This is a list of the books that have had the most influence in my life.
The New Testament in Modern English, by J B Phillips (revised edition 1972)
I discovered J B Phillips’ translation in 1989 and immediately the language grasped my attention. Scripture spoke to me like it never had before; it came alive and changed my life. I felt like I was one of those youth in London during WW2 for whom Phillips had set out to make the New Testament understandable. In my case, he succeeded admirably. I still read it regularly.
The Screwtape letters, C S Lewis (1942)
This classic from C S Lewis opened my eyes to the many ways in which the devil tries to keep us from following God. I love Lewis’ writing style and his clear thinking. This book is a must-read for every Christian.
Shadow of the Almighty, Elisabeth Elliot (1958)
This is the biography of Jim Elliot, an American missionary who was one of five missionaries killed while attempting to evangelize the Huaorani people of Ecuador in 1956. This was the first ‘missions’ book I ever read, and it was given to me as a 21st present by a couple in our church who had themselves been missionaries for about 10 years to PNG. Jim Elliot’s dedication to preparing and becoming a missionary stunned me. His famous words left a permanent impression: “He is no fool who gives up what he cannot keep to gain what he cannot lose.”
The Upside-down Kingdom, by Donald Kraybill (2nd edition 1990)
Another classic book of Christian discipleship, this is based on the synoptic Gospels. Kraybill illustrates how the values of the kingdom of God are often opposite to those of the general society. Those in Jesus’ Kingdom win by losing, gain by giving away, are first by being last, are great by being humble, and rule by serving. Here is an exposition of the values of the kingdom of God that calls people to follow Christ and live as part of the upside-down Kingdom.
God and the Philosophers, by Thomas V Morris (ed.) (1994)
One cannot study theology without getting into a little philosophy and I was more than a little disturbed that modern philosophy seemed to have abandoned its traditional foundations and purpose. This book gave me confidence that all was not lost and that Christian Philosophy can still stand its ground in the world.
Theology of Hope, Jurgen Moltmann (English translation 1968)
Students often read outside the areas prescribed by their lecturers and it was my joy to discover Jurgen Moltmann’s Theology of Hope during my first year of theological study. This book made sense of the Biblical teaching in a new way that inspired and energised me. It gave me a robust vision for life in a world of difficulty, heartbreak and suffering. The Kingdom of God was a main focus of that first year of prescribed theological study, but I think this book taught me the most about living in God’s kingdom during that year.
God in the Wasteland: the Reality of Truth in a World of Fading Dreams, by David F Wells (1994)
Written in the mid-90s, when the new age movement was popular, this book helped me understand God’s immanence and transcendence, his holiness, love and justice and appreciate their practical implications for belief, faith, ministry and life. I particularly like the point that a God who is all love and never wrath, who does not punish evil and right wrong, does not love those who have been sinned against and oppressed. The popular notion that God is only all love is an incorrect vision and understanding of who God is.
I Was Wrong, by Jim Bakker (1996)
The importance of this book was not that Jim Bakker was admitting his weaknesses and failings regarding the financial affairs of his PTL ministry, but rather he was admitting that his whole theology on which that ministry was built was wrong. He did admit his management failings that allowed fraud to take place in PTL, though never admitted to committing the fraud himself that he was convicted of. Here is the story of a man who came to realise that his prosperity gospel was a false gospel and not what Jesus preached and taught, and who repented of it. This was a significant book for me, having been raised in a pentecostal church with prosperity leanings. It helped to put those things behind me for good.
The Gospel in a Pluralist Society, by Lesslie Newbigin (1989)
Newbigin’s classic text on the validity of Christian faith in a secular society. The greatest achievement of the book is the breaking down of the false barrier between the public and private arenas of life. Newbigin has effectively armed the Church against those who would wish to confine it to the periphery of society, or to restrict its influence to times of personal tragedy. His book makes a valuable breakthrough regarding the relationship of the Christian faith to post-Christian Western society, firmly establishing the legitimate basis for living out the Christian faith as a single body of truth in all spheres of life.
Salvation in History, by Oscar Cullmann (1965)
Cullmann’s full statement of the Salvation History approach to the Bible. It includes the famous tension between ‘already’ and ‘not yet’ as the key to understanding New Testament salvation history. The ‘already / not yet’ tension of the New Testament is the key to understanding that both Schweitzer’s future eschatology and Dodd’s realized eschatology are one-sided and incorrect. Furthermore, only a small number of events in the general history of the world contribute to and are significant for salvation history. General history gets funnelled into salvation history.
Cullmann discusses the present church period as the period in salvation history where the opportunity exists for the full number of people to come into the Church. Writing at the time of Bultmann’s influence (under Heidegger), he says the decision for Christ is the decision people must make. It is important that the right decision is made, not just any decision. This period will not last forever and there is a real urgency to commit to Christ while there is still time.
I came to this book after reading Cullmann’s earlier book Christ and Time. Both books had a profound affect on me, but I have chosen Salvation in History among my best books because it is the fuller treatment of Cullmann’s ideas and the more satisfying to read. Nevertheless, I vividly remember first discovering Cullmann’s ideas and the impact they made on as he described Jesus Christ as the fulcrum around which history turned. Nothing is the same since Jesus Christ and never will be again. He has changed life and history forever.
The Radical Evangelical, by Nigel Wright (1996)
I like to think that I sit somewhere in the middle of the theological spectrum. There are a number of issues that one has to work through and decide where you stand regarding them. Not least of these is Biblical interpretation, because so many others issues are decided by your approach to Scripture. Nigel Wright arrived at the right time with a comforting word on this and several other issues, showing me that I was not alone in the way my beliefs were developing and that it is a healthy, balanced approach to take.
As I look back 20 years later, I can see that many of the issues the ‘post-evangelical’ and ’emergent’ groups raised are settled by his approach and I have largely been able to navigate these issues with maturity. Thank you Nigel Wright!
Resident Aliens, by Stanley Hauerwas & William H. Willimon (1989)
I loved the way this book calls Christians to be loyal to Jesus Christ and his Church first and foremost. I think I became more consciously involved in our local church as a result of reading this book. It helped me stay committed to our church despite the difficulties that naturally arise when a group of volunteers come together for some purpose. The chapter on ethics and being Jesus’ apprentice is worth the price of the book alone.
This is another book that I read more than 20 years ago. However, in this case I find my thinking moving away from Hauerwas and Willimon in some respects. I still appreciate their emphasis on being Jesus’ apprentice, but watch this space, I may be adding more content on the issue of political theology during 2018.
Luther’s Theology of the Cross, Alister McGrath (1985)
This book made me an instant fan of Alister McGrath, who is at his very best when engaged in historical theology like this. When I first read this book, I took 20 pages of notes, such was the revelation of its content about Luther and the significance of his theology for life.
McGrath sketches a portrait of Martin Luther as a late-medieval theologian and then shows how Luther’s theological breakthroughs during 1515 – 1519 broke with that tradition to reveal an altogether brighter vision of God. I was struck by how the late-medieval theology that God would not reject those who tried their best sounded so reasonable and contemporary to today’s world. But then I was astounded at the way that Luther dismantled this teaching with a deeper understanding of the Cross. I am still captivated by this God who redeems the helpless, worthless sinner who continuously approaches him in true humility and faith. Read my full summary here.
20th Century Theology, by Stanley Grenz & Roger Olsen (1992)
This book sat on my bookshelf and ‘to read’ list for several years. When I finally did read it, I wondered how did I get through theological study without my lecturers recommending this book? I love the way Grenz and Olsen compare and contrast theologians using the theme of God’s transcendence and immanence. This is a very good choice of theme for the 20th century. They also do a great job of putting everything in context by first introducing the relevant 18th and 19th century figures and their thought. Highly recommended for anyone wishing to understand modernity, the Church and contemporary theology.
Your God is Too Small, by J B Phillips (1952)
I had heard about this book for a long time before I stumbled across it in a second-hand bookstore in Onehunga. I bought it immediately and have been thankful ever since. Phillips describes 12 false understandings, or inadequate views, of God. He then presents what an adequate view of God is. The two inadequate views I appreciated the most are the “God in a box” and “projected image”, but all 12 are still around to greater or lesser degree. I also appreciated Phillips presentation of an adequate view of God by showing that Jesus meets our expectations of beauty, goodness, truth and love in the world. He argues that Jesus teaching on loving God with all your heart and mind and loving others as yourself is the way life is meant to be lived. The problem with the world is that love has been turned to self, rather than to God and others. Jesus’ death on the cross is a rapprochement as Representative Man to end the enmity between God and humanity.
When I moved to Kenya I wanted to bring my books but could not afford the price of shipping, so I cut the bindings off 200 books and scanned them to pdf. But I just could not bring myself to destroy my copy of this little classic. I scanned it to pdf the old fashioned way and carried the book with me. Your God is Too Small Read it, enjoy it, buy it!
Christianity and History, by Herbert Butterfield (1950)
Despite being a little dated, with a style of writing that now seems awkward at times, this book admirably demonstrates that history testifies to Christianity and Christianity makes sense of history. I particularly appreciated Butterfield’s strong defense of the Christian faith in the face of the prevailing fashions on his day.
The God I Don’t Understand, Christopher J H Wright (2008)
This book concisely addresses several objections to the Christian faith commonly raised in the West. I particularly appreciated Chris Wright’s delineation of moral evil and natural evil, together with his approaches to both. On natural evil, Wright says that it frustrates us and drives us crazy with its illogical existence, but these are not good reasons to imagine a fault exists in God. The Bible does not seem to provide a satisfactory explanation for natural evil. Instead, it is filled with lament and protest at natural evil, and God seems to understand and accept that lament.
I also liked his rebuttal of the objection that the Cross is not an act of justice, because it is actually unjust to punish an innocence person for someone else’s crime. Wright responds that the Christian understanding is that God and Jesus acted together in the Cross; it is incorrect to imagine a divide between Father and Son that does not exist. This book appeared at a time when these kinds of questions were being given high profiles and Chris Wright helped shore up my responses.
The Saving Righteousness of God, by Michael Bird (2007)
Here’s the book that put to rest all my questions regarding the New Perspective on Paul (NPP) and allowed me to move on. Bird’s conclusion that the NPP’s proponents are right in what they affirm and wrong in what they deny brought peace to my soul. I also very much appreciated his proposed solution of incorporated righteousness to the “imputed or imparted” debate and would be much happier adopting it to the other two labels. This book is serious compulsory reading for anyone looking into the NPP; you haven’t read all the relevant material if you are yet to read this book.
After You Believe, by N T Wright (2010)
I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again: if you’re ideas of virtue and virtuous behaviour have been shaped by an Aristotlean understanding of human flourishing, then you need to read N T Wright and gain a deeper Biblical understanding of what it means to be virtuous. Wright issues a clear call to put in the “moral effort” required to be a Christian. This is both challenging and inspiring stuff. I am strangely drawn to this vision of character formation that is rooted in the Bible, not in culture.
The Moral Vision of the New Testament, Richard Hays (1996)
I was at Bible College the year this book was written. In fact, I was taking a class on theological ethics at the time. Oh, how I wish this book was written one or two years earlier and the entire basis for how to handle Scripture for the purposes of understanding ethics and making ethical decisions taught to me was re-written in light of Richard Hays’ book.
Most of us do not think much about ethical issues such as capital punishment, medical ethics, international trade, just war theory. We’re concerned with decisions at the level where we live; maybe the environment, climate change and our carbon footprint. Perhaps economic justice for the working class; or what about indigenous rights and the sharing of political power? Or maybe you face some kind of discrimination all the time, or have to deal with systemic corruption in society.
Whatever you are concerned about, Hays lays out the New Testament framework for ethics around the Cross, Community and New Creation. I particularly like the way Hays brings to attention the different modes in which the NT speaks: rule, principle, paradigm, and symbolic world. He warns against turning a narrative or parable into a law, or a principle into a rule. We must respect both the form and the content of NT passages. All this means a lot of hard work is required to understand the ethical teaching of the NT.
When Helping Hurts, by Steve Corbett & Brian Fikkert (2009)
When Helping Hurts does the best job of popularising the ideas of Bryant Myers regarding poverty and development. I think it made a bigger impact on me because I had been working in aid and development for 2 years when I read it. Never again will I be tempted to simply give things to people as a response to poverty and need.
However, I have to acknowledge the valid points made by Michael Bamwesigye Badriaki in When Helping Works (2017). It is no good ignoring the real and immediate needs of people for heathcare or emergency food because of some misguided uncertainty about creating dependency. Badriaki is correct when he complains that Christians who do nothing to meet these needs are not behaving as Christian brothers and sisters to those who need immediate assistant to overcome sickness.
The Politics of Jesus, John Howard Yoder (1993)
Yoder makes a strong case that Jesus’ teachings are inherently political and challenge the political status quo. I learnt from Yoder to take a more political view of my Christian Faith – and it is challenging.
I think Yoder is absolutely right that the principal form of persecution Christians can expect to face is social exclusion because they should be challenging the basic assumptions people have about what life is about and how to live. This, of course, can result in joblessness and hardship. In addition, some Christians will face physical persecution such as beatings, torture and murder.
An Orality Primer for Missionaries, by Daniel Sheard (2007)
Daniel Sheard gave me an inside look into the techniques used to teach and learn in oral cultures. Techniques such as oral drilling, oral transmission, oral accountability, story-telling, Bible storying, parables and oral pedagogy. Before reading this book, I had little idea how to to plan, prepare and conduct an lesson for people who learn through listening and repeating what they have been told. After reading it, I feel much more confident about doing this.
I also appreciate much more why oral learners are so firm on something once they have learnt it – because it is has been drilled into them to follow their teacher to perfection, without deviation.
As I read, I felt convicted about are the requirement for the teacher to be able to remember and quote Scripture verbatim without referring to a Bible, the need to demand immediate oral accountability, and how a parable forces a moral choice on the listener. An effective parable can be written about almost anything by setting up two alternatives – one person that represents the wrong choice and another person that represents the choice the teacher wants the learners to take. Thank you Dr Sheard!
The Sermon on the Mount and Human Flourishing, Jonathon Pennington, 2017
I was a bit apprehensive about a book on human flourishing and the Bible because I was afraid that the author would try to squeeze Aristotlean categories onto Scripture. However, as soon as Pennington wrote that Jesus added Jewish apocalyptic and wisdom perspectives to the virtue-ethics discussions that were popular in his day, all my fears were allayed. Pennington’s discussion and explanation of the Sermon on the Mount is the best I have ever read. He manages to bring the whole Sermon together in a united message and shows how it links with the rest of Matthew’s Gospel. His emphasis to do the right thing whole-heartedly for God, not for the sake appearing of righteous or for human admiration, resonates loudly.
Kingdom Conspiracy, Scot McKnight, 2014
When I was working as a Christian in the field of Aid and Development I heard a lot about the Kingdom of God. A lot of Christians told me their reasons for supporting and being involved in aid work and international development initiatives as Kingdom work. However, something didn’t sit right. For a start, I observed an awful lot of unChristian behaviour such as dishonesty, competitiveness, criticism and disparaging of others (to put it mildly), jealousy, envy, politicking, exploitation, obstruction and suppression going on. I also saw and experienced pressure to water-down our Christian motivations, witness and ethical standards in order to gain funding from secular agencies. Many organisations claimed to be Christian in origin and motivation, but never mentioned Jesus Christ to those they received funds from or the people they worked with in the field. I learnt that the Christian influence was water-down, often to the point of being practically absent. As one songwriter put it, “they say they want the kingdom, but they don’t want the King in it.” I felt like all the talk of the Kingdom of God was about telling ourselves a lie to make us feel better about what we were doing. Thankfully Scot McKnight has been brave enough to write a book addressing the issue. He forcefully points out that any work that does not tell people about King Jesus and invite them to follow Him is not Kingdom (of God) work. It may be good works, but it is not building the KoG. I agree, because only Jesus Christ has the power to changes a person’s heart and behaviour consistently over the the long term.
the art of constructing 