Since we’re talking about Os Guinness, I pulled my stack of well-worn copies of his books off my shelves. And one of the most dog-eared, check-mark-littered, and highlighted copies is the book Prophetic Untimeliness: A Challenge to the Idol of Relevance (Baker, 2003).

The book is a piercing critique of the church’s uncritical pursuit of relevance for the sake of relevance. His argument: “Never have Christians pursued relevance more strenuously; never have Christians been more irrelevant” (p. 12). Guinness explains it like this:

By our uncritical pursuit of relevance we have actually courted irrelevance; by our breathless chase after relevance without a matching commitment to faithfulness, we have become not only unfaithful but irrelevant; by our determined efforts to redefine ourselves in ways that are more compelling to the modern world than are faithful to Christ, we have lost not only our identity but our authority and our relevance. Our crying need is to be faithful as well as relevant. (p. 11)

This is because, as Guinness writes, faithfulness to eternal truth is the means to genuine cultural relevance. In every generation, our goal is centered on the proclamation and advance of the gospel of Jesus Christ through the local church. Only because of the gospel’s continued relevance is it rightfully called the “good news.”

The gospel is good news. In fact it is “the best news ever” because it addresses our human condition appropriately, pertinently, and effectively as nothing else has, does, or can—and in generation after generation, culture after culture, and life after life. Little wonder that the Christian faith is the world’s first truly universal religion and in many parts of the world the fastest growing faith, and that the Christian church is the most diverse society on planet earth, with followers on all continents, in all climates, and under all the conditions of life and development. Of course, Christians can make the gospel irrelevant by shrinking and distorting it in one way or another. But in itself the good news of Jesus is utterly relevant or it is not the good news it claims to be. (p. 13)

Escaping the Cultural Captivity

The strength of Guinness’s book is not only the insightful criticism, but the constructive vision he presents to the reader. Chapter six, “Escaping Cultural Captivity” (pp. 95–112), was especially helpful. Guinness writes,

Without God, our human knowledge is puny and perverse, limited on the one hand by finitude and distorted on the other by sin. That said, and that said humbly, three things can help us cultivate the independent spirit and thinking that are characteristic of God’s untimely people. In ascending order, they are developing an awareness of the unfashionable, cultivating an appreciation for the historical, and paying constant attention to the eternal. Each is crucial for effective resistance thinking. (p. 96)

Guinness then develops each of these points:

1. Awareness of the Unfashionable: Because the cross runs across the grain of human thinking, the faithful choice is often not the culturally popular choice. Guinness introduces the countercultural actions of Dietrich Bonhoeffer in Nazi Germany. While the Führer demanded complete allegiance, Bonhoeffer was stressing the cost of discipleship and allegiance to Christ alone. In all generations, the church needs to cultivate an awareness of the unfashionable to avoid being captured by the popular or “relevant.”   

2. Appreciation for the Historical: Americans, Guinness writes, seem to know everything about what’s happened over the past 24 hours, but little about the past 600 or 60 years. “Essential for untimeliness is appreciation for the historical, for no human perspective gives us a better counterperspective on our own day” (p. 100).

Guinness continues,

Mere lip service to the importance of history will not do. We each have to build in a steady diet of the riches of the past into our reading and thinking. Only the wisdom of the past can free us from the bondage of our fixation with the present and the future. C. S. Lewis counseled, “It is a good rule, after reading a new book, never to allow yourself another new one till you have read an old one in between.” (p. 104)

On the next page, he quotes Lewis again: “The only palliative is to keep the clean sea breeze of history blowing through our minds, and this can be done only by reading old books” (p. 105).

3. Attention to the Eternal: “Essential for untimeliness is attention to the eternal, for only the eternal is eternally relevant” (p. 105). The way to remain relevant is to stay on the path of eternal truth. Guinness asks us to consider, if we are seeking to be relevant, why? To what end are we seeking relevance? “Nothing is finally relevant except in relation to the true and the eternal….Only the repeated touch of the timeless will keep us truly timely” (pp. 106, 112).

Yet again, it’s worth quoting him directly:

How then do we lift ourselves above the level of the finite and the mundane to gain an eternal perspective on what is true and relevant? The biblical answer is blunt in its candor. By ourselves we can’t. We can’t break out of Plato’s cave of the human, with all its smoke and flickering shadows on the wall. We can’t raise ourselves above the level of the timebound and the earthbound by such feeble bootstraps as reason. But where we are limited by our own unaided efforts, we have help. We have been rescued.…God has broken into our silence. He has spoken and has come down himself. And in his written and living Word we are given truth from outside our situation, truth that throws light on our little lives and our little world. (p. 107)

Conclusion

I highly recommend Prophetic Untimeliness, especially for pastors. We would do well to heed Guinness’s call to faithfulness: “It is time to challenge the idol of relevance, to work out what it means to be faithful as well as relevant, and so to become truly relevant without ever ending up as trendy, trivial, and unfaithful” (p. 15).

Os Guinness is a fascinating man, blessed with an impressive mind, broad skill, and a unique biography and family heritage.

The Guinness family traces missionary roots back to a relative named Hudson Taylor—the famous missionary to China. Os’s great-great-grandfather founded the Guinness brewery and was a friend of William Wilberforce. His grandparents and parents were all missionaries. Os himself was born in China during World War II and lived there through the 1949 Communist Revolution. Os recalls living through the  house arrest of his missionary parents and a widespread famine that claimed the lives of five million people. He shares more of his family and missionary background in a recent interview with my friend Mark Dever.

I’ve listened to this interview twice. It is both interesting and instructive.  At the end of this interview, Mark says to Os, “I have as many questions as I had to begin with.” I don’t think I’ve heard Mark say that before (he certainly didn’t say this after he interviewed me!).

Os has worked alongside Francis Schaeffer at L’Abri, as a freelance reporter for the BBC, and as Guest Scholar and Visiting Fellow at the Brookings Institution. He has edited or written over 20 books on a broad range of topics. Listening to this interview reminded me of how I have benefited from the writings of Os Guinness over the years.

In Two Minds

Today I want to draw attention to Os Guinness’s helpful teaching on the topic of doubt.

At one point in the interview, Mark asked him about the purpose of his book In Two Minds: The Dilemma of Doubt and How to Resolve It (IVP, 1976). Guinness responded: “Well, I myself didn’t have a lot of the doubts described in the book, but I met so many people who were either ashamed, embarrassed, or felt guilty about doubting. And I wanted to relieve them of that. Doubt is not the same as unbelief. You have faith in Christ, which is sure of Christ, and you have unbelief which, sadly, is not sure of Christ. And doubt is a halfway house. And all the languages of the world as well as the Scriptures had this idea of doubt in two minds. So like a coin spinning it will come down heads or tails. It has got to be resolved, but you don’t need to feel bad about doubt. You just need to resolve it.”

This recent interview led me to pick up again my old, yellowing, and well-worn copy of In Two Minds. By the pen markings throughout the book and the dog-eared pages I’m reminded that Guinness has a lot of excellent points on this topic.

“I Believe in Doubt”

That’s the title of the first chapter. In it, we get a big-picture of why it’s important to properly understand doubt, even to understand the potential of doubts to bring us deeper in our communion with God! Guinness writes,

“Christianity places a premium on the absolute truthfulness and trustworthiness of God, so understanding doubt is extremely important to a Christian. Of course, faith is much more than the absence of doubt, but to understand doubt is to have a key to a quiet heart and a quiet mind. Anyone who believes anything will automatically know something about doubt. But the person who knows why he believes is also in a position to discover why he doubts. The Christian should be such a person.

Not only does a Christian believe, he is a person who ‘thinks in believing and believes in thinking,’ as Augustine expressed it. The world of Christian faith is not a fairy-tale, make-believe world, question-free and problem-proof, but a world where doubt is never far from faith's shoulder.

Consequently, a healthy understanding of doubt should go hand in hand with a healthy understanding of faith. We ourselves are called in question if we have no answer to doubt. If we constantly doubt what we believe and always believe-yet-doubt, we will be in danger of undermining our personal integrity, if not our stability. But if ours is an examined faith, we should be unafraid to doubt. If doubt is eventually justified, we were believing what clearly was not worth believing. But if doubt is answered, our faith has grown stronger still. It knows God more certainly and it can enjoy God more deeply.” (pp. 15-16).

In the next chapter, Guinness steps back and asks a fundamental question: What is doubt? After a detailed explanation of the five senses of the word he summarizes the many sides of doubt. “If a person is ‘torn’ between options, unable to ‘make up’ his mind, or if he is ‘up in the air’ over something and unsure which side he should ‘come down on,’ or if he is furiously ‘debating’ with himself or ‘hanging back,’ or weighing up his ‘reservations,’ he is nothing if not ‘in two minds.’ This is the essence of doubt” (p. 27).

And doubt looks very differently in each of our lives.

“Problems strike us all differently. What is trivial to one person may raise titanic questions for someone else. Some people face doubt only if they find no answer; others trigger doubts merely by raising questions. What puzzles a philosopher and taxes his mind to distraction may look completely irrelevant or quite obvious to a businessman. The point is not to judge who is right, but to meet and resolve whatever doubt is a problem to a particular person” (p. 32).

No matter what level of doubt we face, living in constant doubt is not where we want to live our lives. But neither should be automatically feel guilty and sinful for all doubting thoughts. The reality is that doubt is inevitable in the Christian life. Guinness writes, “In the same way assurance of faith depends on our grasp of God and his faithfulness and not on a mastery of all the doubts that are ever likely to assail us. Otherwise faith could never be assured while one last doubt remained” (p. 33).

But there is danger in long-term doubt. Chronic doubt leads to serious consequences. “For the Christian, doubt is not the same as unbelief, but neither is it divorced from it. Continued doubt loosens the believer's hold on the resources and privileges of faith and can be the prelude to the disasters of unbelief. So doubt is never treated as trivial” (p. 31). Later he writes, “If faith does not resolve doubt, doubt will dissolve faith” (p. 187). Guinness warns us never to lessen the significance of doubt (especially lingering doubt) in our hearts.

Confronting Doubts

So how do we effectively confront doubt? We need to remember that the “largest part of doubting comes simply from ignorance of what God has said and done” (pp. 34-35). The cure for doubt is preventative—we cultivate an active and vibrant life of faith in what God has said and done.

“What is more, faith, like health, is best maintained by growth, nourishment and exercise and not by fighting sickness. Sickness may be the absence of health, but health is more than the absence of sickness, so prevention is better than cure. Equally, faith grows and flourishes when it is well nourished and exercised, so the best way to resist doubt is to build up faith rather than simply to fight against doubt” (pp. 33-34).

Much of In Two Minds is dedicated to the topic and excellent quotes abound. Here is one—“We do not trust God because he guides us; we trust and then are guided, which means that we can trust God even when we do not see guided by him. Faith may be in the dark about guidance, but it is never in the dark about God” (p. 261). In fact, “God proves not only better to us than our worst fears but better to us than our wildest dreams” (p. 184).

In fact, how we handle doubt is largely a reflection of the health of our faith because “since the object of Christian faith is God, to believe or disbelieve is everything. Thus the market value of doubt for the Christian is extremely high. Find out how seriously a believer takes his doubts and you have the index of how seriously he takes his faith” (p. 31).

Conclusion

I think pastors would be wise to assume that members of their churches are familiar with doubt in their thinking and personal experience. And I’m especially aware of this in the lives of high school and college students, and surprisingly even in new converts. Often these individuals wrongly associate doubt with unbelief, and therefore experience shame, embarrassment, and guilt over the very presence of doubts in their hearts.

In my perspective, it would be wise for pastors at some point to address this topic and provide excellent supplemental materials to address the topic of doubt.

Now for the bad news: Os Guinness’s book In Two Minds: The Dilemma of Doubt and How to Resolve It is out-of-print. The good news is that used copies of it are available online from used-book stores.

UPDATE: In Two Minds is in print! The book was republished by Crossway under the title God in the Dark: The Assurance of Faith Beyond a Shadow of Doubt (Crossway, 1996).

 

Sports are a gift from God. And for the Christian, sports provide a means of growth in godliness and an opportunity to glorify God. But too often Christians participate in sports without first being theologically informed about sports.

To my knowledge, there are few books available that present a biblical worldview of sports, and even fewer that are rooted in the gospel, assist us in applying the doctrine of sin to our hearts, and help us grow in godliness through our participation in sports. So I am thrilled to now hold in my hands a copy of Stephen Altrogge’s new book, Game Day for the Glory of God: A Guide for Athletes, Fans, and Wannabes (Wheaton, IL: Crossway, 2008).

Stephen is currently a student in our Pastors College. Previously, he was a pastoral intern at Sovereign Grace Church in Indiana, Pennsylvania, where his father, Mark Altrogge, serves as senior pastor.

Last week I sat down and interviewed Stephen. We talked about sports, why he wrote this book, and how it will equip athletes, parents, coaches, and pastors to glorify God in sports. But it also provided an opportunity to ask: How did Mark Altrogge—a much-loved pastor and world-class songwriter, but a man with limited athletic ability or interest—raise a son with such a strong appreciation for sports? I’m assuming Stephen’s athletic ability and interest come from his mom.

Listen online or download the 20-minute interview with Stephen Altrogge.

Listen to the interview online here:


Download interview here (20:1; 13.8MB MP3).

I’m not in the business of introducing every good book released from Christian publishers (there are others who do this well). But today I want to draw your attention to three noteworthy books all recently released and written by three of our African-American brothers and friends—Thabiti Anyabwile, Eric Redmond, and Anthony Carter.
 
(I think it’s fitting to here inform readers that at the 2008 T4G conference, Thabiti publicly announced that ethnically I’m a “brother.” This was without a doubt one of the highlights of the conference for me and on the short list of greatest honors I’ve ever received.)
 
I want to commend these three books to your attention because each is focused on strengthening the local church. But none of them requires a lengthy introduction, because I think the chapter titles speak clearly and compellingly to the content, scope, and value of each volume.
 
What Is a Healthy Church Member?
 
There is a desperate need for more books written by doctrinally discerning pastors addressing a passion for, and the priority of, the local church in the life and practice of every Christian. I highly recommend Thabiti Anyabwile’s book, What Is A Healthy Church Member? (Crossway, 2008), to all pastors and Christians alike. Chapter titles include:

• A Healthy Church Member Is an Expositional Listener
• A Healthy Church Member Is a Biblical Theologian
• A Healthy Church Member Is Gospel Saturated
• A Healthy Church Member Is Genuinely Converted
• A Healthy Church Member Is a Biblical Evangelist
• A Healthy Church Member Is a Committed Member
• A Healthy Church Member Seeks Discipline
• A Healthy Church Member Is a Growing Disciple
• A Healthy Church Member Is a Humble Follower
• A Healthy Church Member Is a Prayer Warrior

Where Are All the Brothers?
 
Eric Redmond’s book Where Are All the Brothers? Straight Answers to Men’s Questions About the Church (Crossway, 2008) is organized around answering these main questions:

• Isn’t the Church Full of Hypocrites?
• Wasn’t the Bible Written by Men?
• Isn’t the Church Geared toward Women?
• Isn’t the Preacher Just a Man?
• Doesn’t Islam Offer More for Black Men?
• Aren’t Some Churches Just after Your Money?
• Is Organized Religion Necessary?
• Jesus Never Claimed to Be God, Did He?
• What to Look for to Find a Good Church

Experiencing the Truth
 
Anthony Carter edited the book Experiencing the Truth: Bringing the Reformation to the African-American Church (Crossway, 2008). Chapter titles include:

• Experiencing the Truth: An Introduction (Carter)
• Biblical Theology: Experiencing the Truth about God (Michael Leach)
• Biblical Preaching: Experiencing the Word of God (Carter)
• Biblical Worship: Experiencing the Presence of God (Carter)
• Biblical Spirituality: Experiencing the Spirit of God (Kenneth Jones)
• Grace So Amazing: Experiencing the Doctrines of Grace (Carter)

My thanks to each of these men for serving Sovereign Grace churches with their writing, leadership, godly example, and friendship.

 

The long-awaited ESV Study Bible is scheduled to ship in October. Here’s a sampling of what reviewers are saying:

“I can’t imagine a greater gift to the body of Christ than the ESV Study Bible. It is a potent combination indeed: the reliability and readability of the ESV translation, supplemented by the best of modern and faithful scholarship, packaged in an accessible and attractive format. A Christian could make no wiser investment for himself, a pastor could recommend no better resource for his congregation.”

-C.J. Mahaney
President, Sovereign Grace Ministries

“From what I have seen so far, I believe it will be the world’s best complete single-volume resource for reading, studying, and teaching the Bible.”

-Dr. Philip G. Ryken
Senior Minister, Tenth Presbyterian Church (on the Ref21 blog)

“The ESV is a dream come true for me. The rightful heir to a great line of historic translations, it provides the continuity and modern accuracy I longed for. Now the scope and theological faithfulness of the ESV Study Bible study notes is breathtaking. Oh how precious is the written Word of God.”

-Dr. John Piper
Pastor for Preaching and Vision, Bethlehem Baptist Church

35% Pre-Order Discount

From now until July 31, friends of Sovereign Grace Ministries are invited to pre-order the Study Bible at a 35 percent discount. Simultaneously, Crossway will donate five percent of these purchases to Sovereign Grace Ministries. These donations will be used to support families who are training at the Pastors College. The Pastors College exists to train men to serve, lead, and plant Sovereign Grace Ministries churches and to support men currently serving as pastors within Sovereign Grace.

To receive the discount—and support men in the PC—simply click on the following link. You will be directed to a customized webpage where you can see an overview of the Study Bible and place your order.

Click here for more: www.crossway.org/8sbsg

(Note: This offer does not apply to other Crossway products.)

Albert Mohler is my very good friend. And the man is scary smart! If you happen to see Al today, ask him a question about, well, anything—politics, biology, British history, the history of stained glass, whatever. Ask him a question about any of these subjects (except sports) and he will answer you as if it were the subject of his professional expertise.  

Besides wondering how smart Al could be if I’m one of his friends, you might also be wondering about Al’s recent recommended summer reading list. If you’re like me and you think of summer reading as synonymous with enjoyable reading, you might find Al’s list somewhat intimidating (here and here). I know I did.

Now, don’t misunderstand. For Al Mohler, this is enjoyable reading! But for those of us with average intelligence, this is difficult reading and not what we have in mind for the summer months (or any time of the year actually). So for those of you not eager to read a 600-page book on the rise and development of communism, or a 700-page book on America’s development between the years 1788–1800, and for those of you not looking to earn college credit this summer, I’m here for you with an alternative summer reading list.

As a public service to men of average intelligence, I present you with my less demanding—and more enjoyable—summer reading list:

(1) Manhunt: The 12-Day Chase for Lincoln's Killer by James L. Swanson. From the prologue to the final paragraph I was captivated by the storyline of this book. Didn’t want the book to end, so I read slower as the book was coming to an end.

(2) Men at Work: The Craft of Baseball by George F. Will. The best book I have read on baseball. Read it and you will understand the genius involved in what appears to be a slow and boring game. Read it and impress your friends with your newfound insight.

(3) The Greatest Game Ever Played: A True Story by Mark Frost. I think this is the best book about sports I’ve ever read.

(4) Masters of the Air: America's Bomber Boys Who Fought the Air War against Nazi Germany by Donald L. Miller. I’ve read a lot about WWII but I was ignorant of the air war. This book is simply stunning and unforgettable. There were evenings where I could only read two or three pages of this book because I was so affected by what I read.

(5) Opening Day: The Story of Jackie Robinson's First Season by Jonathan Eig. The most important event and year in professional baseball. If you love baseball you must get to know Jackie Robinson and the difference he made for the sport and our country.

(6) The Best Game Ever: Giants vs. Colts, 1958, and the Birth of the Modern NFL by Mark Bowden. If you love pro football this is really when it all started.

(7) Johnny U: The Life and Times of John Unitas by Tom Callahan. Favorite quote from the book: “That’s the thing sports will never get back. Once, the players were one of us. They lived right next door. They don’t anymore.” Learn about arguably the greatest quarterback of all time and a time in professional sports we will never see again.

(8) The Terrible Hours: The Greatest Submarine Rescue in History by Peter Maas. Simply terrifying and thrilling.

(9) Triumph: The Untold Story of Jesse Owens and Hitler's Olympics by Jeremy Schaap. As you anticipate the Summer Olympics you must read about Jesse Owens and Hitler’s Olympics.

(10) Everything They Had: Sports Writing from David Halberstam. Journalist David Halberstam was killed in a car accident last year. This volume is a superb collection of his best writings.

(11) This Mighty Scourge: Perspectives on the Civil War by James M. McPherson. If you are interested in the Civil War this is a fascinating must-read.

(12) For Cause and Comrades: Why Men Fought in the Civil War by James M. McPherson. I’ve always wondered why, and thanks to McPherson I now know.

Dr. J. Ligon Duncan III recently traveled to Sovereign Grace to teach on covenant theology at the Pastors College. Dr. Duncan currently serves as senior minister of First Presbyterian Church (Jackson, MS) and as an adjunct professor at Reformed Theological Seminary (Jackson, MS). In late March, Dr. Duncan generously opened his schedule for me to ask a handful of questions on the value of the early church fathers, especially for busy pastors. Patrology, or the study of the early church fathers, was the topic of Dr. Duncan’s PhD thesis from the University of Edinburgh.

The interview answers questions like Why should a busy pastor invest time in reading the patristic authors? How will a pastor benefit? Where should he start? What cautions should he be alerted to?

Download the full interview MP3 (14.4 MB).

--------------

Outline of interview questions [with time markers]

[00:00] – Intro

[01:30] – Define for us patristics or patrology.

[04:28] – Why should busy pastors read patristic literature in the first place?

[09:29] – What hurdles do pastors face in reading and benefiting from patristic writings?

[14:13] – For the busy pastor, recommend a few specific patristic titles covering history, biography, and primary sources.

[26:52] – What contemporary debates reflect controversies addressed by the patristic authors?

[32:00] – Our culture appears to be growing increasingly secular. If it's true that secularism is on the rise, what can we learn from the church fathers on engaging a “pagan” culture?

[36:06] – In patristic literature, a reader will be faced with thoughts or practices of the early church fathers that were incorrect. What concerns do you have for a pastor getting his feet wet in the patristic writings?

[41:46] – Would you agree that in patristic writings we see a stress on ethics over and above the gospel?

[45:08] – Dr. Duncan, you are a gifted patristic scholar and have been pastoring at First Presbyterian in Jackson for over twelve years now, preaching on a regular basis. How do your preaching and pastoral ministry reflect the impact of patristic authors?

In February, about 100 Sovereign Grace pastors gathered in Gaithersburg for our Pastors College Preaching Conference. They heard from Jeff Purswell (dean of the Pastors College), Mike Bullmore (longtime homiletics professor at Trinity Evangelical Divinity School and now senior pastor of CrossWay Community Church in Bristol, Wisconsin) and myself. As expected, the pastors left the conference with a list of recommended books on this most important topic.

But pastors can be easily overwhelmed when they hear someone recommend numerous books on a topic. It can be hard to know where to begin.

Over the last few years, rather than just recommending books, I’ve begun recommending specific chapters of books. I do this for a number of reasons. Obviously, it’s easier for a pastor to read a chapter than an entire book. Reading one excellent chapter can create an appetite for the entire book. And some books contain helpful chapters but are not worth reading in their entirety.

Rather than recommending a small library of books on preaching, today we are featuring the five favorite chapters from each of the three speakers at the conference. I think this list will serve pastors and create realistic and achievable reading assignments on the important topic of preaching. Consider creating a reading plan for the next month developed around these chapters.

So here are the top five recommended chapters on preaching from Jeff Purswell, Mike Bullmore, and myself.

Jeff Purswell’s recommended chapters

1. “Why Preach?” by J.I. Packer. The Introduction to The Preacher and Preaching (P&R, 1986).

2. “Theological Foundations for Preaching” by John Stott. Chapter 3 in Between Two Worlds (Eerdmans, 1982).

3. “Preaching Christ from the Old Testament” by Ligon Duncan. Chapter 2 in Preaching the Cross (Crossway, 2007).

4. “The Gravity and Gladness of Preaching” by John Piper. Chapter 4 in The Supremacy of God in Preaching (Baker, 1990).

5. “Paul’s Theology of Preaching” by Dennis E. Johnson. Chapter 3 of Him We Proclaim (P&R, 2007).

Mike Bullmore’s recommended chapters

1. “A Redemptive Approach to Preaching” by Bryan Chapell. Chapter 10 in Christ-Centered Preaching (Baker, 2005).

2. “The Preacher” by Martyn Lloyd-Jones. Chapter 6 in Preaching and Preachers (Zondervan, 1971).

3. “The Goal of Preaching” by John Piper. Chapter 1 in The Supremacy of God in Preaching (Baker, 1990).

4. “The Blind Eye and Deaf Ear” by C.H. Spurgeon. Various chapters in editions of Lectures to my Students.

5. “The Minister’s Fainting Fits” by C.H. Spurgeon. Various chapters in editions of Lectures to my Students.

C.J. Mahaney’s recommended chapters

1. “Expository Preaching: Charles Simeon and Ourselves” by J.I. Packer. Chapter 9 in Preach the Word (Crossway: 2007)

2. “The Whole Man” by R.C. Sproul. Chapter 4 in The Preacher and Preaching (P&R, 1986).

3. “The Pattern of Illustrations” by Bryan Chapell. Chapter 7 in Christ-Centered Preaching (Baker, 2005).

4. “The Preparation of the Preacher” by Martyn Lloyd-Jones. Chapter 9 in Preaching and Preachers (Zondervan, 1971).

5. “Unction” by Tony Sargent. Chapter 3 in The Sacred Anointing: The Preaching of Dr. Martyn Lloyd-Jones (Crossway, 1994).

Normally, biographies are written about unusually gifted men. Edwards. Whitefield. Spurgeon. Calvin.

Biographers remind us of exceptional character, extraordinary gifting, and impressive intellects. And I'm grateful to God for these men and the effect of their example on my life.

But at times, reading these biographies is discouraging, rather than edifying, as we are reminded afresh about the difference between the great leaders in church history and our sorry selves. And though we benefit from the example of these men, most of us cannot relate to them because we’re aware of our average intelligence, average gifting, and our preaching is—not surprisingly—average as well. (Raise your hand if you’re working with that package!)

As I read their biographies I know I should be inspired, but at times I find myself increasingly discouraged (and let me be clear—this is because of my pride). Rather than filled with faith to charge into my day and prepare a sermon, care for God’s people, and preach, I feel a bit hopeless.

And while reading these biographies I also hope my church members never read these books because they could only compare me to this individual and that would prove unfavorable!

What’s a pastor to do? Here is one recommendation.

For pastors like myself with average gifts, Dr. Don Carson has given us a unique biography of the life and ministry of an ordinary pastor—his dad. It's titled, Memoirs of An Ordinary Pastor: The Life and Reflections of Tom Carson (Crossway, 2008).

If you are like me, this book will provide you with an invaluable reminder of what is most important to pastoral ministry—faithfulness.

This new book will provide you with a biblical perspective if you envy those pastoring large churches, if you find yourself disappointed with your church, discouraged about the apparent limited effectiveness of your preaching, and struggling to see the fruitfulness from your pastoring. I believe this book will give you a biblical perspective. It will give you hope and fresh joy in pastoral ministry.

For the pastor of a larger church, this book will direct your attention away from matters of secondary importance. It will point your heart away from a preoccupation with the numerical size of your church, and away from the temptation to pride and selfish ambition. It will direct your attention to the importance of persevering in faithfulness to the Savior as a pastor called to preach Christ and him crucified and care for those entrusted to you by the Savior.

And maybe (just maybe) your faithful pastoral ministry and average gifting are providing a compelling example for your son or grandson who will greatly exceed you in gifting and fruitfulness. Just like Tom Carson’s boy.

But most importantly, this book will provide us with an eternal perspective of pastoral ministry. And that eternal perspective will make all the difference in how you serve as a pastor today. Dr. Carson closes with these moving and memorable words.

When he died, there were no crowds outside the hospital, no editorial comments in the papers, no announcements on television, no mention in Parliament, no attention paid by the nation. In his hospital room there was no one by his bedside. There was only the quiet hiss of oxygen, vainly venting because he has stopped breathing and would never need it again.

But on the other side all the trumpets sounded. Dad won entrance to the only throne room that matters, not because he was a good man or a great man—he was, after all, a most ordinary pastor—but because he was a forgiven man. And he heard the voice of him whom he longed to hear saying, ‘Well done, good and faithful servant; enter into the joy of your Lord.’ (p. 148)

An Ordinary Pastor is a rare and precious gift from one of evangelicalism’s greatest scholars. How generous of Dr. Carson to bequeath his father’s quiet legacy to us all. May every pastor and Christian who reads this book aspire to pass on such an ‘ordinary’ legacy.

I am reformed and charismatic. I hold both a Reformed view of soteriology (the doctrines of grace) and a charismatic/continuationist position and practice.

For many this can be perplexing (I completely understand). For some this simply cannot be (I completely understand).

So I’m often approached by pastors who either were raised in the cessationist position or simply assume the cessationist position, and who desire to study the charismatic/continuationist position.

Yesterday, on the blog I answered the question I’m most frequently asked (on recommended cross-centered books). Today, here is the second most common question I’m asked:

“As a charismatic/continuationist, what books would you recommend on the person and work of the Holy Spirit?”

Whether you are a pastor or a Christian interested in studying this topic, here are the books I recommend for further consideration of what Scripture teaches. I’ll begin with a book for pastors, then provide a list of books for a general audience, and close with the two books I’ve most recently read on the topic.

(1) For pastors:

Showing the Spirit: A Theological Exposition of 1 Corinthians, 12-14 by D.A. Carson

If asked by a pastor where to begin a study of the charismatic/continuationist position, I would recommend this book. Be it favorable or unfavorable, often our thinking on these topics is shaped by personal experience. But we must always begin by examining Scripture.

Dr. Carson’s masterful exposition of 1 Corinthians 12–14 provides both theological discernment and wise counsel about the Spirit’s work, all grounded upon the text of Scripture. He is not advocating a position per se. He addresses charismatic and non-charismatic positions throughout and commends and corrects when appropriate. This book is simply a must-read for pastors that gets to the questions a pastor must grapple with as he leads a church in this direction.

I was struck in my most recent reading of my copy of this book (now worn to the point of detached pages). In the introduction, as Dr. Carson describes the contemporary scene in evangelicalism, I looked back and saw that this is copyright 1993. Now, 15 years later, I read this book and am immediately affected by the continuing relevance of this book.

For example, Carson writes,

When God graciously manifests himself in abnormal and even spectacular ways, the wisest step that the leaders participating in such a movement may take is to curb the excesses, focus attention on the center—on Christ, on loving discipleship, on self-sacrificing service and obedience, on God himself—and not on the phenomena themselves, and still less on a theology or course that attempts to institutionalize the phenomena. (p. 179)

How I wish I had been introduced to this book at the outset of my journey and charismatic experience! An early study of Showing the Spirit would have made a difference in my life. Too often in the charismatic movement, experiences are pursued and exalted but not carefully considered or evaluated from the clear teaching of Scripture. Those who criticized the experience were viewed skeptically.

Dr. Carson’s careful and thorough study of 1 Corinthians 12–14 will protect from error and excess. It will also preserve and promote a genuine understanding of the ongoing, broad work of the Holy Spirit in the life of a Christian and a local church.

Bottom line: Carson reflects upon Scripture and in doing so he provides theological discernment and wise direction. Highly recommended and especially for pastors.

(2) General List:

Here is a brief list of books I recommend for a pastor or or general Christian readers desiring a thorough study on the person and work of the Holy Spirit.

1.  The Holy Spirit and Spiritual Gifts by Max Turner
2.  Systematic Theology by Wayne Grudem (especially pages 1,016–1,090)
3.  Are Miraculous Gifts for Today? Four Views edited by Wayne Grudem
4.  Perspectives on Spirit Baptism: Five Views edited by Chad Owen Brand
5.  God’s Empowering Presence by Gordon Fee
6.  The Gift of Prophecy in the New Testament and Today by Wayne Grudem
7.  The Beginner’s Guide to Spiritual Gifts by Sam Storms.

(3) Most recently read:

Engaging with the Holy Spirit: Six Crucial Questions by Graham A. Cole

Though Graham Cole is not a familiar name at present to many, he is professor of biblical and systematic theology at Trinity Evangelical Divinity School (Deerfield, IL) and was previously the principal of Ridley College (University of Melbourne).

I recommend Engaging with the Holy Spirit for its content but I also enjoyed the overall structure of the book, too. I think pastors should consider the structure as a series of sermons to teach this topic to a church (not necessary all of these topics or in this order).

Here are the chapters:

1: What Is Blasphemy against the Holy Spirit?
2: How May We Resist the Holy Spirit?
3: Ought We to Pray to the Holy Spirit?
4: How Do We Quench the Holy Spirit?
5: How Do We Grieve the Holy Spirit?
6: How Does the Holy Spirit Fill Us?

This book helpfully addresses questions that pastors and other people have about the person and work of the Holy Spirit. Most helpful, Dr. Cole isolates a number of passages that at times people can find confusing or perplexing as to how these passages apply to their daily life and their present, immediate experience of the Holy Spirit and relationship to the Holy Spirit.

He Who Gives Life: The Doctrine of the Holy Spirit by Graham A. Cole

Another title from Dr. Cole I recently completed. And I really liked this book.

Though I don’t think he is a charismatic/continuationist, I really appreciated his tone and attitude. I found Dr. Cole to be not only careful in his treatment of Scripture, but humble and gracious as well.

He carefully balances his approach toward those in the charismatic/continuationist position—both appropriately commending and at times appropriately critiquing:

Positively speaking, great expectations of God is a defining characteristic of the charismatic movement in mainline churches and of Pentecostal and Third Wave churches. In the light of this, the open but discerning position means a certain generosity toward those who are enthusiastic for Christ and who believe in a living God who acts in history today, but whose theological skill in articulating the nature of their experiences, ministries, and gifting may be lacking. For example, someone may speak of how the Holy Spirit has given them the gift of prophecy, whereas to my mind when I hear them speak, it sees more like an expression of Christian wisdom. Genuine gifts from God and experiences of the Lord may simply be misdescribed. It is all too easy to dismiss the experience rather than to explain the way of the Lord more accurately as Priscilla and Aquila did with Apollos (Acts 18:26). (pp. 257–258)

I love the humility present here. He is arguing for “a certain generosity toward those who are enthusiastic for Christ and who believe in a living God who acts in history today.” I think this is a man who has humbly observed and interacted with charismatics/continuationists, and he does not doubt either the genuineness of their conversion or the genuineness of their ongoing relationship with and experience of the Holy Spirit.

He does carry a concern—and I think appropriately—that theological skill may be lacking or appears to be lacking at times, in articulating the nature of experiences, ministries, and gifting.

If I were interacting with the author, he would likely disagree with my positions on the gifts of the Holy Spirit, but he wouldn’t dismiss either my position or my experiences. That attitude and approach is present throughout this work and has made me a fan of Dr. Cole.

And I appreciate his discernment. Later in the book he writes a section on “Discerning the Spirit” (pp. 273–276). He opens this subsection by writing, “Discerning what is a genuine work of God’s Spirit in today’s world is a tricky matter.” He then sets out three criteria for discernment: (1) the scriptural test, (2) the Christological test, and (3) the moral test. Within the Christological test, Dr. Cole writes,

He [the Holy Spirit] has not come, as we have seen in previous chapters, to thematize himself but Christ (John 14–16). Christology is at the center, not pneumatology.

A great Christian leader of an earlier century, Bishop J.C. Ryle, suggested that the gospel may be spoiled in a number of ways.…We can spoil the gospel when the NT sense of proportion is lost and pneumatology becomes our primary emphasis rather than Christology. The idea in some charismatic circles, for example, that “the major compass point for moving ahead in active ministry” is not “the cross” but “charisma” is extremely troubling. (pp. 274–275)

I recall reading this thinking, “Dr. Cole, you are more kind and generous and patient than I am.” I find that final phrase, “is extremely troubling,” to be very tactful. Had I been interacting with the author as he fashioned and finished this sentence, I would have said, “It’s not only troubling, but bogus and emphatically unacceptable.” But I admire Cole for his gentleness and humility. I hope one day to be like him.

Cole concludes the book with these excellent words,

The magnificence of the Spirit lies in this self-effacement or divine selflessness. For this reason believers are rightly called “Christians” not “Pneumians.” (p. 284)

I come away from this book with a fresh awareness of the present, active, broad work of the Holy Spirit.

Conclusion

After reading all the books I’ve recommend (or even some of the books—or even just one of the books!), I believe your awareness of the person and work of the Holy Spirit and your response to the Holy Spirit will more closely align with the teaching of Scripture for your joy, the edification of the church, and the glory of God.

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[PS: Tomorrow (Sat.) C.J. addresses the third most common question. The answer includes some Super Bowl predictions. Stay tuned!]