I have participated in a project sponsored by a publisher to name "25 Books Every Christian Should Read." Here is my final book of the five I recommended, along with the explanation of why I chose it.
Lewis, C.S. The Lion, The Witch, and The Wardrobe. New York, New York: Collier Books, 1978.
• What is your personal relationship to this book? How has it helped you? This book is an illustrated version of Lewis’ explanations of the faith that have been so helpful to me.
• Why does it make your list of top formation/discipleship titles? Any list of must-read formational books could only be complete by including a primary method of our Master Teacher – the parable. This entire book is a parable. The list would also be incomplete without a significant measure of delight – a heartfelt, laugh-out-loud expression of the joy woven into all of God’s handiwork. This book has that, too.
• What does the book add to your idea of what it means to be a modern-day Christian? Of course, theology and philosophy aren’t topics for children. Except Lewis makes them so. And in so doing he addresses weighty subjects in a way ordinary people can understand. He gives us imagery that becomes a handle for ideas we could not otherwise grasp.
• What does it offer the larger Church? Lewis’ great gift is refuting a materialistic (non-spiritual) world view and defending the reasonableness – even necessity – of a Christian spiritual perspective. Lewis makes sense of the reality of God, the miracle of Christ, the problem of pain, and the life of faith.
• What specific advice on content or strategy would you provide to someone reading the book for the first time? Read the book to a ten year old. You will both be enrapt. You will both return to the book repeatedly.
• What passage do you feel most exemplifies the message of the book? “Well, Sir, if things are real, they’re there all the time.” “Are they?” said the Professor; and Peter did not know quite what to say.”
Tuesday, February 1, 2011
Thursday, January 20, 2011
#4/5 Five Books That Are Mighty Close to Must Reads
I have participated in a project sponsored by a publisher to name "25 Books Every Christian Should Read." So, I've asked for input, and am grateful to those of you who contributed. This is truly an impossible assignment, but has been surprisingly rich to pursue. My part was to only submit 5 titles to be considered by the editors. I could probably come up with ten more lists of five books that are all equally excellent. I don't expect any of my selections to make the elite 25 simply because there are so many from which to choose. These, however, have made a difference for me.
So, here is my fourth book of the five, along with the explanation of why I chose it. These are books I think can be especially helpful to those seeking to follow Jesus. I would be glad to hear from you about other titles that are important to you or comments on my own submissions.
Stott, John R.W. The Cross of Christ. Downers Grove, IL: InterVarsity Press, 1986.
Questions:
• What is your personal relationship to this book? How has it helped you?
Because of its pain I prefer to presume the Cross and move on to trying to understand life in its aftermath. Yet, in avoiding the Cross I inadvertently diminish and distort Christ – the very One I live to follow.
• Why does it make your list of top formation/discipleship titles? We can imagine spiritual formation apart from the Cross. That’s the rub. That is the crisis. We cannot understand Christ apart from The Cross. We cannot understand Christ’s formative work apart from the Cross and our crosses. Stott masterfully engages us in a difficult and essential study.
• What does the book add to your idea of what it means to be a modern-day Christian? We are so preoccupied with ourselves we presume God would give His life for us. We chat over coffee at the foot of the Cross. Dumbstruck awe is in order. That God would die for man changes everything.
• What does it offer the larger Church? The Cross is the central event that defines the Church as a redemptive counter-culture. The Cross is the antidote to our irrepressible tendency to recreate Christian faith in our own image.
• What specific advice on content or strategy would you provide to someone reading the book for the first time? This is not a casual read. Gird up your loins, and face the Cross so you might shoulder your own cross and follow Him.
• What passage do you feel most exemplifies the message of the book? “If death threatens to cut a person’s life short, a sense of frustration plunges him or her into gloom. But not Jesus, for this simple reason: he did not regard the death he was about to die as bringing his mission to an untimely end, but as actually necessary to accomplish it.… Although he had but a few more hours to live, Jesus was not looking back at a mission he had completed, still less that had failed; he was still looking forward to a mission which he was about to fulfil.” pp.66-67 InterVarsity, 1986.
So, here is my fourth book of the five, along with the explanation of why I chose it. These are books I think can be especially helpful to those seeking to follow Jesus. I would be glad to hear from you about other titles that are important to you or comments on my own submissions.
Stott, John R.W. The Cross of Christ. Downers Grove, IL: InterVarsity Press, 1986.
Questions:
• What is your personal relationship to this book? How has it helped you?
Because of its pain I prefer to presume the Cross and move on to trying to understand life in its aftermath. Yet, in avoiding the Cross I inadvertently diminish and distort Christ – the very One I live to follow.
• Why does it make your list of top formation/discipleship titles? We can imagine spiritual formation apart from the Cross. That’s the rub. That is the crisis. We cannot understand Christ apart from The Cross. We cannot understand Christ’s formative work apart from the Cross and our crosses. Stott masterfully engages us in a difficult and essential study.
• What does the book add to your idea of what it means to be a modern-day Christian? We are so preoccupied with ourselves we presume God would give His life for us. We chat over coffee at the foot of the Cross. Dumbstruck awe is in order. That God would die for man changes everything.
• What does it offer the larger Church? The Cross is the central event that defines the Church as a redemptive counter-culture. The Cross is the antidote to our irrepressible tendency to recreate Christian faith in our own image.
• What specific advice on content or strategy would you provide to someone reading the book for the first time? This is not a casual read. Gird up your loins, and face the Cross so you might shoulder your own cross and follow Him.
• What passage do you feel most exemplifies the message of the book? “If death threatens to cut a person’s life short, a sense of frustration plunges him or her into gloom. But not Jesus, for this simple reason: he did not regard the death he was about to die as bringing his mission to an untimely end, but as actually necessary to accomplish it.… Although he had but a few more hours to live, Jesus was not looking back at a mission he had completed, still less that had failed; he was still looking forward to a mission which he was about to fulfil.” pp.66-67 InterVarsity, 1986.
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