Jonathan Edwards

Grace Baptist Church of Cape Coral, Florida (pastored by Tom Ascol) shares on its website the following list of recommended books on and by Jonathan Edwards.

• Religious Affections by Jonathan Edwards
• The Freedom of the Will by Jonathan Edwards
• A Faithful Narrative of the Surprising Work of God by Jonathan Edwards
• The Distinguishing Marks of the Work of the Spirit of God by Jonathan Edwards
• Thoughts on the New England Revival: Vindicating the Great Awakening by Jonathan Edwards
• The Works of Jonathan Edwards (2 vol.) by Hendrickson
• God’s Passion for His Glory by John Piper
• Jonathan Edwards: A New Biography by Iain Murray
• Jonathan Edwards by George Marsden
• A Sweet Flame: Piety in the Letters of Jonathan Edwards by Michael Haykin
• Jonathan Edwards: The Holy Spirit in Revival by Michael Haykin
• The God-Centered Life: Insights from Jonathan Edwards for Today by Josh Moody

History of Evangelicalism

In a recent article in Christianity Today, Bruce Hindmarsh, professor of spiritual theology at Regent College in Vancouver recommended the following books as some of the best to introduce the general reader to early evangelicalism. According to Hindmarsh, “All of these books are a pleasure to read, and all of the authors are experts in their fields.”

• The Rise of Evangelicalism: The Age of Edwards, Whitefield, and the Wesleys, by Mark A. Noll
• The Inextinguishable Blaze: Spiritual Renewal and Advance in the Eighteenth Century, by A. Skevington Wood
• Wesley and the People Called Methodists, by Richard P. Heitzenrater
• Jonathan Edwards: A Life, by George M. Marsden
• The Great Awakening: The Roots of Evangelical Christianity in Colonial America, by Thomas S. Kidd

The Surprising Work of God

The Surprising Work of God: Harold John Ockenga, Billy Graham, and the Rebirth of Evangelicalism
by Garth M. Rosell
Baker Academic
Paperback, 288 pages

Read the table of contents and chapter 5 (excerpt) PDF

“The story of post-World War II evangelicalism, and of Harold Ockenga’s role in its reconstruction, is here told with an insider’s understanding, a historian’s eye for detail, and diligence in the use of original sources. Rosell has ploughed fresh ground and has given us ways of looking at all of these events that are fresh, authentic, and helpful.”
- David F. Wells, Andrew Mutch Distinguished Professor of Historical and Systematic Theology, Gordon-Conwell Theological Seminary

“This is insiders’ history at its best. Not only is Garth Rosell a truly first-rate historian but he has also lived through many of the events he recounts. His front-row seat within the theater of post-war evangelicalism combined with careful work in little-known manuscript materials has yielded an accurate, vivid account of the evangelical movement’s twentieth-century revival. This book is real treasure–must reading for all who care about American religion.”
- Douglas A. Sweeney, Trinity Evangelical Divinity School

“In this thoroughly researched book, Garth Rosell has put flesh on the dry bones of history. His deep immersion in the rich records left by Harold John Ockenga brings to life the critical developments that forged the modern evangelical movement. The result is a most valuable book.”
- Mark Noll, Francis A. McAnaney Professor of History, University of Notre Dame

Purchase The Surprising Work of God

Cultural Issues In Christian Perspective

The following books are required reading in the course Cultural Issues In Christian Perspective taught by Dr. Del Tackett and Dr. Chris Leland, at Focus on the Family Institute.

Boa, K.D. & Bowman, R. M. (2001). Faith has its reasons: An integrative approach to defending Christianity. Colorado Spring, CO: NavPress.

Bonhoeffer, D. (1954). Life together. San Francisco: HarperSanFrancisco.

Briner, Bob. (1993). Roaring lambs. Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan Publishing House.

Colson, C. (1999). How now shall we live? Wheaton, IL: Tyndale House Publishers, Inc.

Colson, C. (2003). Being the body. Nashville, TN: W Publishing Group.

de Tocqueville, Alexis. (1835). Democracy in America, (Vol 1). (Reprinted by Vintage Books, New York, 1990).

Dobson, J. (2004). Marriage under fire. Sisters, OR: Multnomah Publishers, Inc.

Ellis, E. S. (1884). Not yours to give. Philadelphia: Porter & Coates (Reprinted by Conservative Printing, 2003).

Grudem, W. A. (2003). Business for the glory of God: The Bible’s teachings on the moral goodness of business. Wheaton, IL: Crossway Books.

Kavanaugh, P. 1996. Spiritual lives of the great composers. Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan.

Lewis, C. S. (1974). The abolition of man. San Francisco: HarperSanFrancicso.

Minnery, T. (2001). Why you can’t stay silent: A biblical mandate to shape our culture. Wheaton, IL: Tyndale House Publishing/Focus on the Family.

Olasky, M. (1999). The American leadership tradition. Wheaton, IL: Crossway Books.

Pollock, J. (1996). William Wilberforce: A man who changed his times. Mclean, VA: The Trinity Forum.

Postman, N. (1985). Amusing ourselves to death: Public discourse in the age of show business. New York: Penguin Books.

Schaeffer, F. A. (1984). The great evangelical disaster. Wheaton, IL: Crossway Books

Schmidt, Alvin J. (2004). How Christianity changed the world. Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan Publishing House.

Sire, J. W. (2004). The universe next door. A basic worldview catalog. 4th edition. Downers Grove, IL: InterVarsity Press.

Schlossberg, H. (1990). Idols for destruction: The conflict of Christian faith and American culture.Wheaton, IL: Crossway Books.

Sowell, T. (1995). The vision of the anointed: Self-congratulation as a basis for social policy. New York, NY: Basic Books.

White, H. (2006). Postmodernism 101. Grand Rapids, MI: Brazos Books.

* * *

The syllabus describes the course as follows – - -

DESCRIPTION

The purpose of this course is to deepen and broaden the student’s understanding of the core assumptions of the Christian worldview, and to apply this perspective to critical issues involving the contemporary family, church, and society. The goal is to enable students to think more clearly about the ultimate issues of human existence so that they may live more purposeful lives and participate more constructively in the calling of the Christians as a transformed and transforming community through which God heals individuals, families and societies.

The course focuses on the central issue of our understanding of the existence and nature of God, human beings, and the world around us. The aim is clearer insight into Christ’s ongoing redemptive work centered in the Christians and Christian community as God’s chief agent of societal change. Christ’s work extends beyond the individual to include all of created reality, especially the social aspects of human experience. Students are encouraged to go beyond mere understanding to actual participation in the advancement of God’s kingdom on earth.

OBJECTIVES
1. To awaken the student’s spirit, heart and mind toward God and the world which Christ came to restore.
2. To facilitate the understanding and communication of the essential elements of a Christian worldview, as it contrasts with other competing and counterfeit worldviews.
3. To equip students to develop a biblically and theologically informed understanding of the relationship between social institutions and God’s design for social order.
4. To expose the students to new ways of thinking about social institutions, current issues and pathologies and the Christian’s role in effecting transformation in each sphere of life.

Transatlantic Puritanism

The following books were used in the course on Transatlantic Puritanism taught by Jeffrey K. Jue at Westminster Theological Seminary, during the Spring 2007 semester:

According to the seminary catalog – -

Old Religion in the New World: Transatlantic Puritan Theology

Purpose:
• To introduce students to the British context out of which colonial Puritanism emerged
• To explore the transatlantic dimension of colonial Puritanism through the cross-fertilization of theological ideas
• To examine how colonial Puritan theology distinguished itself in a North American context

Topics covered include the social and political background of the seventeenth century, covenant theology, soteriology, ecclesiology, sacraments, and eschatology.

American Evangelicalism

The following books were used in the course on American Evangelicalism taught by Jeffrey K. Jue at Westminster Theological Seminary, during the Spring 2007 semester:

According to the seminary catalog – -

Purpose:
• To understand the major philosophical and theological currents that shaped American Evangelicalism
• To examine the writings of American Evangelicals within the historical contexts of the eighteenth through twenty-first centuries
• To highlight ways in which the history of American Evangelicalism influences the development of global Christianity

Topics covered include post-puritanism, revivalism, fundamentalism, the battle for the Bible, missions, prophecy movement, Pentecostalism, and neo-Evangelicalism.

American Christianity

Danny Akin, President of Southeastern Baptist Theological Seminary, has recommended the following books on American Christianity.

Ahlstrom, Sydney E. A Religious History of the American People. New Haven: Yale Press, 1972 .

Carden, Allen. Puritan Christianity in America. Grand Rapids: Baker, 1990.

Marsden, George. Fundamentalism and American Culture. New York: Oxford, 1980.

Murray, Iain. Revival and Revivalism. Edinburgh: Banner of Truth Trust, 1994.

Noll, Mark. A History of Christianity in the United States and Canada. Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 1992.

Book recommendations of Samuel T. Logan, Jr.

Samuel T. Logan, Jr., Professor of Church History and Chancellor of the Westminster Theological Seminary, recommends the following books for every pastor’s library:

Book recommendations for Church History and American Christianity

Jeffrey K. Jue, Associate Professor of Church History at Westminster Theological Seminary, has recommended the following books for the pastor’s library:

Believers: A Journey Into Evangelical America, by Jeffrey L. Sheler

Darrell Bock recommends this book as “a wonderful tour of evangelicalism through the lenses of various key points of evangelical life.” You can read his entire review of the book HERE.

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