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GROWING IN GRACE

As St Paul said, “Bring the Books.” Or as he might have added today, “…and the videos.”

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On this page you’ll find recommended resources for progressing in the knowledge of and obedience to Jesus Christ. From perusing these you’ll also get a feel for the theological influences on Somers Baptist Church. On that note, although C.S. Lewis is listed only once, he has had an outsized influence on Pastor Colin.

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It should go without saying that including these is not an unqualified endorsement.

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You’ll notice that this list is eclectic and includes some ‘off the beaten path’ recommendations. That’s ok. That’s ok.

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Commentaries and Series

  • The Bible Speaks Today: Alec Motyer (OT), John Stott (NT), Derek Tidball (Themes)

  • Tyndale Series

  • Wiersbe Commentaries

  • The New Bible Commentary edited by Wenham, Motyer, Carson, France

  • “For Everyone” by Tom Wright

  • MacArthur’s Commentaries

  • Job by Christopher Ash

  • Gospel of John by Frederick Dale Bruner

  • Anything on the Pentateuch by John Sailhamer

  • Contours of Christian Theology Series

  • Proverbs 1-9 by Michael Fox

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Devotionals

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Theology and Personal Growth

  • Disciplines of a Godly Man by Kent Hughes

  • Changed into His Image by Jim Berg

  • Evil and the Justice of God by N T Wright

  • The Deep Things of God by Fred Sanders

  • The Whole Christ by Sinclair Ferguson

  • God’s Big Picture by Vaughan Roberts

  • 20 Things Every Christian Should Know by Wayne and Eliot Grudem

  • Prayer, the Cry for the Kingdom by Stanley Grenz

  • The Best Kept Secret of Christian Mission by John Dickson

  • Married for God by Christopher Ash

  • Jesus and the Eyewitnesses by Richard Bauckham

  • Fresh Wind, Fresh Fire by Jim Cymbala

  • Devoted to God by Sinclair Ferguson

  • Desiring God by John Piper

  • Surprised by Hope by N T Wright

  • Robert Alter: OT Translations; The Art of Biblical Narrative; The Art of Biblical Poetry

  • Mood Tides by Ronald Horton

  • Love Thy Body by Nancy Pearcey

  • Politics After Christendom by David VanDrunen

  • The Great Good Thing by Andrew Klavan

  • Zeal Without Burnout by Christopher Ash

  • The Heart of a Servant Leader by C John Miller

  • For the Glory by Duncan Hamilton

  • “Salvation’s Destiny” in the God of Salvation by Ivor Davidson

  • NIV Atlas of the Bible (Zondervan)

  • In the Beginning by Herman Bavinck

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Writers, Ministers, and Ministries

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Videos
Making Sense of God: An Invitation to the Skeptical | Tim Keller | Talks at Google
57:54

Making Sense of God: An Invitation to the Skeptical | Tim Keller | Talks at Google

Skepticism is healthy if it leads us to question the received pieties of our age. But our modern culture has elevated skepticism to such an ultimate value that belief in anything seems faintly absurd. Yet human beings cannot live without meaning, satisfaction, freedom, identity, justice, and hope—and these things all require a faith dimension. In an earlier book, The New York Times bestseller The Reason for God, Dr. Timothy Keller made a case for Christianity. In his new book, Dr. Keller starts further back, addressing those who strongly doubt that any version of religion or faith makes sense or has anything of value to offer the contemporary world. In his trademark accessible prose, Dr. Keller invites those who have dismissed Christianity as irrelevant to reconsider. As the founder of Redeemer Presbyterian Church in New York City, Dr. Keller has spent decades engaging with skeptics of all persuasions, from the hostile to the hopeful, in personal conversations, sermons, and books, which have sold over two million copies. Timothy Keller was born and raised in Pennsylvania and educated at Bucknell University, Gordon-Conwell Theological Seminary, and Westminster Theological Seminary. His first pastorate was in Hopewell, Virginia. In 1989 he started Redeemer Presbyterian Church in New York City with his wife, Kathy, and their three sons. Today, Redeemer has nearly six thousand regular Sunday attendees and has helped to start more than three hundred new churches around the world. He is the author of The Songs of Jesus, Preaching, Prayer, Encounters with Jesus, Walking with God Through Pain and Suffering, Every Good Endeavor, and The Meaning of Marriage, among others, including the perennial bestsellers The Reason for God and The Prodigal God. Get the book here: https://goo.gl/cajZeX
Mathematical Challenges to Darwin’s Theory of Evolution
57:14

Mathematical Challenges to Darwin’s Theory of Evolution

Recorded on June 6, 2019 in Italy. To comment please go to https://www.hoover.org/research/mathematical-challenges-darwins-theory-evolution-david-berlinski-stephen-meyer-and-david Based on new evidence and knowledge that functioning proteins are extremely rare, should Darwin’s theory of evolution be dismissed, dissected, developed or replaced with a theory of intelligent design? Has Darwinism really failed? Peter Robinson discusses it with David Berlinski, David Gelernter, and Stephen Meyer, who have raised doubts about Darwin’s theory in their two books and essay, respectively The Deniable Darwin, Darwin’s Doubt, and “Giving Up Darwin” (published in the Claremont Review of Books). Robinson asks them to convince him that the term “species” has not been defined by the authors to Darwin’s disadvantage. Gelernter replies to this and explains, as he expressed in his essay, that he sees Darwin’s theory as beautiful (which made it difficult for him to give it up): “Beauty is often a telltale sign of truth. Beauty is our guide to the intellectual universe—walking beside us through the uncharted wilderness, pointing us in the right direction, keeping us on track—most of the time.” Gelernter notes that there’s no reason to doubt that Darwin successfully explained the small adjustments by which an organism adapts to local circumstances: changes to fur density or wing style or beak shape. Yet there are many reasons to doubt whether Darwin can answer the hard questions and explain the big picture—not the fine-tuning of existing species but the emergence of new ones. Meyer explains Darwinism as a comprehensive synthesis, which gained popularity for its appeal. Meyer also mentions that one cannot disregard that Darwin’s book was based on the facts present in the 19th century. For further information: https://www.hoover.org/publications/uncommon-knowledge Interested in exclusive Uncommon Knowledge content? Check out Uncommon Knowledge on social media! Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/UncKnowledge/ Twitter: https://www.twitter.com/UncKnowledge/ Instagram: https://instagram.com/uncommon_knowledge_show
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