1689Dave
Well-Known Member
If you are born-again you can digest the food presented therein.
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Recommended Books for New Believers.
- Thread starter Mikey
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Mikey
Active Member
I was referring more to Warfields writing style.
1689Dave
Well-Known Member
As simple as can be. Don't let bias creep into giving a fair assessment.
No need for that now.
The instructions epitomize the very spirit of the Reformation by exercising one's Right To Private Judgement as espoused by reformer Charles Hodge:
"The Bible is a plain book. It is intelligible by the people. And they have the right, and are bound to read and interpret it for themselves; so that their faith may rest on the testimony of the Scriptures, and not on that of the Church. Such is the doctrine of Protestants on this subject...."
Prayer: Asking and Receiving, by John R. Rice--one of the all time best sellers on the subject.
The Holy Spirit: Who He Is and What He Does, by R. A. Torrey--a classic. Note that in Acts, one of the first things presented to new believers was the reality of the Holy Spirit.
The Soul Winner, by Spurgeon--a little tough to read, but still a classic.
Or
The Soul Winner's Fire, by John R. Rice
Hudson Taylor's Spiritual Secret, for the Christ life and a burden for missions.
Other than that, our church has a series of discipleship lessons, which I go with. In leadership theory, there is something called socialization, in which the new member learns about the organization he or she is joining. We've all been through that. So, whatever your church uses for this process is important to share with the new believer.
Even in the early church they had discipleship lessons, such as the Didache. Check out the translation here: CHURCH FATHERS: The Didache
The Holy Spirit: Who He Is and What He Does, by R. A. Torrey--a classic. Note that in Acts, one of the first things presented to new believers was the reality of the Holy Spirit.
The Soul Winner, by Spurgeon--a little tough to read, but still a classic.
Or
The Soul Winner's Fire, by John R. Rice
Hudson Taylor's Spiritual Secret, for the Christ life and a burden for missions.
Other than that, our church has a series of discipleship lessons, which I go with. In leadership theory, there is something called socialization, in which the new member learns about the organization he or she is joining. We've all been through that. So, whatever your church uses for this process is important to share with the new believer.
Even in the early church they had discipleship lessons, such as the Didache. Check out the translation here: CHURCH FATHERS: The Didache
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RipponRedeaux
Well-Known Member
Those are extremes. I am a centrist on this. I started reading Psalms December 25, 2019 then went to Genesis and following. I am in Zechariah and will finish Malachi by the end of this month. Most of the time I read only a chapter a day for the Old Testament. About a dozen or more books ago I began doing two or more chapters per day.
In October, when I start Matthew, I will slow down again and do about a chapter a day. I figure to complete the New Testament by August 31, 2022. That is my 32 month plan. There are only about 15 books total in both Testaments which I would consider reading in their entirety in one day.
Robert Murray M'Cheyne popularized a one year plan, and many others followed suit in one way or another. It doesn't work for me. Remember the tortoise and the hare? I'm the former.
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RipponRedeaux
Well-Known Member
RipponRedeaux
Well-Known Member
A reminder.
Currently I'm exploring/revisiting many of the types as presented by Brian Martin in his book 'Behind The Veil Of Moses'. This guy is on the same level with Pink when it comes to the types, IMO.
K.
1689Dave
Well-Known Member
I start every day with Cheyenne. For many years now. I've tried other methods, but He seems the best for me.
Bassoonery
Active Member
Just as we encourage children to read beyond the Bible and want to equip them with good literature, steering them away from bad literature, the same can be said of new believers who might not have had the privilege of a Christian family home. I think that is the loving mindset behind the OP, whose premise involves generously gifting the said books.
Even without extra books, it would be thoughtful to ensure that the new believer is equipped with the following, either as part of their Bible or as separate pamphlets.
1. Timeline
2. Notes about dates, authorship, context of each book
3. Cross references
4. General concordance/index
5. Maps
New believers may also feel lost without some grasp of church history (2000 years as well as their particular denomination). I'm not sure what church history books would be good to recommend though.
Even without extra books, it would be thoughtful to ensure that the new believer is equipped with the following, either as part of their Bible or as separate pamphlets.
1. Timeline
2. Notes about dates, authorship, context of each book
3. Cross references
4. General concordance/index
5. Maps
New believers may also feel lost without some grasp of church history (2000 years as well as their particular denomination). I'm not sure what church history books would be good to recommend though.
RipponRedeaux
Well-Known Member
Apparently you took offence when none was intended.
You said that you understand the books you recommended, and that if you can understand them I am without excuse. Huh? I made it perfectly clear that the OP was dealing with new believers. Your books are certainly unsuitable for new believers. It's a common sense sort of thing.
Then you brought up the Sermon On The Mount. First and foremost, the Bible is The book. That's why I said in my first post that a new believer should concentrate on the Bible.
It's a mystery how you could make the determination that I was not recommending the Bible or any part of it as unsuitable reading material.
You have a large disconnect in comprehending the post you are responding to.
1689Dave
Well-Known Member
I read these starting from scratch being illiterate of the truth they contained. It took years to disprove all I had been taught in the various churches and to grab ahold of my faith. If you have a dictionary, you can understand many of the terms the books use.
Knowing GodI like to see your 10 books choices!Which Systematic Theology?
mere Christianity
the Cross of Christ
My upmost for His Highest
How to read the Bible for all its worth
Grace Awakening
Pilgrims Progress
The Bondage of the Will
Knowing scriptures
Berkhof systematic theology
RipponRedeaux
Well-Known Member
The subject of the OP deals with books you would recommend to a new believer.
That would be like saying a newbie would have no trouble digesting Calvins Institutes!
RipponRedeaux
Well-Known Member
Aside from the last book you cited, you need to identify the authors. I know them, but others may not. You assume too much.
kathleenmariekg
Active Member
I think people reared in a church or even with a parent who cooked, fail to understand what it is like for an adult to start from ground zero with no context and chance to have observed innumerable little things.
People need to spiral out in their studies. You cannot talk over their heads or drown them with a firehose.
New Christians really need the equivalent of daily AA meetings, but that is seldom available in the protestant churches. This is one area that I must praise the Catholic church. When I first started going back to church after a bad stumble, I went to mass every day, because it was THERE.
I had a magazine with the daily scriptures that would be read or were supposed to be read at home and in Mass. I ripped out the daily pages and carried them all day, and read them on the subway or anytime that I was waiting. I rushed home from college to get to mass just in time. Sometimes I had time to drop off my books and laptop and other times I had to drag them with me to mass.
Babies need people more than checklists. Even having grown up in the church, I was fragile. I was reading huge amounts of scripture every day before Spring semester started, but even then, I was fragile and needed to slow it down and just BE in the COMPANY of other Christians. I miss mass at THAT chapel so much. It was a special place that has visitors from all over the world, immigrants on the run and trafficked, and people from the entire neighborhood, homeless to top 0.01%.
People need to spiral out in their studies. You cannot talk over their heads or drown them with a firehose.
New Christians really need the equivalent of daily AA meetings, but that is seldom available in the protestant churches. This is one area that I must praise the Catholic church. When I first started going back to church after a bad stumble, I went to mass every day, because it was THERE.
I had a magazine with the daily scriptures that would be read or were supposed to be read at home and in Mass. I ripped out the daily pages and carried them all day, and read them on the subway or anytime that I was waiting. I rushed home from college to get to mass just in time. Sometimes I had time to drop off my books and laptop and other times I had to drag them with me to mass.
Babies need people more than checklists. Even having grown up in the church, I was fragile. I was reading huge amounts of scripture every day before Spring semester started, but even then, I was fragile and needed to slow it down and just BE in the COMPANY of other Christians. I miss mass at THAT chapel so much. It was a special place that has visitors from all over the world, immigrants on the run and trafficked, and people from the entire neighborhood, homeless to top 0.01%.
1689Dave
Well-Known Member
There are many children of God molesters in many churches, not only the pedophiles but those who deceive and bring into bondage the new convert. I speak from experience. It's best to give them the truth of the Ecumenical Creeds as embodied in Reformed books. And then to expose them to historic Baptist thought. The books I listed do this with a dictionary in hand.
Many are on a level of Chick Tracks every Sunday morning and feel good about this. Converts need a lot more.
1689Dave
Well-Known Member
This is what I did. Do you recommend books on the level of Chick Tracts?