This spring we would like to share some good reads we discovered over the past few months. These selections represent a wide array of topics that we think will interest you. Some selections will be great for personal reading, others for family time. 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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David Arora, All That the Rain Promises and More . . . : A Hip Pocket Guide to Western Mushrooms (Berkeley, CA: Ten Speed, 1991), 263 pages.
Hold your judgment to the end.
Spring is in full bloom around my house. The forests are filling in with leaves, the fields and yards are vibrant with green life, and all the critters seem to be reinvigorated with a passion for their daily activities. While all weather is given by God and worth our praise, this time of year drives even the most reluctant homebody to consider taking a walk in the park or through an empty cow pasture to soak up some sunshine and fresh air. Field guides are a wonderful companion on such walks, helping us to identify and appreciate the splendorous beauty and wonder of God’s creation. The National Audubon Society field guides are classics and worth your wealth (they are pricey) and time. But, in this post, I want to recommend a lesser-known gem, David Aurora’s All That the Rain Promises and More . . . .
Aurora, a mycologist, has a passion for all things related to mushrooms. In this brief but very helpful guidebook, Aurora gives clear guidelines for amateur mushroom hunters who want to learn the complex discipline of identifying mushrooms notwithstanding the negative pressure emanating from what he calls our “fungophobic (mushroom-loathing) society” (iii). While the book is serious in its educational purposes, it is also written with a fair dollop of whimsy, including personal accounts of mushroom hunts from enthusiasts, fictional stories, poetry, proverbs, humorous and artistic photographs, and recipes.
Even though Aurora’s focus is on mushrooms of the West coast of the United States, many of the mushrooms included in his handbook are also present in other parts of the country. I received this book as a Christmas gift, which is not a great time to look for mushrooms in my area. Still, I was able to use the book to identify oyster mushrooms on a winter walk with my family through the woods. These beautiful and large mushrooms became an excellent addition to my supper that night. We also found many beautiful but inedible mushrooms all around us. I am hoping it will help me find more non-hallucinogenic good eats and interesting finds this spring and summer. A helpful guidebook and a fun read, this book will be a great companion on your walks through God’s creation in every season.
—Recommended by Phillip T. Morgan
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The Church Member’s Book: Or, Admonitions and Instructions for All Classes of Christians, Free Will Baptist (Dover, NH: Free-Will Baptist Printing Establishment, 1843), 192 pages.
This little book on Christian living was anonymously authored by a minister of the northern Free Will Baptist movement in the middle of the nineteenth-century, but it has abiding relevance for today. The book is divided into three parts: experimental religion; the church and duties of members in the church; and the duties of Christians, arising from their Christian profession. The first part deals with subjects like conversion, the new birth, sanctification, and personal devotions. The last part deals with how Christians might influence society for the cause of Christ. But the reason I am commending this book is because of the second part wherein the author clearly defines responsibilities of church members to one another from a decidedly Free Will Baptist perspective. A wealth of practical ecclesiology is contained within these pages, and any pastor would benefit from reading them. Because this book is now in the public domain, a free digital copy can be found at fwbhistory.com.
—Recommended by Joshua R. Colson
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Tim Cooper, When Christians Disagree: Lessons from the Fractured Relationship of John Owen and Richard Baxter (Wheaton, IL: Crossway, 2024) 167 pages.
The seventeenth century was a tumultuous time in English history. In the span of fifteen years, King Charles I was killed by his own people and the nation experienced a brutal civil war. John Owen and Richard Baxter both lived through this period as high-profile religious figures. It is no secret to anyone familiar with these men that they clashed in person and in print. But why? In his book When Christians Disagree, Tim Cooper provides valuable insights into the two men’s differing personalities and how their varying experiences of the English Civil War shaped the differences in their doctrinal emphases. Cooper makes a compelling case for why these prolific, driven men were so often at odds with one another, but he also encourages readers to consider their own personality flaws and how those flaws might bring them into conflict with others. He accomplishes this goal by including questions for reflection at the end of each chapter, which moves the reader from mere reflection on Owen and Baxter to personal introspection.
I heartily recommend this book to those generally interested in history, but it might also serve as a helpful tool for a discussion group. For those with a more scholarly interest in the subject, you may want to consult the longer academic work by Cooper that this book has condensed for popular audiences, John Own, Richard Baxter, and the Formation of Nonconformity.
—Recommended by Jesse Owens
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Travis Dickinson, Logic and the Way of Jesus: Thinking Critically and Christianly (Nashville: B&H Academic, 2022), 384 pages.
There are plenty of books on logic out there, and a decent number of them are written by Christians. Travis Dickinson’s volume is particularly helpful because he frames his discussion of logic as part of the intellectual pursuit of God. Furthermore, in the opening chapters, he emphasizes the need for critical (and logical) thinking in relation to the Christian worldview. The use and teaching of logic has fallen on hard times. But for those who teach philosophy in a Christian context or are simply interested in the pursuit of logic through a Christian worldview, this work is helpful.
—Recommended by Christopher Talbot
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C. Stephen Evans, A History of Western Philosophy: From the Pre-Socratics to Postmodernism (Downers Grove, IL: IVP Academic, 2018), 600 pages.
Many introductory philosophy books offer a broad overview of works and help readers see the connectedness of various streams of thought. C. Stephen Evans’s A History of Western Philosophy is no exception. However, the strength of his work comes in its largely biographical framing. He works through various important philosophers of Western philosophy, noting their context and giving a strong overview of their work and influence. Studying philosophy entails understanding what has come before a particular idea and what has resulted from it. This book helps readers do both.
—Recommended by Christopher Talbot
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Ashlee Gadd, Create Anyway: The Joy of Pursuing Creativity in the Margins of Motherhood (Minneapolis: Bethany House, 2023), 251 pages.
Between samples of her film photography and mini-interviews of other mothers who are artists, writer and photographer Ashlee Gadd shares in Create Anyway poignant reflections and inspiring connections on the relationship between motherhood and art. Rather than seeing child-rearing as an impediment to or distraction from creative pursuits, Gadd believes the callings of mothering and creating are parallel and cross-pollinating. Both mothers and artists must fight against imposter syndrome and perfectionism, build discipline and flexibility into their days, and fill their minds with things lovely and true in order to have lovely and true things flow out into their work. Underpinning Gadd’s entire perspective on creativity is her Christian faith, which allows her to see both mothering and creating as creational goods and sanctifying pursuits. I found her book both beautiful to look through and rewarding to read, and I recommend it for all mothers that are convinced (or need convincing) that creating beautiful things still has a place in our lives at home with littles.
—Recommended by Rebekah Zúñiga
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C. S. Lewis, The Problem of Pain (1940; repr., London: HarperCollins, 2015), 176 pages.
As an adult, I have read C. S. Lewis more than any other author (save perhaps George MacDonald). However, I have only just read The Problem of Pain. This book is often contrasted with A Grief Observed, with Problem addressing the topic of pain more theoretically and Grief addressing it more experientially. It reviews topics like divine omnipotence and goodness, human sin and the fall of man, human pain, hell, animal pain, and heaven. While Problem may rankle some evangelicals at certain points (e.g., theistic evolution and total depravity), it will inspire them in others with the sorts of deeply affecting arguments and passages to which they are accustomed from Lewis: “A man can no more diminish God’s glory by refusing to worship Him than a lunatic can put out the sun by scribbling the word ‘darkness’ on the walls of his cell” (46). Especially for the fan of Lewis, I commend this book—to round out your engagement with the Lewis corpus if nothing else.
—Recommended by Matthew Steven Bracey
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Harry L. Reeder III,The Leadership Dynamic: A Biblical Model for Raising Effective Leaders (Wheaton, IL: Crossway, 2008), 192 pages.
For over two decades, Harry L. Reeder III served as the senior pastor of Briarwood Presbyterian Church (PCA) in Birmingham, Alabama. His pastoral work was cut short, however, due to his untimely death in an automobile accident nearly two years ago. When Reeder came to speak at Welch College’s Forum Conference in 2016, I was privileged to serve as his student assistant, and I came deeply to admire both his love for Christ and his desire to see churches grow healthily. Though Reeder has departed to be with the Lord, he still speaks through the pages of his many books, The Leadership Dynamic chief among them, as I was recently reminded while reading it for the second time.
Reeder argues that the American church is faltering, in part, due to its adherence to non-Biblical models of leadership from places like the business sector. He then proposes a plan to recover Biblical leadership in the local church, which he calls “Three-D leadership: defining, developing, and deploying Christian leaders who are capable of transforming society though their Christ-centered and gospel driven lifestyle and leadership and who will intentionally multiply themselves” (8). Pastors and church leaders are sure to benefit from this strategy that Reeder unpacks.
—Recommended by Joshua R. Colson
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J. C. Ryle, Thoughts for Young Men (1888; repr., Carlisle, PA: Banner of Truth, 2024), 75 pages.
I do not know of a better resource to get into the hands of young men than J. C. Ryle’s Thoughts for Young Men. The book is a selection from a longer collection of Ryle’s works entitled The Upper Room, and it speaks to the unique challenges and opportunities that young men face. The work was originally published in 1888, but the issues Ryle addresses are perennial. I want to provide just two examples of what I find so helpful about the work. First, Ryle exhorts young men to consider the fact that who they are now is largely who they will be. It is tempting for young men to think that at some point in the future (maybe after high school or college graduation), they will become a more mature and holy man. But Ryle rightly rejects this notion and calls young men to strive to be godly men now. Second, and related to the first, Ryle tells young men that they can serve God now. The idea that young men must “sow their wild oats” is a lie from the Wicked One. Young men can, at thirteen or twenty, serve God now. Ryle contends for both of these points in compelling, Biblical terms.
I recently purchased multiple copies of this book and have given them away to young men. I would recommend others do the same. This book would be a great graduation gift, or the basis for individual discipleship, or even a group study for high school or college students. If you want to challenge young men to be serious and godly, this book is excellent.
—Recommended by Jesse Owens
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Alexis de Tocqueville, Democracy in America, ed. Phillips Bradley, trans. Henry Reeve, Everyman’s Library 179 (New York: Alfred A. Knopf, 1994), [800 pages].
In 1831, a French official in the court of King Louise-Philippe traveled to the United States during the presidency of Andrew Jackson ostensibly to study prison reforms and produce a report for consideration by the French government. While Alexis de Tocqueville did indeed produce and publish his report on prison reform, he actually devoted most of his time and immense genius to studying the nature of American government and society in relationship to the practice of democracy. The resulting two-volume publication, Democracy in America, was an immediate best-seller, widely recognized as one of the greatest modern scholarly works, and it served as the foundation for modern sociology.
Over the past four months, I have read through most of both volumes with the students in my 4000-level Jacksonian Era history class. Each week, we have taken one class-period to discuss a portion of this classic of American political analysis. Few assigned readings in the courses I teach have enriched me as much as Tocqueville has this semester.
His perceptive eye took in everything about American government and society and subjected it to subtle, sustained reflection. In an attempt to understand why America’s founding had succeeded where the French Revolution had failed, Tocqueville examined carefully how the relationship of the federal, state, and local governments and the separation of powers within each level of government allows for broad democratic participation constrained by clear order and limitations of power. However, he concluded that the vibrant civil society of America is even more important to its success than the governmental structures. He also casts his discerning gaze over the myriad social and cultural changes that practicing democracy produces—some good, some bad, all fascinating. Nor does his analysis apply only to the nineteenth century. It is astounding how prescient his evaluation remains nearly two centuries later. I cannot recommend this book highly enough for all Americans but especially those who are responsible for leading others in their community (in business, church, civic organizations, and government).
—Recommended by Phillip T. Morgan
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J. R. R. Tolkien, The Children of Húrin, ed. Christopher Tolkien (New York: Houghton Mifflin, 2007), 313 pages.
The Silmarillion is a great epic in which dozens of stories intertwine over the period of thousands of years, and the full implications of characters’ decisions are evident only against the backdrop of the whole. Because the narrative is so ambitious, the process of following the thread of single characters and storylines can be challenging. Thankfully, a handful of standalone stories from The Silmarillion have been published, such as The Children of Húrin, Beren and Lúthien, The Fall of Gondolin, and The Fall of Númenor. These books not only isolate certain characters and storylines from the others so that we can see them with greater brilliance, but also represent fuller accounts of the stories they tell, since the accounts in The Silmarillion are abbreviated.
The Children of Húrin tells of the deeds of Túrin and Niënor, the children of Húrin and Morwen. It especially follows Túrin’s journey as he interacts with the elves of Doriath, the outlaws of the wild, the dwarves of Amon Rûdh, the orcs of Angband, and the great dragon Glaurung. Thematically, we see the interplay of fate and choice, cunning, success, friendship, jealousy, pride, and death. While I could analyze many aspects of this story, I will share just one reflection: over the course of the book, Túrin interacts with two disabled figures, one at the beginning of the story when he is a boy and one at the end of the story when he is a man. Without spoiling any serious plot points, I would observe that these contrasting bookends are clearly distinct and showcase the significance of our decisions in shaping who we become. Hundreds of thousands of seemingly small decisions day-by-day become the stuff of fate over the course of a lifetime, whether for good or for bad. While the story is deeply tragic, it is also deeply poignant and instructive.
—Recommended by Matthew Steven Bracey
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Warren Wiersbe, The Strategy of Satan: How to Detect and Defeat Him (Carol Stream, IL: Tyndale House, 1979), 176 pages.
Last quarter I recommended Tilley Dillahay’s Screwtape Letters spin-off, My Dear Hemlock. My mother recommended Warren Wiersbe’s book as an appropriate follow-up, and it has been of great practical benefit to me. Wiersbe takes examples directly from the Scriptures to demonstrate how Satan wars against our minds, bodies, wills, and consciences with lies, suffering, pride, and accusations. His aim is to derail our walk with Christ, to weaken our faith, and ultimately to destroy us, but we have strong and effective weapons at our disposal: God’s Word, His grace, His indwelling Spirit, and the intercession of His Son on our behalf. Wiersbe’s prose is straightforward and powerful, and he brings many Scriptures to bear on each angle of his subject. I recommend it to every believer as a guidebook for spiritual warfare anchored in Scripture.
—Recommended by Rebekah Zúñiga
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