Phil's Summer Reading

Alas, things have been so busy that I have not really entered into the mode of summer reading yet -- at least what I would call summer reading.  But I did have some long airplane flights last week, so I have done some reading.

Completed so far are James Tunstead Burtchaell's The Dying of the Light, which documents the spiritual and theological decline of denominational colleges across the United States, largely through quiet moves towards unorthodoxy by their presidents and trustees -- a cautionary tale, to be sure.  This has been on my "new books" shelf for almost a decade, so it was good to get it read.

I also read The Beauty of God: Theology and the Arts, a very helpeful collection of essays edited by faculty from Wheaton College.  I hope to post one or two snippets from the book soon.

Just now I am about halfway through Timothy Keller's The Reason for God (I'm a little behind on this one, I realize, but at least I'm getting to it this decade!) and have David Wells's The Courage to be Protestant on my nightstand. 

I have dipped a little into Wilhelm Busch's Jesus our Destiny, which is advertised as the best-selling evangelical book in Germany of the 20th century.  Busch was a staunch opponent of Hitler during the Second World War.  In this book he gives a vibrant account of his own faith in Christ, a bold appeal for his readers to trust in Christ, and a spirited defense of evangelical orthodoxy.  Very refreshing.

But when I think of summer reading, I usually think of reading more fiction and poetry.  Alan Paton's Cry the Beloved Country is on my list (a re-read).  So is Wordsworth's Prelude, if I can find a good stand-alone copy at a decent price.  And seeing Alexander McCall Smith on Derek's reading list reminds me that I am still a few volumes behind (happily, because that means I can still read them) in his Ladies Detective Agency series.  Also, our father and son book group is tackling Stephen Ambrose's Band of Brothers this summer (also a re-read, but I was out-voted).