Allen Raynor Weblog: “Recommended
Reading from 2018” (Pt. 2)
(Dec. 19, 2018)
There are many great apologetic
works available these days. Some are written by scholars for scholars.
Some of these works are more geared toward pastors. While still yet
others are oriented toward laymen. I have read many of these books over
the last few years. They are full of facts that validate the key claims
of Scripture like the Resurrection, and the historicity of the early church and
followers of Jesus. Many of these books also examine scientific claims
and examine them in light of reason, and even science itself. It takes a
lot for one of these type books to stand out to me as I have read
several. But I would give a 5 star rating to I Don’t Have Enough Faith
to Be an Atheist by Norman L. Geisler and Frank Turek. It is hard to
put down once you begin reading, but it is important to read through it slowly
and carefully in order to receive the full impact. I highly recommend
this book be in your own personal library.
Many
accusations are leveled against Christians by those who want to discredit them
and label them as ignorant, non-thinking, anti-science, anti-knowledge,
etc. Some of the myths that have been perpetuated have stuck and few know
the real truth. One of the best examples of this is the fact many claim,
and/or believe, that Christians once held tightly to a belief that the world
was flat even when science was saying the earth was spherical. There is
even an atheistic website where a group of people make fun of the “flat earth,”
backward-thinking Christians. But this is a total myth. As early as
the 4th century B. C. theists believed the earth was round and it
was far more unusual throughout the middle ages and beyond for anyone,
Christians included, to hold to a flat earth viewpoint. I read a book
this year called Inventing the Flat Earth: Columbus and Modern Historians
by Jeffrey Burton Russell. It is a fascinating, extremely well researched
report of how this was all contrived coming out of a fictional work by
Washington Irving and morphing quickly into revisionist history. It you
want to know the truth on this issue, read this book. If you want to see
how easily things can become distorted and true history be forgotten in favor
of myth, then read this book!
I am a
big fan of the “Answers in Genesis” (AIG) organization, headed by Ken Ham, and
their museum in the Cincinnati, OH metro area which features a full scale
replica of Noah’s Ark. They have put out numerous materials over the
years including books, CD’s, DVD’s, booklets and tracts, and an information packed
website. I read a booklet put out by AIG this year called Doesn’t
Carbon Dating Disprove the Bible. This book is short and to the
point. It will help you see the flawed presuppositions of those who trust
the Carbon 14 dating method for determining the age of the earth. Many,
in the camp of theological liberalism or accomodationist theology, even try to
interpret the early chapters of Genesis by accommodating what science claims
with the Bible when it comes to questions about the age of the earth.
Longstanding reliance on faulty methodology and trusting without asking
questions has led many believers astray on this issue. Christians do not,
and should not have a “blind” faith but should ask questions in order to gain
knowledge. Ironically, science purports to search for the truth and go
where research leads them; however, there are certain things that are off the
table to some scientist, such as intelligent design in the universe. When
science takes anything off the table before it starts, science becomes more of
a philosophical viewpoint and/or pursuit than actual science in the truest
sense.
I
really enjoyed a short book by author Peter Jones called The Pagan Heart of
Today’s Culture. It is densely packed with great information and is
eye-opening. It offers to you the potential to gain a great working
knowledge of postmodernism, polytheism, and Gnosticism which has its roots in
the days of the early church and is still alive and well today in many
religious expressions. You need to read this book, and ones like it, to
get a handle on the world in which we live and are called to be missionaries.
Sadly
many Christians do not know anything better than to either “run” or “roll over
and play dead” when unbelievers challenge Christian thinking and worldview with
their slogans, and poorly thought-out assertions. In his very helpful
book, Tactics: A Game Plan for Discussing Your Christian Convictions
Gregory Koukl shows how believers can easily maneuver through conversations
with skeptics by simply getting them to think more deeply about what they are
asking or asserting. Overwhelmingly the argumentation of unbelievers
breaks down just below the surface and it is our duty as Christians to help them
see where there reasoning if faulty, not just for the sake of winning
arguments, but for the furtherance of the Kingdom. Through notable
techniques such as “The Columbo Method,” based on the character from the
popular television show, Koukl teaches believers to ask simple, non-threatening
questions to expose what people really believe in such a way that they
tend to realize for themselves that their story, or whole belief system, does
not stand up consistently and reasonably.
During
my morning devotional time I read a few books that were really uplifting and
encouraging. One of those books was Heaven on Earth: What the Bible
Teaches about Life to Come by Derek W. H. Thomas. It is a
heartwarming, non-technical portrait of Heaven and the life to come.
Another book was Understanding the 66 Books of the Bible by David
Jeremiah. The book gives a brief portrait of each book which starts with
a timely, relevant illustration then a very brief overview of the content
followed by the key theme and key verse. It was lite but encouraging to
read one or two of these portraits each day. Perhaps my favorite
devotional book of all this year was a book I have referred to often for many
years but never read straight through. The book is called God’s
Promises for Your Every Need. It is nothing more than a topical
arrangement of very encouraging Scriptures that speak to a variety of issues
and topics. This book helped me know Scripture better. It helps me
see that yes God does have a lot to say about . . . It is a book everyone
should own and refer to regularly. It will also help you in your ministry
to others when someone at work, a family member, or a friend asks you “Is there
a verse in the Bible that says anything about . . .? You will find the answer
in this book easily.
During
the summer and fall of this year I was privileged to teach through the book of
Amos on Sunday Evenings. I am always drawn to the Old Testament Prophets
simply because, as a preacher, I can often relate to them on a personal level.
Also, as an American I can see enormous parallels between their day and our
day. Among the prophets, Amos is one of my favorites. I was
aided greatly in my study by J. A. Motyer’s book The Message of Amos in
The Bible Speaks Today Commentary Series (BST). I also found great value
in The Roaring of the Lion: A Commentary on Amos by Ray Beeley. The most
helpful resource of all was Amos: An Ordinary Man with an Extraordinary
Message in the Focus on the Bible Commentary Series (FOTBS) by my
former Hebrew Professor at Southern Seminary, T. J. Betts.
I
began a study of the Gospel of Matthew in December, 2016 on Sunday
Mornings. In June of 2017 I made it to the Sermon on the Mount (Mat.
5-7). In October 2018 I finished that very rich block of material taught
by Jesus. In addition to several Matthew commentaries I read books that
offered insight into the Sermon on the Mount specifically. Most of these
were very helpful but my favorites among them were Sermon on the Mount:
Restoring Christ’s Message to the Modern Church by Charles Quarles; Studies
in the Sermon on the Mount: God’s Character and the Believer’s Conduct by
Oswald Chambers; Reading the Sermon on the Mount with John Stott by John
Stott and Douglas Connelly; The Sermon on the Mount: The Character of a
Disciple by Daniel M. Doriani; The Sermon on the Mount and Human
Flourishing: A Theological Commentary by Jonathan T. Pennington; and most
of all Studies in the Sermon on the Mount (2 volumes) by D. Martyn
Lloyd-Jones and The Sermon on the Mount: The Message of the Kingdom by
R. Kent Hughes from the “Preaching the Word” (PTW) Commentary Series.
In Christ,
Dr. Allen Raynor, Pastor
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