Bring the Books (pt. 3)

Read Part One

Read Part Two

My first post (pt. 1) covered the introduction and first point of Dr Minnick's book talk. The nature of our faith leaves little need to urge believer's to read. The first reading priority for believers is the Bible. Any reading that supersedes our desire for and attention to the Bible is improper.

After the Bible, the thoughtful Christian ought to begin with the writings of the Church's best teachers (see pt.2). Dr Minnick provided some very helpful suggestions and recommendations for tackling these writings. Under this heading he had recommended (very highly) James Rosscup's Commentaries for Biblical Exposition. I'm excited to report that I've acquired a copy for myself. This is a fine resource, indeed, and I'm glad to be able to use it.

After the Church's best teachers, one ought to consider the lives of the Church's faithful Christians. We ought to read the lives of those with whom we agree, and of those with whom we disagree (I'd like to visit this point in another post and share some thoughts on a book I read recently).

Now, to conclude our consideration of Dr Minnick's book talk at the Whetstone Conference (2007) we will look at the final three points in his outline.

IV. THE DEVOTIONAL LITERATURE.

This section merely contains a list of recommended devotional literature. I remember hearing him recommend many of these titles from the pulpit while my family worshiped at MCBC. This is a great list of books that ought to have a good representation in every Christian home (well, if not all of Spurgeon's sermons, at least some of his works).

• John Bunyan, Pilgrim's Progress; The Holy War [Amazon]
• L. E. Maxwell, Crowded to Christ; Born Crucified [Amazon]
• E. M. Bounds, Power Through Prayer [Amazon]
• David Martyn Lloyd-Jones, Spiritual Depression; Revival [Amazon]
• G. Campbell Morgan, Discipleship; The Life of the Christian [Amazon]
• William Gurnall, The Christian in Complete Armor [Amazon]
• Anything by F. B. Meyer
• Andrew Murray, With Christ in the School of Prayer [Amazon]
• C. H. Spurgeon (any of his sermons in The New Park Street Pulpit or The Metropolitan Tabernacle Pulpit)

V. OTHER LITERATUrE.

(Quot: Robert Murray M'Cheyne wrote to a friend in school, Beware of the atmosphere of the classics. It is pernicious indeed; and you need much of the south wind breathing over the Scriptures to counteract it. True, we ought to know them; but only as chemists handle poisons--to discover their qualities, not to infect their blood with them [Andrew Bonar, Memoir and Remains of Robert Murray M'Cheyne, 29].)

For Guides:

• David L. Larsen, The Company of the Creative [Amazon]
• Leland Ryken, Realms of Gold: The Classics in Christian Perspective [Amazon]

V. SOME SUGGESTIONS OF HOW AND WHAT TO READ:

1. Surrender your reading to the Lord (love Him with all your mind).
2. Be very careful about reading known error. (II Tim. 2:16-18)
3. Pray about what to read/pray when you read.
4. Read those books which call you.
5. Consider charting our yearly reading objectives.

   (Exp: This would include (1) Categories, (2) Titlles, and (3) amounts of time.)

6. Read books of varying difficulty and interest to you.

   (Exp: Read what you want to read, what you don't want to read, and what you should read.

   (Quot: Austin Phelps wrote, A third object of a pastor's study of books [is] assimilation to the genius of the best authors. There is an influence exerted by books upon the mind which resembles that of diet upon the body. A studious mind becomes, by a law of its being, like the object which it studies with enthusiasm. If your favorite authors are superficial, gaudy, short-lived, you become yourself such in your culture and your influence. If your favorite authors are the grand, profound, enduring order, you become yourself such to the extent of yoru innate capacity for such growth (Men and Books, 220).)

   (Exp: If you have difficulty with the mechanics of reading, give some attention to Mortimer J. Adler's How to Read a Book. [Amazon | WTS])


7. Do not dismiss a writer simply because you encoutner something with which you disagree.
8. Be careful not to allow yourself to lose objectivity about a man.
9. Do not be enslaved to finishing books.
   

   (Exp: God had read some books for only one chapter.)
   

10. Note what you read in the margin of your Bible for future use.

    (Quot: Never read without taking notes: all other reading is self-indulgence and an occasion for sleep (John Hutton, That the Ministry be Not Blamed, 152).)

11. Share what you read with someone else.

    (Exp: This completes the joy and makes it more your own.)

12. Purchase books for others to read.

    (Quot: Thomas a Kempis, If he shall not lose his reward, who gives a cup of cold water to his thirsty neighbor, what will not be the reward of those who by putting good books into the hands of those neighbours open to them the fountains of eternal life? (Quoted by Sinclair Ferguson, Read Any Good Books?, 18).)

His 9th point was a great relief to me some years ago when I first heard this. A friend of mine had asked Dr Minnick about finishing books and he gave him this piece of advice which liberated my friend's conscience. I like to finish books, but, now, I don't get so torn up about it. I often need to give the book some time to let it "call out to me."

CONCLUSION

(Quot: Andrew Bonar, at age 45 wrote in his journal, Led today to notice that all my books, my many suitable and profitable books that come to help my study and suggest what I might preach, as well as those papers, and the like, that stir up the soul, are all part of God's calling of me. By these He carries on what He began... (Monday, Nov. 12th, 1855).

With this he concluded his talk. This was an enjoyable and helpful session. I hope and trust that sharing his notes (with a few of my own comments) will be of help to you.

Bring the Books (pt. 3)