Reading, Reviews & Recommendations
Be assiduous in prayer and reading.
In the one you speak to God.
In the other God speaks to you.
— Cyprian of Carthage
Reading
At the Book Table, Peter F. Whyte, 29 Nov 2006
Easter Reading, Peter F. Whyte, 21 Mar 2007
Reading Biography, Peter F. Whyte, 23 Apr 2007
Reviews and recommendations
Read articles reviewing and recommending good Christian literature and other resources.
Just what books ought a Christian to read? There are many ways to answer the question. Prof. Dennis M. Swanson (from The Master’s Seminary) has answered the question in his article “The Fifty Books That Should be in Every Christian's Library”. Colin Adams has also written from a pastor's perspective in 20 Reasons to Read (Good Christian Books) (Unashamed Workman, 8 Jan 2007), republished as Reasons to Get Reading, Reloaded, 14 Jan 2008. However, it is not just for pastors to read, as there are many good reasons that apply to all Christians. Stephen Altrogge has also given some helpful advice in ‘7 Tips For Better Book Reading’ (The Blazing Center, 23 Aug 2007).
If you want to see what others are reading, and have their tips and recommendations for reading, then Joshua Sowin’s The Reading Interviews on his blog have a selection from a wide range of Christians. Josh has also written a short essay on the importance of reading at Desiring God, 17 July 2007.
You can read reviews at the following sites:
- Albert Mohler's Reading List has regular postings of news and reviews about books that Christians should know about.
- Discerning Reader is a Web site devoted to reviews of Christian books, secular literature of interest to Christians, and DVDs. There is a section of the site devoted to reviews of New York Times Bestsellers, while Bookworm Reviews provides links to off-site reviews written by a wide variety of discerning reviewers. Expert Lists contains book lists by leading American evangelicals that may help you decide on suitable books to read with profit. If you want to keep up to date with additions to the site you can subscribe to the RSS feed.
- reformation21 Shelf Life has reviews of books and movies that have been published in past issues of the magazine.
- blog.worship.com has a growing number of book reviews.
The All-Sufficient God
by D. Martyn Lloyd-Jones
reviewed by Peter F Whyte, 30 Nov 2006
Damsels in Distress:
Biblical Solutions to Problems Women Face,
by Martha Peace
reviewed by Liz Griffin
in reformation21, November 2006.
Disciplines of a Godly Man
by R. Kent Hughes
reviewed by Peter F. Whyte, 2 Dec 2006
Does Christianity Squash Women?
A Woman Looks at Womanhood,
by Rebecca Jones,
reviewed by Mary K. Mohler
in reformation21, February 2006.
A Mind for God
by James Emery White
reviewed by Nate Shurden
in reformation21,
November 2006.
As White says,
To be fully human is to think.
Because we have not developed good intellectual habits,
our minds instead have been captured by our culture.
This book is an introduction to Christian thinking.
Read an extract in
The Call to Think
Serious Times, vol 2.13.
In addition, White’s Web site Serious Times offers resources on the
intersection of church and culture, including reading lists
on several topics.
The Supremacy of Christ in a Postmodern World
gen. eds. John Piper & Justin Taylor
Crossway Books, 2007
Six of today's leading pastor-theologians — John Piper, Voddie Baucham, D. A. Carson, Tim Keller, Mark Driscoll, and David Wells — have joined together to offer Christians a practical, biblical vision of Christ's supremacy, so they will be better prepared to present the undeniable truth to a searching society.
After grounding readers in the important truths of Christ's deity and the gospel, the book strives to help believers understand how to share these truths in a postmodern society. As readers begin to apply the lessons from this book, they will gain a practical, biblical vision of ministry for the twenty-first century.
The book is based on messages given at the Desiring God 2006 national conference. Read this book online or download (2.9MB PDF).
Overcoming Sin and Temptation
by John Owen (edited by Kelly M. Kapic and Justin Taylor, forward by John Piper)
Crossway Books, 2006.
“The Bible tells us that as we mature in Christ we should lose our interest in milk and desire meat, meaning that the study of theology and all-things-God should grow as we grow in spiritual life. This book is not just meat — it's hunt-it-down-and-cut-it-up-and-roast-it-up meat. In other words, it's meat that takes some work to get to before you even begin to eat and digest it. For that reason, we recommend you invest in a hard copy of this book as you may refer to it again and again throughout your life.
“No one helps us understand the tension in our hearts like Owen, and while it is tough sledding it is not purely an academic exercise. Those who struggle with temptation — as well as those who think they don't — will have their eyes opened as they journey with Owen through the human heart.” (blog.worship.com)
Read a review by Josh D. Riley (blog.worship.com, 22 Jan 2007) and download the book free at JohnOwen.org.
Overcoming the World: grace to win the daily battle
by Joel R. Beeke
reviewed by Peter F. Whyte, 30 Nov 2006
Secular books
The Gathering
by Anne Enright
won the Man Booker Prize for 2007. Set in Ireland, it touches
on many religious themes. Nicola Lee has produced
a study guide (Damaris, 7 Jan 2008)
on the book which you may find helpful if the book interests you.
The guide also contains links to national British newspapers which
have interviewed the author or reported on the book.
Gilnahirk Baptist Church, “Reading, Reviews & Recommendations”, Gilnahirk Baptist Church Web site
URL: (accessed 6 Sep 2008)
