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Books Christ and Culture Books
Many books are available specifically on Christ & Culture,
and many more that are related in important ways. We are not including here books
that address a category of Christ & Culture, such as science or politics, but
rather those on the main philosophical, theological, Biblical concept of
Christ & Culture.
Budziszewski, J., What We Can't Not Know, Spence Publishing Company, 2003.
Budziszewski, J., Written on the Heart: The Case for Natural Law, InterVarsity Press, 1997.
Carson, D.A., Christ & Culture Revisited, Eerdmans, 2008. In February of 2018 at North Carolina State University a debate took place between William Lane Craig and Erik J. Wielenberg on the topic of "God and Morality: What is the best account of objective moral values and duties?" This book is a text of that debate, and also includes five chapters by other philosophers who did not participate in the debate but have written responses to the debate. Those five chapters were written by David Baggett, Michael Huemer, Mark Linville, J.P. Moreland, and Wesley Morriston. For a book review by Randy Everist, click here. For a youtube presentation of the debate, click here. Edgar, William, Created & Creating: A Biblical Theology of Culture, IVP Academic, 2017. For a book review by Ollie Lansdowne of the University and Colleges Christian Fellowship, click here. For an interview with Edgar about his book, click here. For a book review by Ed Smither, click here. For a book review by Mark Peters, click here. Feinberg, John S., and Paul D. Feinberg, Ethics for a Brave New World, 2nd edition, Crossway, 2010. This is a major publication on ethics from an evangelical Christianity perspective. It has fifteen chapters and is over 800 pages long. For a review by Larry Lyon, PhD candidate in Christian Ethics at Southeastern Baptist Theological Seminary, click here. For a review by Bill Muehlenberg of the web site CultureWatch, click here. Hunter, James Davison, and Paul Nedelisky, Science and the Good: The Tragic Quest for the Foundations of Morality, Yale University Press, 2018. This book was called to my attention by three blog posts on the White Horse Inn web site: White Horse Inn blog. The three blog posts are as follows: (1) The Mod | "Science and the Good: The Tragic Quest for the Foundations of Morality" by James Davison Hunter and Paul Nedelisky, posted on June 4, 2019 by Rev. John Bombaro, (2) The Mod | Dr. Nedelisky's Response to Dr. Bombaro's Review of "The Science and the Good", posted on July 10, 2019 by Paul Nedelisky, and (3) The Mod | Dr. Bombaro's Reply to Dr. Nedelisky, posted on July 10, 2019 by Rev. John Bombaro. These three posts may be viewed at the indicated White Horse Inn blog site. They are also posted here on the Specific Articles on Christ & Culture page. I have written my own review of this book. It has been accepted for publication in Modern Reformation and is scheduled to appear in the September/October issue, 2020. The submission has been edited some, primarily to shorten it. To view the review as submitted to Modern Reformation, click here. My review of this book has now been published, and since I received permission from the Executive Editor of Modern Reformation to post it on this web site, as long as I include the following statement, "This review was originally published in Modern Reformation, vol. 29, iss. 5 (2020). For more information about Modern Reformation, please visit their site at www.modernreformation.org." I now post it here. Jones, Peter, The Pagan Heart of Today's Culture, co-published by P&R Publishing and Westminster Seminary Press, 2014. This is really a booklet rather than a book, per se. It is about 45 pages long. However, it's not like most booklets. It has 121 end notes, it deals with some rather difficult ideas unless you are already familiar with them, it is written by a very talented theologian, and is endorsed by a pair of other talented and well-known theologians. On the back cover, Sinclair Ferguson writes, "The Pagan Heart of Today's Culture merits the attention of every minister, teacher, parent, and student." John Frame writes, "Bit by bit, the details come into focus, and the reader perceives the true threat of these movements and the urgency of faith in the true gospel of Jesus Christ." Jones grew up in England, but came to the US for his theological education: Th.M. from Harvard Divinity School, and Ph.D. from Princeton Theological Seminary. He has taught at several seminaries, and travels on speaking engagements world wide. His concern for the past few decades has been the cultural change in the US, particularly in terms of its religious commitments. He has written over ten books on the subject. This booklet serves as an introduction and summary, and warning, concerning what he has uncovered. In his view, the US has dramatically moved away from a nation significantly influenced by Christianity to a new position of neo-paganism. Not quit the paganism of ancient Greece and Rome, but a new synthesis of paganism and postmodernism. The inroads that this new (or really old) religion has made in the US is likely much greater than you have realized. This, although a booklet, is a challenging read, but just may introduce you to movements in the US, of great importance, that you may have known very little of. Jones, Peter, Capturing The Pagan Mind: Paul's Blueprint for Thinking and Living in the New Global Culture, Broadman & Holman Publishers, 2003. This is a book about paganism in America and how we can learn from the Apostle Paul about how to present the Gospel in this environment, which is becoming more and more like ancient Rome. For an introduction and overview of this book, see the article on this web site titled Paganism in America located at Home > Topics > Paganism in America. Johnson, Thomas K., The First Step in Missions Training: How our Neighbors are Wrestling with God's General Revelation, Verlag fur Kultur und Wissenschaft, 2014, Wipf and Stock, 2018. This book is endorsed by Gerald R. McDermott, Dr. John Warwick Montgomery, Daniel Ellenberger, Nancy R. Pearcey, Ron Kubsch, William Wagner, and David VanDrunen. It makes the argument that being aware of the importance of Natural Theology (or General Revelation) and knowing a little about it and the impact it has on all of us and our neighbors is a first step in evangelism. Johnson notes in the Introduction about Paul in the book of Romans that "What is truly astonishing is that the very first theme of the apostle, after his missionary framework (Romans 1:1-15) and gospel summary (Romans 1:16-17), is not the gospel. Paul's first theme is the divine-human conflict which forms the background for all of human experience prior to faith in the gospel. This conflict has to do with God's general revelation, the human suppression of that revelation, God's wrath, and his common grace. Paul regarded understanding these truths about God and humanity as the first step to prepare the Christians in Rome to become effective missionaries who were proud of the gospel in relation to their multi-religious and multi-cultural society; this understanding is also strategically important for our time. Paul understood that the entire human race is wrestling with God prior to the time when anyone hears the gospel. Conflict with God is the central theme of human existence. Understanding this conflict, this wrestling match of the ages between God and humanity, is the first step toward serious missionary courage and power. Understanding this conflict also provides crucial intellectual tools needed by all Christians as missionaries. The human race is lost and is continually suppressing their God-given knowledge of God. Nevertheless, even when people suppress their naturally given knowledge of God, the created order of the universe continually impinges on human life and consciousness, so that human life is a continual wrestling match with God and his created order, regardless of the belief or unbelief of a person or culture." That just quoted sets the tone for the book. Johnson calls for a reaffirmation of Natural Theology, that has largely been ignored by Protestants for the past one hundred years or so. A free copy of this book may be obtained online from the following URL: https://www.bucer.org/fileadmin/dateien/Dokumente/Buecher/WoT_1_-_Thomas_K._Johson_-_General_Revelation.pdf. Or, it may be obtained by clicking here. Machen, J. Gresham, Christianity, Culture, and Liberalism, GLH Publishing, 2018. This book, really a booklet since it is only some 36 pages long, is a reprinting of two of Machen's presentations. The first one, Christianity and Culture, is a reprint from The Princeton Theological Review, vol. 11, no. 1, 1913, which is the printed version of an address given on September 20, 1912, at the opening of the one hundred and first session of Princeton Theological Seminary. This presentation may also be found in pdf form under Specific Articles on Christ & Culture. The second presentation is Liberalism or Christianity?, which is a reprint from The Princeton Theological Review, vol. 20, no. 1, 1922. This second one is a printed version of an address given in November of 1921. This second one is not quite as relevant to our topic of Christ & Culture, but does explain how and why liberal denominations have followed (and helped form) the culture, modifying language and really embracing paganism. This presentation was developed into a book-length defense of Christianity against liberalism, which was probably already in development by Machen at the time of the presentation. See Machen's book, Christianity & Liberalism, new edition, forward by Carl R. Trueman, Eerdmans, 2009 (first published in 1923). The first presentation especially, and simply, presents the evangelical response to culture's return to paganism. Maurice, F.D., Reconstructing Christian Ethics, Selected Writings,, Westminster John Knox Press, 1995. F.D. Maurice (1805-1872), an Anglican priest, taught at King's College in London and was Professor of Moral Theology at Cambridge University. His ecclesiology and theology influenced thinkers such as H. Richard Niebuhr and Schubert Ogden. Nichols, Stephen J., Jesus Made in America: A Cultural History from the Puritans to the Passion of the Christ, IVP Academic, 2008. This book is a devastating critique of how evangelicals see Jesus in the USA. In a one-word summary: superficial. The influence of the surrounding culture on how we see Jesus has often had greater impact than what the Bible teaches. In the USA, according to Nichols, emotions and experience are much more important than sound doctrine. Beginning with Puritan New England it has all been downhill. For a review by Glenn Kreider, click here. For a review by Trevin Wax, click here. For several brief reviews by well-known authors, click here. For a lengthy book review by James F. McGrath, click here. For an audio panel discussion of the book, with Stephen J. Nichols, Jeff Waddington, James Dolezal, Nick Batzig, and Camden Bucey (It is 53 minutes long), click here. Niebuhr, H. Richard, Christ & Culture, Fiftieth Anniversary Expanded Edition, HarperOne, 2001. The original edition was published in 1951. For an overview by Trevin Wax on The Gospel Coalition, click here. For a followup of Trevin Wax's overview on The Gospel Coalition, click here. For a book review by Diana Gruver on the Culture and Youth web site, click here. For a book review by Bruce L. Guenther in the Mennonite journal Direction, click here. For a book review by Hugh Whelchel on the Institute for Faith, Work & Economics web site, click here. For a detailed and critical book review by Craig A. Carter, Associate Professor of Religious Studies, Academic Dean and Vice President of Tydale College in Toronto, Ontario, click here. For a somewhat lengthy and detailed review and analysis by John F. Carson III, which is his senior thesis in the honors program at Liberty University, click here. Schilder, Klaas, Christ & Culture, translated by William Helder and Albert H. Oosterhoff, CRTS Publications, 2016. This book preceded Niebuhr's by quite some time. It was originally published in 1932 as an essay in Dutch as part of a collection by various authors. It was then revised, expanded, and published in Dutch as a publication of its own in 1947. A reprint followed in 1953. It was first translated into English in 1978, which included annotations by Jochern Douma. The 2016 publication of this book in English is a new translation and includes additional comments by the translators. For extensive notes on Schilder's book by Matt Colvin, click here. For an article on the life of Schilder, click here. For a detailed review of Schilder's book by Richard Mouw, as it appeared in the Calvin Theological Journal, click here. Scrivener, Glen, The Air We Breathe: How We All Came to Believe in Freedom, Kindness, Progress, and Equality, The Good Book Company, 2022. This book is endorsed by 17 people in the lead-in pages of the book. The only endorsee that I recognize is Michael Reeves. The reason is that Glen Scrivener is an ordained Church of England minister from Australia, and I think all of the endorsees are British (including Michael Reeves). Nonetheless, this book, available on Amazon for less that a month at the time of this writing (I received my copy on June 16, 2022) has made something of a splash in the USA, being the "#1 New Release in Christian Bible History & Culture" on Amazon (as of June 27, 2022), and featured by the Westminster Bookstore (of Westminster Theological Seminary, Philadelphia) and Christianbook.com. Scrivener writes that most of the values of Western culture are the result of the influence of Christianity. He identifies seven in particular: equality, compassion, consent, enlightenment, science, freedom, and progress: these are the chapter titles of chapters 2 through 8. He contrasts the Roman Empire that existed at the time of Christ on earth with our culture today, and notes the great changes that have taken place. Scrivener makes the case that these changes have occurred due to Christianity. The book is very well written, easy to read, and is, in my opinion, compelling. My only criticism would be that he does not address truth and morality, two topics that are, in my opinion, somewhat critical to the overall argument. For a detailed review by Rory Shiner, as it appears on the Gospel Coalition, Australia, web site, click here. For a review by Rob Seabrook, click here. For a review by Adam Thomas, click here. For an audio interview with the author, Glen Scrivener, click here. For a video interview with the author, Glen Scrivener, click here. Smith, Steven D., Pagans & Christians in the City: Culture Wars from the Tiber to the Potomac, Forward by Robert P. George, Eerdmans Publishing, 2018. From the dust jacket: "Picking up poet T.S. Eliot's World War II-era theisis that the future of the West would be determined by a contest between Christianity and "modern paganism," Smith argues in this book that today's culture wars can be seen as a reprise of the basic antagonism that pitted pagans against Christians in the Roman Empire. Smith's Pagans and Christians in the City looks at that historical conflict and explores how the same competing ideas continue to clash today." For a video discussion of this book by Albert Mohler and Steven D. Smith, click here. For a written review by Dennis Greeson, click here. For a written review by George P. Wood, click here. Sproul, R.C., Making a Difference: Impacting Culture and Society as a Christian, Baker Books, 2019. This book was originally published in 1986 under the title Lifeviews: Make a Christian Impact on Culture and Society by Revell. For a review of Lifeviews by Edward Hindson, click here. Stassen, Glen H., D.M. Yeager, and John Howard Yoder, Authentic Transformation: A New Vision of Christ and Culture, Abingdon Press, 1996. For a review by Ron Sanders, click here. Turnau, Ted, Popologetics: Popular Culture in Christian Perspective, P&R Publishing, 2012. This is a fascinating and unique book that does an excellent job of analyzing popular culture in the USA, especially movies, TV shows, popular music, etc. In fact, that is what Turnau means by "popular" culture: the culture of the masses, of common people, not the culture of the "elite." One observation, perhaps negative, but mostly just curious, is that while it is, in my opinion, excellent as briefly described here, it is not a book on apologetics as, I think, the title implies. The results of his analysis may be very useful in apologetics, but apologetics, per se, isn't touched on much. William Edgar, Professor of Apologetics, Westminster Theological Seminary (see his book above), writes as follows on the back cover of Popologetics: "A tour de force. Written incisively, with appropriate humor, and especially using up-to-date examples from the field of popular culture . . . there is nothing remotely like it in print today. I recommend it enthusiastically." For a review by John Perritt on the Gospel Coalition web site, click here. For a review by Allen D. Curry on the Orthodox Presbyterian Church web site, click here. For a review by Michael Lee Harland, Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary, click here. VanDrunen, David, A Biblical Case for Natural Law, Acton Institute, 2006. In this brief monograph of some 75 pages, VanDrunen presents the case, based on passages in the Bible, that the idea of Natural Law is taught in Scripture. He felt the need to do this since Natural Law is controversial in Protestant Christianity. It didn't used to be controversial, but it became so maybe beginning around a hundred years ago. But in the last twenty years or so there has been a renaissance of Natural Law in Protestant circles, and David VanDrunen is a leader in this renaissance. VanDrunen defines Natural Law as follows: "the term generally refers to the moral order inscribed in the world and especially in human nature, an order that is known to all people through their natural faculties (especially reason and/or conscience) even apart from supernatural divine revelation and that binds morally the whole of the human race." For a negative review by John Frame, click here. For a balanced but somewhat negative review by Guy Davies, click here. For a negative review by Nelson D. Kloosterman, but unique in that David VanDrunen's response is included, click here. A positive and detailed review appeared in the Mid-America Journal of Theology by Daniel R. Hyde. If you are unable to read the actual book by VanDrunen, I recommend that you read this review. To access the review, click here. Veith, Gene Edward, Jr., Post Christian: A Guide to Contemporary Thought and Culture, Crossway, 2020. For a review by Mark Powell of Sydney, Australia, click here. For an audio interview of Gene Edward Veith, Jr., on the publication of Post Christian: A Guide to Contemporary Thought and Culture, an episode of the White Horse Inn, click here. For a review by Leonardo De Chirico of the Gospel Coalition, click here. | |