I meant to add this photo last night of the tour round my library.
Some may question the historical nature of it - and others the "hero-worship" nature! But I framed these particular documents partly because of the real historical interest to me. I grew up a "charismatic" baby in the 1970's and this was part of my spiritual heritage. The Bible Weeks are ingrained in me! And it excites me and stirs my faith to remember that this prophetic preaching was once available and taken for granted by our parent's generation.
And it stirs my faith to pray and expect and long for God to stir the United Kingdom and to see the tidal wave I once dreamed about come crashing on our shores.
So rather than posted a video (I thought that would be a bit pretentious) - here's a few pictures of what my library looks like.
So this is the "Ern Baxter" section to my library. Unsurprisingly I've devoted many years of my life to building up my collection of articles, sermons, New Wine Magazines (the pile in the bottom right of the photo) and audio tapes of this great hero of mine. The picture in the middle is of Ern sitting with some of the Dunstable elders when he came to visit in 1991 just before he went to glory.
This next picture is a couple of shelves down of the audio tapes with collections I've salvaged from my home church in Dunstable of old Restoration magazines and New Wine Magazines.
The next photo is of the collection of old Stoneleigh Bible Week videos and Brighton conference videos that I've collected as well as books on the Holy Spirit and the Charismatic Movement, gifts of the Holy Spirit and so on.
The next bookshelf is one of my favourite - all the Puritan, Jonathan Edwards, C H Spurgeon (although the majority of the Metropolitan Tabernacle volumes are housed in London).
It's been a busy few days tidying and sorting in - but made me so grateful to God for the servants He has given the Church over the centuries! The written word and the spoken word give us so many opportunities to learn more about the God that we love. But I say again - all the books and tapes in the world CANNOT replace a living encounter with God Himself. Rob Rufus said;
"I love the Bible and I preach the Bible and I believe the Word of God is of paramount importance but friends - we have got to love the Author of this Book. When Glenda was living away - she used to write to me and perfume her letters. But it is not the shadow - it was her I wanted to meet. I love reading the Scriptures but I want to know the Author! I want to encounter the Author!".
These books have got to act like clues - revealing little by little more of the One we love and adore!
C J Mahaney has an excellent and accurate way of describing and thinking about Christian books - and one that I have held for some time. In his "study tour" video, he said;
"These are the individuals - dead and alive - who serve me. They are my friends, my teachers, my mentors and reading the volumes present here has made all the difference in my soul ... these are not just books, they are treasures".
I have had that thought for ages ever since I started buying Christian books back in university. I remember my first serious set of books was by C H Spurgeon and it grew from there. When I really enjoy a book and find the author is speaking to me about God, it is as though they are speaking and sitting in the same room with me. As Mahaney said; "They are my friends".
My best friends are writers like Ern Baxter who "though dead still speaks".
I don't know why but I just love looking round pastor's studies and seeing the walls lined with books. I guess it grew up from being used to Dr Stanley Jebb's study in Dunstable. His study was a massive "L" shaped room and was lined floor to ceiling with books. Sadly his successor had quite a few less and it was sad seeing empty bookshelves.
I think it's because books say a lot about those who's libraries they belong in. There have recently been a few videos on You-Tube looking around the studies of some well-known men. I thought I'd post a tour round half my library before these men of God - because mine's a lot smaller! (Half to three quarters of mine is housed in London at Lansdowne Evangelical Free Church). The noise is very poor but I focus on my favourite Holy Spirit books, preserved videos from Stoneleigh Bible Week and my Puritan collections;
Terry and Simon Virgo have been doing some interviews in Terry's study which I have loved. You also get a good glimpse at some of the wonderful books Terry has and reads.
Together for the Gospel posted two videos in C J Mahaney's study and in Mark Dever's study. Sadly C J tends to spend rather a lot of time fooling about with a glove and basketball but you do see the set of C H Spurgeon books which is a favourite in my library too.
Mark Dever's library is wonderfully massive and reminds me of Stanley Jebb's. I spied Richard Baxter's works which I have.
And again it was wonderful to see around John Macarthur's amazing study (although didn't see enough of it!);
Books are all very well and good - but if they do not serve in increasing a passion for a real encounter with the Presence of God then they are simply tools to increase intellectual snobbery.
So the last volume in the Yale edition of the Works of Jonathan Edwards is slightly and very interestingly different - it's called a "Catalogue of Books" and really is just that - a catalogue. Yale describe it as;
"A notebook he kept of books of interest, especially titles he hoped to acquire, and entries from his “Account Book” a ledger in which he noted books loaned to family, parishioners, and fellow clergy".
Why on earth would a book like this be interesting to anyone but someone with a bibliophile bent?
1. It's interesting historically.
The editorial notes that the "Catalogue" affords us an expansive and insightful insight into eighteenth century America and the books available to Christians there. It notes that the colonials depended on developments across the Atlantic in Britain. Jonathan Edwards apparently was an avid newspaper reader. The editorial notes;
"Edwards abiding interest in "signs of the times" meant that he was an indefatigable source collector. Newspapers were one important source on the progress of God's Kingdom".
That last statement gripped me. Nowadays many Christians read newspapers to get glum about the state of the world. Jonathan Edwards read newspapers to "see if I could not find some news favorable to the interest of religion in the world". I love that!
2. It's interesting theologically.
Jonathan Edwards is recognised by most as a theological and spiritual hero. This volume is an incredible and exciting insight into what drove and what interested him.
The editorial notes;
"Edwards was firmly grounded in the Reformed scholasticism of his forebears. Like his father and grandfather he read what Cotton Mather called; "Good old Puritan Divinity".
I found this an interesting insight into Edwards working day;
"Despite his position as sole pastor to perhaps thirteen hundred people, Edwards tried to spend around thirteen hours a day alone in his study".
I wonder how many modern pastors manage that. How we may ask? The editorial says;
"He attempted to do this by minimizing pastoral visits except in emergencies - he judged himself better suited to the contemplative life - and even by skipping dinner with his family on many occasions. Bible study and sermon preparation occupied most of his time but he also added steadily to his "Miscellanies" and other notebooks".
I particularly identified with this comment in the editorial;
"Over the next three decades Edwards notebooks would increasingly reflect his omnivorous reading as he searched for intellectual allies and antagonists, sometimes copying long extracts from his latest book acquisition".
3. It is Stirring Spiritually.
I have frequently found myself personally struggling with my love for books and my desire for more of the Presence of God and more spiritual encounters. I love reading, I love studying, I love building a theological library - but then I see men and women of God like Rob Rufus who speak of having an encounter with the manifest Presence of God every day and I hunger for that so much! I feel such a spiritual pgymy in comparison! And a volume like this shows me that it does not have to be an opposing war - books in fact should testify of the amazing spiritual encounters and journeys that are available in the Christian life. And any books that do not are not worth reading.
Gone are the days when we had to choose between "Word and Spirit" - as Terry Virgo says in this wonderful video, we can have both!
I am and have been trying to limit my Christian book shopping since our large spacious 2-bedded apartment in Birmingham is bursting to the seems with Christian books such as Lloyd-Jones, Owen, Goodwin and Spurgeon. But when I popped into Birmingham's Wesley Owen - I saw two books and a DVD I couldn't resist buying!
3. Morningstar "Baptisms of Fire" DVD by Todd Bentley.
I'm flying off on holiday on Monday for a weeks much needed holiday somewhere hot in the Med - so this shall be my holiday reading! Book reviews to come! It will be great to actually read something of a man I have been watching with such interest.
Some years ago God spoke to my friend Pete and I about the vital importance of building a library. We have sought to obey that word and follow in the tradition of Dr Ern Baxter - not just buying books that will bolster our theological beliefs but books that will challenge us, books that will not agree with us and will have the benefit of "iron sharpening iron". When I first starting buying books in somewhat youthful zest I would buy anything but I began to realise that the Puritan Thomas Brookes was correct in lamenting that the Christian market is full of books that quite frankly are not always worth the money. I have tried to hone the books I buy to ones that are going to fuel my passion for God and stir me to create openness in my life for the Holy Spirit. Here are a few that we have to look forward to this year:
The book description is as follows; "Conquer Life's Greatest Struggle - You have the faith that first saved you. But now you struggle to apply that faith in everyday circumstances. You are battling unbelief , fighting lies with the purifying power of God's truth. Popular pastor and bestselling author John Piper will equip you to live by faith in future grace and demolish the struggles that stem from anxiety, pride, impatience, bitterness, lust, and more".
The description of this book contains a word that makes my mouth water; "Exhaust". It says this; "An exhaustive study of Pauline Christology by noted Pauline scholar, Gordon Fee. The author provides a detailed analysis of the letters of Paul (including those whose authorship is questioned) individually, exploring the Christology of each one, and then attempts a synthesis of the exegetical work into a biblical Christology of Paul".
Here is an extract from Prof Fee's introduction: "Anyone who has read even a smattering of Paul's writings recognizes early on that his devotion to Christ was the foremost reality and passion of his life. What he said in one of his later letters serves as a kind of motto for his entire Christian life: 'For me to live is Christ; to die is [to] gain [Christ]' (Phil. 1:21). Christ is the beginning and goal of everything for Paul, and thus is the single great reality along the way".
The release of this book is particularly encouraging and interesting for me as I have been slightly confused at the intense discussion about the role of women in the Church seeming to be placed as higher importance than the issue of baptism which has been relegated to non-discussion "for the sake of unity". I am glad that this scholarly book is out and look forward to reading it.
The book description is as follows: "Believer's Baptism begins with the belief that believer's baptism (as opposed to infant baptism or other faith proclaiming methods) is the clear teaching of the New Testament. Along the way, the argument is supported by written contributions from Andreas Kostenberger, Robert Stein, Thomas Schreiner, Stephen Wellum, Steve McKinion, Jonathan Rainbow, Shawn Wright, and Mark Dever".
Well I didn't get it for Christmas or my birthday so it remains on my must-have list. A cool 1472 pages of Edwards. How can anyone resist? You never know - I remain in hope that my good friend Luke Wood might get hold of a few copies and offer it at bargain prices over at Newgen Books!
I'm always interested in new books so if anyone knows any that should be added to this list then do contact me!
