Building A Theological Library» Cultural Milieu

Michael Craven’s Philosophy Recommendations

admin — Tue, 07 Jul 2009 23:26:16 +0000

Michael Craven of the Center For Christ and Culture recommends the following books on Philosophy for equipping the Church to engage the culture with the redemptive mission of Christ:

Philosophical Foundations for a Christian Worldview, by J.P. Moreland & William Lane Craig
How Postmodernism Serves (My) Faith: Questioning Truth in Language, Philosophy And Art, by Crystal L. Downing
The Right Darwin?: Evolution, Religion, and the Future of Democracy, by Carson Holloway
True Truth: Defending Absolute Truth in a Relativistic World, by Art Lindsley
Faith and Reason, by Ronald H. Nash
Proper Confidence: Faith, Doubt, and Certainty in Christian Discipleship, by Lesslie Newbigin

Cultural Criticism and Apologetics

admin — Mon, 06 Jul 2009 16:15:12 +0000

The 2008 U.S. Religious Landscape Survey conducted by the Pew Forum on Religion & Public Life indicates that the United States is becoming less Protestant. American religious sentiment is becoming more diverse with a larger number than ever dropping any connection to a specific religious tradition.

In such an environment, Christians need to be prepared to engage the culture effectively. To that end Michael Craven of the Center For Christ and Culture recommends the following books on Culture and Apologetics:

Culture

The Culture of Narcissism: American Life in an Age of Diminishing Expectations, by Christopher Lasch
Culture Wars: The Struggle To Define America, by James Davison Hunter
Bowling Alone : The Collapse and Revival of American Community, by Robert D. Putnam
Amusing Ourselves to Death: Public Discourse in the Age of Show Business, by Neil Postman
On Earth as It Is in Advertising?: Moving from Commercial Hype to Gospel Hope, by Sam Van Eman
Prophetic Untimeliness: A Challenge to the Idol of Relevance, by Os Guinness
The Rape of the Masters: How Political Correctness Sabotages Art, by Roger Kimball
Art And the Bible, by Francis A. Schaeffer
Why America Needs Religion: Secular Modernity and Its Discontents, by Guenter Lewy

Apologetics

Apologetics to the Glory of God: An Introduction, by John H. Frame
Christian Apologetics, by Cornelius Van Til
The Defense of the Faith, by Cornelius Van Til
Tearing Down Strongholds: And Defending the Truth, by R. C. Sproul
Christian Apologetics, by Norman Geisler
Christian Ethics: Options and Issues, by Norman Geisler
The New Evidence That Demands A Verdict Fully Updated To Answer The Questions Challenging Christians Today, by Josh McDowell
Baker Encyclopedia of Christian Apologetics, by Norman L. Geisler

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Christian Worldview Recommendations of Michael Craven

admin — Mon, 29 Jun 2009 20:20:40 +0000

Michael Craven of the Center For Christ and Culture recommends the following books on understanding and developing a Christian Worldview;

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Christianity and Culture

admin — Mon, 18 May 2009 00:22:59 +0000

Grace Baptist Church (Cape Coral, Florida), pastored by Tom Ascol, lists on its website the following list of recommended books in the area of “Christianity and Culture”:

Culture Making: Recovering Our Creative Calling by Andy Crouch
unChristian: What a New Generation Really Thinks about Christianity… and Why It Matters by David Kinnaman and Gabe Lyons
They Like Jesus but Not the Church: Insights from Emerging Generations by Dan Kimball
The Unchurched Next Door: Understanding Faith Stages as Keys to Sharing Your Faith by Thom Rainer
Christ and Culture Revisited by D.A. Carson
Jesus Made in America: A Cultural History from the Puritans to the Passion of the Christ by Stephen Nichols
Culture Shift: Engaging Current Issues with Timeless Truth by R. Albert Mohler

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The Cultural Milieu – Book Recommendations

Christian Worldview – Book Recommendations

Apologetics – Book Recommendations

Reclaiming The Center: Confronting Evangelical Accommodation In Postmodern Times

admin — Tue, 16 Dec 2008 19:24:37 +0000

“When evangelicals confuse an improper passion for novelty with a proper pursuit of academic and pastoral relevance, the results can be distressing. I cannot express how grateful I am for the well-formed wisdom with which this book points to the abiding and decisive relevance for future route-finding of the old theological paths.”
—J. I. Packer, Professor, Regent College

“For those evangelicals who—like myself—are increasingly troubled by extravagant claims made by various evangelical scholars about the nature of the ‘postmodern’ challenge, as well as by earnest calls to develop new epistemological and theological perspectives in response to this challenge, the writers of these essays shed much light. This book is must-reading for everyone who wants to promote a clear-thinking evangelicalism for our contemporary context.”
—Richard J. Mouw, President and Professor of Christian Philosophy, Fuller Seminary

“Here is a collection of intelligent, provocative, gutsy essays that dare to fly into the eye of the scholarly storm over evangelical identity. Though different perspectives are present even here, the underlying thesis is clear and worth heeding: the eager, and sometimes uncritical, embrace of postmodernist paradigms may be as premature as it has proven to be unproductive for the well-being of the evangelical church. One of the most important books of the new century!”
—Timothy George, Dean, Beeson Divinity School, Samford University

“Provocative, timely, and controversial!”
—Donald G. Bloesch, Professor of Theology Emeritus, Dubuque Theological Seminary

“Compromise and confusion stand at the center of evangelicalism’s theological crisis, and a clear-headed and convictional analysis of the problem has been desperately needed. Thankfully, Reclaiming the Center has arrived just in time. . . . My fervent hope is that it will open evangelical eyes, humble evangelical hearts, and awaken this generation to the peril of accommodationism.”
—R. Albert Mohler, Jr., President, The Southern Baptist Theological Seminary

“The authors of this well-designed volume provide a bold and well-argued response to what is sometimes called ‘postconservative evangelicalism.’ This important conversation regarding the essence, center, and boundaries of evangelicalism is here explored, interpreted, and assessed from a well-informed theological, philosophical, and historical perspective. . . . I heartily commend this volume and trust it will find a large readership.”
—David S. Dockery, President, Union University

The Reason For God, by Timothy Keller

admin — Fri, 12 Dec 2008 16:44:56 +0000

My friend Amy Bobo has reviewed Tim Keller’s book The Reason For God. Here is an excerpt…

“Take the leap of doubt to discover your reasons for faith,” says Tim Keller of Redeemer Presbyterian Church in New York City. Whether you currently believe or you struggle with skepticism, doubts can be a divine invitation to grow your faith, deepen your relationship with God, and to mature into a person of substance.

With a 30-year ministry in the heart of Manhattan, Tim knows how to communicate the Gospel to this culture of intellect, and he does so with quiet dignity and respect for both sides, often acknowledging the personal, intellectual, social, and spiritual reasons people choose to think the way they do.

So, to everyone, Tim recommends we look at doubt in a radically new way. If believers go through life too busy or too apathetic to grapple with tough questions, where will we find ourselves when tragedy strikes? Or how can we truly befriend those struggling with doubt if we’ve never considered their points? And skeptics are challenged as well. Is there some bit of faith in something embedded in the arguments against God? Maybe it’s true that even our doubts are a leap of faith, because we are brave enough to consider the merits of our mostly deeply held convictions.

Click here to read more of the review.

Hypnosis

testertwo — Tue, 11 Nov 2008 23:18:00 +0000

Watchman Fellowship recommends the following books on Hypnosis;

Encyclopedia of New Age Beliefs, by John Ankerberg and John Weldon

Hypnosis and the Christian, by Martin and Deidre Bobgan

Halloween

testertwo — Thu, 30 Oct 2008 22:37:00 +0000

Watchman Fellowship recommends the following resources on Halloween;

The Facts on Halloween, by John Ankerberg and John Weldon

Halloween: What’s A Christian To Do?, by Steve Russo

Expelled – No Intelligence Allowed

testertwo — Sun, 26 Oct 2008 15:38:00 +0000

“I recommend EXPELLED enthusiastically!”
- James C. Dobson, Ph.D., Chairman of the Board, Focus on the Family

“Four stars!” – Ted Baehr, Editor, MovieGuide

“A powerful and riveting film… every open-minded person will love it.”
- Rev. Donald E. Wildmon, Founder & Chairman of American Family Association

“EXPELLED is an enormously important project.”
- Michael Medved, national radio host

“We highly recommend EXPELLED to anybody.”
- Ken Smitherman, President, Association of Christian Schools International

“SEE THIS FILM, bring your friends and bring your church.”
- Lee Strobel, Author, Case for a Creator

“See EXPELLED and you’ll understand why they want to censor those who question their dogmas.” – Dr. Richard Land, Southern Baptist Convention

“Those who are suppressing belief in God and trying to make materialism the law of the land should beware. Ben Stein is on a mission to stop the suppression, and millions of Americans are behind him.”
- Pat Robertson, Host, 700 Club

“In EXPELLED, Ben Stein shows us what happens when academic freedom takes a day off. We should all be listening.”
- Carl Anderson, Supreme Knight of the Knights of Columbus

“EXPELLED is both an eye-opening documentary and riotous entertainment.” – Joseph Farah, CEO, WorldNetDaily.com

“This movie may trigger a cultural revolution.”
- Dennis Wagner, Executive Director, Access Research Network

“EXPELLED could easily be one of the most important movies of the year.”
- Denny Rydberg, President, Young Life

“EXPELLED is earthshaking. I was absolutely blown away. Everyone in America, even skeptics of Intelligent Design, must see this film.”
- J. Matt Barber, Director for Cultural Issues, Concerned Women for America

“A cultural earthquake… Everyone I talked to after the screening used words like ‘fabulous’ and ‘incredible’.” – Dr. Tom Woodward, Director, C.S. Lewis Society

“A solid case for giving the theory of Intelligent Design a respected place in the classroom alongside Darwin’s theory of Evolution.”
- Dick Rolfe, Co-Founder and CEO, The Dove Foundation

That’s Just Your Interpretation

testertwo — Sun, 28 Sep 2008 23:36:00 +0000

The following books are recommended for further reading in the Introduction to That’s Just Your Interpretation: Responding to Skeptics Who Challenge Your Faith, by Paul Copan.

How To Stay Christian in College (J. Budziszewski)

True For You, But Not For me: Deflating the Slogans That Leave Christians Speechless (Paul Copan)

Finding God At Harvard (Kelly Monroe)

Why Isn’t God More Obvious (Paul Moser)

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