Jim Hamilton's Challenge for Seminary Grads

Jim Hamilton writes, "This is a list of books that I think a person who is theologically educated should have read or be planning to read."

Then he drops the bomb: the Bible, of course, from front to back, including the entire New Testament in Greek and a substantial cross-section of the Old Testament in Hebrew. But wait, there's more! Let's throw in some, no, ALL of the Dead Sea Scrolls, 1 Enoch, and the Apocrypha. Act now and we'll throw in the Apostolic Fathers, Eusebius' Ecclesiastical History, and many, many more!

All joking aside, this is a significant and challenging list! Furthermore, Hamilton qualifies this list by saying that he did not succeed in meeting this challenge before he graduated with his Ph.D. He further clarifies his reasons for this difficult reading list in a comment later:

"I think it is healthy and wise to read primary sources. . . . I think that if more evangelical pastors and ministers read more primary sources, we would be less captive to the spirit of the age."

Well, I hope one day that I can claim for myself that I have accomplished this task, but with my Hebrew feeling as rusty as the hinge on my barn door, I'm not holding my breath.

Challenged...

Todd

Challies' Tips on Reading

Tim Challies gives us 10 Tips to Read More and Read Better. As a seminary student, I particularly appreciate the advice to Read Light Books, since it seems I spend all my time reading "heavy books" that drain me. It is quite refreshing to read a novel that doesn't require the regular mental discipline other books demand.

Looking forward to reading a novel during Christmas break,

Todd

Recommended Reading

Several weeks, OK, months ago, I sent out some emails to a few of my professors asking them to list the books that were most influential in their lives. I am going to try to consolidate the list into a single reference, and I will try to indicate who recommended each book. Here goes:

Books Recommended by More Than One Professor

• A Theology of the New Testament by George Eldon Ladd and Donald A. Hagner (Schreiner, Ware)
• Desiring God by John Piper (Ware, Haykin)
• Knowing God by J. I. Packer (Allison, Ware)
• Life Together by Dietrich Bonhoeffer (Allison, Haykin)
• Martin Luther's Basic Theological Writings edited by Timothy Lull (Allison, Plummer)

Everything Else

• A Call to Spiritual Reformation by D. A. Carson (Plummer)
• The Apostolic Fathers (Allison)
• Baptists and the Bible by Tom Nettles and Russ Bush (Moore)
• Body, Soul, and Life Everlasting by John W. Cooper (Allison)
• The Book of Common Prayer by Thomas Cranmer (Haykin)
• The Christian Tradition: Volume 1, 2, 3, 4, 5 by Jaroslav Pelikan (Allison)
• The Confessions: St. Augustine (Haykin)
• The Confession of St. Patrick (Haykin)
• Creeds of Christendom by Phillip Schaff (Allison)
• The Cross of Christ by John Stott (Ware)
• Dialogue with Trypho the Jew by Justin Martyr (Moore)
• Exegetical Fallacies by D. A. Carson (Plummer)
• The Existence and Attributes of God by Stephen Charnock (Allison)
• George Muller of Bristol: His Life of Prayer and Faith by A. T. Pierson (Ware)
• The Gospel and the Kingdom by George Eldon Ladd (Moore)
• Here I Stand: A Life of Martin Luther by Roland H. Bainton (Ware)
• Hudson Taylor by Howard Taylor (Ware)
• The Hymns and Letters of Ann Griffiths (Haykin)
• The Hymns of Charles Wesley (Haykin)
• Inspiration and Authority of the Bible by B. B. Warfield (Allison)
• Institutes of the Christian Religion by John Calvin (Allison)
• The Knowledge of the Holy by A. W. Tozer (Ware)
• The Letter to Diognetus (Haykin)
• Letters by John Newton (Haykin)
• Life is a Miracle by Wendell Berry (Moore)
• Love in the Ruins by Walker Percy (Moore)
• The Memoirs of Samuel Pearce by Andrew Fuller (Haykin)
• Mere Christianity by C. S. Lewis (Plummer)
• The Olney Hymns by John Newton and William Cowper (Haykin)
• On the Apostolic Preaching by Irenaeus (Moore)
• On the Mortification of Sin in Believers by John Owen (Haykin)
• On Religious Affections by Jonathan Edwards (Haykin)
• On Spiritual Friendship by Ailred of Rievaulx (Haykin)
• The Person & Work of Christ by B. B. Warfield (Allison)
• Perspectives Old and New on Paul: The "Lutheran" Paul and His Critics by Stephen Westerholm (Schreiner)
• The Pilgrim's Progress by John Bunyan (Allison)
• The Pleasures of God by John Piper (Ware)
• Post-Reformation Reformed Dogmatics by Richard A. Muller (Allison)
• The Problem of Pain by C. S. Lewis (Moore)
• Seeing and Savoring Jesus Christ by John Piper (Ware)
• Systematic Theology by Wayne Grudem (Allison)
• Toward a Theology of the Body by Mary Timothy Prokes (Allison)
• Uneasy Conscience of Modern Fundamentalism by Carl F. H. Henry (Moore)
• The Weight of Glory by C. S. Lewis (Haykin)

Dr. Schreiner recommended any book from John Piper, D. A. Carson, J. I. Packer, John Calvin, Jonathan Edwards, Augustine (especially against Pelagius), Martin Luther, and Martin Lloyd Jones (despite his occasional charismatic tendencies). In addition, Dr. Sills pointed me to his web site for a list of his recommended books that he compiled at one time from Southern Seminary professors.

Thanks to Gregg Allison, Michael Haykin, Russell Moore, Rob Plummer, Tom Schreiner, David Sills, and Bruce Ware.

Most Influential Books - John Piper

Here is Piper's personal list of the books (and authors) that most influenced his life. Bet you can't guess which one is first! ;-)

Todd

Book Recommendations from DesiringGod.org

I recently found a list of recommended books at the Desiring God website including books on the following topics:

• General, Historical, and Systematic Theology
• Attributes of God
• The Trinity
• The Person of Christ
• Providence and Predestination
• Diving Sovereignty and Human Responsibility
• Open Theism
• Doctrine of Scripture
• Doctrine of Humanity and Sin
• Law and Gospel
• The Life of the Mind
• Preaching
• Apologetics
• Biographies
• Biblical Studies
• History
• Counseling
• Children
• Youth
• Parenting
• Marriage
• Literature
• and lots more!!!

I think a good strategy for personal growth might be to pick one of these topics, purchase and read all the books in the category, then move to another category. Some categories might be more valuable than others to begin with (particularly, we might start with the category on "Reading"). What a great education we could receive from reading these books, not to mention the great library we would treasure when we finish!

Todd

"Most Influential Books" -- Russell Moore

Recently I had the opportunity to communicate with Russell Moore, Dean of the School of Theology at The Southern Baptist Theological Seminary, executive director of the Carl F. H. Henry Institute, and a former professor:

Me: "Dr. Moore, what books would you consider most influential in your life?"

Dr. Moore:

• Irenaeus, On the Apostolic Preaching
• Justin Martyr, Dialogue with Trypho the Jew
• C.S. Lewis, The Problem of Pain
• Tom Nettles and Russ Bush, Baptists and the Bible
• George Eldon Ladd, The Gospel and the Kingdom
• Carl F.H. Henry, Uneasy Conscience of Modern Fundamentalism
• Walker Percy, Love in the Ruins
• Wendell Berry, Life is a Miracle

Thank you Dr. Moore; we look forward to reading these!

"Top Ten Great Christian Biographies"

I recently posted the book list Dr. Michael Haykin sent me in response to my question, "Which books have been most influential in your life?" Dr. Mohler has recently posted ten of the top great Christian Biographies on his blog, including biographies on the lives of Augustine, Luther, Calvin, and Lloyd-Jones.

In addition, I recently received book recommendations from several of my professors, and I plan to post these soon.

Looks like it's time to get reading...

Todd

Book Recommendations by Dr. Michael A. G. Haykin

I recently requested a list of books from my current professor of Personal Spiritual Disciplines, and he provided me the following list:

15 Key Books in Christian Spirituality
(arranged chronologically)

• The Letter to Diognetus
• Augustine's Confessions
• Confession of St. Patrick
• On Spiritual Friendship by Ailred of Rievaulx
• The Book of Common Prayer by Thomas Cranmer
• On the Mortification of Sin in Believers by John Owen
• On Religious Affections by Jonathon Edwards
• The Hymns of Charles Wesley
• The Olney Hymns by John Newton and William Cowper
• Letters by John Newton
• The Hymns and Letters of Ann Griffiths
• The Memoirs of Samuel Pearce by Andrew Fuller
• Life Together by Dietrich Bonhoeffer
• The Weight of Glory by C. S. Lewis
• Desiring God by John Piper