The following question was sent to me and several friends with whom I work;
“Need a good book recommendation for a girl who struggles with self-consciousness and knowing who she is in Christ…suggestions? Should be an easy read please.”
Here are some of the answers provided by the other recipients;
What books would you have recommended?
What Is a Healthy Church Member?
Thabiti M. Anabwile
List: $12.99 … WTS $9.74
“This book provides an excellent and much-needed focus on the individual church member.”
R. C. Sproul, Ligonier Ministries
“Given the state of so many of our churches today, this book arrives not a moment too soon.”
R. Albert Mohler, President, Southern Baptist Theological Seminary
Read the Series Preface, Introduction & Mark 1 (PDF)
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.
The following books were used during the 2006-2007 academic year at Westminster Theological Seminary, in the course on Reformed Spirituality :
From the seminary catalog:
Reformed Spirituality
Purpose:
• To acquaint students with the distinctives of Reformed spirituality
• To encourage students toward greater communion with God in faith and life
• To highlight the relationship between Reformed spirituality and the piety that dominates much of the evangelical world and popular religion
Topics covered include the doctrine of the church; sanctification; worship; the Lord’s Day and its observance; the means of grace (preaching, prayer, the sacraments of baptism and communion);
family worship; Christian liberty; the doctrines of vocation and providence; the Reformed world and life view; and the Christian in society.
Paul D. Tripp, Adjunct Professor of Practical Theology at Westminster Theological Seminary, recommends the following books for every pastor’s library:
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
Danny Akin, President of Southeastern Baptist Theological Seminary, has recommended the following books on Soteriology and the Christian Life.
Alexander, Donald L., ed. Christian Spirituality: Five Views of Sanctification. Downers Grove: IVP, 1988.
Bounds, E.M. The Complete Works of E.M. Bounds on Prayer. Grand Rapids: Baker, 1990.
Bunyan, John. The Pilgrim’s Progress. London: Penguin, 1964.
Carson, D.A. Right with God: Justification in the Bible and the World. Eugene, OR: Wipf & Stock, 2002.
_______. The Cross and Christian Ministry. Grand Rapids: Baker, 2004.
Demarest, Bruce. The Cross and Salvation. Wheaton: Crossway, 1997.
Hoekema, Anthony A. Saved By Grace. Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 1989.
MacArthur, John. The Gospel According to Jesus. Grand Rapids: Zondervan, 1988.
_______. Our Sufficiency in Christ. Dallas: Word, 1991.
_______. Safe in the Arms of God: Truth from Heaven About the Death of a Child. Nashville: Thomas Nelson, 2003.
Oden, Thomas. The Justification Reader. Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 2002.
Packer, J. I. Rediscovering Holiness. Ann Arbor, MI: Servant Publications, 1999.
Peterson, David. Possessed By God. Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 1995.
Piper, John. Counted Righteous In Christ: Should We Abandon the Imputation of Christ’s Righteousness? Wheaton: Crossway, 2002.
Ryken, Philip Graham. The Message of Salvation: By God’s Grace, for God’s Glory. BST. Downers Grove: IVP, 2001.
Schreiner, Thomas R. and Ardel B. Caneday. The Race Set Before Us: A Biblical Theology of Perseverance and Assurance. Downers Grove: InterVarsity Press, 2001.
Schreiner, Thomas R. and Bruce A. Ware, eds. The Grace of God, The Bondage of the Will. Volume 1: Biblical and Practical Perspectives on Calvinism. Volume 2: Historical and Theological Perspectives on Calvinism. Grand Rapids: Baker, 1995.
White, James R. The God Who Justifies. Minneapolis: Bethany House, 2001.
White, John. The Fight. Downers Grove: IVP, 1976.
Whitney, Donald. Spiritual Disciplines for the Christian Life. Colorado Springs: Nav Press, 1991.
Willard, Dallas. The Spirit of the Disciplines. San Francisco: Harper, 1988.