This post has been prompted by a recent systematic theology preaching series at CCB. You can catch the ‘highlights’ here http://www.christchurchbalham.org.uk/ccb/sermons.php. In the course of preparing those talks I found several one volume systematic theologies helpful. I also dipped into a handful of books concerned with the specific doctrines we were considering. This list is the result of that work. These are the books that I’d recommend on the issues we covered.

I’m going to assume that during student years everyone read everything that Vaughan Roberts ever published and so I’m excluding his books! If you haven’t read the books from the following list then do yourself a favour and get hold of them.

• Life’s Big Questions, where he deals with six biblical subjects
• Turning Points, where he provides a straightforward Bible overview for unbelievers
• Distinctives, where he deals with holiness
• God’s Big Design, where he deals with the issues generated by the opening chapters of Genesis
• God’s Big Picture, where he fleshes out the Bible Overview
• True Worship, where church and music get the treatment
• Battles Christians Face, where he deals with our besetting sins and our anxieties

But what I’m suggesting here, without wishing to denigrate Vaughan’s books for one moment, are books that stretch our minds a little more.

Doctrine

Systematicians often identify seven major doctrinal topics that the Bible covers. These are the doctrines of Revelation, God, Man, Jesus Christ, Salvation, Church and the Last Things. I’ll try and cover all these bases in the recommendations. I’ve split the work of Jesus and the person of Jesus into two seperate categories so that’s why we end up with eight categories.

It’s worth saying that one volume Systematic Theologies are worth their weight in gold. Wayne Grudem writes from a creationist, pre-millenial and soft ‘charismatic’ angle and though I wouldn’t agree with all his conclusions it’s still the best introductory systematics around. Go the whole hog and buy the big version, the imaginatively titled ‘Systematic Theology’. Don’t settle for either of the abridged editions for no other reason that the monster version provides greater detail without swamping you. If I wanted to recommend something less meaty and a little more readable then John Frame’s ‘Salvation Belongs to the Lord’ is terrific. I probably agree with him on everything! His infatuation with triads, a reference to things happening in threes rather than Chinese organised crime, can become slightly irritating. As a slim reference book then Bruce Milne’s ‘Know the Truth’ is a must. Start here if you start nowhere else!

1. The Doctrine of God

For understanding God himself then ‘No Other Name’ by John Frame is brilliant. Written in response to the nonsense of Open Theism Frame writes from a Classical Theistic position and explains why that’s the best representation of the Bible’s teaching. It contains some of the massive but surprisingly accessible ‘The Doctrine of God’ by the same author. ‘Knowing God’ by Jim Packer is not an easy read but it’s fantastic. Like most books, it’s best read with pen in hand and a notebook not far away.

2. The Doctrine of Humanity

I’ve just fished Anthony Hoekema’s ‘Created in God’s Image’ out of the Amazon for a very competitive price. He’s such a clear and logical writer that working through the chapters isn’t demanding. Kris Lundgaard has helpfully distilled several hundred pages of John Owen into a short paperback entitled, ‘The Enemy Within’. It’s a succinct and very readable expose of the sinful nature. It’s not all we’d want to say about humanity but we’ve at least got to cover it.

3. The Doctrine of the Holy Spirit

For an easily readable systematic treatment on the Holy Spirit there’s a gap in the market. RC Sproul’s ‘The Mystery of the Holy Spirit’ spends a lot of time explaining the Trinity and though it’s a clear treatment it’s not what you’re after in a book on the Holy Spirit. Both David Jackman’s ‘Spirit of Truth’ and Graham Beynon’s ‘Experiencing the Spirit’ are essentially expoisitions of biblical passages on the Spirit and are helpful. Don Carson’s ‘Showing the Spirit’ is an exegetical treatment of 1 Corinthians 12-14 but he deals with the wider issues. Jim Packer’s ‘Keep in Step with the Spirit’ is worth a read but it’s not straightforward. For the thorny issues about prophecy, tongues, miracles, spirit baptism and so on you could do a lot worse than getting hold of the talks from the London Men’s Convention last year where those topics were covered in the seminars. But John Stott’s ‘Baptism and Fullness’ is still the book I think everyone should read to get to grips with the issues raised by the charismatic interpretation of the Spirit’s work.

4. The Doctrine of Salvation

‘Cross Examined’ by Mark Meynell may well be the atonement for dummies. We’re always told that we ought to read John Stott’s ‘the Cross of Christ’. Who am I to challenge the received wisdom of our evangelical elders? But, read Meynell first is my advice. RC Sproul’s ‘Chosen by God’ is what you need to read to understand how a Calvinistic understanding of predestination makes sense of the Bible’s teaching. The arminian-calvinistic issue still rages and this helpful little book brings light rather than heat to the debate. ‘Pierced for our Trangressions’ will be read this term and I’ll let you know. But I suspect it’ll be brilliant because Ovey, Sach and Jeffrey are clear thinking and clear communicating evangelicals.

5. The Doctrine of Scripture

Though not strictly concerned with a comprehensive treatment of the doctrine of scripture ‘Guidance and the Voice of God’ by Tony Payne and Philip Jensen deals with the contemporary issue of the Bible’s sufficiency. I read Packer’s ‘Truth and Power’ a while ago and there’s lots of underlining in it so it must have been helpful! Peter Jensen’s ‘The Revelation of God’ looks good on the book shelf and the spine has at least been broken in one or two places. I suspect I need to preach a series on this issue to get my nose in some good material once again.

6. The Doctrine of the Church

When I prepared a preaching series on the church I found Ed Clowney’s ‘The Church’ was the principle book I referred to. But Graham Beynon’s ‘God’s New Community’ and David Jackman’s ‘Understanding the Church’ are worth a read, though they deal with the subject by expounding passages rather than summarising the whole Bible’s teaching under topical headings.

7. The Doctrine of Jesus Christ

The person of Christ, who he is rather than what he does [which I covered under the doctrine of salvation] is dealt with in Donald Macleod’s ‘The Person of Christ’. He’s written several smaller books but this is the big daddy that spawned them. Kris Lundgaard has written ‘Through the Looking Glass’ and as a devotional reflection on the glory of Christ it’s heartwarming and informative. He admits that it’s mainly Owen condensed and so its deep puritan thoughts from England’s foremost theologian but in simpler English. I’ll have some of that!

8. The Doctrine of the Last Things

Although ‘Heaven and Hell’ by Edward Donnelly possesses one of the least attractive covers in Christian publishing, it’s pure gold. For a single book on the issues of eschatology I’m not aware of anything as helpful. Anthony Hoekema has written ‘The Bible and the Future’ and that was an extremely valuable resource in answering questions about the New Creation.

How’s that for starters? I’m sure there are other books that I’ve missed off inadvertently, some I’ve never read and should have and some that I’m completely unaware of that surpass everything that I’ve recommended. If in doubt look for the authors. Stott, Packer, Sproul, Jensen [either one of them], Piper and Frame are worth selling your shirt for.

I’ve been a reluctant convert to Christian music. I’ve always thought it  was naff. That might still be the case! I guess it could just have been the stuff I was listening to. It could also be the case I’ve just got older and lost the discerning ear. Now I’m approaching middle age it could be that the ‘easy listening’ section is irresistibly beckoning. But I’ve not noticed my secular musical tastes hastening towards the kind of melody you might expect to accompany your trip in the elevator. I’m sure the Carly Simon purchase was just a blip.

I’ve always thought that the Christian musical genre unavoidably fell into one of two camps. Either the words were doctrinally correct and the music was tragically dated or the music was contemporary but the thoelogy whiffed of sulphur. I’ve long wanted something I can play air guitar to whilst nodding my head in agreement. Figuratively speaking, of course.

‘Valley of Vision’ is an offering from Sovereign Grace Ministries http://www.sovereigngraceministries.org/. If the music I heard in Australia put me on the path of repentance then this has hastened my journey along it. It accompanied our holiday to France this summer. It provided the backing track to Digby’s pained shouts for redemption from his restrictive car seat.

The songs on the album were inspired by the book of the same name. It’s a collection of Puritan prayers compiled by Arthur Bennett back in 1975. It’s available from the Banner of Truth http://www.banneroftruth.org/pages/home.php.

Most of the tracks are written by Bob Kauflin, Mark Altrogge and his son Stephen. On the CD sleeve they write,

Someone might ask, “Why produce a CD inspired by the prayers of a bunch of dead guys?” That’s an easy one. Puritans like John Bunyan, Thomas Watson, Richard Baxter, and Isaac Watts knew their hearts, their Bibles, and their God much better than we do. Many of them wrote down their prayers not to be published, but to assess their own spiritual growth and to encourage themselves in times of spiritual dryness. These prayers reveal a personal, humble, passionate relationship with an awesome God, a living Savior, and an active Spirit. Reading their meditations inspires us to pursue the same level of reality as we worship God. The songs on Valley of Vision draw from these prayers at various levels and in various ways. Some use a few phrases from a specific prayer, others develop a particular idea, and a few try to capture the original flow of thought, using many of the original words. We hope two things will happen when you listen to this CD.

First, we pray that your relationship with God will deepen as the truths expressed in these songs are sown into your heart. Truths like the deception and pervasiveness of indwelling sin … the power of the gospel to secure our forgiveness and freedom … our utter dependence on God … God’s sovereignty in the midst of sufferings … and a passion for God’s purposes on the earth. We trust these songs will make you more aware of God’s holiness and more amazed at our Savior’s sacrifice for undeserving sinners.

Second, we hope you will read, many times over, the grace-drenched, Christ-exalting, biblically faithful book of prayers that inspired these songs. We pray that you won’t simply read them, but that they will become a springboard for your own prayers and meditation in your relationship with our great, merciful, and changeless God who is, ever and always, there to meet us in the Valley of Vision.

Those are two great hopes. And I have to say that as I’ve listened and [when I’m alone] sung along, I’ve been encouraged to believe the truth and to love Christ. I’ve got a great return for my investment of £12.

Lyrically all the tracks are good. Musically, Rosslyn loves the slow ones. But I’m sure I can feel the testorone seep from my pores as the sickly sweet lone female voice warbles away. That’s a little rude. The female vocalists are Shannon Harris, wife of Joshua of the ‘I Kissed Dating Goodbye’ fame and Megan Russell. I’m sure they’re great singers but in all honesty tracks 1, 4, 7, 10 & 12 don’t do a whole load for me melodically. They’re a bit melancholic for my taste and definietly not to be listened to whilst driving tired! But tracks 2, 3 and 6 are more my cup of tea. They rock! We’ve tried track 6 as a congregation and it worked. We couldn’t find the bagpipes for the bridge but we’re just starting out on our contemporary musical odyssey.

You can buy the CD from here http://emumusic.co.uk/Home.html as well as various offerings from the Australian music publishing stable EMU.

Musical tastes are subjective. But for my money, this satisfies both my musical and lyrical appetites. And even where I struggle with the musical style I can’t fault the content.