Karl's Reading List

Published by Multnomah Publishers: Oregon, 2000. This little book was very popular in Christian circles when it first came out, and I remember hearing about it, but I'm not sure whether I read it or not. It doesn't really matter if I did read it; it was so influential that I got the gist of what it was about anyway! The titular prayer is found in 1 Chronicles 4:9-10, where 'Jabez' makes his only appearance in the Bible, in the midst of a long genealogy. Wilkinson stresses: "Something about this man Jabez had caused the historian to pause in middrone, clear his throat, and switch tactics. "Ah, wait a minute!" he seems to interjet. "You just gotta know something about this guy named Jabez. He stands head and shoulders above the rest!"" (page 14) After repeating the two verses to us that contain all of Jabez' life, Wilkinson then uses the rest of the book to break the prayer into chunks and talk about why he thinks it is so effective. For ...

Published by Tyndall Momentum/Tyndale House Publishers, Inc.: Carol Stream, Illinois, 2017. Devotionals, to paraphrase Forrest Gump, are like a box of chocolates. Sometimes you get one that is super sweet and a bit sickly. Sometimes you get one that takes a bit of chewing to get through. And depending on your taste, you can sometimes find one that ticks all the right boxes , really satisfying your palate. Often, a single devotional will have days in it that get the flavour combination better than others, days that really speak to your soul (as only the best chocolate can), while others ever-so-slightly miss the mark.  Yet, a good quality box of chocolates will still be strong even when you find those slightly 'lesser' flavours. You can still appreciate the quality, flavour and craftsmanship that went into that coconut rough, and you eat it happily, knowing that tomorrow you'll get that salted caramel you were secretly hoping for. On the other hand, sometimes you get an expe...

Published by Tyndale House Publishers, Inc.: Carol Stream, Illinois, 2008. For my birthday last year I was given this devotional, by an author I had never heard of, and started reading it sometime later in September. I have quite a hit-and-miss record with devotionals; they are often a bit glib or cliche for me and I struggle to stick with them. This devotional, however, quickly appealed to me and although I'm not sure exactly what day I started reading it last year, I know I have now read every entry in it. What I like about this devotional is that it is quite ready to dig into deeper theology, occasionally even into commentary! An example of a good challenge (from only the second day of the year!): "Many believers get caught up in getting the most out of their salvation. Few move on to giving the most out of their salvation. But those who do will realize one of the many paradoxes of the Kingdom: Giving it all results in getting it all. A heart poured out in praise results in...

Published by The Moody Bible Institute of Chicago: United States of America, 1981 (1979). This book is actually a commentary of the book of Judges from the Old Testament, but is a far easier read than most similar books. This is because the author uses a variety of preaching techniques, including parables and illustrations... I do wonder if this actually started out as a series of sermons... Judges is not an easy book to interpret. Firstly, it is narrative, meaning that it needs to firstly read as history, but it is also Scripture, meaning that there are lessons or spiritual truths that can be gleaned from throughout. Inrig does a good job of acknowledging both aspects - highlighting the story and looking for the life lessons, some of which are emphasised by the illustrations he chooses to include. In doing so, he is able to go beyond simply commenting on the book of Judges itself, and instead give thought provokers that the Christian reader can apply outside of that context. An exampl...

Published by Regal/Gospel Light Worldwide: Venture, California, 2010. Compiled and edited by James L Snyder. Elise and I found this book in a second-hand store in Motueka a few months ago. At the time, what caught my eye was that it was written by AW Tozer, a Christian author who has written some very well-known and challenging books, including The Pursuit of God . After buying it, I noticed that this book was a collection of sermons that Tozer did based on the book of Hebrews - very timely, as I am currently preaching my way through that book. Tozer was a preacher who was not afraid to voice the unpopular opinion when it meant being faithful to God, and this is a huge part of Experiencing the Presence. Despite having died in 1963, much of what Tozer says still resonates with the way the world, and indeed the Christian Church, operates today, remaining pointed and challenging. For example, Tozer states: "The present generation of Christians has suffered what I call the lost concep...

Published by Baker Academic: Grand Rapids, Michigan, 2004. This is a great book, one that I first read as part of my theological training. Bartholomew and Goheen take the Bible as a whole and divide it into six "acts", namely: 1) God Establishes His Kingdom: Creation, 2) Rebellion in the Kingdom: Fall, 3) The King Chooses Israel: Redemption Initiated, 4) The Coming of the King: Redemption Accomplished, 5) Spreading the New of the King: The Mission of the Church, 6) The Return of the King: Redemption Completed. By dividing the Bible thusly, they are able to focus on the 'overarching' story of the Bible, something that is important because "If we allow the Bible to become fragmented, it is in danger of being absorbed into whatever other story is shaping our culture, and it will thus cease to shape our lives as it should."  (page 12) The Bible is really the story of God and how He connects with His chosen creation, and Drama of Scripture helps to remind us of t...

The end of 2021 marks the end of 5 years of book-list keeping. The aim of keeping these lists in the first place was the hope that it would inspire me to read more. Each of the years I have kept this list I have ended up reading more books than the previous year, so I guess it has been successful! In fact, in 2021 I have read so many books that I think I'll have to reign myself back in a bit next year, slow down a bit (although I have said that before). At the start of last year I decided to start reviewing the books I was reading (I had already been doing so with the Booker books before that). The aim of this element was to inspire me to write more, something I've been telling myself that I want to do since I was a child. And, although this has been a slower process than getting back into reading, I am also seeing growth in that area. Some day maybe I'll have something I can show for my efforts there too. Anyway, with this fifth year of reading lists drawing to a close, ...

Published by The Banner of Truth Trust: Edinburgh, 1974 (1970). Looking for another commentary after finishing Barclay's one on Hebrews , I found this work by a quite famous preacher, but one I had never read or heard before. As the title suggests, yes, this is a whole book that covers just under one chapter of Scripture, and it is very good. Lloyd-Jones apparently took 12 years to preach his way through Romans, and there are 14 volumes in this series, with this being the first chronologically released. Covering such a short section of Scripture allows Lloyd-Jones to dive quite deeply in, and also to focus strongly on particular themes. So, as the title also gives away, this book is a lot about the concepts of atonement and justification: that Christ's work on the cross is necessary to pay the price for my sins, and that it is entirely the work of God that makes us righteous in His sight, rather than any work or effort on our parts. It is such a good challenge to be reminded of...

Published by The Saint Andrew Press: Edinburgh, 1972 (1955). Last year I read Barclay's commentary on the Letters of James and Peter , and enjoyed the insights gained so much that this year I decided to read another of his commentaries. I had been getting a bit out of the Letter to the Hebrews, so chose that as my second commentary to read cover to cover. I started on the 22nd of April, and have recently reached the end.  As with any commentary (or in fact, any theological work at all ) there is no requirement that a reader needs to agree with every conclusion of the author, and I found that to be the case here. I really enjoy Barclay's insights, but particularly in the 'faith' chapter (Hebrews 11) I also found him to be a little too focused on the mythological elements of figures I read as historical from early parts of the Bible. When speaking of Cain and Abel, for example, Barclay states that:  "The earliest legend [added to the story by Jewish writers] tells ho...

Published by The Saint Andrew Press: Edinburgh, 1973 (1958). As someone who has studied theology and preaches on occasion, I have often read commentaries for their insights and research, particularly those of William Barclay (as I received a full set of New Testament commentaries from my spiritual mentor when he retired). However, this list has a few self-imposed rules that I follow, one of which is that only books that I read the entirety of will end up on it. And generally with commentaries I will read sections for reference rather than starting at the start and reading the whole way through. This felt a little unfair however, as there are some commentaries and commentators (like Barclay) that I really enjoy, and I would love to acknowledge having read them. So, the last time I fished a commentary out for a study I decided I would read the whole thing. And that commentary was The Letters of James and Peter. Now having read a commentary cover to cover, I recommend the expe...