Best Reading
2019 was a struggle for reading. But I managed to get some good ones in.
Affirming the Apostles’ Creed, Keeping the Ten Commandments, and Praying the Lord’s Prayer by J.I. Packer
Wonderful little books. This is a catechism trilogy: expositions of the three major pieces of Christian teaching—the Creed, Decalogue, and Lord’s Prayer. It’s a great start for new believers. Packer is so insightful and memorable in his writing. My wife and I began with one as our Sabbath reading, together. We liked it so much that we decided to get the other two. It was a good decision. They are concise, but rich. Perfect for Sunday reading, especially as a family. Of the three, we enjoyed Praying the Lord’s Prayer the most.
Musical Instruments in Worship: A Critique of the Non-Instrumentalist Position by Phillip Kayser
An excellent study on a topic that really needs it. This is a confessionally Reformed in-house discussion, but a beneficial one.
I do not despise my brothers and sisters who defend a cappella worship, and it is my hope that they will not despise me. This book is simply my response to those who claim that we have no Biblical basis for musical instruments and who assert that we are violating the Regulative Principle of Worship. It is my hope that I have fairly represented their position on the subject and that I have adequately answered their objections. But it is also my hope that the church will at some point be united in giving God the kind of music that He loves.
loc. 99
What is important to understand about this book is the case the author is making: not merely that instruments are permitted in corporate worship, but that they are mandatory. That’s going all the way. Phillip Kayser doesn’t believe instruments are circumstances of worship. When we are commanded to sing psalms to the Lord, instrumental accompaniment is part of that command. In other words, a cappella worship violates the Regulative Principle of Worship (RPW). I had never heard that case made, before.
I particularly appreciated the historical section, since a cappella worship is presented as having the majority of church history in support of it.
The false picture often painted is that of an early church that maintained purity of worship (with no instrumentation), and as Romanism grew, corruption grew, and with it came church instrumental music.
loc. 751
Sadly, a cappella writers have frequently copied “citations” of early church fathers from other a cappella books without checking the sources. This bad scholarship has resulted in an embarrassing number of false citations that do not exist in the original sources. This has certainly been the case with Justin Martyr.
loc. 889
That alone makes it a fascinating read.
Show Them Jesus: Teaching the Gospel to Kids by Jack Klumpenhower
There’s every reason to speak God’s message God’s way—because it’s God who brings true repentance and spiritual growth.
I bought this on recommendation from a seminary graduate. It was required reading in their pastoral class. I simply had to have it. It did not disappoint. It’s so rich that blogging through each chapter would be an extremely edifying exercise.
The irony of this book is the subtitle: Teaching the Gospel to Kids. I understand the intent, but as I read, I wondered why. The subtitle could easily be “teaching the Gospel, period.” Or “Teaching the Gospel to All Ages.” Seriously. The blunders made in teaching the Bible to kids are often repeated for adults. In just reading the first chapter, I realized that what he was talking about was what I heard in every church service. Mishandling of Scripture, especially moralism, knows no age-discrimination. The author even makes that point, occasionally:
We assume kids are well-grounded in the good news and that it’s there in the background as we teach other stuff. But what’s assumed is quickly forgotten. Without constant revival from the good news, kids—and adults—start trying to obey God under their own strength and willpower. The good news was never meant to be background. It’s foreground—the source we look to for the power to do everything else.
This book is absolute gold and possibly my favorite—or most affecting—read of the year.
See a larger excerpt here: Good News or Gimmick?
Saving the Reformation: The Pastoral Theology of the Canons of Dort by W. Robert Godfrey
This is actually a book that was published this year. It’s rare that I can acquire a recent publication. This was mandatory for me, since it was the 400th Anniversary of the Synod of Dort (hence it being published this year). And I was preparing a Doctrines of Grace conference in commemoration of the Canons of Dort. And, W. Robert Godfrey is an expert on the Canons. In fact, the text of the Canons in this book is Godfrey’s own translation. It doesn’t get better than that.
I really enjoyed reading this because it is a paragraph-by-paragraph exposition of the Canons. If you want analysis of the Canons of Dort, this is the book to read. Godfrey even expounded the “Rejection of Errors,” a substantial part of the document which everyone else thinks is okay to ignore.
Finally, leading the five appendices, Appendix 1: “Arminius: A New Look,” is a gem. The typical, unquestioned narrative of Jacob Arminius as innocent victim of those mean Calvinists has gone unchallenged long enough. Godfrey sets the record straight.
Family Driven Faith: Doing What It Takes to Raise Sons and Daughters Who Walk with God by Voddie Baucham
This book was spicy.
As an author, Dr. Voddie Baucham, Jr., is always a delight. He writes like he speaks. The content of this book is excellent. I was led to read this after listening to two talks of his on discipleship in the home and the church and youth ministry. The material for both were in this book. Providentially, I had acquired this book years before. It did not disappoint. Highlighting ensued. Facebook shares gushed forth. Tears were shed (not really).
So many good points were made, and bad ideas and practices nailed. From the Preface:
God has given clear instructions to his people as to the importance and pattern of family discipleship. This book explores that pattern by walking through Deuteronomy 6 with one eye on the text and the other on the times. This book is not about how methods can manipulate outcomes. Nor is it about offering simplistic assessments of current trends or potential solutions. This is an impassioned plea—a clarion call. This is one man’s effort to say, “Wake Up!” We are not multiplying in the land, and it is not well with us (Deut. 6:1–4; cf. Eph. 6:1–4), and these are sure signs that God’s covenant people are not employing biblical means when it comes to the evangelism and discipleship of the next generation.
Just as the farmer who expects crops needs to till, plant, water, weed, watch, and pray, the parent who desires to see a harvest in the heart of his or her child must do the same. Employing biblical means, far from being evidence of a lack of trust, or presuming upon God, is a sure sign that we understand our utter dependence on God to do that which only he can. If we desire to raise sons and daughters who walk with God we must be about those things that God has commanded.
—Baucham Jr., Voddie. Family Driven Faith (Paperback Edition with Study Questions ) (pp. 7-8). Crossway. Kindle Edition.
In the Introduction, he diagnoses the problem:
I believe we are looking for answers in all the wrong places. Our children are not falling away because the church is doing a poor job—although that is undoubtedly a factor. Our children are falling away because we are asking the church to do what God designed the family to accomplish. Discipleship and multi-generational faithfulness begins and ends at home.
—Baucham Jr., Voddie. Family Driven Faith (Paperback Edition with Study Questions ) (p. 9). Crossway. Kindle Edition.
You can just feel an incoming sucker-punch at age-segregated ministry. Baucham also takes some welcomed digs at the idolatry of sports. Thank you.
Like many parents, they found themselves traveling to tournament after tournament and praying for the opportunity to be out on Sunday since that meant they were playing for a title somewhere. What they didn’t realize is that they were teaching Thomas to prioritize baseball above the Fourth Commandment. They were teaching Thomas that he should honor the Sabbath and keep it holy unless it’s baseball season.
Thus when Thomas got to college and had to choose between going to church and hanging out with his teammates, the foundation for his decision had already been laid. . .
In other words, Thomas’s lack of commitment to spiritual matters laid the groundwork for his moral compromise. Christianity was never the center of Thomas’s universe. It was always something on the periphery. Church, and more importantly Jesus Christ, always orbited around baseball, the bright, shining star at the center of his universe.
—Baucham Jr., Voddie. Family Driven Faith (Paperback Edition with Study Questions ) (p. 37). Crossway. Kindle Edition.
And of course, what you’ve really been waiting for: the family integrated church. Which is a weird title to begin with, considering the covenant community was always “integrated,” until recent history. Age-segregation is the innovation, not age-integration.
Our church has no youth ministers, children’s ministers, or nursery. We do not divide families into component parts. We do not separate the mature women from the young teenage girls who need their guidance. We do not separate the toddler from his parents during worship. In fact, we don’t even do it in Bible study. We see the church as a family of families.
—Baucham Jr., Voddie. Family Driven Faith (Paperback Edition with Study Questions ) (p. 193). Crossway. Kindle Edition.
I can’t recommend this book enough, especially in a context where professing Christians have little to no biblical theology of family.
The Passionate Preaching of Martyn Lloyd-Jones by Steven Lawson
Okay, technically I didn’t read this, because I had the audiobook. Anyway. I love this Long Line of Godly Men Profile series of books. Many of them are written by Steven Lawson, and many of those are focused on the preaching ministry of the men. The one’s on the preaching of Luther and Calvin made my best reading list of 2017. The part on the call to the ministry was excellent.
I finished this book on an overnight boat ride, and met Dr. Steven Lawson the next day at his “Preaching the Pursuit of Holiness” conference.
Read this excerpt at Ligonier, “6 Distinguishing Marks of a Call to Gospel Ministry.” This happened to be posted right after I listened to it in the book.
Best Listening
A Blueprint for Thinking (Ligonier)
A free teaching series by R.C. Sproul.
One of the best things I’ve listened to, ever. It is so good.
I even made it my #1 recommendation on the Multimedia Resources page.
Passion in the Pulpit (Expositor)
Some déjà vu here. Steven Lawson’s Expositor made the “best list” last year, but this is a specific series of episodes he did, all on one topic: passion. They are incomparable.
The list below links to the video version:
- Passion in the Pulpit
- What is Passion?
- What is Passion? Part 2
- The Distinguishing Marks of Passion
- The Elements of Passion
- Models of Passion
- Models of Passion Part 2
- Models of Passion Part 3
“I Feel, Therefore I Am”
A single lecture by Jim Paul, current director of English L’Abri. If you listen to one lecture today, listen to this one.
We are undergoing an ‘affective revolution’ in which our feelings define reality. This is driving much of the current debates around gender, but it also affects many other areas of our lives. What is the status of statements of our feelings in relationship to truth and reality outside of ourselves?
Niceness: Stupid as it Ever Was (Theology Pugcast)
A single podcast episode. An excellent conversation about the primary virtue, today: niceness. Sadly, that’s true even among evangelicals. As Voddie Baucham famously quipped, “there’s an eleventh commandment, ‘Thou Shalt Be Nice’, and we don’t believe the other Ten.”
But the truth is, “niceness” is not a virtue. It has no strength. It can’t stand up to anything. It’s certainly not something Christ embodied.
We must think critically, and I mean biblically, about cultural virtues.
Best Watching
For the first time! If it’s been a tough year for reading, it’s been a great year for watching. Thus, from now on, I’ll be including a “Best Watching” category for video resources.
This video resource is free. Two playlists, from the YouTube channel Dennis Prutow, Professor Emeritus of Homiletics at Reformed Presbyterian Theological Seminary (RPTS). His homiletic text, So Pastor, What’s Your Point? was one of my best reads of 2018. That’s the best book on preaching I’ve ever read. Well, I stumbled upon his YouTube channel. He has two lengthy playlists on preaching. They are enough to get you started on preparing and delivering sermons, the best way.
Not only is the content wonderful, the delivery simple, the videos bite-sized for ease of digestion, and all about one of my favorite subjects—but it has been a life-changing class. I watched this, to wash down his mind-blowing homiletic text. And I finally adopted this method of sermon preparation and delivery, at the end of this year. Let me tell you: this method works. The personal impact this resource has had on my work outshines anything else on this list for 2019. I should just write a full review, elsewhere. The playlists are linked in the headings below:
Approaching Sermon Preparation
If you are a preacher, or aspire to be, move this playlist to the top of your priority list.
This is a whole course on sermon preparation, so you can’t pick and choose from it. Watch it all. Out of all the sessions, I most enjoyed these three:
- Every Sermon Has One Main Point
- Oral Presentations vs. Written Presentations
- You Can Learn Extemporaneous Preaching
Pointers for Preachers
An excellent complement to the series on sermon preparation. They can be watched in any order. My favorite three: