“Of making many books there is no end.” So says the Preacher, in Ecclesiastes 12:12. And never before has that aphorism been more true. Estimates are that somewhere between 1 million and 4 million books are published every year. And with the advent of Artificial Intelligence, that number is likely to increase. With so many books and so little time, those who commit themselves to reading may soon discover the second half of Solomon’s wisdom, “and much study is a weariness of the flesh.” Indeed, reading books is a great joy, but it can also become a wearisome task, if we do not pursue the reading of books with faith.
As Romans 14:23 reminds us, anything done without faith is sin. And thus, even the good work of reading books needs a mind of wisdom and a fear of the Lord. This is why Andy Naselli recently wrote his book on how to read books. Reading is a Christian enterprise. God wrote his law on stone tablets (Exod. 31:18), Moses wrote his law so that those redeemed of the Lord could read it and remember God (Deut. 31:9–13), and Jesus himself expected his audiences to have read the Scriptures (see e.g., Matt. 12:3, 5; 19:4; 21:16, 42).
With this attention to reading in the Bible, it is no surprise that as the church spread across the globe, the people tasked with making disciples and teaching those disciples to obey all of Christ’s commands would establish schools. By faith and for the propagation of the faith, Christians create cultures of reading. And that reading is centered on the Bible, but it also carries over to other great books.
For the last month, that has been our endeavor. We have sought to introduce nearly two dozens “great books”—books that have stood the test of time and given us unique insights into the world—many of which have also established the faith of countless generations of believers. Indeed, from theologians like Augustine and Anselm to futurists like Huxley and Postman, to classicists like Lewis and Tolkien, we offered a variety of books that you should know about, read, and read again.
In truth, we hardly exhausted the list of great books. I am sure that when the time is right, we’ll return to a second batch of great books. Until then, make sure you take up and read some of the reflections below and ponder what great book you will read next.
The Unavoidable Either-Or: The Choice that Confronts us in The Great Divorce by Joe Rigney • Longform Essay • The best books reflect us as we truly are while also showing what we might be in Christ.
Augustine and The City of God by Brad Green • Concise Article • Although the city of man crumbles around us, we take heart in the city that has foundations, whose designer and builder is God.
Important Articles on Why the Law Amendment is Necessary by David Schrock and Kevin McClure • Concise Article • There are many good reasons to support the Law Amendment. We’ve compiled some of the best information about the amendment here.
God’s Glory was Satisfied: Anselm’s Why God Became Man? by Stephen Wellum • Concise Article • Almost a thousand years ago, Anselm asked the question why God became man? His answer is still of great value for the church today.
Institutes of the Christian Religion: A Reader’s Guide to a Christian Classic by Shawn Wright • Concise Article • What do you find when you get to know John Calvin? That he wanted you to get to know God.
3.29 “The Unavoidable Either-Or: The Choice that Confronts Us in The Great Divorce” by Joe Rigney, David Schrock, Trent Hunter • Podcast Interview • Listen in as Joe Rigney joins David Schrock and Trent Hunter to discuss his longform essay “The Unavoidable Either-Or: The Choice that Confronts Us in The Great Divorce” as well as the 2024 meeting of the Southern Baptist Convention.
Perfecter of Every Divine Work: John Owen on the Holy Spirit by Kyle Claunch • Concise Article • When it comes to the Holy Spirit, there are few guides more adept than John Owen. Here’s your introduction to this theological giant.
An Introduction to Lex Rex by Doug Wilson • Concise Article • The need for robust political theology has become quite clear in our day. Thankfully, we don’t have to build this from the ground up, but can instead build upon the work of men like Samuel Rutherford.
Brave New World: A Warning Without Hope by Louis Markos • Concise Article • Published in 1932, Aldous Huxley’s famous novel has proved quite prophetic regarding several dark realities in our day. Yet, his tale is not the whole story, for Christ still reigns in this brave new world.
B.B. Warfield’s Inspiration & Authority of the Bible by Fred Zaspel • Concise Article • When it comes to the doctrine of inerrancy, no conversation on the topic is complete without reference to the work of B.B. Warfield.
Andrew Fuller and The Gospel Worthy of All Acceptation by Michael A.G. Haykin • Concise Article • If faith is a gift from God, are sinners still responsible for unbelief? Absolutely. As Andrew Fuller reminds us, all men have a duty to believe the gospel of our Lord.
3.30 “The Unavoidable Either-Or: The Choice that Confronts Us in The Great Divorce” by Joe Rigney • Podcast Reading • The best books reflect us as we truly are while also showing what we might be in Christ.
The Pilgrim’s Progress—John Bunyan’s Greatest Literary Achievement by Ardel Caneday • Concise Article • John Bunyan’s The Pilgrim’s Progress is one of the most read and beloved books of all time. What has made this story such a classic?
There and Back Again: Visiting Tolkien’s World to Understand Our Own by Levi Second • Concise Article • In venturing to the enchanted world of Middle-earth, we learn more about our own world and how we ought live in it.
Neil Postman on Words and Images: An Antidote to Truth Decay by Douglas Groothius • Concise Article • How do we defend truth in a world of images? By carefully crafting arguments out of sentences and paragraphs.
Poetry as a Means of Grace by Jim Orrick • Concise Article • Turkey hunting is not just about a dead turkey—it’s about a glorious journey. And at roughly one-third of the Bible, poetry is meant to change our very affections as we journey through it.
Repentant Revival: Religious Affections by Jonathan Edwards by Tom J. Nettles • Concise Article • True worship demands holy affections for God, yet affections can prove misleading. So, how can we discern what is genuine from what is not? Let Jonathan Edwards show us the way.
Forty of My Favorite Books: An Excerpt from Andy Naselli’s How to Read a Book: Advice for Christian Readers by Andy Naselli • Concise Article • What books should you consider reading? While not comprehensive—and certainly not required!—this list offers a good place to begin.
3.32 “Brave New World: A Warning Without Hope” by Louis Markos • Podcast Reading • Published in 1932, Aldous Huxley’s famous novel has proved quite prophetic regarding several dark realities in our day. Yet, his tale is not the whole story, for Christ still reigns in this brave new world.
Getting into the Book of Hebrews
The Bible is the great book that stands above rest. And in the sixty-six books of the Protestant canon, the book of Hebrews is one of the most glorious. It is difficult to compete with Romans, Psalms, Isaiah, or Revelation, but clearly Hebrews—with its rich Christology and approach to biblical theology—is a premier book in the Bible.
Accordingly, for the next month, we shift our attention from many great books to one great book. And with the likes of Thomas Schreiner, David Peterson, and Matthew Emadi chiming in, we are set for a great month of meditation on Hebrews.
To speak personally for a moment, Hebrews stands at the top of biblical books because of the way it introduced me to the Old Testament. In college, I had been an avid reader of the New Testament, but I had not spent much time in the Old. That changed when in the summer after I graduated from college, I spent a six-week internship studying the book. Over those six weeks, the Lord opened my eyes to the glory of the Old Testament. And really, I never got over seeing Christ in the Old Testament, a reality that Hebrews teaching us to see.
Accordingly, it is my hope that for those who are less familiar with this book, it will open vistas of glory too. At the same time, for those who have dwelt in and meditated upon this book, I trust you will find plenty of biblical and theological reflections to stoke the fires of your heart. In truth, this is what Christians need so much today.
For all the ways that we labor to stand against error in our modern culture with its deification of the self, we need to spend as much time beholding Christ. To apply Robert Murray M’Cheyne’s maxim to our own day, “For every look at yourself, take ten looks at Christ.” In truth, this is something that Christ Over All aims to do. While we want to consider the “all” that Christ is over, we are more interested in considering Christ. For without knowing him, we cannot know how he rules over all things.
Thus, in this month, we will take ten looks at Christ. And I pray that you will join us as we look away from the world to behold our Lord and Savior, so that as turn to face the world, we can do so with faces illumined by his grace and glory.
Christ Over All News and Notes
To wrap up, let me highlight four things to know.
First, last month Christ Over All was in Indianapolis for the Southern Baptist Convention. While there, we handed out copies of Joe Rigney’s book, Leadership and Emotional Sabotage. We also joined more than 100 people for a late night hymn sing. And we worked to pass the Law Amendment. To our disappointment, that measure failed by a small margin. But we still saw many good things come out of the SBC. If you haven’t already, you can read or listen to my reflections on reforming the SBC. We left the SBC hopeful for future work in the convention.
Second, Christ Over All will host its monthly Video Call on July 26 at 12noon (EST). On that call, Trent Hunter will host a discussion on this month’s theme on the book of Hebrews. Please plan to join us for this lunchtime call. It is always a sweet and personal time to discuss important things and to encourage one another in the Lord. You can sign up here.
Third, Christ Over All depends upon thoughtful contributions of faithful writers. At present, we have our next three months filled out (in bold), but we are beginning to plan for the end of the year (in italics). If you are interested in writing something on an area of research or interest, please share your idea with us. Or, if you have a topic we should consider, please share that too. We have already begun thinking about themes for 2025, but would value your input.
August – Beware of Greeks Bearing Gifts: Plundering Plato without Becoming Neoplatonists
September – Voting to the Glory of God
October – Today’s Leviathan: Globalism, Environmentalism, Big Education, and Totalitarianism
November – The Kingdom of God
December – Handel’s Messiah
Fourth and finally, we invite you to prayerfully consider giving to the work of Christ Over All. We at Christ Over All continue to give thanks to God for the way he has blessed us with your generous and encouraging support. We keep hearing reports of the way it is equipping churches, pastors, and other faithful Christians. And if that is a sentiment you share, we would ask you to help support this work in a tangible way.
To date, God has supplied all of our needs, but in order to keep up with the interest and growth of this ministry, we are in need of further partners. Let us know, if you’d like to know more, or simply go Christ Over All to make a one-time gift or become a monthly partner.
That’s it for this month. Until next time, let us all remember that Christ is Lord and all things are under his feet, so in all things let us exalt Christ.
Soli Deo Gloria!
