Protestant Books

Bonhoeffer's Cost of Discipleship (Shepherd's Notes. Christian Classics)

Greg Ligon

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Total reviews: 89 Average rating: 4.5 of 5

Christianity without cost doesn't exist! 4 out of 5 stars.
1 of 1 people found this review helpful.

A Christian classic, The Cost of Discipleship is filled with countless gems of wisdom that run counter to the prevailing winds today that market the Christian life as one of ease and comfort. The book is not an easy read, but it is an encouraging and is probably more valuable for Christians today than even during Bonhoeffer's own time. The book is more than a call to costly discipleship, Bonhoeffer also dives into the Sermon on the Mount giving incredible insight in to the teachings of Christ in the Gospel of Matthew and also various aspects of the Christian life and the role of the Church. But the first couple of chapters of the book are worth the entire read. Bonhoeffer's radical discipleship can probably best be summarized in his famous line, "When Christ calls a man, he bids him come and die." We see far too little of Bonhoeffer's commitment and dedication to the denial of self, taking up one's cross and following Christ...The Cost of Discipleship reminds those who follow Christ that sharing in His sufferings is the mark of a believer!

Editorial Review:

Before his arrest by the Nazis in 1943, Dietrich Bonhoeffer was head of a seminary of the German Confessing Church. In "The Cost of Discipleship", he focuses on the most treasured part of Christ's teaching, the Sermon on the Mount.

Life Together: The Classic Exploration of Faith in Community

Dietrich Bonhoeffer

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Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 39 Average rating: 4.5 of 5

Return to the underground home churches 4 out of 5 stars.
0 of 1 people found this review helpful.

A precious little book, with wonderful advice for Christians on how to live a fully-fledged Christian life, in community, as it corresponds to the Body of Christ, His church.

Advice on prayer, specially when we are not in the spiritual mood to do so; on the importance of fellowship and solitude, each one at their right time, complementing each other. Even the smallest details are here, and very welcome ones: "when our thoughts wander (...) quite calmly to incorporate into our prayer the people and events to which our thoughts keep straying and thus in all patience return to the starting point of the meditation." Here you realize the enormous importance for Christians of living, praying, singing, encouraging, helping, praising, confessing in comunity. Iron sharpens iron.

The book was written for the underground church during the nazi years in Germany. A most timely book for the times we are starting to live in. And by the way: the way it started is the way it will all end.

Editorial Review:

After his martyrdom at the hands of the Gestapo in 1945, Dietrich Bonhoeffer continued his witness in the hearts of Christians around the world. His Letters and Papers from Prison became a prized testimony to Christian faith and courage, read by thousands. Now in Life Together we have Pastor Bonhoeffer's experience of Christian community. This story of a unique fellowship in an underground seminary during the Nazi years reads like one of Paul's letters. It gives practical advice on how life together in Christ can be sustained in families and groups. The role of personal prayer, worship in common, everyday work, and Christian service is treated in simple, almost biblical, words. Life Together is bread for all who are hungry for the real life of Christian fellowship.

The Protestant Ethic and the Spirit of Capitalism (Dover Value Editions)

Max Weber, Talcott Parsons, R.H. Tawney

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Total reviews: 34 Average rating: 4.5 of 5

The definitive introductory text in Modernization theory 5 out of 5 stars.
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Weber is the definitive introductory text in Modernization theory. Although somewhat western-centric, this book is essential reading for any college student, as it gave rise to many theories in every branch of social science, and still has more influence on theoretical thought than most social scientists would like to admit.

What Made Capitalism Tick? 5 out of 5 stars.
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In my youth I used to believe that Max Weber's The Protestant Ethic and the Spirit of Capitalism was the very last word in understanding, sociologically, the driving force behind capitalism in its prime. His premise, at least his expressed narrowly- defined one, that out of the mishmash of feudalism a `new' man and a `new' woman were being created who could subordinate their temporal desires enough to begin the tedious process of primitive capitalist accumulation that got the whole mode started, hit home hard to my young mind. Of course, that was not my conscious take on it at the time, although parts of it certainly were. What interested me the most wa that Weber was using some examples that were close to home, the Massachusetts Bay Colony experiment, and, being from Boston and steeped in Purtian history, that is why I was glad to get a copy of the work.

Strangely, in recently re-reading the work I found that I was drawn by those same examples. Additionally, I was drawn by the huge set of footnotes at the end that I did not remember going through in my youth but offer some very interesting insights into how Weber put his argument together and the sources that he had available at the time and that he used. The re-reading poses this question, though. How does the work itself hold up?

Of course today my class struggle perspective derived from a Marxist world view notes that Weber is clearly a political opponent. Not so much for his argument, which actually has a certain merit, but for his tenacious desire to use a quasi-Marxism materialist approach to sociology without drawing those requisite class struggle conclusions. I might add that the class struggle was fully raging in Germany at the time of the publication of this work as the Social Democratic Party was becoming the voice of the German working class. Weber, thus, really needed to keep his blinders on. Moreover, as a work of scholarship, which I will grant it certainly is, it is an early effort in the very long struggle to divorce sociological observations from any practical use. A militant today in order to benefit from reading this work has to do the equivalent of suspending disbelieve in the plot of a novel to realize that it is important to know what made capitalism tick in the old days and why we have to move on. Here, nevertheless is my very condensed take on the work today.

In some place in 16th and 17th century Europe, the scope of Weber's study, individuals and small communities were breaking from the established churches, Roman Catholic and mainstream Protestant and creating, in some cases 'hit or miss', a culture that we today describe as secular but in the nature of those times had a religious connotation. That breakout, not without opposition and oppression by the constituted authorities, formed the nucleus of an ethic that made accumulation of wealth through hard work and thrift the norm-in short that private accumulation mentioned above. This, dear reader, was a historically progressive series of actions. In the year 2007 those traits have long since failed to be progressive. What is necessary, as Marx, Lenin, Trotsky and even someone like Che Guevara recognized is in the interest of social solidarity we need to create `the new socialist man and woman' out of the muck and mire of capitalism. Hell, we need our own version of the Protestant ethic-and if current worldwide economic conditions are any judge- we need it pronto. Read this one at your leisure.

Editorial Review:

This brilliant study opposes the Marxist concept of dialectical materialism and its view that change takes place through the conflict of opposites. Instead, Weber relates the rise of a capitalist economy to the Puritan determination to work out anxiety over salvation or damnation by performing good deeds — an effort that ultimately encouraged capitalism.

The Bondage of the Will

Martin Luther

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Total reviews: 48 Average rating: 4.5 of 5

The Ongoing Debate 4 out of 5 stars.
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I purchased Luther's book for my "Formation of Modern Christianity" class and am in the process of using it to write my term paper on the debate between Erasmus and Luther on the issue of free will. Luther does an excellent job in this book when presenting his case for the bondage of free will by demonstrating that humans are completely depraved and cannot choose salvation, therefore we do not have the free will to do both good and evil, but only evil. Buy this book if you want a clear picture on this ongoing debate, but make sure to also purchase "Discourse on Free Will" to gain a picture of Erasmus' point of view, as well.

Editorial Review:

First published in 1525, Martin Luther's Bondage of the Will is acknowledged by theologians as one of the great masterpieces of the Reformation. It is Luther response to Desiderius Erasmus' Diatribe on Free Will, written in his direct and unique style, combining deep spirituality with humor. Luther writes powerfully about man's depravity and God's sovereignty. The crucial issue for Luther concerned what ability free will has, and to what degree it is subject to God's sovereignty. For Luther, this key issue of free will is directly connected to God's plan of salvation. Is man able to save himself, or is his salvation entirely a work of divine grace? This work is vital to understanding the primary doctrines of the Reformation and will long remain among the great theological classics of Christian history.

Institutes of the Christian Religion (2 Volume Set)

John Calvin

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Total reviews: 32 Average rating: 4.5 of 5

Calvin is the best personal theological trainer I have ever found. Don't listen to the naysayers! 5 out of 5 stars.
6 of 7 people found this review helpful.

What can I tell you? John Calvin helped me get my spiritual compass pointing north again! He got the flab and plaque out of my man-centered doctrine and whipped it into God and Christ-honoring shape! Reading his 'Institutes' was like getting a top-flight seminary-level education for fifty bucks. (except that unlike seminary, Calvin will strengthen your faith, not undermine it)

There are those who pick up the 'Institutes' for the first time and read it in the same way they pick up a Bible for the first time and read it. With preconceived notions and without the right historical (and spiritual) context. "It's too hard to understand. Too many words. Not relevant enough! Doesn't help me with my immediate problem(s). Doesn't add to the discussion (or debate). What is he talking about here, and why? He sure sounds intolerant! Have you got anything else?"

The Bible was not written in a vacuum and neither was Calvin's Institutes. When you realize the unbelievably adverse historical and personal circumstances Calvin did his pastoral and theological work under, you marvel that he even had strength or will to write letters to his friends and even to princes, let alone lengthy biblical commentaries and bulky catechetical tomes (which is what Institutes is). So it's only natural that his works have frequent references to some of those volatile situations and events and important, paradigm-shifting movements going on at the time, and the persons living (and dead) who were his most vociferous enemies. Read Paul's and Peter's epistles and the Gospels (and even the Psalms!). They are peppered with denunciatory remarks aimed at their enemies. Biblical faith and Christianity are not for pansies, cowards or the faint of heart. Straight talk and direct verbiage based on unchanging truth will defeat error, heresy and the wiles of the devil to encourage struggling believers and bring comfort and relief to sincere seekers.

If you have eyes to see, ears to hear, and the patience to remember that Calvin's Institutes was written first in Latin, then in French, then translated into English (and several other languages later)--and written nearly 500 years ago in a world much different from ours--then you will find an endless supply of useful and supremely-relevant spiritual wisdom and supernaturally-profound insights that will strengthen your faith and deepen your understanding and appreciation of the Scriptures and the unfolding of God's revelation to man throughout history, much more than you thought possible, and probably more than with any other book on systematic theology, ancient or modern.

Let it never be said that Calvin's Institutes should be placed on a par with the Bible or that it is free of error and infallible! I do, however feel totally confident in saying that, for a better understanding of the historical development of Christian doctrine, especially during that epochal and turbulent period called "The Great Reformation," and for a more established perception of what is biblical and unbiblical in a world of proliferating opinions and conflicting positions on matters of religion and faith, Calvin's Institutes is invaluable. It belongs in every Christian's library, period!

Editorial Review:

The translator and his associated have taken great care to preserve the rugged strength and vividness of Calvin's writing. They have not, however, hesitated to break up overly long sentences to conform to modern English usage or, wherever possible, to render heavy Latinate theological terms in simple language. The result is a translation that achieves a high degree of accuracy and at the same time is eminently readalbe.

Welcome to the Episcopal Church: An Introduction to Its History, Faith, and Worship

Christopher L. Webber, Frank T., III Griswold

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Total reviews: 22 Average rating: 4.5 of 5

Pleasantly surprised. 5 out of 5 stars.
0 of 0 people found this review helpful.

This is my first "Welcome to.." book and I was very pleasantly surprised by how straightforward and easy to read it was. The author does a very good job of solidifying key concepts in different parts of the book so that you don't feel like you've forgotten information. I also really liked how tenderly he regards the Episcopal Church without coming across as overly biased toward it.

This book is a very good read, and not at all boring as one reviewer said. I myself finished it in a day and I think it'll be useful in the future if I need to quickly look something up. Also, I might add, it has really good analysis questions at the end of each chapter. That way you think about what you just read and provide an answer that best fits your beliefs.

Serious, but not overly solemn 4 out of 5 stars.
0 of 0 people found this review helpful.

WELCOME TO THE EPISCOPAL CHURCH is a realtively short book (less than 150 pp.), but a useful one. It deals with the history of the church going back to the English Reformation, the style of contemporary worship, the importance of the sacraments of Eucharist (communion) and baptism, the significance of the Bible, and the primacy of the 1979 Book of Common Prayer (which, indeed, many Episcopalians simply call "the prayer book").

The intended target for this book and others in the series (WELCOME TO THE BOOK OF COMMON PRAYER, WELCOME TO SUNDAY, and others) is probably a prior Protestant or Roman Catholic getting ready to join the Episcopal Church. This is not the place for in-depth history or theology, nor is it meant to be. I agree with the reviewer below who found the suggestions for further reading a little weak. An index would have been nice.

A Chosen Faith: An Introduction to Unitarian Universalism

Forrest Church, John A. Buehrens

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Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 20 Average rating: 4.5 of 5

Editorial Review:

Affirming diversity, dialogue, and personal choice in religious living, providing common ground and community for people from a wide variety of backgrounds and beliefs, and encouraging the work for social justice that religion inspires, Unitarian Universalism has become an increasingly appealing religious alternative. A Chosen Faith is a clear, helpful introduction to this growing religious movement. Two long-time ministers and denominational leaders, John A. Buehrens and Forrest Church, describe the sources and history of Unitarian Universalism, how those traditions are adapted in congregations today, and how they each came to choose Unitarian Universalism as a career and a way of life.

This revised edition includes two new chapters as well as a new foreword by best-selling writer and Unitarian Universalist Robert Fulghum.

"An excellent introduction for anyone interested in the nature of Unitarian Universalist religious beliefs, the history of those movements, and the emphasis on openness, tolerance, and social concerns."


—Michael J. McBride, Religious Studies Review
"Simply superb. I know of nothing comparable to it. The old-timer as well as the 'come-outer' will find A Chosen Faith irresistible. It will be a gift for everyone, for the minister, for the laity, for theological students. Engaging, seductive, infectious."


—James Luther Adams

Spurgeon's Lectures to My Students (Shepherd's Notes. Christian Classics)

C. H. Spurgeon

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Total reviews: 10 Average rating: 4.5 of 5

Lecture Me 5 out of 5 stars.
13 of 14 people found this review helpful.

"Affectation of intellectual superiority and love of rhetorical splendour have prevented many from setting forth gospel truth in the easiest imaginable manner, namely, by analogies drawn from common events. Because they could not condescened to men of low estate hey have refrained from repeating incidents which would have accurately explained their meaning. Fearing to be thought vulgar, they have lost goldne opportunities. As well might David have refused to sling one of the smooth stones at Goliath's brow because he found it in a common brook."

Thus, we catch a glimpse of the practical wisdom, which so easily dripped from the pen of Charles Spurgeon, in the preceding quote. It is but a small portion of the witty, yet solid, insights he gives in his work Lectures to My Students. Although this book is intended for those would be pastors and elders who are picking up the mantle of God's preachers, there are great principles of biblical and practical truth which can be applied to any Christian's life. On that basis alone I approvingly recommend this read to all.

Spurgeon's mastery and command of the English language did not keep him from "setting forth gospel turth in the easiest imaginable manner". In fact, with such an ability, he was one of the most avid communicators of his day, and even to this time. I've heard it said before that had Spurgeon's voluminous writings been "unrelgious" in nature, they would've been indeed used to exemplify the best of English language. Spurgeon has been affectionately called the Prince of Preachers, and rightly so, for his eloquence of speech was music to the ears of both the common man and well-to-do.

In Lectures to My Students, Spurgeon's subject matter ranges anywhere from Vocal demonstration and care to "The Minister's Self-Watch". It would behoove anyone who "desires the office of an Elder" to get a copy of Spurgeon's Lectures and make use of the matter found therein. Spurgeon was indeed a uniquely used individual of God. When it comes to preaching, he was definitely exceptional, not typical. Would it be that God would grant us more Preachers such as he!

Editorial Review:

This complete and unabridged edition of Spurgeon's great work will make it possible for today's generation to appreciate Spurgeon's combination of discerning wit and refreshingly practical advice.

Oswald Chambers: Abandoned to God: The Life Story of the Author of My Utmost for His Highest

David McCasland

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Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 15 Average rating: 5.0 of 5

An Excellent Biography on a Fascinating Man of God! 5 out of 5 stars.
7 of 7 people found this review helpful.

For a number of years I have thoroughly enjoyed reading and being blessed by "My Utmost for His Highest". While I have been greatly blessed, I knew little of the author other than he served British troops in Egypt as a servant of the YMCA. Thankfully, McCasland has written a most interesting read of Reverand Chambers.

Among the areas covered in Chambers' life include:

1. Early life and large family he belonged to - parents and siblings.
2. How and when he came to Christ.
3. His education at various schools.
4. Marriage to his beloved "Biddy" and enjoying his daughter Kathleen.
5. His service for the YMCA and other Christian-related organizations.
6. Ministry to British troops in Egypt during WWI.
7. Many travels and friends he made throughout his life.
8. Circumstances leading up to his death at the early age of 43.

The book was so well-written and detailed about Chambers' life that I have grown to respect and appreciate the man even more. I (in addition to many others I'm sure) am also deeply grateful for his wife Biddy's efforts to publish many of his addresses to the British troops that ultimately resulted in the devotion "My Utmost for His Highest".

Read and enjoy the book and come to appreciate Reverand Chambers even more! Highly recommended.

Editorial Review:

Oswald Chambers was born in Scotland and spent much of his boyhood there. His ministry of teaching and preaching took him for a time to the United States and Japan. The last six years of his life were spent as principal of the Bible Training College in London, and as chaplain to British Commonwealth troops in Egypt during World War I. After his death, at age 43, the books that bear his name were compiled by his wife from her own verbatim shorthand notes of his talks.

The Open Secret: An Introduction to the Theology of Mission

Lesslie Newbigin

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Total reviews: 1 Average rating: 5.0 of 5

The Open Secret: mission in a pluralist society 5 out of 5 stars.
17 of 18 people found this review helpful.

Is there still a place for mission in the late twentieth century? By what authority can we speak about God and the Christian message in our pluralist world? Newbigin brings his original and thoroughly biblical thoughts to these questions. He places missions in a Trinitarian context: Mission is the proclamation of the Kingdom of the Father, sharing in the life of Jesus, doing the work of the Spirit. He discusses the ideas of the school of Church Growth, of liberation theology and John Hicks (from "the myth of Christianity"), and develops his theology of mission in discussion with these voices. I have one reservation, and that is his discussion of election. Election, in Newbigin's view, is - and is being limited to - being called to witness. I cannot see how with this limitation he can avoid the danger of Pelagianism, which he rejects earlier on in the book. (This topic, however, is developed more extensively in "The Gospel in a Pluralist World"). Overall, though, an excellent read.

Editorial Review:

In this book, an eminent missionary-scholar describes the Christian mission as the declaration of an open secret--open in that it is preached to all nations, secret in that it is manifest only to the eyes of faith. The result is a thoroughly biblical attempt to lead the church to embrace its Christ-given task of presenting the gospel in our complex modern world.