Truth is ancient; it's grey hairs may make it venerable;
it comes from Him who is the ancient of days. --Thomas Watson

 

19 June, 2007   comments: (0) Today's Methods   New/Old Top 10 Book Lists Speak Volumes If you have been an Old Truth reader for a while, you know that I often compare the things of new Christianity with the things of the old. I don't do this because I simply love old stuff; I do it as a way of demonstrating how the emphasis of Christianity has changed over the years. So when I recently found this top ten recommended booklist from a 'relevant' Christianity site, I thought it would make an interesting comparison to another such list that I found from an 'old' Christianity site. Despite the constant reminders from church innovators that 'we are all on the same team', these two lists almost seem like they derive from two different religions. Let's compare this booklist from the Leadership Network to this top 10 list from Reformation Theology's recent blog post. Now at first glance, it could appear that we are comparing apples to oranges because, the 'leadership' list was directed at pastors, whereas the 'old' list is simply labeled as Top Ten Books on Piety, Sanctification, Spiritual Growth. But, this just in: That's the kind of books that pastors used to read! In addition to bible commentaries and theology books of course. So I reject the notion of "audience dissimilarity" in these two lists: New Pastors Old Pastors 1 Eleven Innovations in the Local Church, by Elmer Towns... This easy-reading book walks church leaders through eleven emphases seen in today's churches, offering pros and cons to each. The recovery ministry chapter looks at churches that place heavy emphasis on Christ-centered recovery. Note: some of the other chapters are entitled: Nickelodean-style children focussed churches, intentionally multi-cultural churches, Decision-Journey churches, and attractional churches. The Gospel Mystery of Sanctification: Growing in Holiness by Living in Union with Christ, by Walter Marshall - Hands Down, the best non-inspired book on sanctification ever produced. 2 Direct Hit, by Paul Borden Paul Borden is a consultant with an amazing record of helping churches turn around from maintenance to mission and ministry. He writes as someone who understands long-term, deep set problems in churches, but also offers hope... Note: the book is said to give an "introduction to twelve emerging organic congregations". The Bruised Reed, by Richard Sibbes If you lack assurance, are hurting, weak and suffering under the burden of sin, read this book, and by reading you will be amazed how helpful this is to yourself and your ministry to others. 3 A Contrarian's Guide to Knowing God, by Larry Osborne Osborne, veteran pastor of North Coast Church, is a pioneer in such movements as multi-site and sermon-based small groups. ... He challenges a one-size-fits-all spirituality... Note: Book description says: "If traditional spiritual disciplines just aren't working for you...If all the standard answers aren't enough..." and "The conventional paths to pleasing God seemed heavily tilted in the direction of certain personality types. The playing field didn't appear to be level. I wondered if God played favorites." The Mortification of Sin, by John Owen Truly an amazing book that packs a punch. John Owen never disappoints. 4 The Forgotten Ways, by Alan Hirsch Alan Hirsch is convinced that the inherited formulas for growing the Body of Christ do not work anymore. Note: This Brian McLaren endorsed book is said to address "revolutionary missional ecclesiology". On the backcover it says: "compelling challenge to awaken the church's innate entrepreneurial instinct and propel it into the fringes of our emerging culture." Crook in the Lot, (Hardback) by Thomas Boston One of my favorite books of all time. While this book is about providence and the sovereignty of God, the depth of Boston's biblical insight will help you better get a bird's eye view of reality resulting in a life of genuine piety. 5 Giving as an Act of Worship, by Michael Milton The author, a U.S. Army reserve chaplain and pastor of First Presbyterian Church ... makes the case that God doesn't need our money, but rather we should give because it is an act of worship. The Fear of God, by John Bunyan This is a great book to give anyone new to the faith and a blessing to those who have already been Christians for a while. 6 Velvet Elvis, by Rob Bell The author pastors one of the fast-growing churches in America. He is a strong communicator to post-modern people, with a major emphasis on Bible teaching, and this creative book offers a fresh look at how the gospel can be best communicated today. He begins with the assertion that Jesus wanted to "call people to live in tune with reality" and that he "had no use for religion." Note: Even though the advertising emphasizes 'Bible teaching', many biblical problems abound with this very popular book - read about them. Words to Winners of Souls, Horatius Bonar Ideal for those in the ministry, it was the most helpful and uplifting books on evangelism ever. 7 Words That Work, Frank Luntz With a subtitle of It's Not What You Say It's What People Hear, the business consultant author has much to say that's directly relevant to pastors and teachers in the church. He shows the power of the words chosen for vision casting and interpersonal communication. Note: Based on his experience as a political and corporate pollster the author recommends 11 rules for effective communication: 1. Use small words. 2. Use short sentences. 3. Credibility is as important as philosophy. 4. Consistency matters. 5. Novelty: offer something new. 6 . Sound and texture matter. 7. Speak aspirationally. 8. Visualize. 9. Ask a question. 10. Provide context and explain relevance. 11. Visual imagery matters. The Doctrine of The Life of God in the Soul of Man, by Henry Scougal Critical work! Scougal challenges old and false notions of what it means to be a Christian by showing we are Christian not simply because we have the correct doctrine, or the right behavior, but because the human soul has been united to Christ and participates in the divine nature. That is, a person is a Christian because Christ has done for us what we could not do for ourselves, and continues to intercede for us. It is his work in us that is our hope of salvation, not our own merits. This books is a expose against conservatives and liberals alike. 8 The Culturally Savvy Christian, by Dick Staub Cultural commentator and radio personality Staub asks how the culture of the church should influence popular culture. His answer is that followers of Christ should not cocoon, combat or conform in relation to popular culture, but transform it. His model of what a culturally savvy Christian should be is C.S. Lewis, who "enriched culture by countering culture, communicating within it, and also creating it." Holiness, by J.C. Ryle Truly a rich little gem that is to be read and reread. Classic!. 9 Change Your Church for Good: the Art of Sacred Cow Tipping, by Brad Powell The author is pastor of Northridge Church, and he argues that it is possible for a church to transition from non-relevant to culturally relevant without compromising Scripture. Because every church struggles with transition, every church leader can learn something from Powell's hope-filled insight on how all churches can and should be transitioned to a new life. The Christian in Complete Armour, by William Gurnall (Pub. 1662-1665) This is, no doubt, the most comprehensive work ever written on the subject of spiritual warfare. It's a massive tome, but there are few books in existence that I would recommend more highly. 10 Facing Your Giants by Max Lucado What reading list today would be complete without a title by America's best-selling pastor? The idea here is simple: When David focused on God instead of the "giants," he won. But when he fixed on the "giant," he fell. Lucado's words, written to all followers of Christ, encourage us to focus on God. He is the victor! Note: This self-help book teaches you how to slay your own giants. Book description includes: "Goliaths still roam in our world. Debt. Disaster. Dialysis. Divorce. Deceit. Disease. Depression." Sanctification, by A.W. Pink Here Pink compiles the best teachings on sanctification through church history. The fine print: The "Notes" in italics were added by me. I had no reason for placing each old book across from a specific new book; the order was random. The remarks on the right side are not mine, but I do own 9 of the 10 books and I likewise recommend them. The 'new' list had two other books that I removed so that we'd have 10 versus 10. Those books (God's Continent and The Boomer Century) simply studied population trends. My Thoughts on the comparison: I linked to the 'new' list from the fads and trends MMI seeker site. Looking at some of these books, isn't it interesting how fans of the Seeker Sensitive Movement are starting to include recommendations from the Emerging Church Movement? We are seeing somewhat of a blending between the two, with the common denominator being perceived cultural relevance (within the 20-40 age group that's always targeted of course). I don't think you would have seen this paradigm blending 3 years ago. The 'old' booklist on the right side could come under scrutiny for not seeming to care as much about what is today referred to as 'relevance', but this is because the old pastors understood that "sinners needing a savior" was evangelism's relevant aim. This is contrasted by today's aim of making God seem primarily worried about meeting our relevant felt needs. The old pastors simply wanted to know God, and communicate his attributes and plan - in a straightforward manner, as Paul tells us to do in 1 Corinthians 2:1-5. The Apostle's implication runs contrary to today's striving for novelty and cleverness (ie: "innovation and creativity") in communication. Once again, we respond to the common claim of our age insisting they have "not changed the message; only the cultural wrapper that it comes in" by saying: Oh really? The 'old' Christianity was Christ-centered, and today it is frequently man-centered. Today's message too often lacks important ingredients. And as we can see from the tale of these two lists, one to survive the centuries and the other list to survive until the next fad, today's 'leaders' seem to have their mind on other things. See Some of My Other New Versus Old Comparisons: New versus old sermons New versus old belief statements New versus old evangelism (and this page) New versus old worship music New versus old pastor's discretionary time Posted by: Jim B.   Link: http://www.oldtruth.com/blog.cfm/id.2.pid.711   Be the first to post a comment about this article        Home  |   About  |  Videos   |  Calvinism