food4thought

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.