Vintage21 Church

Hao · Joined: 29 Feb 2008 Posts: 28

Here's a list of books that was being compiled for this sort of purpose but never published. (Lots of credit goes to people including Jarred Mercer, Josh Whiton, Ron May, and Heather Patterson for their comments and to a few others of which I unfortunately can't remember. Note: these comments are opinions and may not fully reflect the book being described)

Reference:
• The Strongest Strong’s Exhaustive Concordance of the Bible – the best English concordance of scripture. List all verses for pretty much every word you can think of.
• Bible dictionary – Holman Illustrated Bible Dictionary is the best, Zondervan and others are also great. This is a great and necessary good Bible study. Major themes, concepts, words, people, places, doctrines, etc. covered.
• Dictionary of Theology –Any good dictionary of theology will do (I have the Wycliff, but there are many good ones, Eerdman’s handbook to Christian belief, evangelical dic. of theology, etc).
• Zondervan Dictionary of Bible Themes – this is the best tool I’ve seen for topical studies. If you look something up, for example, the Abrahamic Covenant, it gives you the elements of the covenant and traces them through scripture, and then traces the covenant as a whole through scripture – by simply referencing all the verses throughout the Bible, then it gives a list at the end of other topics relative to this one. Great recourse. Is part of a series of three of which the other two are very useful also – The Zondervan Bible dictionary and the Zondervan Bible Handbook.

Christian/Biblical Living/Devotional/apologetics
• The Cost of Discipleship, Dietrich Boenhoffer – brilliant display of the cost of following Jesus of dying to oneself. Refutes the modern mindset of cheap grace.
• Orthodoxy – G.K. Chesterton – Chesterton is the most clever and entertaining writer I've encountered and was the most influential writer in Lewis' life. This book will help you intimately realize why both heart and mind are required as you confront any idea. The most profound book I've
read, though admittedly and unapologetically romantic.
• Mere Christianity – Lewis may be touted as everyone's favorite Christian, but as far as I can tell few Christians actually agree with or know what he says. The book did wonders to blow out a lot of the stigma that had infected my view of Christianity. It also got rid of a lot of my misconceptions about spirituality in general, misconceptions that prevented me from making an intellectual commitment to the possibility of the supernatural
• The Abolition of Man - C.S. Lewis- The first 5 chapters of Mere Christianity have to do with a moral law that weighs on our consciences. For some, Lewis' explanation in that book is rather incomplete. The abolition is where he does it up right and then goes on to tackle the idea of objective morality and the flawed (modern) ideologies that have been conjured to replace it. This is probably the best book for the rigid atheist to read as Lewis is careful to make his point with almost no reference to religion. Because he abstracts away from religion there is almost nothing to stigmatize and clear headed thinking can follow. You'll have to read this one more slowly as it is a bit wordy. It isn't boring though, especially when you grasp that the book concerns a battle of the ideas that will most define and shape your existence and perspective on life. The book is less romantic than Orthodoxy and appeals primarily to the intellect. Then again, drastic intellectual reformulations are always accompanied by emotion.
• Moral Grandeur and Spiritual Audacity- Heschel, Abraham J. -This book captures what many of us think and feel (or what you may come to think and feel) and are so poor at expressing in words. If we had been clued in to his views on Prayer, Faith, and Piety a long time ago we probably would have never abandoned or abused them. You really can't fake the stuff he writes, it can only come from intense meditation and reflection with a devotion that none of us come close to achieving.
• Waking the Dead-Eldredge, John -Though sometimes criticized as too cheesy and too macho, this book is charged with a difficult task and for many, succeeds. Eldredge tries to splash cold water in your face till you believe that things are not what they seem, that we are at war, and that you have a part to play.
• The Little Prince- A children's classic though far from childs play. It begs us to see with the eyes of the heart and may be a model for the often misconstrued command, "be as little children."
• Confessions of St. Augustine – St. Augustine – a brutally honest autobiography of St. Augustine’s spiritual journey, in which he includes his sins and struggles and redemption found in Christ.
• A Scandalous Freedom: The Radical Nature of the Gospel, Steve Brown – wonderful presentation of freedom in Christ and what it means to live out that life of freedom.
• My Utmost for His Highest, Oswald Chambers – I normally am not a huge fan of daily devotional books, but this one is heavily based in Scripture and Oswald Chambers was absolutely brilliant. His wife was a stenographer and took shorthand, word for word, of every thing he ever taught. She released this after his death from those notes.
• Still Higher for His Highest, Oswald Chambers – a continuation of My Utmost.
• Praise Habit, David Crowder – introduction to Lectio Divina (spiritual reading) and focus on worshiping God in all of life, to the smallest thing. Very good read, well written with wit as well as serious reflection.
• The Radical Reformission, Mark Driscoll – invitation to a missional lifestyle. Driscoll writes of what it looks like for a church to live out the mission of God in its community.
• Waking the Dead, John Eldridge – written to awake the reader’s heart to living a life that is fully alive, and awaken souls back to how they were meant to be with God.
• Journey of Desire, John Eldridge – most of his books are very similar. The different aspect of this one is the focus on the kingdom mindset and that we were made for eternal life in and with God. The emphasis is on living our lives in a manner that points to that truth and future.
• The Sacred Romance, John Eldridge – focuses on our beautiful relationship with God, how he pursues us and fights for His bride (the church). All of history is one great big story, a romance, of God’s grace and redemption.
• The Calvary Road, Roy Hession – explanation of brokenness and God’s redemption and revival through it. A short, timeless work. Everyone should read it.
• Blue Like Jazz, Don Miller – a memoir of Miller’s spiritual journey from bitterness toward the church living a missional lifestyle in and through the church. Miller is an excellent writer, has amazing wit and humor as well as an ability to engage the reader in deep thought about crucial issues.
• Searching for God Knows What, Don Miller – another memoir of Miller. Focus on living out the gospel in a holistic biblical lifestyle. Reawakens the centrality of Christ in the gospel to the modern church.
• The Body of Christ: A Reality, Watchmen Nee – beautiful and biblical portrayal of the Body of Christ. Short and quick read, but completely life changing. Greatly affected my view of the church and its purpose.
• The Pursuit of God, A.W. Tozer – classic on pursuing God in and with everything by a man who was unbelievably used by God.
• Can Man Live Without God, Ravi Zacharius – a genius and well articulated philosophical approach to not simply the existence of God, but the necessity of Him in every aspect of the world. Is also, in itself a pretty good intro to philosophy in general.
• Jesus Among Other Gods, Ravi Zacharius – presents the gospel and other world religions, as well as Zacharius’ story of being born Hindu and coming to Christ.
• The Screwtape Letter, C.S. Lewis – an allegory of spiritual warfare of two demons conversing on how to overcome a Christian. Brilliant work, thought by some as Lewis’ best work.
• The Great Divorce, C.S. Lewis - An allegorical account of the afterlife. Powerfully conveys the essential differences between Goodness and its alternative.
• The Weight of Glory, C.S. Lewis-A collection of powerful sermons and talks given by Lewis. They range from topics of war and poetry to some of the deepest thoughts about the nature of spirituality in a naturalistic world. There is guidance for anyone, atheist and theist alike, somewhere in this book.
• Conformed to His Image, Kenneth Boa – an eloquent look at spiritual disciplines. Takes a different approach to many common aspects of the Christian life, and some less common. A very biblical presentation of Christian growth and discipleship.
• Celebration of Disciplines, Richard J. Foster – a classic looking at spiritual disciplines from solitude, meditation, and prayer, to submission to celebration. This book is really an essential read.
• The Cup and the Glory, Greg Harris – this is written by my Old Testament professor from this last semester. Unbelievable. I’m reading it right now and can pretty much only read one chapter at a time and then have to take time away from it to reflect and pray. It’s about how God uses suffering to bring about His glory and kingdom.
• Anything by John Piper
• Paul Among Jews and Gentiles, Krister Stendahl
• Our Father Abraham: Jewish Roots of the Christian Faith , Marvin R. Wilson)
• Understanding Genesis: The World of the Bible in the Light of History, Nahum M. Sarna

Biblical and Systematic Theology/Hermeneutics (Interpretation)
• Lectures on Systematic Theology, Henry Thiessen
• Systematic Theology, Wayne Grudem – probably the most popular systematic theology today
• There are virtually limitless systematic books available, though not all are necessarily very good. These are just a few that I am familiar with. I would suggest stating with Grudem.
• Biblical Theology, Geerhardus Vos – have this, but have not read it yet, but Vos’ Biblical Theology is a popular survey of Biblical Theology (again there are many others, though some better than others, some other good names are Hodge, Goldsworthy, Edwards, and many more).
• Toward and Old Testament Theology, Walter Kaiser – OT theology from one of the prominent OT scholars of our day. I have also not read this one yet though I do own it, but would recommend anything by Kaiser.
• The IVP Bible Background Commentary, Craig S. Keener – gives the background and context for basically every verse in the NT. Excellent resource for Bible Study.
• An Introduction to the New Testament, D.A. Carson, Douglas Moo (or original which includes and third author: Morris) – probably the most widely used introduction to the New Testament. Intro books to the Bible are extremely useful, and this is probably the best one out of the NT.
• Explore the Book, J. Sidlow Baxter – introduction to the entire Bible. Covers different parts of Scripture as a whole (OT, NT, Pentateuch, Minor Prophets, Gospels, etc.) and includes the inter-testament period between the New and Old Testaments. And also gives a great introduction to each book of the Bible. A little expensive, but worth it.
• A Survey of Israel’s History, Leon Wood – traces the Nation of Israel throughout the Old Testament. A biblical presentation of the OT also bringing in outside historical sources, archeology, etc.
• Living By the Book, Howard Hendricks – very simplistic and easy to understand introduction to biblical hermeneutics (interpretation of the Bible). Written very simplistically and seems really lame sometimes, but clearly presents the process of hermeneutics.
• An Introduction to Biblical Hermeneutics, Walter Kaiser and Moises Silva – much more in depth that Living By the Book, and also more academically written. Covers the different approaches and methods for interpreting Scripture, and is very interesting as at some points the authors don’t fully agree and present different approaches to Scripture themselves.
• Dictionary of Hermeneutics, James D. Hernando – fairly extensive dictionary to help with hermeneutical and theological terms.

Commentaries
Commentaries should be used only after one has carefully studied, meditated, and prayed through the text on his/her own. We can’t depend on commentaries; they are only there to help our dependence on the Word of God. The ideal thing to do when purchasing commentaries is to find the best ones for each book and buy them individually, as sets are by different authors for different books and some are better than others in the set depending on the author. But this is much more expensive and takes a long time to have commentaries for every book of the Bible this way. Also, you can always get to a seminary library and use every one imaginable. But here are some suggested sets.
• New International Commentary on the New Testament (NICNT), and Old Testament (NICOT) – some of the best out there, maybe the best, very in depth and true to the text, and an understanding of the biblical languages isn’t needed.
• Word Biblical Commentary (WBC) – put out by the faculty at Dallas Theological Seminary. Very in depth, extremely good commentaries. There is a good amount of Greek and Hebrew in them, but it is explained well when done and it is not necessary to know the languages to use these commentaries.
• Calvin’s Commentaries – John Calvin was by far the greatest theologian of the Reformation. His commentaries are still among the best and are used by virtually every scholar and theologian out there after around 500 years. In that I think the quality speaks for itself.
• Pillar Commentary – very good commentary, true to the text, widely used and has some great authors. Ephesians is known as especially outstanding in this set.
• Expositor’s Commentary – more brief than many other commentaries, but very good. Great for quicker reference.
• Keil and Delitzche – Keil and Delitzche were Old Testament guys, no New Testament commentaries, but they are probably my favorite on the. Like Calvin, are timeless because of their excellent scholarship and integrity to the text of Scripture. Heavy use of Hebrew can be hard to follow sometimes, but usually it is not a problem.
• Bible Knowledge Commentary – two volumes, one on the OT and one on the NT. Also put out by the faculty of Dallas Theological Seminary, as the WBC. Wonderful commentary, great and in depth background information on the books. Very useful.
• John MacArthur – New Testament only. MacArthur cross-references more than anyone I’ve ever seen. Very teacher/preacher oriented, but also great for in depth study.
• Not recommended (anti-supernatural, don’t believe Scripture inherent, infallible, or authoritative) – International Critical Commentary (ICC), Hermenia, Interpreter’s, Broadman, Anchor. It’s not that they should not be used at all, it is good sometimes, but after there has been careful study of Scripture as the Word of God, individually, and with the help of authors that actually believe the Bible is the Word of God.

Luke Wisley · Joined: 22 Mar 2008 Posts: 27 Location: Raleigh, NC

Hey everyone. I thought that some may find it useful to know what books others are reading in regards to theology and spiritual formation. So I figured I would start with one I just recently finished and then will slowly add others with time.

Let the Nations Be Glad by John Piper: Baker Books

Let the Nations Be Glad by John Piper is a remarkable book and is written at a very understandable level for all readers. It truly is worth the price of the book (which is not much) for the first chapter. Piper has a remarkable way of pushing his readers to view the centrality of God in everything we do. This is typically the stance that Piper takes in all his books. For this book the supremacy of God is shown in the motivation of Missions. Piper portrays great insight that can be found for missions beyond proof texting finding foundation in the centrality of who God is. Although, this book is primarily focused on the mandate for global missions, Piper's focus on the supremacy of God reveals great motivation of being missional in one's daily life. I found this book enjoyable and like I stated previously, the first chapter is fantastic. I would recommend any Christian to read this short book.

Luke Wisley · Joined: 22 Mar 2008 Posts: 27 Location: Raleigh, NC

Ancient Near Eastern Thought and the Old Testament: Introducing the Conceptual World of the Hebrew Bible by John H. Walton: Baker Books

Dr. Walton is Professor of Old Testament at Wheaton Graduate School in Wheaton, IL. His book would be categorized under Old Testament Studies. The premise of his book is to introduce a broad spectrum of ANE thought and compare it with the Hebrew Bible. In order to do so he introduces many ANE texts and summarizes their basic cognitive processes when it comes to Religion, Cosmology, Myth, Omens, etc. and compares them to different pericopes of the Hebrew Bible.

The book is incredibly insightful because it pushes readers to understand the background and culture in which the Israelites lived and breathed. A reader may not always agree with his conclusions when he interprets scripture in light of background evidence but it will cause one to think and search deeper to understand the Old Testament.

I would recommend this book to anyone who is intrested in a deep understanding of the Old Testament and the culture that surrounded the Israelites.

Luke Wisley · Joined: 22 Mar 2008 Posts: 27 Location: Raleigh, NC

The Faith of Israel: A Theological Survey of the Old Testament by William Dumbrell: Baker Books

The Faith of Israel would be categorized as Old Testament Studies but has some commonalites with Biblical Theology (the study of God's Revelation over time). The book itself is unique because it is not worried about normal introductory matters (authorship, date, contents, etc.) but that is a study of the major themes (mainly covenants) that exist throughout the Old Testament.

The most beneficial way in reading this book is alongside with your Bible and to read the corresponding chapters to see the flow of the Old Testament themes and covenants.
I would definately recommend this book to anyone serious about studying their Bible. This is not just for Old Testament emphasis but will give you the big theological picture of the Old Testament that will influence your reading of the New Testament as well.

Luke Wisley · Joined: 22 Mar 2008 Posts: 27 Location: Raleigh, NC

Jewish New Testament Commentary by David H. Stern Jewish New Testament Publications

The Jewish New Testament Commentary is great addition to one's library for quick reference when studying the New Testament. David Stern is a Messianic Jew who gives key insight to the "Jewishness" in the background of the New Testament. He is able to see things as a Jew that most Gentiles are unable to see. Some aspects of the commentary are great with pages of commentary where as other aspects are scarce. This is a great value for readers.

I would definately recommend this book to anyone who is interested with the background of the New Testament

Rob Davis · Joined: 23 Jan 2008 Posts: 90 Location: Raleigh, NC

I would also chime in with recommending Chris Wright's books. I just recently started checking his stuff out, but I've been learning a ton from this author already. Highly recommended are:

The Mission of God
&
Knowing Jesus Through the Old Testament
_________________
http://inandfor.wordpress.com

Amy Crouch · Joined: 26 Mar 2008 Posts: 20

I am so excited that you have compiled this very lengthly list!...

However, I am very new at this, and was wondering if somebody could point me at a place to begin. I love to learn and to study, but cannot simply start everywhere. Matt and I are putting commentaries and such on our wedding registry, so could somebody give a good place to start?

Thanks!

Amy

Elliot Acosta · Joined: 22 Feb 2008 Posts: 6 Location: Raleigh

What an awesome list.

Definitely has one of my favorites in there, The Great Divorce.

Anyone read any of the David Crowder books, or I Sold My Soul on eBay? Those are two books I was thinking of checking out.

Hao · Joined: 29 Feb 2008 Posts: 28

Luke Wisley · Joined: 22 Mar 2008 Posts: 27 Location: Raleigh, NC

Amy,

I would like to make a couple of suggestions as you begin your journey in studying scripture. First, there is a great book by Howard and William Hendricks entitled, Living by the Book that I suggest you pick up and read. The book is aimed solely at those who are wanting to begin this journey but really don't know where to start. It is a very readable book. I find the greatest accomplishment of the book is that it gives you the tools to interpret scripture. It really triggers your mind in ways to look at scripture and to interpret. He even gives book suggestions to pick up along the way.
Second, I would like to suggest a good Bible Dictionary. Hao has included some good ones in his massive list. The Dictionary is good because you can usually look up difficult words and get good concise explanation and definition. The next couple of books would be Old and New Testament Introductions. The two best are Walton and Hill's A Survey to the Old Testament and Carson and Moo's New Testament Introduction. These books are very helpful to read chapters on the books of the Bible you are reading. They are going to provide you information on the Author, Audience, Provenance, Purpose, etc. (Introductory matters). This is helpful when you are looking at the background. For example, on Sunday's Tyler will be speaking about how Corinth was a hip place to be during this time. How does he know this? How does he know about the 1,000 prostitutes? It comes from the background information provided by these Theologians. Lastly, pick up a commentary on the books that Tyler, Hao, or myself could suggest. Commentaries are great because of how in depth they are. The danger of commentaries is that they are the conclusions of one person. So it is always best to have an array of sources (including yourself) to determine the best meaning based on what the author communicated.
In conclusion, I hope this helps. I find it very beneficial to start out with a large scope and then focus in more and more to the fine details of the text. If I was unclear about anything or would like further clarification just let me know. Shalom on your journey

Luke

Amy Crouch · Joined: 26 Mar 2008 Posts: 20

I couldn't really tell you where we want to begin, because I don't know that we know ourselves. I am only used to studying in an academic context, as opposed to on our own, and usually teachers suggest literature and books to read.

Matt and I study very differently, and so we'd like something that we will both be able to use, and eventually our children. We are finding out how important it is to know scripture, simply to know the Lord. Neither of us read theology very much, though I long to be able to. I am an avid fiction reader and am more drawn to Lewis and Tolkien than to Barth or persons like that.

I will look into the books that Luke suggested,and we are going to start our theological library based mostly on suggestion from people. Also, we are going to be newly married soon and would also like suggestions on books that we can look at as a married couple. We are reading Sacred Marriage right now and love it a lot.

thank you for your help!

Amy

Rob Davis · Joined: 23 Jan 2008 Posts: 90 Location: Raleigh, NC

There's definitely a lot of places you could start. In addition to what you've already been suggested, I would suggest you check out the reading list that Acts 29 has put together here:

http://www.acts29network.org/resources/recommended-books/

I've read most of the books on there, and would suggest any that I have read. Some highlights would include the following:

apologetics to the glory of god by john frame
a long obedience in the same direction by eugene peterson
the cost of discipleship by dietrich bonhoeffer
shepherding a child's heart by tedd tripp
reforming marriage by douglas wilson
systematic theology by wayden grudem

Recently I have read a couple of books by Chris Wright that I would highly recommend:

the mission of god
knowing jesus through the old testament
old testament ethics for the people of god

I would also recommend some stuff by NT Wright (not related):

simply christian
surprised by hope
following jesus
evil & the justice of god
(wright's "for everyone" commentaries on the new testament are really good as well)

That's it for now I guess.
_________________
http://inandfor.wordpress.com

Luke Wisley · Joined: 22 Mar 2008 Posts: 27 Location: Raleigh, NC

Amy,

I think that you have a lot of information for a great start. I know that for my wife and I, we were really interested in knowing the grand narrative of scripture. So we started using William Dumbrell's The Faith of Israel, which I reviewed above. It is not a thorough book. But it gives you a survey of the theological themes of the Old Testament. I just say this because my wife and I were going through the same thing. We were really wanting to do something together but wanted to scripture more than anything else and how it all fits together.

I also wanted to comment on your Lewis vs. Barth comment. My only thought would be is that Lewis will be theological from the standpoint of what we believe at Vintage. Karl Barth, although he may have been a christian, is classified as Neo-orthodox. Just meaning he doesn't believe scripture to be inspired by God. Not that you should throw out all his thoughts just that his position on scripture will affect his theology.

Shalom,

Luke

Amy Crouch · Joined: 26 Mar 2008 Posts: 20

Luke,

I agree with what you stated about Barth--he was just the first person that came to mind. It's been quite a journey going to a "christian" university that is, unfortunately, extremely liberal, but fortunately I have been placed in the Lord's grace enough to be able to question for myself what I truly believe. I appreciate so much the fact that V21 is willing to help me and those around me wrestle with the questions and doubts that are thrown at us on the way.

I am excited about looking more into these book lists!

Amy

Eric Butler · Joined: 09 Feb 2008 Posts: 56