A “Short” Reading List on Contemporary Thought
In the closing section of Paul’s letter to the church at Rome he instructs the Christians to apply their understanding of the gospel in the following way: … present your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable to God, which is your spiritual worship. Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewal of your mind, that by testing you may discern what is the will of God, what is good and acceptable and perfect. Not being conformed to the pattern of the world requires some understanding of what constitutes a worldly pattern of thinking. I trust that you may find some helpful reading material from the following list of books.
Barrett, William The Death of the Soul, Anchor Books 1986
Barrett may seem like heavy reading if you are not prone to reading books dealing with philosophical subjects, however, he is an important American philosopher who endeavours to write for popular consumption. I was first introduced to him when I read his excellent book The Irrational Man, which I also commend to you. This is a significant book in the history of thought regarding the human soul.
Blamires, Harry Recovering the Christian Mind: Meeting the Challenge of Secularism Inter Varsity Press 1988
How to think like a Christian in a non-Christian world is the theme of the book. Blamires is a mature thoughtful writer who deserves careful thought because what he writes is insightful and he offers a cogent alternative to a secular philosophy.
Bloom, Alan. The Closing of the American Mind (New York: Simon and Schuster 1987)
Here is an American university professor's complaint regarding the quality of the matriculating freshmen. There is an obvious ignorance of basic ethics and morality and an apparent inability to reason effectively
Boice, James Montgomery Mind Renewal in a Mindless Age (Baker 1993)
This is a brief (132 pp.) exposition of Romans 12.1-2. In his opening chapter Boice comments: “Today, not only is there little or no genuine Christian thanksgiving, there is very little thanksgiving of any kind, and the western world (and perhaps even the world as a whole) is well on its way to becoming what I and many others have frequently called a ‘mindless society.’” Boice references a number of the books listed on this bibliography; if you want a short, simple quick read on the subject of renewing your mind in Christ, then this may be the book for you.
Carson, D.A. The Gagging of God
If you are going to read only one book on postmodernism listed and you have a penchant for heavy reading this is the one I would recommend reading. Carson looks at the revolution in hermeneutics, literary theory and epistemology that has given rise to modern pluralism. He deals with religious pluralism and the dangers of the religious moderates who have taken this course. He analyses the Christian Christian’s pluralistic culture and how that pluralism has penetrated the evangelical camp.
Carson & Woodbridge. God and Culture (Grand Rapids: Eerdmans Publishing)
Here is a festschrift of scholarly articles in honour of Carl Henry's eightieth birthday. (Henry was one of the 20th century’s great thinkers & theologian in addition to being the founding editor of Christianity Today)
______ Christ & Culture Revisited
This is a book that deals with the relationship between the church and the gospel as it relates to contemporary culture. The may derail some readers from the outset as Carson opens his book with a critique of H. Richard Niebuhr’s Christ and Culture, be that as it may, for those who persevere they will find helpful suggestions for Christians who want to deal with the ‘egregious reductionisms’ that afflicts so many.
Guinness & Seel No God but God: Breaking with the Idols of our Age. (Moody Press)
Here is a series of excellent essays on various aspects of modernity. Though they are not all of the same quality or importance, it is a book I highly recommend. The essay by Thomas Oden is worth the price of the book.
Guinness, Oz Dining with the Devil, Baker 1993
This book is a short but excellent introduction to the subject of modernity. Oz Guinness was a part of the L'Abri fellowship with Francis and Edith Schaffer. He is currently active with the Williamsburg Charter (a Christian think tank wrestling with the issues facing the church at the beginning of the 21st century).
______ The American Hour
This is a more lengthy analysis of the failure of modernity. Guinness gives a penetrating look at American culture. We are in the midst of a cultural crisis that makes Y2K pale in comparison. When you’ve finished this book you will have something of an understanding how serious is the American dilemma.
_____ Fit Bodies Fat Minds: Why Evangelicals Don't Think and What to do About It
Christians are on a quest to have a thoughtless faith and Guinness identifies some of the culprits of a mindless religion. One of the problems confronting the evangelical church is its quest for “buns of steel and brains of putty.”
Henry, Carl F. H. Twilight of a Great Civilization, Westchester, Crossway 1988
This is one of a great many books addressing the plight of the church in a post Christian era. Dr. Henry is the author of over forty major works of philosophy and theology, in addition to being the founding editor of Christianity Today.
______ gods of the Age or God of the Ages
This series of essays (addresses) by one of the great thinkers of the twentieth century theological and cultural pundits is very much worth reading. You may want to read the chapters selectively as they deal with a variety of topics reflecting the currents status of the crisis of thought and spirituality in America.
Heschel, Joshua Abraham. God in Search of Man, Farrar, Straus and Giroux 1955
Recently back in print, this Jewish classic has much to commend it to the thinking Christian. He understands and explains well the distinction between the Modern mind, the Greek mind and the Biblical mind. Heschel’s explanations of the ideological comprise of Philo between Greek philosophy and Biblical revelation is worth the price of the book.
Holmes, Arthur The Making of a Christian Mind: A Christian World View & the Academic Enterprise, Inter Varsity Press 1985
Contributors to this short book of essays include Historian Mark Noll, who shows the struggle to form a Christian world view; Physicist Joseph Spradley, writing on a Christian view of the physical world; Psychologist Kirk Farnsword on the social sciences; English professor Leland Ryken who writes about the place of the arts in Christian thought.
Hunter, David. Evangelicalism: The Coming Generation, University of Chicago Press 1987
If you think Stephen King writes frightening novels, you’ll find they pale in comparison to this terrifying work by a Christian sociologist. His analysis of higher theological education may leave some readers with a sense of despair regarding the lack of theological depth in America’s evangelical pulpits – as they say: “when there is a mist in the pulpit, there is a fog in the pew.”
Jones, Peter. The Gnostic Empire Strikes Back, Presbyterian and Reformed 1992
While not specifically a book on modernity it draws a frightening parallel between the new age movement and ancient Gnosticism. If Dr. Jones is right, the contemporary Gnostic heresy may attempt to fill the spiritual void left in a postmodernist world, with the failure of the big three philosophies, namely, Darwinism, Marxism, and Freudianism.
Noll, Mark. The Scandal of the Evangelical Mind, Eerdmans1994
This is an indictment of American evangelicalism. It is an intellectual history that examines the reasons for the near collapse of the evangelical intellectual heritage. It is a clarion call to Christian scholarship. You may also want to read his more recent book: Jesus Christ and the Life of the Mind in which he aids the reading in constructing a Christocentric worldview in part through an understanding of the historic Christian creeds.
Orr, James The Christian View of God and the World, Kregel 1989
A difficult book which requires some familiarity with 19th century intellectual history, but the very best book written on the subject from a philosophical and theological perspective.
Pearcey, Nancy Total Truth: Liberating Christianity from its Cultural Captivity, Crossway 2004
This four hundred-page book covers a broad scope of contemporary thought. In brief, Pearcey covers four major areas: “What is in a worldview?” “Starting at the Beginning [a Darwinian shape of contemporary thought]”, “How We Lost Our Minds” [a shift in the evangelical worldview] & “What Next? Living It Out” [what constitutes true spirituality and a Christian worldview.
Postman, Neil. Amusing ourselves to Death: New York: Viking Press 1985
This one should be on your must read list. When you finish it you may trash your TV. It will offer you a stark look at entertainment industry that includes the six o'clock news with Brian Williams.
_______, Technopoly
We are not merely a society that uses technology – we are shaped by it. What does this mean in the realm of politics, education, religion, history and truth? This is a very disturbing book But mandatory reading for the thinking Christian.
Rookmaaker, H. R. Modern Art and the Death of a Culture, Inter Varsity Press 1970
“Dr. Rookmaaker is Professor of Art History at the Free University of Amsterdam” and has an interesting thesis that art reflects the culture and more particularly that modern art reflects a dying culture.
Ryken, Leland, Culture in Christian Perspective: A Door to Understanding & Enjoying the Arts, Multnomah Press 1986
One of the great strengths of the book is its extensive bibliography at the end of each chapter for further reading.
Smith & Hoffecker. Developing a Biblical World View (Two Volumes) Presbyterian and Reformed Publishing Company 1986
The title speaks for itself. It is a textbook approach to the task of developing a Biblical word view. If you decide to read it, understand that when you are done with the book, you are not done with the task of developing a Biblical worldview
Schlossberg, Herbert. Idols for Destruction (Nashville: Thomas Nelson 1983)
It may be the most important book of that decade. The book is a brilliant analysis of the Christian and western culture. It may be difficult reading but worth the effort. He looks at the Idols of History, Humanity, Mammon, Nature, and power, Religion and from his insightful scrutiny presents a course of action for a ‘New Community’ that extols justice, the preservation of the intellect, freedom and responsibility.
Schlossberg & Olasky Turning Point: A Christian Worldview Declaration, Crossway 1987
A noted historian and professor of journalism combine to write a short book on the need for moral absolutes in a culture that has embraced moral relativism as an ‘absolute’.
Sproul, R.C. The Consequence of Ideas, Crossway Books 2000
As the title suggests, the book traces in broad strokes the history of ideas is western civilization. While the book is helpful in gaining an understanding of the development of western thought, Sproul does not delve deeply into the current quagmire of modernity and postmodernism; yet, for a quick overview of how ideas brought Western thought into the twentieth century the book has value.
______ Renewing Your Mind
While this book does not deal with the problems of secularism and secularization it does help the Christian to know what the Bible has to say about the basic doctrines of the Christian faith and how to develop a healthy mind with respect to an orthodox Christian faith.
Sorokin P.A. The Crisis of Our Age, E.P. Dutton 1941
The one time chairman of the Department of Sociology at Harvard University has written a penetrating and systematic analysis of the nature, causes and consequences of the contemporary social crisis. Although written more than a half century ago you will find the cultural assessment frighteningly current.
Veith, Gene Edward Postmodern Times: A Christian Guide to Contemporary Thought and Culture
“While pundits wring their hands over the radicalism of political correctness, speech codes, and outrageous art, Veith takes unerring aim at the intellectual roots of it all. This is an important book for anyone who wants to know what’s behind the political correctness movement” Chuck Colson.
Wells, David. No Place for Truth, Eerdmans 1992
The first of several books planned by Wells dealing with the church and modernity. I cannot recommend the book too highly. Wells is a scholar with considerable intellectual acumen and a significant reputation in the evangelical community. I believe if the church does not respond to his censure of the western church we do so at our own peril. God in the Wasteland, Losing Our Virtue and Above All Earthy Powers are the most recent additions to this series of books on postmodernism by Wells.
In the closing section of Paul’s letter to the church at Rome he instructs the Christians to apply their understanding of the gospel in the following way: … present your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable to God, which is your spiritual worship. Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewal of your mind, that by testing you may discern what is the will of God, what is good and acceptable and perfect. Not being conformed to the pattern of the world requires some understanding of what constitutes a worldly pattern of thinking. I trust that you may find some helpful reading material from the following list of books.
Barrett, William The Death of the Soul, Anchor Books 1986
Barrett may seem like heavy reading if you are not prone to reading books dealing with philosophical subjects, however, he is an important American philosopher who endeavours to write for popular consumption. I was first introduced to him when I read his excellent book The Irrational Man, which I also commend to you. This is a significant book in the history of thought regarding the human soul.
Blamires, Harry Recovering the Christian Mind: Meeting the Challenge of Secularism Inter Varsity Press 1988
How to think like a Christian in a non-Christian world is the theme of the book. Blamires is a mature thoughtful writer who deserves careful thought because what he writes is insightful and he offers a cogent alternative to a secular philosophy.
Bloom, Alan. The Closing of the American Mind (New York: Simon and Schuster 1987)
Here is an American university professor's complaint regarding the quality of the matriculating freshmen. There is an obvious ignorance of basic ethics and morality and an apparent inability to reason effectively
Boice, James Montgomery Mind Renewal in a Mindless Age (Baker 1993)
This is a brief (132 pp.) exposition of Romans 12.1-2. In his opening chapter Boice comments: “Today, not only is there little or no genuine Christian thanksgiving, there is very little thanksgiving of any kind, and the western world (and perhaps even the world as a whole) is well on its way to becoming what I and many others have frequently called a ‘mindless society.’” Boice references a number of the books listed on this bibliography; if you want a short, simple quick read on the subject of renewing your mind in Christ, then this may be the book for you.
Carson, D.A. The Gagging of God
If you are going to read only one book on postmodernism listed and you have a penchant for heavy reading this is the one I would recommend reading. Carson looks at the revolution in hermeneutics, literary theory and epistemology that has given rise to modern pluralism. He deals with religious pluralism and the dangers of the religious moderates who have taken this course. He analyses the Christian Christian’s pluralistic culture and how that pluralism has penetrated the evangelical camp.
Carson & Woodbridge. God and Culture (Grand Rapids: Eerdmans Publishing)
Here is a festschrift of scholarly articles in honour of Carl Henry's eightieth birthday. (Henry was one of the 20th century’s great thinkers & theologian in addition to being the founding editor of Christianity Today)
______ Christ & Culture Revisited
This is a book that deals with the relationship between the church and the gospel as it relates to contemporary culture. The may derail some readers from the outset as Carson opens his book with a critique of H. Richard Niebuhr’s Christ and Culture, be that as it may, for those who persevere they will find helpful suggestions for Christians who want to deal with the ‘egregious reductionisms’ that afflicts so many.
Guinness & Seel No God but God: Breaking with the Idols of our Age. (Moody Press)
Here is a series of excellent essays on various aspects of modernity. Though they are not all of the same quality or importance, it is a book I highly recommend. The essay by Thomas Oden is worth the price of the book.
Guinness, Oz Dining with the Devil, Baker 1993
This book is a short but excellent introduction to the subject of modernity. Oz Guinness was a part of the L'Abri fellowship with Francis and Edith Schaffer. He is currently active with the Williamsburg Charter (a Christian think tank wrestling with the issues facing the church at the beginning of the 21st century).
______ The American Hour
This is a more lengthy analysis of the failure of modernity. Guinness gives a penetrating look at American culture. We are in the midst of a cultural crisis that makes Y2K pale in comparison. When you’ve finished this book you will have something of an understanding how serious is the American dilemma.
_____ Fit Bodies Fat Minds: Why Evangelicals Don't Think and What to do About It
Christians are on a quest to have a thoughtless faith and Guinness identifies some of the culprits of a mindless religion. One of the problems confronting the evangelical church is its quest for “buns of steel and brains of putty.”
Henry, Carl F. H. Twilight of a Great Civilization, Westchester, Crossway 1988
This is one of a great many books addressing the plight of the church in a post Christian era. Dr. Henry is the author of over forty major works of philosophy and theology, in addition to being the founding editor of Christianity Today.
______ gods of the Age or God of the Ages
This series of essays (addresses) by one of the great thinkers of the twentieth century theological and cultural pundits is very much worth reading. You may want to read the chapters selectively as they deal with a variety of topics reflecting the currents status of the crisis of thought and spirituality in America.
Heschel, Joshua Abraham. God in Search of Man, Farrar, Straus and Giroux 1955
Recently back in print, this Jewish classic has much to commend it to the thinking Christian. He understands and explains well the distinction between the Modern mind, the Greek mind and the Biblical mind. Heschel’s explanations of the ideological comprise of Philo between Greek philosophy and Biblical revelation is worth the price of the book.
Holmes, Arthur The Making of a Christian Mind: A Christian World View & the Academic Enterprise, Inter Varsity Press 1985
Contributors to this short book of essays include Historian Mark Noll, who shows the struggle to form a Christian world view; Physicist Joseph Spradley, writing on a Christian view of the physical world; Psychologist Kirk Farnsword on the social sciences; English professor Leland Ryken who writes about the place of the arts in Christian thought.
Hunter, David. Evangelicalism: The Coming Generation, University of Chicago Press 1987
If you think Stephen King writes frightening novels, you’ll find they pale in comparison to this terrifying work by a Christian sociologist. His analysis of higher theological education may leave some readers with a sense of despair regarding the lack of theological depth in America’s evangelical pulpits – as they say: “when there is a mist in the pulpit, there is a fog in the pew.”
Jones, Peter. The Gnostic Empire Strikes Back, Presbyterian and Reformed 1992
While not specifically a book on modernity it draws a frightening parallel between the new age movement and ancient Gnosticism. If Dr. Jones is right, the contemporary Gnostic heresy may attempt to fill the spiritual void left in a postmodernist world, with the failure of the big three philosophies, namely, Darwinism, Marxism, and Freudianism.
Noll, Mark. The Scandal of the Evangelical Mind, Eerdmans1994
This is an indictment of American evangelicalism. It is an intellectual history that examines the reasons for the near collapse of the evangelical intellectual heritage. It is a clarion call to Christian scholarship. You may also want to read his more recent book: Jesus Christ and the Life of the Mind in which he aids the reading in constructing a Christocentric worldview in part through an understanding of the historic Christian creeds.
Orr, James The Christian View of God and the World, Kregel 1989
A difficult book which requires some familiarity with 19th century intellectual history, but the very best book written on the subject from a philosophical and theological perspective.
Pearcey, Nancy Total Truth: Liberating Christianity from its Cultural Captivity, Crossway 2004
This four hundred-page book covers a broad scope of contemporary thought. In brief, Pearcey covers four major areas: “What is in a worldview?” “Starting at the Beginning [a Darwinian shape of contemporary thought]”, “How We Lost Our Minds” [a shift in the evangelical worldview] & “What Next? Living It Out” [what constitutes true spirituality and a Christian worldview.
Postman, Neil. Amusing ourselves to Death: New York: Viking Press 1985
This one should be on your must read list. When you finish it you may trash your TV. It will offer you a stark look at entertainment industry that includes the six o'clock news with Brian Williams.
_______, Technopoly
We are not merely a society that uses technology – we are shaped by it. What does this mean in the realm of politics, education, religion, history and truth? This is a very disturbing book But mandatory reading for the thinking Christian.
Rookmaaker, H. R. Modern Art and the Death of a Culture, Inter Varsity Press 1970
“Dr. Rookmaaker is Professor of Art History at the Free University of Amsterdam” and has an interesting thesis that art reflects the culture and more particularly that modern art reflects a dying culture.
Ryken, Leland, Culture in Christian Perspective: A Door to Understanding & Enjoying the Arts, Multnomah Press 1986
One of the great strengths of the book is its extensive bibliography at the end of each chapter for further reading.
Smith & Hoffecker. Developing a Biblical World View (Two Volumes) Presbyterian and Reformed Publishing Company 1986
The title speaks for itself. It is a textbook approach to the task of developing a Biblical word view. If you decide to read it, understand that when you are done with the book, you are not done with the task of developing a Biblical worldview
Schlossberg, Herbert. Idols for Destruction (Nashville: Thomas Nelson 1983)
It may be the most important book of that decade. The book is a brilliant analysis of the Christian and western culture. It may be difficult reading but worth the effort. He looks at the Idols of History, Humanity, Mammon, Nature, and power, Religion and from his insightful scrutiny presents a course of action for a ‘New Community’ that extols justice, the preservation of the intellect, freedom and responsibility.
Schlossberg & Olasky Turning Point: A Christian Worldview Declaration, Crossway 1987
A noted historian and professor of journalism combine to write a short book on the need for moral absolutes in a culture that has embraced moral relativism as an ‘absolute’.
Sproul, R.C. The Consequence of Ideas, Crossway Books 2000
As the title suggests, the book traces in broad strokes the history of ideas is western civilization. While the book is helpful in gaining an understanding of the development of western thought, Sproul does not delve deeply into the current quagmire of modernity and postmodernism; yet, for a quick overview of how ideas brought Western thought into the twentieth century the book has value.
______ Renewing Your Mind
While this book does not deal with the problems of secularism and secularization it does help the Christian to know what the Bible has to say about the basic doctrines of the Christian faith and how to develop a healthy mind with respect to an orthodox Christian faith.
Sorokin P.A. The Crisis of Our Age, E.P. Dutton 1941
The one time chairman of the Department of Sociology at Harvard University has written a penetrating and systematic analysis of the nature, causes and consequences of the contemporary social crisis. Although written more than a half century ago you will find the cultural assessment frighteningly current.
Veith, Gene Edward Postmodern Times: A Christian Guide to Contemporary Thought and Culture
“While pundits wring their hands over the radicalism of political correctness, speech codes, and outrageous art, Veith takes unerring aim at the intellectual roots of it all. This is an important book for anyone who wants to know what’s behind the political correctness movement” Chuck Colson.
Wells, David. No Place for Truth, Eerdmans 1992
The first of several books planned by Wells dealing with the church and modernity. I cannot recommend the book too highly. Wells is a scholar with considerable intellectual acumen and a significant reputation in the evangelical community. I believe if the church does not respond to his censure of the western church we do so at our own peril. God in the Wasteland, Losing Our Virtue and Above All Earthy Powers are the most recent additions to this series of books on postmodernism by Wells.