One of the privileges of my job is time to read and study. And I love to read anyway in the evenings before I go to bed. Here are some recommendations from this month
Top Recommendation: Providence by John Piper
I love Piper’s distinction between God’s Sovereignty and providence. His Sovereignty means He is king over all that happens, He is all-powerful. But, His providence includes the idea that He uses His unlimited power to provide for His people. Therefore, the providence of God is an even greater comfort to believers than the sovereignty of God. This is a deep, rich book well worth reading. I did not read it all in December, but have read it slowly over several months.
Other Books I’ve read: The Faithful Preacher by Thabiti Anyabwile
This is a great book for preachers to read. It will interest others as well, but the reason it’s not my top recommendation is that it will be less useful for Church members than Piper’s book.
Anyabwile shares a short history of three African American preachers – Lemuel Haynes, Daniel A. Payne and Francis Grimke – followed by some of the sermons they’ve preached. I’ve only read the Kaynes section so far, but there’s an emphasis on the suffering and trials of being a Minister of the Gospel. I was shocked to learn that Jonathan Edwards was sacked after the Great Awakening because he refused to serve Communion to members of the Church, who had not professed faith in Jesus Christ. Haynes himself was eventually asked to leave his church because of racial prejudice. I was also surprised, but encouraged to find out that Reformed, Calvinistic Theology was very popular amongst African Americans in the US in the 1700s. Looking forward to reading about Payne and Grimke next month.
The Lord of the Rings by JRR Tolkien
I’ve been re-listening to this on Audible, before going to sleep each night. I love the friendship and care each character expresses to the others and the development of all the hobbits’ characters. Though seemingly small and insignificant, they change the World! Pippin, in particular, is a favourite of mine because he makes so many mistakes but grows into an important warrior. Of course, I have combined my reading with also watching the movies again. They are my favourite movies to watch over and over.
Top Article Recommendation: “Praying the Imprecatory Psalms: The Case for Christian Curses” by Bryan Hart – https://thinktheology.co.uk/blog/article/praying_the_imprecatory_psalms_the_case_for_christian_curses
I thought this article was great on praying the Imprecatory Psalms and included a bit on this in my recent Theology For Life Training. Well worth a read!
Top Reference Recommendation: So, each month I’ll recommend a book I use for reference often.
Doctrine of God by Herman Bavinck
I don’t know if this counts a Reference Book, but I’m re-reading it in preparation for my sermon series called “The Doctrine of God” starting in 2025. Bavinck is extremely thorough and interacts often with Philosophy. Some people can find him hard-going, but I think this book is excellent. His Systematic Theology volumes are absolutely sound, but also very long! The Book is all about the attributes of God, with very thorough theological treatments on who our God is.
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