Blogger: Michelle Ule
Location: Books & Such Main Office, Santa Rosa, Calif.
When I was in high school, I attended the local Lutheran church to play volleyball on Friday nights. Soon they invited me to Bible study, presented the gospel and encouraged me to read about Christianity. One of the kids recommended I start with Hal Lindsey’s The Late Great Planet Earth. Midway through, I prayed the prayer of salvation. I didn’t buy it all, but I sure didn’t want to be left behind if everyone was raptured and armed conflict broke out in the Middle East.
The pastor later recommended Dietrich Bonhoeffer’s The Cost of Discipleship, and I took a copy of that green paperback to Europe my second summer in college. From Bonhoeffer I learned what it means to be a follower of Jesus, and my life hasn’t been the same since.
Quite an extreme choice of books to read–and therein is the breadth of theological interest in the book-buying public. Guess which book has sold more copies?
I’ve come a long way in 40 years of mostly light-theological reading. While I appreciate the rigor a good book about God requires, my brain is not philosophical–I need more simple and concrete concepts–and theology is not my preferred reading material. Still, I’ve managed to keep up with classics like J. I. Packer’s Knowing God and C.S. Lewis’ Mere Christianity, almost always because some Christian I admire recommended them.
Which brings me to my major problem. How do you find quality theology books today for the simpler reader?
Christianity Today magazine regularly publishes a list of the best books published each year. This year I didn’t recognize a single title in the nonfiction category.
Publishing theology, with the possible exception of apologetics, is a small field in the Christian marketplace. While many theology readers exist, outside of seminaries and classes, it’s not a big mass market unless the author has a significant platform or publishes at a timely moment. What else would explain the success of Lindsey’s book which came out during an oil embargo in the Middle East?
If you are not a professional, how often do you read theology?
What elements draw you to a particular book?
Do you only read within your denomination?
Can you call it a pleasure read, or are you reading differently–for information?
And if you could write any sort of book with a theological theme–remember, theology means the study of God–what would you write about?
I tend to be a bit “uber-analytical,” so I read some book about theology at least once a year. Makes me feel “rooted and grounded” in my faith. I don’t read only within my denomination, but I do compare what I read to scripture to see if it is sound doctrine. I find it pleasant, but not a pleasure read.
Most of my stories feature some point of doctrine which often surface in a character who believes in God but misunderstands something significant about their relationship with him (ie. His sovereignty even in crisis, our complete depravity without grace, the need for mercy and forgiveness…) I hope that readers who are not as philosophical and prefer pleasure reads will still find food for thought in my fiction.
If I were to write a theological book, it would be titled The Real God with a sub-title of something like Not the One we wish, think, or want Him to be. I’m tired of titles/topical books which accentuate His Love, His Grace, and leave out His hatred of sin, evil, and His inevitable judgments both now and later of those very things.
Nothing like curling up by the fireplace with my favorite Systematic Theology book. Okay…I’m a total geek, but I am sure thankful that there were those who wrote sophisticated volumes because God placed it in their hearts. It would sadden me if the CBA backs away from those types of works.
I do think the transforming power in Christian non-fiction is being able to translate complex concepts into simple word pictures and ideas. If readers can walk away with one life-changing concept, the book has done its job.
Last year, I started writing a blog with the expectation of putting together a non-fiction book from the posts. Recently, because I have a full-time job and I don’t want to stress myself out with the work involved in publishing a book, I decided to just keep my content on my blog. I wouldn’t be surprised if I’m not the only one who has decided that. I already have a consistent number of readers every week and I can work on building that number up without making myself a workaholic.
Nicole, my content is about God’s absolute love and takes a look at the Bible through the context of that love. Hatred is destructive and never accomplishes anything positive. The New Testament is specific that God is love and it gives us a clear-cut definition of love.
I confess that when you said ‘theology’ my first question was ‘how are you defining theology?’ The study of the nature of God and Biblical truth, or religious truth? There is a substantial difference between the two definitions, and if you leave out the source of the study of God you can venture off into all sorts of strange ideas–so I guess asking that question has revealed my analytical side.
I don’t generally read theology books. Again, it goes back to not wanting someone else to tell me what the Bible says. I do use almost daily a concordance, a topical Bible, various Bible dictionaries, a Bible Atlas, and my old Bible Almanac. I’m currently on the hunt for a Bible Almanac program for my computer (or something with like information). My bookshelf is stacked with Bible study tools & commentaries.
In recent years I’ve found I use the
commentaries less and less. All this to say that I think I’m too analytical to get any satisfaction out of a theology book. (sounds bizarre, doesn’t it).
I’m not a denominational person, while I am a Baptist, I don’t think being Baptist makes me any better at studying the Bible than anyone else who loves God’s Word. Hence, I can read a book not written by a Baptist, if their approach is from a literal interpretation of Scripture, comparing Scripture with Scripture and letting the Bible interpret itself. But I confess that I will way what they say based upon some of their foundational beliefs (which goes back to how they interpret Scripture). For example, are the Calvinistic or other? Are they Covenantal or Dispensational? Are they charismatic or other?
Because I enjoy studying the Bible, reading from a Bible Almanac or other study tools does bring me pleasure. I realize these aren’t theology books, but they are the tools of any person writing such books.
As to writing a theology book? Wow. I’m not sure I have that ability. I’d be too afraid of misleading someone because my mind is too small to fully comprehend God. 🙂