We were watching a video Sunday night about family discipleship from the Vision Forum conference on building a multi-generation (200 year) vision for our family. I stole the idea from there, but we discussed books that have shaped my life and I decided to list and share those here on the blog.
Chosen by God by Dr. R. C. Sproul: This book helped explain the doctrine of election to me as I struggled through it being raised in a family and denomination that does not believe or teach election or predestination. I use Paul the Apostle and Jonah as examples as they chose different paths than what God wanted, but in the end they followed His will.
Refuting Evolution by Dr. Jonathan Sarfati: This book came at a critical time, my first real challenge of my faith by a co-worker who questioned that anyone could believe a book 2000 years old and we know so much more from science today. I had never thought about it at all, and sought out the truth. Another co-worker guided me to Answers in Genesis where this book was being featured being recently published. I couldn’t believe how little real data evolution was based on. I ended up teaching it in our church’s adult Sunday School classes. I couldn’t get enough information; I read as many books I could get on the topic (15 during the 12-week course).
A few others shaped me in more minor ways around creation and science. The Puzzle of Ancient Man by Dr. Donald Chittick helped me see this in archeology as well and opened my eyes to the concept that man’s intelligence is devolving (capacity and ability – not technology) rather than evolving. Bones of Contention by Dr. Marvin Lubenow helped me understand that man has a great ability to categorize and create a natural progression based on taxonomy where there is none. And finally, Dismantling the Big Bang by Dr. John Hartnett helped me see the incredible power of predictions in science and did a thorough job of breaking down the concepts and evidence surrounding astronomy and the Big Bang.
Ideas Have Consequences by Dr. R. C. Sproul: This book helped open my eyes to philosophy and the four causes. It also helped me see that two equally brilliant men can come to complete opposite conclusions; the difference is not in their intelligence, but in where they started. Presuppositions change a lot.
Dominion and Common Grace by Dr. Gary North: This book was when I really understood the dominion mandate both broadly and with depth. I began to see my responsibility as a man on this earth and began seeing areas everywhere, where I needed to take dominion, or others did.
Before that, my former pastor Al Bandstra shoved me into dominion in my family with his Father’s Day sermon on Jonadab. This was a turning point for me, and was built on by further lectures and materials by Doug Philips of Vision Forum and by Scott Brown and others with NCFIC. This shaping is still happening and I need to do more reading and applying.
What Hollywood Teaches about Manhood by Dr. Voddie Baucham: This is actually a lecture on CD that does a wonderful job of explaining Biblical Manhood and illustrating the contrasts as seen through several Hollywood movies. This is a CD that I have listened to and been encouraged by several times, I never get tired of it and it spurs me on and reminds me of my Biblical responsibility in my family and my work. There are many other lectures by Voddie Baucham that have been excellent and influential as well.
Besides those, I have been influenced by several people, especially my family, on a regular basis. This is largely my own family, wife and two boys, but also my extended family on both my side and my wife’s. There were many other books that had some influence, but these were the ones that shaped my thinking and I still recall today.
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