Covenant Theological Seminary. In fact, in his own way, Barrs has carried on beautiful components of Schaeffer’s ministry. He has written on apologetics and evangelism but in a way that does not lose the forest for the trees. Too often people focus on programs or arguments, but Barrs has always focused on individuals and their need for truth in Christ. About five years ago, this festschrift was published in Jerram Barrs’s honor. The book covers a wide range of topics, including evangelism, anthropology, and cultural engagement. I particularly enjoyed Ranald Macaulay’s essay “Being (Even More) Human” in which he reflects on the book he and Barrs co-wrote entitled Being Human. Also, Zack Eswine’s essay beautifully interweaves a discussion of apologetic communication with reflections on Barrs; this chapter alone is worth the price of the book. I encourage those interested in the areas of cultural engagement and cultural apologetics to give this book a read.

—Recommended by Christopher Talbot

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Mary Wollstonecraft Shelley, Frankenstein: or The Modern Prometheus, The 1818 Text, ed. Nick Groom (Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2018), 231 pages.

I initially read this classic piece of literature because it pertained to my dissertation research. However, I hesitated to recommend it because it is a problematic book with a problematic author and themes. Its author was an English liberal of the nineteenth century who, it seems, had problems with her Creator. Nevertheless, I found the book had a powerful impact on me. In fact, I was so intrigued by it that I read it a second time upon finishing it the first time. It tells the story of Victor Frankenstein who creates a monster that wreaks havoc on his life and the people in his life. On the one hand, Mary Shelley has stated that she did not intend to promote any philosophy of life per se through her story and that its purpose is to entertain and to scare; consequently, any interpreter should be careful not to press her themes too strongly. On the other hand, a story is going to have themes by nature of the fact that it is a story; Shelley even recognized this point.

While some of the themes are problematic, like blasphemy against one’s Creator, other themes are rather instructive. For example, human beings can treat one another horribly, which can drive them to terrible ends. Perhaps the most poignant theme to me is an exploration of how our creations often turn on us, resulting in profound danger and destruction. Shelley’s example is Frankenstein’s monster. However, relevant scholarship has linked this theme to the French Revolution and even to advances in technology. We create technologies, but then those technologies come to rule over us (in a manner of speaking), precipitating all kinds of ill effects in culture and the world (in fact, Dietrich Bonhoeffer spoke to this phenomenon in Ethics). Consequently, Frankenstein acts as a cautionary tale to be decent human beings who exhibit wisdom in how we relate to one another and in what we create.

—Recommended by Matthew Steven Bracey

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Simon Wiesenthal, The Sunflower: On the Possibilities and Limits of Forgiveness, 2nd ed., ed. Henry James Cargas and Bonny V. Fetterman (New York: Schocken Books, 1998), 289 pages.

Simon Wiesenthal’s The Sunflower: On the Possibilities and Limits of Forgiveness is a short autobiographical narrative that explores the deeply difficult concept of forgiveness. A Jewish survivor of the Janowska Concentration Camp, Wiesenthal recalls a time during his captivity when a dying Schutzstaffel (SS) man named Karl unbelievably asked Wiesenthal to forgive him of his murderous deeds. Famously, Wiesenthal, a man who went on to become the most prolific Nazi hunter, simply could not bring himself to forgive Karl in that moment. Nevertheless, Wiesenthal was plagued by a nagging fear that he acted wrongly by withholding forgiveness from a dying man, even if that man was in the SS.

Wiesenthal’s account has elicited a plethora of responses. Within the narrative itself, he writes of the various ways that his friends in the concentration camp reacted. Then, following the initial publication of The Sunflower in 1969, even more people joined the debate at the invitation of Wiesenthal: “You who have just read this sad and tragic episode in my life, can mentally change places with me and ask yourself the crucial question, ‘What would I have done?’” (98) Many of the stimulating responses (from people like the Dalai Lama, Desmond Tutu, Dennis Prager, and more) are included in this second edition. Each of these responses is important, but the real beauty of this book is in how Wiesenthal forces the readers themselves to wrestle with the bounds of forgiveness. Such wrestling is an especially critical task for Christ’s disciples to whom I heartily commend this book.

—Recommended by Joshua R. Colson

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