The Christian Novelist and Christian Reader

"Then Philip … heard the man reading Isaiah the prophet. “Do you understand who you are reading?” Philip asked" (Acts 8:30).

The Bible is literature. Every book of the Bible is a carefully crafted literary masterpiece. Moreover, the Bible contains beautiful poetry, of which the psalms of David are the most noted. Thus, Christians must be interested in literature.

Today let’s consider the novelist or fiction writer. A writer can be described as a verbal artist. The primary task of the novelist is to produce works that are concrete rather than abstract. He or she finds their references in the real world, using concrete images to describe what is developing.

By this means, concrete images of literature become symbols of what is more abstract. Great literature is not written merely to imitate life. Great literature is written in the same way a great painting is painted. It is created to convey an understanding of something higher or deeper, captured in a brief moment.

The Christian novelist faces the problem of how to be realistic without being crude. A writer who knows how to create literature can communicate what was actually said with the same force, and do so with a rich use of language in the same way Herman Melville was able to.

The challenge for the Christian today is not to join the legions of those who ignore the literature of his day. As missionaries to our culture, we need to support Christians who will make a serious contribution to literature.

Along with reading God's Word, we ought to be reading good books. The brilliant Jewish radio talk show host Dennis Prager once said in an interview in The Door:

One thing I noticed about Evangelicals is that they do not read. They do not read the Bible, they do not read the great Christian thinkers, they have never heard of Aquinas. If they’re Presbyterian, they’ve never read the founders of Presbyterianism. I do not understand that. As a Jew, that’s confusing to me. The commandment of study is so deep in Judaism that we immerse ourselves in study. God gave us a brain, aren’t we to use it in His service? When I walk into an Evangelical Christian’s home and see a total of 30 books, most of them best-sellers, I do not understand. I have bookcases of Christian books, and I am a Jew. Why do I have more Christian books than 98 percent of the Christians in America? That is so bizarre to me.

It is bizarre — especially when a commitment to Christ is a commitment to believe in things that go far beyond the surface of life. Sadly, the bulk of the non-reading Christian public are men, who buy only 25 percent of all Christian books.

Men, to deny ourselves the wealth of the accumulated saints of the centuries is to consciously embrace spiritual anorexia. Great Christian writing will magnify, dramatize, and illuminate life-giving wonders for us. Others have walked the paths we so want to tread. They have chronicled the pitfalls and posted warnings along the way. They have also given us descriptions of spiritual delights which will draw us onward and upward.

How much “Christian” literature do you read? non-Christian literature? How would you respond to the graphic episodes in the Bible if it were not a “Christian” book? Challenge yourself to talk with other believers about what you are reading. Keep a list of “books to be read.”

Consider reading great devotional/theological books like C. S. Lewis’s Mere Christianity, Oswald Chambers’s My Utmost for His Highest, John Calvin’s Institutes, A. W. Tozer’s The Pursuit of God, and Thomas a Kempis’s The Imitation of Christ. Or consider reading great biographies like Mr. and Mrs. Howard Taylor’s Hudson Taylor’s Spiritual Secret and Elisabeth Elliot’s Shadow of the Almighty. Or consider reading great novels like Leo Tolstoy’s Anna Karenina and Fyodor Dostoyevski’s The Brothers Karamazov (which was, for example, the favorite of Charles Colson, Wayne Martindale, Harold Myra, and J. I. Packer). These titles make a superb list from which to select if you have not done some serious Christian reading. 

Tom Wright and the Search for Truth: A Theological Evaluation

Dr. Tom Holland, a Research Supervisor at Union School of Theology, has a new book out (available for pre-order on Kindle) which will critically evaluate the writings of NT Wright. Here are some of the reviews ahead of the book's publication on October 31st:

"Tom Holland provides a long overdue and thorough critique of the biblical scholarship of Tom Wright. Holland poses many excellent questions that point to fundamental, unrecognized, and potentially very damaging flaws in many of Wright’s methods and arguments. In an uncomfortable number of instances, Holland argues, Wright is just plain old wrong! Holland particularly identifies how the Second Temple Literature, as well as Hellenism as a whole, provides an unnecessary and unjustified foundation for Wright’s interpretations, especially of Paul. Holland does more than simply show how and where he believes Wright is in error; he presents numerous constructive and viable alternatives that merit further consideration. Regardless of whether one accepts these alternatives, if Holland is right in his fundamental criticisms, then Wright has a lot of explaining (and revising) to do!" -- Stanley E. Porter, President and Dean, Professor of New Testament, , McMaster Divinity College, Hamilton, Ontario, Canada 

"I have long felt that someone ought to write a comprehensive, probing critique of N. T. Wright’s theological thought. I’m very grateful to Tom Holland for tackling this challenging, yet much-needed task. Holland rightly, I believe, raises serious concerns regarding Wright’s methodology, which tends to elevate Second Temple literature above the Hebrew Scriptures. While Wright is correct in his efforts to peel back layers of Reformation tradition in reading Paul, Holland shows that Wright’s own methodology does not always live up to the noble aims of the critical realism he espouses. No doubt there is much to learn from Wright’s scholarly contribution. The way forward, however, I believe, is subjecting Wright’s work to the kind of constructive critique Holland has provided. It is my hope that this volume marks the beginning of an even more thoroughgoing scrutiny of Wright’s reconstructed synthesis-with the result that Paul’s thought can be discerned more cogently from the New Testament documents against the most important ancient background, which surely must be the inspired canonical contributions of the Old Testament writers. Even the most ardent followers of Wright, not to mention Wright himself, will want to take note of this measured, yet pointed and sustained interaction." -- Andreas J. Kostenberger, Senior Research Professor of New Testament & Biblical Theology, Southeastern Baptist Theological Seminary and Founder of Biblical Foundations (www.biblicalfoundations.org) 

"In this corner we have a veritable library made up of N. T. Wright’s numerous books. And in this corner, now we have Tom Holland’s Tom Wright and the Search for Truth, which offers a ringside view of a sometimes bruising collision of perspectives. Holland presses some issues that echo queries already posed. Yet he offers a sustained critique of Wright’s exegesis and its informing premises that breaks new ground. Particularly insightful is his demonstration of ways Second Temple sources control Wright’s interpretations when New and Old Testament writings more likely furnish interpretive keys. Where Wright prefers a monolithic definition of “covenant,” Holland shows the varying meanings Paul (and other biblical writers) conveys with the word. While Holland is appreciative of Wright at many points, and while there is much more to say in assessment of Wright pro and con, Holland’s probing and robust, Old Testament-based alternatives to Wright’s often shaky and tendentious reconstructions will stimulate scholarship. Holland’s book will free some readers from unwarranted enchantment with Wright and enable them to arrive at more fruitful understandings of especially Pauline texts and their redemptive message." -- Robert W. Yarbrough, Professor of New Testament, Covenant Theological Seminary, St. Louis, MO, USA

Iain Murray and John MacArthur Discuss Reading in the Ministry

At the 2017 Shepherd’s Conference, in Sun Valley, California, the Banner of Truth hosted a student event for Master’s Seminary Students. Iain Murray and John MacArthur discuss reading in the ministry, asking them if they could share their accumulated wisdom after reading and writing for decades. Here are some of the books mentioned in this video.

New Book: "The Survivor's Guide to Seminary"

My new book, "The Survivor's Guide to Seminary," is now out on Amazon. It is available on Kindle or in paperback. If you know of anyone heading into ministry, going to seminary, wanting to serve the church, etc. I believe this book will be a great benefit. It is both comprehensive enough to be helpful and yet concise enough at 145 pages to be read quickly. It is also deeply practical. Here's a bit from the book description:

Heading to seminary? Great! But don't go unprepared. "The Survivor's Guide to Seminary" should be the first book you read to get oriented to the challenges ahead. Long enough to be helpful and short enough to be read quickly, "The Survivor's Guide to Seminary" covers the following topics: 

1. Preparing Your Mind for Seminary 

2. This Isn’t Sunday School 

3. The Cognitive and Contemplative Pathways 

4. Having the “Talk” – What Are You Going to Do With This Degree? 

5. Your Professional Image and Its Cultivation 

6. The Six Über Skills of Seminary 

7. Thoughts On Thinking 

8. Thoughts On Building a Theological Library 

9. Thoughts On Life Together: Your Seminary Cohort as Community 

10. Stress and Its Maintenance 

11. Spouses: A Few Thoughts on Marriage and Seminary 

12. May God Bless You in Seminary (and you bless God) 

Get the book, read it, and thrive in seminary!

Book Recommendations for Christian Women

I recently read Aimee Byrd's excellent No Little Women: Equipping All Women in the Household of God and it is one of the best books I have read on women and women's ministry in the local church. In one of the book's footnotes, she links to an article she wrote for the OPC with book recommendations for women. I share the relevant portion of that article here with titles for Christian women that will be especially helpful and trustworthy:

If you have women in your church who are interested in studying the books in the Old Testament, Nancy Guthrie’s five part series, Seeing Jesus in the Old Testament, is outstanding. The Old Testament can be intimidating to teach, especially if you do not have any formal education. But Guthrie has provided a great resource for teachers, or even for private study, with tables and maps to help the reader gain an understanding of the historical context from which the book is written. Guthrie is faithful to the meaning of the text, highlighting the main themes while helpfully breaking down the important details. What I like best about this series is the author’s zeal to show how the Old Testament Scriptures point to Christ. Readers will finish the study enriched by Guthrie’s teaching. She also provides discussion questions for the ten-week studies and accompanying videos for the group studies. 

Nancy Guthrie has written many good books. She is also a great resource for bereaving families. Her work here comes from her own painful experience that drove her to find comfort in God’s Word. Her book Holding on to Hope: A Pathway through Suffering to the Heart of God has been a help to many grieving families. And while on the topic of bereavement, Jessalyn Hutto has written a helpful, small book, Inheritance of Tears: Trusting the Lord of Life When Death Visits the Womb, for women who have suffered a miscarriage. These are great resources to offer to women in your church.

Kathleen Nielson’s Living Word Bible study series is worth noting. I love how these books are spiral bound and have the feel of a notebook that the reader can write in. Along with great teaching, the benefit of using Nielson’s studies is that she constantly forces the reader to go digging in the biblical text herself to find the meaning of the text. She doesn’t prepackage her teaching into easily digestible bites, but rather teaches the reader to be a student of the Word. Nielson is not aiming to be an “answer person,” but a teacher, and she does that well. She also has a section at the end called “Notes for Leaders” that will help your teachers do the same.

The issue of biblical distinctions between manhood and womanhood has been more pressing in the church lately. One book that I have found refreshing to read in this area is Hannah Anderson’s Made for More. What I appreciate about this book is how, as a conservative, Anderson does not write in an over-correcting way against feminism by focusing more on men’s and women’s roles as the subject matter rather than Christ. She begins with our identity as beings made in the image of God, and how that is true for both men and women. She then moves to our differences, and how we depend on one another to fully reflect God’s image. This isn’t a book that cherry picks all the “pink” verses to teach biblical womanhood, but one that covers the big picture of the fall, redemption, and restoration as it teaches about our blessing and distinctiveness as women. Hannah Anderson is an engaging writer who is a joy to read.

Another favorite of mine is Melissa Kruger’s book on contentment, The Envy of Eve: Finding Contentment in a Covetous World. When I first picked this book up, I thought that it was only written for a certain type of woman. I quickly realized how beneficial it is for every woman in the church to read. Kruger writes like a friend who wants to help you find your satisfaction in Christ. While it is convicting, her book encourages weary women with the richness of the gospel.

Both Melissa Kruger and Gloria Furman have written gospel-centered books for new mothers. Kruger’s Walking with God in the Season of Motherhood is an eleven-week devotional Bible study for busy moms, who of course still need to be nurtured in the Word throughout the week. What I like about this book is Kruger’s reminder that we aren’t to be more concerned with what we are doingas busy moms, than with what we are becoming in Christ. The study isn’t about how to be a better mom, but on being a disciple of Christ as a mom. Gloria Furman’s Glimpses of Grace helps moms find those glimpses of God’s kindness to us in our everyday living. She offers a short, easy read that focuses on living our lives to the glory and praise of God. This is a needed encouragement for every mom. These are good books to give new moms, or mothers who are beginning to learn more about the faith. Also, Jen Wilkin has written a helpful book for beginners in Bible study called Women of the Word.

This, of course, isn’t an exhaustive list. It’s just a few suggestions. And I am encouraged to know that there are more great books for women in the making. But women shouldn’t just read books written by women, specifically for women. And this is an issue that I think is worth discussing. While I do think that it is valuable for women to have resources like this, I am afraid that women’s groups are getting pigeonholed into a target market that is quite limited. Wouldn’t it be great to have a women’s group reading through some of the Puritans, or the theologically robust books that have stood the test of time?