The similar phrase 'Worldly Christianity' is one used by Bonhoeffer. It's J Gresham Machen that I want to line up most closely with. See his Christianity and culture here. Having done commentaries on Proverbs (Heavenly Wisdom) and Song of Songs (Heavenly Love), a matching title for Ecclesiastes would be Heavenly Worldliness. For my stance on worldliness, see 3 posts here.

Two recent autobiographical books

Two books have recently appeared from EP (my own publisher) by older contemporaries, both of whom I know to speak to. The two books are quite different but both have an autobiographical thread. One is by a known author one by a first time author.
The first is by author Faith Cook and is called And so I began to read .... Starting when Faith Cook was still a child it seeks to chart her reading experience, chiefly with Christian books such as selected works of Jonathan Edwards, The Reformation in England by D'Aubigne, Spurgeon's own autobiography and Hallesby on prayer, etc. Nearly all of the books I knew of or had read but there were one or two that had passed me by. Faith Cook talks not only about the books content but about reading and the Christian life and so on. Just over a hundred pages long it makes a nice short and stimulating read,
Basil Howlett's 1966 and all that: an evangelical journey is more conventional in many ways but its chief concern is not to recount Basil's story but to present an apologia for the path he has followed in leaving the Baptist Union and becoming an FIEC minister. He writes very warmly of Dr Lloyd-Jones whose views he is seeking to defend and make known again. This backfires slightly for me at one point (p 39) where he gives an example of what he thinks is a brilliant answer from Lloyd-Jones but what I fear shows both a poor theological grasp and a facetiousness that would have been better forgotten. That aside this is a are book seeking to explain the position of independent ministers like myself. Slightly longer, this book is only a little over a hundred pages and can be quickly read.

1 comment:

Karl said...

Hello Gary,

I have just read 1966 and all that! an evangelical journey by Basil Howlett! Basil Howlett was one of my lecturers when I studied at London Theological Seminary, so it was nice to read his book. I thought the book was very interesting and well written for a short book. I would recommend it!