A Few Good Books

Lately I've been staring at the books I've accumulated, thinking about which to keep and which to toss. Here are a few (in totally random order) that I'm definitely keeping and that I'd recommend to others:

The Book of Concord (Philip Melancthon, Martin Luther, Martin Chemnitz, and posse)
I received this as a Christmas gift from my mom in 2006. Fast-forward almost five years, and I’m now a Lutheran seminary student moving toward ordination to Word and sacrament ministry. Influential? Maybe a little. In addition to the change that this book has had on my life’s direction, it has deeply formed how I understand the Christian message. I’m convinced that it’s the best explication of what it means to worship God “in spirit and truth” (John 4:23) and for that reason I still read my Book of Concord daily. Yes, daily. My favorite parts: the Apology of the Augsburg Confession, the Large Catechism, and the Solid Declaration of the Formula of Concord.

Mere Christianity (C.S. Lewis)
I first came across C.S. Lewis after my freshman year of college, at a point when I was struggling to understand how my new life as a Christian could square with what I learned at a large, secular university. This book helped keep me in the faith, and the subsequent C.S. Lewis books that I read have formed the foundation of how I understand Christianity. (I’ve listed Mere Christianity rather than the many other books by Lewis that I love, simply because it was the first I read.) Lewis offers good, easy-to-follow reasoning to explain what Christianity means and how the Christian message stands up to secular criticism. In addition to being intellectually persuasive, his writings are deeply edifying to the soul. I’m very grateful for Lewis’ writings and, should I attain to the fullness of the Kingdom, I hope to thank him personally.

Epistle to the Romans (Karl Barth)
I first read this book during the summer before I entered seminary. It effectively removed any notion I had that “human having, doing, and being” (Barth’s own phrase) could be equated with the Kingdom of God. Thus, Barth has helped protect me from liberal Protestantism’s slide into mere worldliness. This book also has kept me from putting my hope in the things that I have and do in life. Such things, insofar as I put my hope in them, simply become another Tower of Babel. I'm thankful to Barth for this reminder. On a final note, re-reading this book kept me from atheism at a time when my faith was very much shaken by the writings of Friedrich Nietzsche and Ludwig Feuerbach. Epistle to the Romans is heavy reading, but well-worth the effort.

City of God (St. Augustine)
Although my first encounter with Augustine was via Confessions, City of God has had a greater impact on my thought. This is an enormous book, so I’ll note just one thing that really stuck with me. There’s a section in City of God in which Augustine goes through most of the Old Testament and identifies Jesus Christ in it. Most of my seminary professors don't like the fact that Jesus calls the Old Testament Scriptures “they that testify on my behalf.” (John 5:39) Thankfully, Augustine stepped in as my teacher so that I could learn to see Jesus throughout the Old Testament. (Example from City of God: At Abraham’s near-sacrifice of Isaac, the ram with its horns caught in the thicket prefigures Jesus Christ with the crown of thorns.) Ultimately, Augustine’s intent in this book is to demonstrate the categorical difference between the passing vanities of the “City of Man” and the eternal truth and blessedness of the “City of God”. Above I said that this book is enormous. That’s true, but perhaps “monumental” is more accurate.

The Brothers Karamazov (Fyodor Dostoevsky)
The only work of fiction I’ve listed, this book changed the way I think about the Church and her message. One thing in particular worth noting is the chapter on the Grand Inquisitor. To briefly summarize, the Church (via its head, the “Grand Inquisitor”) tells Jesus at his second-coming that he’s no longer needed. Referring to Jesus’ refusal to turn stones into bread, the Inquisitor tells Jesus, “Feed men, and then ask of them virtue!” I’m reminded of this whenever the Church tries to make her message fundamentally about bread and world-improvement. Also worth noting are the arguments of Ivan Karamazov against all attempts at theodicy. I have no answer to Ivan’s arguments, and I think the Church herself is dishonest when she tries to justify the existence of evil (especially by saying "it's God's will"). Thanks to The Brothers Karamazov, I’m convinced that the Christian faith is trust in God’s promise, even and especially when the evidence indicates that God’s will has been thwarted.

Jesus of Nazareth, Part I: From the Baptism in the Jordan to the Transfiguration; Part II: Holy Week (Pope Benedict XVI)
I read the first volume the year before I started seminary, and the second this past February. In addition to City of God, Jesus of Nazareth has been my teacher in how to interpret Scripture theologically (that is, with the eyes of faith and in obedience to the apostolic Church). What’s notable about Benedict is his ability to use historical critical methods while remaining committed to the historic Christian faith. The historical critical method can be a good tool in the effort to understand Scripture, but on its own it’s insufficient for answering the primary question of exegesis: What does this mean? Benedict is eager to use historical criticism, but he doesn’t stop there. He uses its findings in order to reflect more deeply on what the Gospel of Jesus Christ means for us. Even for those who have no interest in methods of biblical interpretation, Jesus of Nazareth is a great read. Benedict calls it his “personal search for the face of the Lord.” Readers of the book are blessed with the opportunity to join the Pope in this search.

Works of Love (Soren Kierkegaard)
I went through a Kierkegaard phase after college and read just about everything he wrote. This one in particular has stuck with me as his most edifying work. The book attends closely to 1 Corinthians 13 and the nature of Christian love. What I remember best is Kierkegaard’s insistence that there is no work or thing a man can do that can be definitively identified as Christian love. This goes along with 1 Corinthians 13:3: “If I give all I possess to the poor and give over my body to hardship that I may boast, but do not have love, I gain nothing.” Wait a second…giving one’s possessions to the poor and giving one’s body over to hardship, aren’t these - in and of themselves - love? Nope. Works of Love etched in my mind what 1 Corinthians 13 had said already: There is no program for love.

Systematic Theology, Vol. 1: The Triune God; Vol. 2: The Works of God (Robert Jenson)
Jenson’s writing style is terse and I’ve heard some call him arrogant. Nevertheless, this two volume work remains the best systematic theology I’ve read. Jenson’s terseness has changed the way I think, emphasizing the power and importance of choosing the right words. Also, these books are in continual conversation with both (1) the apostolic Christian faith and (2) the various challenges presented to it over the course of its history. Jenson has a remarkable grasp of the history of human thought in general and Christian thought in particular. Moreover, this systematic theology uncovers new dimensions to human/Christian thought. On a final note, this is a very creative work of theological reflection. Perhaps the part I remember most is Jenson’s description of God as “a great fugue.” Why a fugue? Jenson: “There is nothing so capacious as a fugue.”

Prayer (Hans Urs Von Balthasar)
I’m a poor pray-er. Von Balthasar’s book has helped. Reading it convinced me that the entire Christian life is one long prayer of “thy will be done” to our Father in Heaven. In other words, this book doesn’t shirk form Paul’s admonition to “pray without ceasing.” (1 Thessalonians 5:17) Such prayer is the lifelong Christian endeavor, done not on one’s own but in the company of all the saints. It’s worth mentioning that this book also served as my introduction to the thought of Von Balthasar. His writings have been quite good for my soul. The primary emphasis of Von Balthasar’s thought is divine love: the love that we receive from God the Father through Christ and His Spirit, and the love we return to Him (in Christ and His Spirit) with thanksgiving that overflows to love of neighbor. For anyone who desires a better understanding of – and participation in – Christian prayer and the love that flows from it, I recommend this book.

So those are the ones I’m definitely keeping and that I would commend to anyone who desires to grow toward “the measure of the full stature of Christ.” (Ephesians 4:13) If you have recommendations for me, I’d love to hear them.