I recently got an email from someone about what books I had been reading lately. After replying to them, I thought this might make a worthy entry for our newsletter. So without further ado:

What I’m reading lately:

- Al Mohler – The Gathering Storm – I’ve recommended this to a few people. Mohler is the President of the Southern Baptist Seminary in Louisville, KY. He successfully reformed the seminary in two ways when he first went there some 25 years ago: 1) By clearing out a liberal faculty; 2) By instilling a solid Reformed emphasis among the faculty. Mohler also hosts a weekday podcast about “news and events from a Christian worldview.” This book is almost like a book-length version of that podcast. At times, it seems prophetic; at times, it seems scary and maybe, possibly over reactionary (or maybe not?), but I also appreciated the way he ended every chapter with an exhortation for how Christians should respond to these cultural trends.

- Tod Bolsinger – Tempered Resilience: How Leaders Are Formed in the Crucible of Change – Bolsinger uses an extended metaphor about blacksmithing to describe how leaders are formed as they lead (and rest). I finished reading it right before my most recent vacation, which was providentially good timing. Bolsinger’s first book, Canoeing the Mountains, is even better, and not simply because of all the Lewis and Clark stories that he tells.

- Carl Trueman – The Rise and Triumph of the Modern Self: Cultural Amnesia, Expressive Individualism, and the Road to Sexual Revolution – Why this one? Numerous good reviews and the timeliness of the topic. Trueman is an OPC pastor and Church History Professor (formerly of Westminster Theological Seminary in Philly; currently at Grove City College, a highly-regarded Christian college where two of my old seminary professors once taught). The goal of his book to basically explain why our society (America, Western society, Post-Post Modernism) is where it currently is, why it thinks what it currently thinks, particularly as it pertains to issues of identity and sexuality. There’s a mix of history, philosophy, psychology in here. I’m only a few pages in, and I’m having to read it slowly, but I think it’s very good so far.

o Related - Report of the Ad Interim Committee on Human Sexuality - https://pcaga.org/aicreport/ - I recently re-read this report that our denomination released in May 2020, and our Session discussed it at our most recent meeting. There are 12 Statements on sexuality (many focused on issues of same-sex attraction) at the beginning, and there is an “apologetic approaches” section at the end that are both highly recommended. Unlike most study reports, you can read this one pretty quickly. The whole thing is 60 pages, but the two key sections I mentioned amount to roughly 25 pages. We as a Session were grateful for the instruction and scholarship contained in the report, and we’re trying to think of ways that this report can benefit our congregation and/or those who are struggling with these sins. Also, if you’re wondering if I mentioned this report back when it was first released, you’re correct. I did.

- What else am I reading? A few things, but I’m running out of words, so instead …

What I’m planning to preach:

- Once we finish Romans 8 on Easter Sunday (more than conquerors!), I’m planning one topical sermon that will be related to our church’s mission statement.

- Isaiah: Comfort after Judgement

o Isaiah is eloquent and soaring and probably not that well understood outside of the most common passages that we often hear around Christmas and Easter. Therefore, I’m simultaneously really excited and really nervous about preaching this book. Isaiah is 66 chapters, so it won’t be a short series, but we might take a few breaks along the way. Is that for my sake or for the congregation’s? Not sure. Maybe both.

o Did I plan this series because of any recent events? Not necessarily. I’ve been dancing around the possibility of preaching Isaiah for a while. Recent events didn’t steer away from it, but one thing or another reinforced my gut feel that it was time to preach this one. And lastly, I like to major on the majors. Isaiah is one of the so-called Major Prophets, and I haven’t preached at length on anything like this in my 5+ years at Forestgate, so here we go. As always, prayers for the preacher (for clarity, wisdom, endurance and much more) are appreciated.