Last year I kept track of the books I read for the first time. Following the cue of Ian Clary, I’m going to list them here, not because I want to attract attention to myself, but rather because reading Ian’s list last year encouraged me. Who knows? maybe I can encourage you this year with my list. I’m a person who usually is reading three to five books at once, but who finishes only about two out of five. I’d like to improve that number this year and continue growing in my understanding of God’s Word and especially church history.

1) The Plan of Salvation by Benjamin B. Warfield
2) Brideshead Revisited by Evelyn Waugh
3) Anti-Antinomianism: the Polemical Theology of Daniel Williams (Th.M. Thesis) by D. Patrick Ramsey

I previously wrote about how much I’d learned from Carl Trueman of Westminster Theological Seminary. I’ve run across another church historian whose lectures have taught me much about Christian history, especially about Baptist history. His name is Michael Haykin. He blogs at The Andrew Fuller Center for Baptist Studies and is professor at Southern Baptist Theological Seminary and teaches some courses at Toronto Baptist Seminary.

I have been incredibly edified by many of his lectures. He has introduced me to people I’d never heard of but who have challenged my faith and spirituality (e.g. Robert Murray M’Cheyne, Samuel Pearce, and the men who wrote the 1689 Baptist confession).

You can find his lectures at sermonaudio.com.

I’ve been thoroughly enjoying a blog series over at Reformation 21 called “The Vatican Files,” written by an evangelical Italian. You can read the whole post (the fourth installment, and they’ve all been good) at: The Vatican Files N. 4

He’s writing about a new document emitted by the Pope, called Verbum Domini (VD). The following paragraph really struck me as pointing out a huge problem for the Catholic Church, especially the sentences I highlighted in blue.

Secondly, the "eccesial" [sic] reading of the Bible. According to VD, Scripture must never be read on one’s own. Reading must be always an "ecclesial experience", i.e. something done in communion with the Church. The issue at stake is not only methodological, as if private readings were to be replaced by study groups at a parish level presided over by a priest, but also hermeneutical. "An authentic interpretation of the Bible must always be in harmony with the faith of the Catholic Church" (30). Reading the Bible needs to be an exercise done in accordance with the institutional church, both in its forms and outcomes. Apparently, there is much wisdom in these statements, especially considering the real risks of fancy, individualistic, awkward interpretations by isolated readers of the Bible. Yet, there is something missing here. For a Church that has forbidden for centuries the reading of the Bible in vernacular languages, it is at least unfortunate that not a single word of repentance is offered. For a Church that has prevented the people from having access to the Bible until fifty years ago, it is at least puzzling that not a single word is spent to underline the Church’s need for self-correction and vigilance. Moreover, if reading the Bible must always be done under the rule of the institution, what happens if the institution itself is caught in error, heresy or apostasy? How does the Spirit correct a sinful church if not by the biblical Word? In the history of the Church, the teaching of the Bible had to sometimes be played against the institutional church and against its consensus. Only a self-proclaimed indefectible Church can ask total submission to "the watchful eye of the sacred magisterium" (45) without having a final, ultimate bar. Here at stake is the question: Who has the final word? The Bible or the RC Church? Since the Church is "the home of the word" (52), VD responds: the latter!

I found Andy Naselli’s post on the new book Should Christians Embrace Evolution: Biblical & Scientific Responses very interesting. He quotes from Wayne Grudem’s forward, who offers a great critique of theistic evolution:

Evolution is secular culture’s grand explanation, the overriding ‘meta-narrative’ that sinners accept with joy because it allows them to explain life without reference to God, with no accountability to any Creator, no moral standards to restrain their sin, ‘no fear of God before their eyes’ (Rom. 3:18)—and now theistic evolutionists tell us that Christians can just surrender to this massive attack on the Christian faith and safely, inoffensively, tack on God, not as the omnipotent God who in his infinite wisdom directly created all living things, but as the invisible deity who makes absolutely no detectable difference in the nature of living beings as they exist today. It will not take long for unbelievers to dismiss the idea of such a God who makes no difference at all. To put it in terms of an equation, when atheists assure us that matter + evolution + 0 = all living things, and then theistic evolutionists answer, no, that matter + evolution + God = all living things, it will not take long for unbelievers to conclude that, therefore, God = 0.

I heard someone say (and I forget who it was) that listening to British pastors and scholars is very helpful for us Americans because they have had to live as a minority in their country for a lot longer than we have. The culture in which they live is noticeably less “Christian” and for that reason they have to explain the foundational concepts of the Christian faith in a less jargon-filled manner and with fewer assumptions about what their audience understands.

After I heard that commentary I forgot about it, but providentially I’ve run in to two great websites that are helpful and happen to be British. I don’t vouch for all content on these sites, but everything I’ve listened to has been immensely helpful for my faith and ministry.

The Theology Network has provided great resources on church history and theology. I’ve listened to many lectures from this site. I especially like those of Mike Reeves.

bethinking.org is not as familiar to me, but I’ve also been blessed by several lectures I’ve listened to from them on culture. Incidentally, they are sister websites from the same organization. 

I just finished listening to 14 lectures by Dr. Carl Trueman on the person and work of Christ that he taught at Christian Heritage in the United Kingdom.  I listened to them all as I washed dishes over the last few weeks, so I wasn’t able to take notes.  I wanted to mention several aspects of the lectures that I really liked and one thing I did not like as much.

First, Dr. Trueman does a wonderful job of emphasizing the OT teaching that leads up to the coming of Christ.  He had a whole lecture on the main thrust of the OT, which of course points to Christ.  He also compared Lev. 16 with several passages in Hebrews when he talked about the atonement, which brings out a depth that I had not heard in a course on the doctrine of Christ before.

Second, he brings a wealth of historical theology knowledge to the class.  He can talk about almost any period of church history in relation to any aspect of the doctrine.  This was very helpful as he discussed the two natures of Christ.  I learned that Christ’s human nature is dependent upon his divine nature for its existence.  In other words, although he has two natures perfectly united in his person, the divine nature gives the human nature it’s life.  His discussion of the Trinity is also very helpful, as he offers a explains how the doctrine has been understand throughout church history. 

The final aspect I enjoyed was his organizing of the last lectures around Christ as prophet, priest and king.  He rightfully pointed out that we can too easily reduce the work of Christ to his death and resurrection without incorporating the other aspects of his work into our theology.  When we think about Christ along the lines of these three offices we will not neglect those aspects. 

One thing I did not like as much about the class (although I did learn some things) was that every other lecture dealt more with the contemporary evangelical scene as analyzed by David Wells.  I probably should listen to the first lecture again to see how these lectures fit into the course design because I can’t remember what Dr. Trueman said.  On the whole those classes were more subjecting in nature and not related to the main topic at hand.  You can go directly to the Christian Heritage website and search for Dr. Trueman’s class, or you can go to the following site and scroll to the bottom where all of the lecture’s are listed in order (an easier option in my opinion).

Dr. Carl Trueman course on the person and work of Christ

Have you run across the books or lectures of someone who really changed your understanding of a subject?  I love when that happens.

I want to to direct your attention to someone who has done just that for me in church history.  Carl Trueman is professor of historical theology and church history at Westminister Theological Seminary.  He happens to be British, articulate, and funny.

I have not heard better lectures on the Reformation or on medieval theology than the ones that Trueman offers.  Granted, I haven’t listened to too many either, but they are thoroughly edifying and helpful.  He gives wonderful background information on the cultural and historical background so that his students can understand different eras of church history in their context.

I’ve found most of the lectures that I’ve listened to on the following blog: http://psalm305.blogspot.com/2007/07/carl-r-trueman.html

He also has a full course on medieval church history on iTunes, which was very interesting (although a few of the lectures did not have the best sound quality).

If you’re interested in listening to a sampling, I would suggest going to the following link http://www.box.net/shared/xmqti29ri9 and listening to:

• Lecture 1: “The Road to Reformation”
• Lecture 2: “The Theology of the Cross”
• Lecture 3: “Freedom from Babylon, Freedom for Christ”

As a missionary, I have four options for reading material.  I can buy books for my Kindle.  These are the books hot off the press (okay, fresh pixels).  The downside is that I tend to like to “study” with physical books.  I don’t mind reading on the Kindle, but I find that I do more studying with a paper edition I can hold, mull over with a cup of coffee, etc.

I can also go to the Banco de la Republica’s library.  I’d never been a patron to a library that is also a museum and a work of architectural beauty.  The problem there is that the selection is very limited.

The third option is to buy books at a book store.  The problem with this option is that Santa Marta is obviously not a reader’s paradise because there is not a single larger bookstore in the whole city.  Not to mention that books are very expensive here.

The last option I have is to read books I already own.  I’ve been working with this option lately and came across two books that I really liked in seminary.  I’ve always enjoyed church history, especially when it’s presented in an interesting way.  For me, one of the best methods to learn church history is to read the original documents.

I want to first suggest a great volume that has allowed me to get back into some of the original source material of church history: Documents of the Christian Church edited by Henry Bettenson (on Amazon it’s now a new edition with another editor, but I have the second edition).  I just started this book up this week and have really been enjoying it.

The other book that I really enjoy about church history is  Creeds of the Churches: A Reader in Christian Doctrine, from the Bible to the Present.

Now, these two books are not the easiest books to read, but I personally find the reading of the source documents to be very helpful.  Instead of simply taking someone else’s word for it, I can read for myself what Clement said, or how Polycarp’s martyrdom was originally chronicled.

These types of works have been invaluable for me because here in Santa Marta we have an unbelievable number of cult groups and churches gone astray.  If I have a good understanding of church history, I’ll be able to share with people in a more helpful way about where these groups have gone wrong.  Often their errors go all the way back to the 2nd Century.

I just finished reading D.A. Carson’s new book The God Who Is There: Finding Your Place in God’s Story on my Kindle.  I wanted to mention just a few quick impressions the book gave me.

• This book offers an interesting overview of the whole message of the Bible, written for a wide-range of people.  Someone who has never read the Bible would find it very interesting as well as a seminary grad.
• Each chapter is titled with “The God who…”  To mention a few examples: The God Who Made Everything, The God Who Reigns, The God Who Dies—and Lives Again.  I think this format is helpful because it allows the reader to easily understand a main point about God.
• Since we have been using ABWE’s The Story of Hope materials for over two years, this book is a great supplement.  I was interested in his inclusion of a chapter on the wisdom material of the Bible (“The God Who Is Unfathomably Wise”).
• I was initially disappointed by the first chapters of the book because I found myself getting a little bored with the reading, but the pace (or the interpretation) picked up, and I learned many new things through reading this book.
• If you have a reading friend who doesn’t know Christ, this may be a great gift, or better yet, just buy the book and loan it.  That way you will have a good reason to get together and talk about it when the person returns the book.

Reading about Jonathan Edwards has been a tremendous blessing to my spiritual and ministerial development. I wanted to recommend two books that I have read about Edwards, who is probably the most influential theologian that North America has produced. The first book is A Short Life of Jonathan Edwards (Library of Religious Biography Series), which I read this year on my Kindle and really enjoyed. As the title suggests, this book is short and sweet. The author tells the story of Jonathan Edward’s life and compares it to the life of Benjamin Franklin, which gives some interesting insights as you notice the contrast between these two men.

The second book I would like to recommend is Jonathan Edwards: A New Biography. I read this book in 2008, while I was suffering from insomnia during a hard time in the ministry there in Chia. This book is masterful! In my opinion this is one of the best biographies that has been written. I was encouraged during that time to see how Edwards was treated, in spite of his godliness. If he suffered at the hands of a congregation, we shouldn’t be surprised if we have to suffer at times too.

If you want a shorter book to understand the basics of the life of Jonathan Edwards I would recommend the first one, and if you want a more in depth look at his life I would recommend the second.