Manly Libraries and Studies

My favorite room to investigate when I visit someone’s home is their library and/or study (provided I’m allowed to do so without being too nosey). I find that such a room says so much about a person. My little makeshift study in my home is my favorite room in the house (though it is occasionally hijacked and turned into the laundry room or the Food Network viewing room).  I’ve also written here about John Baillie’s study. What an amazing place of peace, intimacy with God, study, fellowship and ministry it must have been.

As providence would have it, I was considering just last week sharing that post once again as part of a larger post on various libraries and studies throughout history, but I never quite got off the ground with it. Well, the good folks at The Art of Manliness have put together an impressive list of The Libraries, Studies, and Writing Rooms of 15 Famous Men. They did all the work for me (and far exceeded anything I would have done). You really must check it out!

And while you’re coveting your neighbor’s library and study, take a look at this list of 14 Famous “Man Rooms,” also put together by The Art of Manliness. And finally, please check out this great post on A Man’s Library by Douglas Wilson at Vision Forum. (Excuse me while I wipe the drool off my keyboard.)

Here’s to dreaming dreams and to reading good books.
The Lord bless you,
Dale

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Jesus, Salvation, and Hell (Bibliography)

You’ve heard the questions… maybe even asked the questions. At the very least you’ve thought about them…

• Do you have to believe in Jesus Christ to be saved?
• What about those who’ve never heard of Jesus… that innocent native in Africa?
• Is there salvation outside of the Christian faith?
• Do people really go to hell?
• Etc., etc., etc.

These are tough questions and they’re asked all the time. In fact, on the Board of Ordained Ministry here in Florida, we ask a similar question or two in hopes of getting our candidates to wrestle with such things. Certainly, they’ll be asked these kinds of questions in the churches they serve.

Below is a helpful bibliography to serve you in addressing these topics. To be sure, such questions require more thought and time than is usually offered on a television talk show. Perhaps a few of the books below will help inform you for your own edification as well as equip you to share what you learn with others.

Happy Reading,
Dale

• Eternity in Their Hearts by Don Richardson
• Foolishness to the Greeks by Lesslie Newbigin
• The Gospel in a Pluralist Society by Lesslie Newbegin
• The Apostolic Imperative by Carl Braaten
• Hell: The Logic of Damnation by Jerry Walls
• Universalism and the Doctrine of Hell, edited by Nigel M. de S. Cameron
• Sense and Nonsense About Heaven and Hell by Ken Boa and Robert Bowman
• Hell Under Fire, edited by Christopher Morgan and Robert Peterson
• Christian Faith & Other Faiths by Stephen Neill
• Salvation Tomorrow by Stephen Neill
• The Problem of Pluralism by Jerry Walls
• What About Those Who Have Never Hard? Three Views, edited by John Sanders
• Four Views on Salvation in a Pluralistic World, edited by Dennis Okholm and Timothy Phillips
• Truth in Religion by Mortimer Adler
• The Supremacy of Christ by Ajith Fernando
• Through No Fault of Their Own? edited by William Crockett and James Sigountos
• How Shall They Be Saved? by Millard Erickson
• Who Will Be Saved? edited by Paul House and Gregory Thornbury
• The Other Side of the Good News by Larry Dixon
• The Population of Heaven by Ramesh Richard
• One God, One Lord, edited by Andrew Clarke and Bruce Winter
• No Other Gospel! by Carl Braaten
• Christ Among Other gods by Erwin Lutzer
• Is Jesus the Only Savior? by Ronald Nash
• Is Jesus the Only Savior? by James Edwards
• Jesus Among Other Gods by Ravi Zacharias
• The Supremacy of Jesus by Stephen Neill
• Dissonant Voices by Harold Netland
• Encountering Religious Pluralism by Harold Netland
• Jesus Under Fire, edited by Michael Wilkins and J.P. Moreland
• Truth to Tell: The Gospel as Public Truth by Lesslie Newbigin

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Do You Read Much?

I’m a bit of a late bloomer. I’m convinced that it was God’s grace moving in and through my call to ordained ministry that empowered and encouraged me to become someone who enjoys reading. Prior to that… all the way through college (to my parent’s horror) I seldom picked up a book (my grades reflected this fact).

Yet, even in college, when I was interested in something, such as politics, I would actually pick up a book and read it. It was after I graduated from college that I found myself reading books, mostly on theology. It was partly through reading that God ignited my heart and mind for him and for ministry. I’ve been a fairly active and consistent reader ever since.

However, to my frustration, there are just too many good books worth reading and not nearly enough time. Therefore, the discernment process is key… which  books to read and when. This process is a work in progress for me.

One thing has been very helpful is reading book summaries and reviews. I once heard Os Guinness say that we can’t possibly read everything we want to, so why not benefit from others who have read and summarized (and even evaluated) some of the same books that you have been meaning to read, but just haven’t gotten around to yet. If the summary of the book really excites you, you can always buy the book for yourself.

There’s a very helpful post today at Church Relevance on this point. I recommend that you read it as well.

Here are a few Book Summary providers that I’ve come across. Two of them I have already subscribed to. A couple of others I’m considering. If you have other recommendations, I’d love to hear from you.

• Christian Book Summaries - This is a free service. They have a great collection of Christian books on a wide variety of topics.
• Success Book Summaries - I have also subscribed to this. It comes in both audio and print. They cover books on leadership, personal development, business, etc.
• Leaders Book Summaries - This is one that I’m about ready to pull the trigger on. It looks great. The Church Relevance blog specifically mentioned this one in today’s post.
• Business Book Summaries Reviews is a website that reviews other “book summary” websites. They have a great list of other good services with their respective strengths and weaknesses.

Again, let me hear from you if you have some other good suggestions. I’m always looking for ways to read more (as well as to remember what I read).

Happy Reading,
Dale

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Man Alive Countdown… New Book by Pat Morley

NEW from Man in the Mirror…

by Pat Morley

Men, my new book MAN ALIVE comes out on January 17. I would like to enlist your help to get the word out.

90% of Christian men lead lukewarm, often defeated lives — and they hate it. But it doesn’t have to be that way. MAN ALIVE will show men how to harness the raw energy they feel into a powerful spiritual life.

But how do we engage these men? We need to put a little bait on the hook.

So we’ve produced a heart-pumping, 75-second video trailer that you can view at www.ManAliveBook.com. (Yes, I’m the driver.) (See video below)

The plan is to get as many people as possible to watch the video trailer to create awareness for the book and its message.

Would you please share the trailer with your friends? Here are some ways you can help get the word out:

Twitter:
Copy and paste to Twitter:
Check out this heart-pumping video trailer for Pat Morley’s new book MAN ALIVE at www.ManAliveBook.com.

Facebook:
Copy and paste to Facebook:
Share trailer w/ your friends via Facebook, Twitter, blog, or email list. Let him know at manalive@maninthemirror.org. He’ll enter you for daily drawings. Each daily winner will receive a signed MAN ALIVE, DVD Study Resource, & 10 “Becoming a Man Alive” booklets — a $60 value. Enter once, eligible every day through January 17.

Email: Forward this email to your friends.

Bloggers:
If you want to review the book, email me at manalive@maninthemirror.org and I’ll send you an Advanced Reading Copy.

#453 © 2011. Patrick Morley. All rights reserved. This article may be reproduced for non-commercial ministry purposes with proper attribution.

Thanks in advance for your interest and help,

Pat Morley

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The Sermon on the Mount: The Message of the Kingdom

Kent Hughes has done a wonderful job putting together the Preaching the Word commentary series. It combines the best of expository, devotional, and proclamatory emphases. This particular commentary on Jesus’ Sermon on the Mount is simply outstanding. I highly recommend it.

Here’s a description…

Within the three chapters of Matthew known as the Sermon on the Mount are truths so rich and deep that no matter how often or how closely we examine their words, they continually bring new relevance to our lives. Do you want to know what kind of character you should have as a Christian? What should define your outer way of life and your inner habit of mind? Then study the Sermon. Ponder each sentence and test yourself by it.

Click here to learn more about it or to order it.

Happy Reading,
Dale

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Bibliography

As a pastor, I’m often asked to recommend books on a variety of topics related to the Christian faith. Since I think our faith touches every sphere of life, that’s a great deal of ground to cover. Therefore, I thought it might be a helpful exercise to add this bibliographic page to my blog that includes a few of the books that I pull off the shelf when I want to study a particular subject.

I’m not going to include a great deal of explanation for each choice, but I will make sure to link each selection so that you can learn more about the book for yourself… thus helping you decide if it’s for you. However, suffice it to say, if I include it, it’s a “go to” book for me (i.e., I recommend it).

PS – The page for this bibliography is listed at the top of the blog, below the header.

Happy Reading,
Dale

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Systematic Theology by Thomas Oden

One of the things that I love about Oden is that not only is he biblical, but that he doesn’t write as though he is the first (or only) person to have ever read the Bible. He draws (very thoroughly) from Christian history, especially the early Church. He understands what it means to read the Bible in community.

His three volume set on systematic theology is arranged in a Trinitarian fashion: Book 1: The Living God, Book 2: The Word of Life, and Book 3: Life in the Spirit. It’s not necessarily an easy read, but it is thorough and comes from a deep and abiding faith.

Oden is a United Methodist, but in this work his emphasis is focused more on what all (or at least “most”) Christians can and should agree on if we would call ourselves Christian.

Here’s a description of the series from Christianbook.com…

Covering the nature of God, the person of Christ, and the work of the Holy Spirit, Oden’s masterful study emphasizes the ecumenical common ground of theological doctrine. Faithful to biblical teaching and classical tradition, his direct, provocative approach articulates the concerns of pastors, teachers, seminarians, and thoughtful laypersons. An indispensable reference at an irresistible price! 1561 pages total, three hardcovers from Hendrickson.

Click here to learn more about it  or to order it.

Happy Reading,
Dale

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