What Pastor Blair Has Been Reading (July 2024 through September 2024)

Allmand-Smith, Oliver. Under God, Over the People: The Calling and Accountability of Civil Government. TJ Books Ltd: Padstow, 2022.

A new ministry occurred several years ago when a group of Baptist pastors gathered together to recover the meaning of the 1689 London Confession of Faith. They gathered in Broken Wharfe, London which is where the original confession was composed in 1677. From that meeting came Broken Wharfe Books which are newly published books on the chapters of the confession and also republished works from historic Baptist theologians. This book by Alland-Smith is on chapter 24 regarding how Baptists should view civil authorities. Its principle is in the title. God has authorized civil authorities over us for our good. But those authorities should also be under God. The thoughts in this book reflect our own times. When the LCF was originally written, Baptists were radical outlaws until the 1689 Act of Tolerance. There is much to be gained from reliving the history of that event and examining the scriptures regarding it. For a deeper dive into the subject, I highly recommend Jonathan Leeman’s book entitled, Authority.

Chester, Tim. Enjoying God: Experience the Power and Love of God in Everyday Life. The Good Book Company: Surrey, 2018.

Our college and career class went through this book last year. I am a big fan of Tim Chester’s work and decided to get myself a copy. I am glad I did. Chester does a wonderful job of helping the Christian delight in God. Each chapter points the reader to the Trinity as a means of joy in whatever situation we find ourselves. At the conclusion he provides a single application point that is to be utilized each week. And that is followed by good journaling or discussion questions. I enjoyed this work. I commend it to anyone who has been feeling lackluster towards the Lord as though Christian living is merely a duty. Kudos to Jordan Ring in picking it out.

Chester, Tim. Forgiven: Resurrection Meditations from the Book of Hebrews. 10 of Those Publishing: Leyland, England, 2022.

Two Tim Chester books in one month! Yes, it seemed like a good idea. Next year, I will be preaching through Hebrews. And every year Chester writes a devotional for the lint season. Since he wrote one from Hebrews, I thought it would be fun for the staff to work through it during our staff devotional. To be sure, I would say this reading is light. Two pages a day with a reflection at the end. But it was good to reflect on larger topics of Hebrew chapters 6 through 13. We discussed grand theological points and application. We found the exercise edifying.

Davis, Dale Ralph. My Exceeding Joy: Psalms 38-51. Christian Focus: Fearn, Scotland, 2023.

I have delighted in the devotional writings of Dale Ralph Davis. This is his fourth book in the Psalms. I love taking one of these on my vacations and mediating on the Word with Davis. He is both witty and loves to give historical illustrations in his teachings. This volume is the same as the previous ones; it is an easy read that helps the reader enjoy in the Lord. If you are looking for depth, this is not the book for you. But if you want to read and get the general gist of each Psalm to see the nature of our God and ourselves, you can rarely do better than Davis.

Dodge, Steve. Abaco: The History of an Out Island and its Cays. White Sound Press: Decatur, IL, 1995.

My brother has a place in the Bahamas located within Abaco. Whenever I visit a new place, I love to learn about its history. I was pleasantly surprised when I picked up this brief overview. Steve Dodge was a professor of History at Millikin University, and he utilized his sources well in producing a social history of Abaco and its surrounding area. There is not much information available prior to the 18^th century when British loyalists came from the United States after the revolution. Most of the economy has been devoted to ship building, tourism, and fishing. It was interesting reading about the failed attempts at other industries. Dodge managed to keep the data entertaining by drawing from stories of pirates and 1980’s drug running. He has also interacted with national politics and the racial divide. The book needs a revision considering its age. But it was a great introduction to the region.

Heflin, J.N. Boo. Nahum, Habakkuk, Zephaniah, and Haggai: Bible Study Commentary. Lamplighter Books: Grand Rapids, 1985.

My comments are reserved for the study on Habakkuk; I have discussed Nahum previously. I first need to say that Boo Heflin (former professor at Southwestern) is an egalitarian and chose to align himself with the moderates of the Co-operative Baptist Fellowship (CBF). I have always found that strange because his interpretations of scripture have always been very conservative and argues for inerrancy. Here he has produced a wonderful little commentary on Habakkuk. The prophet moves to struggling with how Yahweh can tolerate evil people to a position of trust (the righteous live by faith) even under circumstances that would appear otherwise. The material is concise and deals with the relevant issues in interpretation. So far, I can recommend this volume for the first two minor prophets.

Marr, Johnny. Marr’s Guitars. Deyst: London, 2023.

I admit I can be a nerd about many things. I consider Johnny Marr to be one of the finest guitarists ever. I am a great admirer. I would rarely purchase a coffee table book with pictures of guitars … unless they belonged to Johnny Marr. When I finally found a significantly discounted copy, I bought it. Perhaps only a nerd like me would enjoy seeing the set-up on the instruments and the amps he used to get his trademark sounds, like his Gibson ES-355 that gave him the ethereal feel on Heaven Knows I Am Miserable Now, and the Fender Telecaster that gave the shredding noise on Meat is Murder. Now, please know I do not endorse the lyrics of the many bands Marr has been associated with. For me, it is the sound of the music and their melodies. And I enjoyed the eye candy of these beautiful guitars.

Martin, Rachel. A Most Tolerant Little Town: The Explosive Beginning of School Desegregation. Simon & Shuster: New York, 2023.

My first church ministry was in Anderson County, Tennessee. I was a youth pastor who had students that attended Clinton High School. Until I read this book, I never knew that CHS was the first public high school integrated in the state (and essentially also the south). It is what drew me to pick up this title. Desegregation is a story of tragedy and triumph. The blatant racism is difficult to believe based upon our contemporary situation, but that of 1956 was on a massive scale. It even led to the blowing up of the school. Surprisingly, it was a white school principal and Southern Baptist pastor, both who initially disagreed with segregation, that led the way towards reconciliation. But it was the black students who withstood the vitriol that are the real heroes. Rachel Martin does a wonderful job telling this story. She reveals the pain and consequences of each character later in life. The reader might have to endure her liberal bias in her conclusion, but it is a worthy piece of American history that needs to be remembered.

Mathew, Increase. The Ministry of Angels. North Hampton Press: Orlando, 2023.

Increase Mather (1639-1723) was a Puritan who immigrated to the American Colonies. He is the father of the celebrated Cotton Matther. This book is his treatise on angelology. It was originally published in 1696, and it is amazing just how much Mather gleaned just from constant study of the scriptures alone. There are a few places that I think he infers too much from the scriptures. First, that everyone has guardian angels. I believe the Lord sends His angels as needed. But I am not sure anyone has a personal angel assigned to them. Also, Mather has taken the position as that of modern-day theologian Michael Heiser that at one time certain angels ruled over regions and became gods of those areas. Outside of this, Mather’s material still stands the test of time.

Rinker, Rosalind. Prayer: Conversing with God. Zondervan’s Publishing: Grand Rapids, 1970.

Every year I read a book on prayer to fuel my desire to pray more often. Rosalind Rinker (1906-2002) was an American missionary to China. This book was chosen in 2006 as one of the most influential writings in Evangelical literature by Christianity Today. I would say that the book is dated and does not hold up well under contemporary thinking on this all-important spiritual discipline. Rinker encourages what she calls ‘conversational prayer.’ This is praying to God in a free-flowing manner that allows back and forth communication with God and others who might be praying alongside you. One must remember that Rinker wrote this book (originally published in 1959) in a time when prayers more resembled prepared speeches and sounded like the King James version of the Bible. Her desire to create intimacy with God is commendable. But in our day, prayer is typically too casual. Perhaps the pendulum may swing the other way in the distant future, and we might need such a reminder again. Rinker uses Matthew 18:19-20 as her proof-text throughout the book as evidence that Jesus is present at the prayer meeting. Sadly, that passage is taken out of the context of church discipline. And she has to come up with a way to define ‘agreement’ on behalf of those praying apart from judgment (p. 79). I do not want to be overly harsh (there are great anecdotes and some good advice), but I would not recommend this book without serious reservations.