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Useful Books about Ministry and Practical Theology
The Christian world seems to be full of good practical theology books today because they are by far the easiest books to get published. The following is only a small sample of the kinds of books that are available. Really useful academic books appear far less often than valuable practical books. WORSHIP Corduan, Winfried. Mysticism: An Evangelical Option? Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan, 1991. This is a good study of mysticism in the Christian church. It centers on the ideas of how God's presence is experienced and what it means that Christ is within His people. Hill, Andrew E. Enter His Courts with Praise: Old Testament Worship for the New Testament Church. Grand Rapids, MI: Baker, 1993. This is a conservative study written at a college or masters level. It traces how the idea of worship developed through the Old Testament. It also looks at ways that the contemporary church can profit from that Old Testament tradition. Kaiser, Walter C. Jr. The Majesty of God in the Old Testament: A Guide for Preaching and Teaching. Grand Rapids, MI: Baker Academic, 2007. This is a conservative study written at a college or masters level. It traces the idea of God's majesty through the Old Testament. Morrice, William. Joy in the New Testament. Grand Rapids, MI: William B. Eerdmans, 1984. This is a conservative study written at a masters level. It studies the Bible's teaching about joy. CHURCH LIFE Mc Gavran, Donald. Understanding Church Growth. Grand Rapids, MI: William B. Eerdmans, 1970. This is now a classic about the factors that make a church grow. Moberg, David O. The Church as a Social Institution: The Sociology of American Religion. Grand Rapids, MI: Baker, 1984. This is a reprinting of a study from 1962. It is a rather long study of the sociology of the church (at least as the church was in the early 1960's). It is a classic, and it has been used as a required text in many Christian college and seminary courses. ETHICAL ISSUES Burgess, John P. In Whose Image: Faith, Science, and the New Genetics. Louisville, KY: Geneva, 1989. Burgess asks what man really is and the ethical implications of genetic studies. This is a conservative book written at a college level. DeYoung, James B. Homosexuality: Contemporary Claims Examined in Light of the Bible and Other Ancient Literature and Law. Grand Rapids, MI: Kregel, 2000. This is a fine conservative study of the problem of homosexuality in western culture. It places the gay life style in the broader context of the Bible and the ancient Near Eastern culture. Hertz, Karl H. Two Kingdoms and One World: A Sourcebook in Christian Social Ethics. Minneapolis, MN: Augsburg, 1976. While not necessarily a very conservative study, this book in useful and informative. It traces how the ideas of a spiritual and secular kingdom developed from Augustine to Luther. Then it discusses the implications of that distinction for the current culture wars. It is a masters or doctoral level study. Kingdon, Robert M. Adultery and Divorce in Calvin's Geneva. Cambridge, MA: Harvard University Press, 1995. While perhaps not a conservative study, this is a very helpful book. It discusses how the problems of adultery and divorce were treated in court cases in Calvin's Geneva. It is a doctoral level book. Murray, John. Principles of Conduct. Grand Rapids, MI: Wm. B. Eerdmans, 1957. This is a conservative study written at a college or masters level. Murray was one of the founding fathers of Westminster Seminary a generation ago. This book puts some of the more important ethical questions of life into a Biblical context. FAMILY LIFE Evans, Anthony T. Guiding Your Family in a Misguided Word. Colorado Springs, CO:1991. This book is put out by Focus on the Family. It is a general level book about the problems that families face today. Kageler, Len. Helping Your Teenager Cope with Peer Pressure. Loveland, CO: Family Tree, 1989. While this is written by a youth pastor, it is not presented as a Christian book as such. However, it is full of good advice. It is written at a general level. So it is useful for any parent. LaHaye, Tim. The Battle for the Family. Old Tappan, NJ: Fleming H. Revell, 1982. This is a conservative book written at a general or college level. It surveys the problems that families face today. Taylor, E. L. Hebden. The Reformational Understanding of Family and Marriage. Nutley, NJ: Craig Press, 1970. This is a conservative book written at a college or masters level. It is a brief academic study. It places the current attacks against the family within the broader historical context of the last 2000 years. White, John. Eros Defiled: the Christian & Sexual Sin. Downers Grove, IL: InterVarsity, 1978. This is a conservative book written at a general or college level. SPIRITUAL WARFARE Unger, Merrill F. Demons in the World Today. Wheaton, IL: Tyndale House, 1971. This is a discussion of the role that demons play in the modern world. Written in 1971, it was ahead of its time. Back then, few Christians in North America had direct experience with the demonic. Today, many of us have seen demon possession, and the power of the demonic has grown enormously in the modern world. The book is conservative, and it is written at a general or college level. Wise, Terry S. Fundamentals of Spiritual Warfare: A Believer's Guide to Overcoming the Enemy. Needham Heights, MA: Simon & Schuster Custom Publishing, 1996. PASTORAL CARE Adams, Jay E. Competent to Counsel. Phillipsburg, NJ: Presbyterian and Reformed, 1973. This is one of the early books put out by Jay Adams and his school of thought. Adams offers an approach to counseling that is based on biblical principles. It is conservative, and it is written at a masters level. Adams has many supporters and detractors today. Many pastors use his principles, while others worry about whether his supporters really understand the people to whom they try to minister. |
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Copyright © 2009 Dr. Rodger Dalman
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