Sunday, June 17, 2007

A Blogger, a Movement, and a List of Books

Dan Cruver's blog is called To Tell You the Truth. Dan one of those Gospel-bloggers. That is, his blog exists (at least in part) to investigate the application of the Gospel to all aspects of life. See, for example his Rinse, Repeat, Rinse, and Repeat Again.

Not long ago I heard a man say that there was a movement in the church to return the focus to Jesus Christ and the Gospel. If that's the case, and I think it is, then Dan's blog is a part of that movement (as are most of the others in the "Religious Nuts" portion of my blogroll).

Anyway, as my readers know, I'm a sucker for lists of books. Well, Dan obliges by providing a nice list of 21 "Gospel-centered" books. A few of them I've read, and some of the others, as they are preaching-instruction manuals, I probably won't get to any time soon (me no preacher!), but the one book on this list that really interests me just now is The Gospel Mystery of Sanctification: Growing in Holiness by Living in Union with Christ by Puritan preacher Walter Marshall.

Yup, that's where I live. I want to plumb those depths. All of my theological reading and my prayer seems to revolve around this very issue. My working hypothesis is that the Gospel of Christ is the power that produces my "being saved." [1 Cor 1:18] I simply want to read books and blogs that share that hypothesis.

I guess what I'm talking about here is the juncture of faith and practice. On this same theme I just happened to notice these titles while browsing God So Loved the World: A Christology for Disciples by Jonathan Wilson, and Jesus Christ Our Lord: Christology from a Disciple's Perspective by C. Norman Kraus.

What about you, dear reader? Any books to recommend along these same lines?

2 comments:

Anonymous said...

There are two books that i have not actually read yet, however, i have put them on hold at the library an plan to read. The first is a book by Philip Yancey called Church Why Bother?: my personal pilgrimage and the other is by Holly Bridges called A Circle of Prayer: coming together to find spirit, caring and community.

Bob Spencer said...

They sound like good ones too. Yancey I will read without giving it a second thought. He's definitely in my "hall of fame" for Christian writers. The second book you mentioned sounds interesting too. I will have to give a look. Thanks for the rec's.