Words'nTone

Revival and Revivalism: The Making and Marring of American Evangelicalism, 1750-1858 by Iain H. Murray. Banner of Truth (June 1994).

Murray reviews the history of evangelical Christianity between 1750 and 1858. This book is a must read for contemporary Christian leaders. In order to help their ministry, find the secrets to grow their churches (numerically), most pastors’ first inclination is to reach for the populist books on the selves related to self-help, life coaching/coaches, ten-steps to church growth, and leadership styles. These are the books—usually selfishly so—pushed upon pastors to read by those among church-growth-gurus and mega-church leadership circles, and as well, promoted by our consumeric Christian marketers. But none of these books will help the minister to think theologically about their place in history. None will help them think historically and biblically about what kind of growth is important. Nor, do these books that promote our well-being and the cult of church-growth expose the flaws and fallibility of current market-driven church growth and church life. Murray will help the pastor and lay leader to think logically and reasonably about how we got to the place in the Christian ministry where pragmatism and utilitarian thinking is the foundation for church life and ministry. Revival and Revivalism is a book that helps us to understand the foundation for much of contemporary evangelicalism. Murray writes, “Our understanding of God’s ways in history is far too fallible to make providence the test of what is truth.” As Church life here in America has become more and more a shadow of American life, promoted through American entrepreneurialism and capitalism, and sustained through marketing and business praxis, it would be good for the American evangelical pastor to understand his or her roots in the history of evangelicalism. “In the end, while evangelicalism was seeking to guard faith in Scripture, it was her readiness to be impressed by pragmatic arguments, and by alleged success, by quantity rather than quality, that did so much to deprive her of true authority and strength.” Shedding light on our past ought to help us to see why we are exchanging the foundation of Scripture to determine the life of the church for Americanism and self-help. If church life and thinking theologically matters to you—and it should as a pastor or church leader—read this book.

Back in 1994, a few months before I finished up my time as a professor at Prairie Bible College in Three Hills, Alberta, my students asked me about the books that most changed me or significantly impacted my thinking over the years.  So, I came up with Chip’s Top Ten and posted the list outside my office door.  Eventually that list made it on to my Words’nTone website.  Here’s my original Top Ten:

1. Toward an Exegetical Theology: Biblical Exegesis for Preaching and Teaching by Walter C. Kaiser
2. Idols for Destruction: The Conflict of Christian Faith and American Culture by Herbert Schlossberg
3. Problem of the Wineskins: Church Renewal in a Technological Age by Howard A. Snyder
4. The Origin of Paul’s Gospel by Seyoon Kim
5. The Naked Public Square: Religion and Democracy in America by Richard John Neuhaus
6. Called and Committed: World Changing Discipleship by David Watson
7. The Gravedigger File: Papers on the Subversion of the Modern Church by Os Guinness
8. Jesus and the Old Testament by R. T. France
9. The American Hour: A Time of Reckoning and the Once and Future Role of Faith by Os Guinness
10. Dynamics of Spiritual Life: An Evangelical Theology of Renewal by Richard F. Lovelace

Now, you can find a short post for each of these here on my sight, explaining why I picked each book.  Just click Chip’s Top Ten in the right-hand column.

Not that there weren’t other books of great significance, like Dietrich Bonhoeffer’s The Cost of Discipleship (now published just under the title, Discipleship) and Oswald Chamber’s My Utmost for His Highest , both had profound impacts on my Christian life.  Easily I could have listed twenty as my top.  But, these Ten made the top because they made impact that far outreached the contents of the books, forming my early Christian thinking patterns, challenged my assumptions about my faith and my world, and drove me into more biblical patterns of understanding of how to read and hear the Bible.  That was back in May of 1994, books that had influenced me in the first 16 years of my Christian faith.  That was 16 years ago.  I have done some reading since, so I have decided it is time for another Top Ten.

I read probably close to three books a month—easily.  And this doesn’t include novels and journal articles and research studies.  The new Top Ten list is made up of books that have made a significant impact in how I understand the Christian faith, moving me deeper into Scripture, giving me profound insight in my pursuit of solid Biblical interpretation and application, and how my faith is to impact my world around me.  These books, like the first set, are more foundational than application.

Over the past thirteen years I have been moving in such a different direction than I found myself fourteen years ago: moving from pastoring and bible teaching to program development for economically vulnerable populations, moving from a Church-centered focus and vocation to a social action-centered life and occupation.  This list reflects this change.

Over the months to come I will post Ten + two (I had to add, just couldn’t ultimately eliminate the last two) books that are worth picking up and reading.  Perhaps some, if not all of them will have similar impact on your life.

Now six years ago I finally was able to publish my my work on Philippians.  Every once in a while, I post a portion of the text Words’nTone, but this time I’d like to shamelessly promote the book as a whole.  I appreciate those who have downloaded the free chapter, and of course many thanks to those who have actually bought the book.  I originally wrote the book because a publisher asked me to—but in the end, the manuscript was released back to me (good thing, the publisher went out of business!).  Below is a synopsis of what the book, Destroying Our Private Cities, Building Our Spiritual Life,is and why I wrote it.

As a preacher and Bible College professor, I had read countless commentaries, and in this case, many commentaries on Philippians.  When I started, I was actually teaching a College Bible course on Philippians and one of the things I noticed was that there was the extremes in commentaries: On the one hand you had detailed, exegetical, very scholarly works, and on the other, lay-works that were short on exegesis and jumped right to interpretation and application.  Most lay-styled commentaries seem very short on how the author arrived at his or her interpretation.  I thought this very unfair to the lay-reader.  So when I was asked to write a commentary on Philippians, I sought to fill that gap and provide a book that helped the lay-reader see how to arrive at one’s interpetation through a careful exegesis of the book—that is, how an exegete works through a text, and in particularly allows the whole of the work (in this case Paul’s Letter to the Philippians) helps to interprete the individual paragraphs.

The Book
Every time the church adopts the surrounding culture’s values, it dies a little. Often it is brought to the brink of the grave. In every age, the church has had to wrestle for its very life. Paul’s letter to the Philippians cuts across the misplaced values of a self-centered culture.

Destroying Our Private Cities, Building Our Spiritual Life is a lay commentary, written in a homiletical and expositional style, that enables readers to hear Paul’s argument through Philippians and how the church’s flirtation with individualism has affected our faith and the life of the church. The danger of our privatized, modern faith is exposed. Both personal and church-corporate solutions to have “the mind of Christ” are given.

Destroying Our Private Cities, Building Our Spiritual Life offers the lay reader insight, and offers pastors and Bible study leaders plenty of expositional depth on Paul’s letter to the Philippians.

Why I wrote Destroying Our Private Cities
I began writing the book while teaching at a Bible college, with many of the chapters completed while pastoring a church, and finishing and editing it while I was beginning a new career field in community action.  Although the book certainly is an exegetical work through Paul’s Letter to the Philippian Church, my influences come from the three worlds of higher Christian educationchurch work, and social action.

• I wanted to write a readable commentary my mother could read without dumbing-down the content
• Our contemporary and privatized spirituality seems divorced from church-life.  It’s not so much loving the church that matters, it’s loving a church that counts
• My transition from a church-centered ministry to a human service-centered vocation gives me a new perspective on faith and church-life
• My respect, admiration, and gratefulness to those in human service vocations—they work so hard to help others, and sometimes with little to no recognition, and equally low pay

Destroying Our Private Cities, Building Our Spiritual Life
Here is a free downloadable chapter, Putting Jesus Back into Our Potential (Philippians 2:5-11).  The book can be purchased on Amazon as well as other book seller sites.

Why We’re Not Emergent (By Two Guys Who Should Be) by Kevin DeYoung and Ted Kluck. Moody Publishers (2008).

I haven’t had so much fun reading a book since The Gravedigger File, written by Os Guinness.  Then again no book is perfect. But finally, a book on Emergent-ism I can actually identify with, both theologically and personally (well, mostly).  If you want to know more about being Emergent, but have also been a little sckeptical, Kevin DeYoung and Ted Kluck has delivered a grassroots, in the trenches of ministry, Emergent-book reviewing, and Emergent-belief and leadership critiquing book—this is the one.  Why We’re Not Emergent (By Two Guys Who Should Be) is written with just enough trendy and pop flare to acknowledge how modern, postmodern, and hypermodern Christians hear in today’s world and with plenty of interaction with Scripture, Theology, and “practical-church-stuff” to be an easy and enjoyable read by almost anyone looking to understand why some are not emergent but should be or those who are emergent but shouldn’t be.  Why We’re Not Emergent is a book that I have written over and over again in my head for the last ten years.  Well, at least 98% of it.  The book allows, through personal reflection, a dialaog to happened between two guys who should be emergent (but are not) with some who are and some who are not emergent who are interested in the emergent conversation.

I have learned more than I bargained for while studying, researching, and pondering on the issue of social action and evangelism, especially as I have made strides to learn from Mark’s parables in chapter four of his gospel.  One important thing I have learned is the value and function of the action-parables that come in the form of healings, exorcisms, and other miracles.  Miracles function similar to parables in that they reveal the presence of the kingdom of God and at the same time indicate, teach, or show some level of subversion (as do the parables) to the surrounding status quo.  I have also learned something about the contemporary need to see miracles, believe in miracles, and to proclaim that miracles are possible and do happen—on command, and usually by select individuals.  I find that this contemporary use of miracles is radically different than their use and function through Jesus and in the hands of the Gospel writers.  As one writer, Chet Myers, has pointed out, the healings and exorcisms pre-Mark 4 (and the parables of sowing) and the following (especially in Mark 5) are central to this section of Mark.  As Myers continues on with this point, he refers to G. Theissen’s work on the The Miracles Stories of the Early Christian Tradition, where the study of the social function of early Christian miracle stories are somewhat—really radically different—than the miracles stories of the contemporary Hellenistic world.  In the Hellenistic world miracle stories “originated from the aristocracy, and through the highly institutionalized practice of divination and technique-magic,” the primary concern was with the continued “maintenance of the accepted order and way of life.” Obviously this was to the advantage of the elite of the day.  As it is for those in places of power, status, and position today.  Other ancient pagan traditions also show miracles were used in order to dissuade “growing social disintegration.” Myers continues:

“In contrast, the gospel miracles assert the promise and possibility of radical socio-political change in behalf of the disenfranchised.  They function to subvert, not legitimate, the dominate order” (Binding the Strong Man: A Political Reading of Mark’s Story of Jesus, p 264).

I find, in our contemporary social and Christian setting, that the promotion of the miraculous is not for teaching or disclosing God’s action in this world as in Mark’s Gospel, but provides the sensational to give power, in particular to those proclaiming miracles or (trying) to perform them (in the guise of calling on Jesus to provide them).  As in the older Hellenistic world, a miracle (even just the appearance of claiming them, calling them to appear and be manifest) is actually more about the desire of the “performer” to exercise power over people or to build a constituency dependent on such performance.  Of course, the performance needs to continue to maintain the power over that constituency.  In some since to maintain and perserve the status quote--of the power structure in place, one particularly promoted by “the preformer.” Miracles, however in the hands of Jesus indicate the presence of the kingdom and of the king who does not care to share power with others.  An elite group is not so privileged in light of Gospel teaching.  Furthermore, the miracles done by Jesus and placed in their literacy settings in the Gospels by the writers (such as Mark) are subversive in function.  Like their cousin, the story-parables, miracle-parables challenge the power structures of the status quo.  They confront power and those who in the guise of piety who claim such power are false-miracle-workers.

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In the next post to this thread, I will highlight how the action-parable, i.e., miracles in chapter 5 of Mark’s Gospel teach us, as do the story-parables, lessons of subversion. Then I will follow with a post on why I think social action can function similar to miracles.  For my post on the subverstive nature of parable, take a look at ”Parables ought to subvert our world.” (Read all the posts on this thread, 1, 2, 3, 4.)

Greg K. Beale, The Temple and the Church’s Mission: A Biblical Theology of the Dwelling Place of God. InterVarsity Press (July 2004).

Days before I graduated from Gordon-Conwell Theological Seminary, Dr. Greg Beale, my student advisor and my professor of New Testament said, “Chip, you have a good grasp of theological and hermeneutical frameworks for understanding Scripture, I encourage you, now, to read authors who do the work of exegesis.  Read, not how to do exegesis, but authors that do exegesis of texts.” I have sought to do that for the last twenty-two years, whether I was in fulltime vocational ministry or in secular employment for personal study.  Beale’s book, The Temple and the Church’s Mission, is a expert and great example of the work of exegesis, and as well, how such exegesis works into a Biblical Theology.  This book is worth the read simply for the methodology it presents.  The Temple and the Church’s Mission is also a needed work on the nature of the Church, indeed a Biblical Theology of “Church” as well.  Beale is a master exegete and harnesses that process to develop a Biblical Theology of God’s ultimate plan in creating the Garden of Eden, the Temple, Jerusalem, and the Church.  He makes the difficult exegetical process readable so the average pastor can wade through the material.  His method should be imitated.  As a Biblical Theology, The Temple and the Church’s Mission utilizes the exegetical method to trace the progressive revelation from the Old Testament to the New and shows the implications on the nature of the Christian life and of the Church.  Beale’s conclusions should inform us regarding God’s ultimate purpose, role, and mission of His Church.  This book has an impact on the Christian community’s view of its mission and purpose, and will lead to a wide range of practical considerations for the wise pastor and wise church leader.  The volume is for, obviously, serious students of the word and of Christian theology, but more so for pastors who need to think biblical about the church, the purpose of Christian outreach, and I would add, how the Christian worldview and belief should influence the world (read, local communities) around us.  If I started another “Top Ten” list of books that have been most influential in my life, this would make that list.

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Greg Beale was my professor at Gordon-Conwell Theological Seminary in So. Hamilton, MA.  He now teaches at Wheaton Graduate School in Illinois.  I have also made comments about The Temple and the Church’s Mission in a previous thread on “Staying in the Garden.”

Mere Discipleship: Radical Christianity in a Rebellious World by Lee C. Camp. Brazos Press (December 2003)

Any good book that forces us to think about—and rethink about—the biblical concept of discipleship is worth considering and should be read.  Mere Discipleship is such a book. Lee Camp has produced a serious book on Christian discipleship where his major premise is that the modern world, and in particular American life, has subverted the biblical concept of true discipleship.  Granted Camp’s perspective is hinged on his own Anabaptist church background, but his critique of how we apply Christianity today rings true—and at times, terrifyingly so.  You’re not going to agree with everything Camp presents.  And at times he seems to choose some parts of Scripture over others (e.g., you can tell he likes the revelation of God in Christ as the peacemaker, but not the wrathful God of the OT that smote godless armies through Israel; he is partial to the passive Lamb of God, but not the table over-turning Jesus in the temple).  Nonetheless, Camp is right—our church-life and concept of discipleship is tainted by our American-way of life.  He attempts to help us decompartmentalize our faith, especially at the levels where our Christianity intersects with our public life.  Although a bit on the intellectual side, still I highly recommend working through Camp’s argument.  Your commitment to discipleship will be enhanced and bettered as a result.

The Real Face of Atheism by Ravi Zacharias, Baker Books (September 2004)

Atheists not only posit God’s non-existence, they also operate within their own system of faith—their own faith assumptions—and assumptions that has many philosophical and practical contradictions.  The Psalmist’s words still ring wise and true: “A fool has said in his heart, ‘There is no God’” (Ps 14:1).  Ravi Zacharias does not just ask the all-important question, “Does God exist?” He asks, “Is atheism a sustainable belief?” The Real Face of Atheism is a revised edition of Ravi’s first published book, A Shattered Visage (1993).  Ravi is a popular evangelist and apologist for the Christian faith, and a master storyteller.  This is evident in this book, which also makes Ravi’s style very readable.  He is good at taking difficult concepts and, without dumbing them down, makes them simple to understand.  This book is borderline academic, but yet is written in a way that makes it easier to grasp the logic of the Christian faith and the illogic of the atheist’s belief system.  The text, because of the numerous illustrations, stories, and quotes, is enjoyable to read and takes the edge off the difficult philosophical concepts needed in the discussion on God’s existence vs. non-existence.  This book is a good first book for the Christian on the subject and is great to give to non-Christian friends, or someone who is still questioning God’s existence.  There is plenty of “preachable points” that can also enhance sermons and bible studies in order to arm congregations with reasonable answers to give when ask about the hope within us.

Dynamics of Spiritual Life: An Evangelical Theology of Renewal by Richard F. Lovelace.  Intervarsity Press (September 1979).

This book was one of the first books that I read that broadened my view of sanctification and the sanctified life.  Lovelace revealed to me that my sanctification is part of a larger, grander scheme than just my private, personal spirituality.  Dynamics reaches back into Church history and outlines the spirit’s work through men and events, culminating in a premise for renewal that is bigger than “I.”

Recapture the Wonder, by Ravi Zacharias. Integrity Publishers (August 2003).

Ravi Zacharias at his best!  I have been listening to and reading Ravi’s messages for close to three decades.  Recapture the Wonder is a culmination of Zacharias’ central themes, his heart, and the thrust of his life-long ministry of preaching.  This book will edify the believer and point the unbeliever toward God—toward the utmost of human experience.  Moving the reader back into the marvel of God is a demanding task.  Usually Ravi is hard-hitting on a philosophical and intellectual level—similar to his preaching style.  Here, however, in Recapture the Wonder he presents his life’s work in a readable, straight forward fashion making the material more accessible to the general Christian reader and their non-Christian friends.  This book offers guidance back into the ultimate resource to meet the human need—to worship God and enjoy Him forever.

The American Hour: A Time of Reckoning and the Once and Future Role of Faith by Os Guinness.  Free Press (May 30, 1993)

This book put my faith under judgment: does my faith lead to transforming the culture that surrounds me, or does it add to the culture’s corruption?  Guinness pinned me against the wall of my self-centeredness and privatized faith and challenged me on how well my faith interacts, reacts, and enlightens my time, my moment in history—and how well my faith is open to God’s work of revival and renewal.

The Good Life: Genuine Christianity for the Middle Class by David Matzko McCarthy. Wipf & Stock Publishers (December 2006).

Politicians target the “middle-class” for their votes.  Businesses and entrepreneurs see the “middle-class” as a market niche.  The vase majority of churches throughout the U.S. seem to appeal mainly to those in the middle-class component of the population.  Some critics of middle class Christians have argued that they essentially prefer the status quo (like their unchurched and non-christian neighbors) and do not have, as a social group, the capacity to make significant contributions, and as a result, some could add meaningful contributions to the mission of the church.  The Good Life will move middle-class Christian readers beyond their attachment to the market-share of business and past their complicit relationship to the consumerism mentality within American culture.  David McCarthy seeks to help the middle-class to be more than a target of market-economics and political rhetoric.  He applies biblical principles to help those in this particular class of people to respond to Jesus’ mandate to seek first the kingdom of God.  McCarthy argues that middle-class Christians have a misguided attachment to the world.  He maintains the Christian life should require less “stuff.” This book offers guidance to the middle-class Christian community whose relationships to people, family, home, neighborhoods, work, and even to the earth, are determined more by the market economy than by Christian principles.  As American Christians it is difficult to not be caught up in American’s cultural, political, and economic benefits.  Harder still, to not be defined by them or to seek meaning through them.  The Good Life will help the reader to live beyond all this and discover ways to “seek the Kingdom of God.” I recommend that middle-class churches and their leadership ought to consider McCarthy’s book as a guide for mission development, even a framework for a Sunday morning sermon series.  Church small groups would benefit from reading it together.

Check out my Habits essay, The middling of the Christian faith

Jesus and the Old Testament by R. T. France.  Regent College Publishing (Reprint, 1992).

More than anything, this book revealed that my hermeneutical method would be well informed and molded if I patterned it after the only truly revealed hermeneutic the church has, that is, Jesus’ life, teachings, and especially His use of Old Testament Scripture.  If one wonders who gave the New Testament writers their hermeneutic principles, who taught them how to use, interpret, and apply Old Testament revelation—it was Jesus.  This book is pretty academic, but worth it for the serious student of the Word.  I encourage young pastors-in-training in college to ask that an independent course (yes, for credit) be set up to cover this book.  Anyone who enters the pulpit or even a church bible study as its leader should wade through this book if for one reason, to be better equipped to interpret the New Testament documents by learning—seeing how Jesus himself interpreted the Old Testament.  Well worth the struggle through the academic writing style.

The Gravedigger File: Papers on the Subversion of the Modern Church by Os Guinness.  Intervarsity Press (July 1983).

I read this book about once a year—have done so for the last twenty or so.  Guinness here put me on guard as to how much my faith is modified by my culture rather than the other way around.  Written somewhat like CS Lewis’ The Screwtape Letters, Guinness gives us subversive letters and communiqués from the enemy Directorate to an underling charged with keeping a person away from Christ, the Church, and the truth.  It is a great conspiracy story—and way too true to real life (the life of the church).  Fairly easy reading and only pennies a copy from Amazon used books.

Called and Committed: World Changing Discipleship by David Watson.  Shaw (March 7, 2000).

Discipleship is not just about memorizing verses, praying with a prayer partner, or participating in every church event scheduled by your church leadership.  Watson pointed me toward true life-affecting discipleship—both rare and shunned by modern Christians.  No other book headed me into the dangerous lifestyle of discipleship as Called and Committed .  You can get this book used for pennies, but it is priceless.  Watson’s book is an easy read, practical, and a good review of Jesus’ call to follow Him, pick up one’s cross and die.