Summer 2010 Reading
Blog | Pastor Duane Smets
I haven’t done a book report list in awhile and a number of people have been asking me what I’ve been reading lately so I figured I’d write a brief blog on it. This summer I’ve had my head in number of new books addressing various subjects. So here’s list of what’s been on my desk along with a short reaction to each from me.
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BOOKS ON PARENTING & FAMILY MINISTRY – Parenting in many ways is like crash course learning on the job. My wife and I don’t do everything right all the time but we are learning and growing and attempting to sharpen up the way we parent.
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Perspectives on Family Ministry: 3 Views Ed. Tim Jones
This is a great book, edited by Tim Jones whom I first became acquainted with in a training at Piper’s Pastor’s Conference a few years ago. The book analyzes three different approaches to family ministry and the church. As a church we are moving forward in this area and this book analyzes three basic approaches: age-based programmatic ministry, all ministry is in the home and no church programs, or an integration of ministry between the church and the home.
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Shepherding A Child’s Heart by Tedd Tripp
This is a phenomenal book my wife and I have been learning a ton from and changing the way we do a lot of things with our daughter. The main thrust of the book is that we ought to parent in such a way that does not only deal with behavior but the heart…why our kids do the things teaching them that. It has a very gospel centered focus, which is extremely helpful and practical.
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BOOKS ON A THEOLOGY OF MISSION – I’ve been needing to buff up on the theology of mission. So I’ve been reading several heavy weight scholar books on mission. So this section is pretty nerdy.
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Bible and Mission: Christian Witness in a Postmodern World by Richard Bauckham
This short little book, written by a University of St. Andrews professor, which attempts to provide both a theology of mission by developing a missiological hermeneutic as well as providing some guidance for how the Christian story relates and can function in the postmodern context we live in.
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The Missionary Nature of the Church by Johannes Blauw
This is a classic and well respected book on missiology I’ve been meaning to read for a few years. It was originally written in 1962 but I’ve been amazed at some of the biblical exegesis and insights into the theological and cultural milieu and attitudes of the 21st century regarding “mission.” Blauw is on right on target in several points that still stand true for today.
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The Mission of God by Christopher Wright
This book is a beast, 581 pages. Wright’s goal is to develop a “missional hermeneutic.” Which basically means using “mission” as a grid for exegesis throughout all of Scripture. Wright points out some amazing things and is especially strong in looking at mission in the Old Testament, which is often neglected. He definitely does “missional hermeneutics” but think he begs the question of whether or not “missional hermeneutics” is the what ought to be an overarching method for interpreting the Bible. I would opt for beginning with a more distinctly God-centered approach to begin with and I would subjugate “missional hermeneutics” as one element of hermeneutics underneath the historical grammatical method and Christotelics.
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Cities of God: The Real Story of How Christianity Became An Urban Movement And Conquered Rome by Rodney Stark
Rodney Stark is a historian and sociology professor at Baylor University. This book is a unique look into how the preaching of Jesus spawned Christianity which very quickly became the largest religion of the world. I’d been wanting to read this book to further understand some of the things which take place when large visions are accomplished, like seeing whole cities convert and the world turned up-side down with the gospel. So far it’s very interesting to look at these things from an outside perspective.
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MISCELLANEOUS BOOKS – There’s a smattering of other books I’ve been reading on various subjects.
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Jesus and Community by Gerhard Lohfink
Most books on Christian community tend toward the practical and pragmatic aspects for church health and growth. It’s actually tough to find books on community which are solid theological works. Lohfink is a Catholic, but he does some good scholarly work in this book on individualism and the social aspects of Jesus’ ministry with the disciples and the way it effected the early church.
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Liberating Ministry From the Success Syndrome by Kent & Barbara Hughes
This book has been rocking me literally. At several points when I’ve been reading this book tears have begun streaming down my face. It’s raw and digs into some of the most difficult things pastors deal with in their hearts when it comes to ministry, expectations, and working with people. More than anything else I’ve been reading this book has been ministering to my soul. The push and the drive for success, numbers and peer approval can be so strong and so easily pull attention away from Jesus. Kent and his wife openly share about their own experiences and struggles and champion that true success is faithfulness, serving, loving, believing, prayer, and holiness.
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You Can Change: God’s Transforming Power for our Sinful Behavior and Negative Emotions by Tim Chester
This is a good little book addressing how the gospel practically works itself out in our lives changing our hearts and actions. Many books on sanctification tend toward moralism or simply behavior modification and leave the heart and the gospel untouched. “You Can Change” recognizes that we all have things we wrestle with and that need to change and illustrates how the gospel is the only thing which really actually changes us as people instead of just covering up our failures or leaving us in a cycle of sin and struggle.
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One or Two by Peter Jones
Peter Jones is a solid theologian and professor at Westminster Seminary. This is a book on worldviews, looking at them both historically and culturally. Peter Jones argues there are really only two worldviews, one with God as Creator and us as creatures who are to worship him or where there is no God and we essentially worship ourselves and our own ideas. The book is great at emphasizing how important it is that we see and know that God is the Creator and we are his creators. Such a perspective and faith radical change what kind of life we end up living.
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Elders and Leaders: God’s Plan for Leading the Church by Gene Getz
My other Elder and I are reading through this book together right now. Tons of good practical advice as well as solid, biblically saturated material. So far it’s been both challenging and encouraging.
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Small Favor by Jim Butcher
Upon recommendation of one of my seminary professors I try to keep something fun and fiction in the mix and not only read heavy theological or heart wrenching stuff. This is the tenth book in the Dresden files series I have slowly been reading through. It’s pretty entertaining stuff in the sci-fi category and Jim Butcher is a pretty good writer most the time.
