The Books That Formed Me
I WOULD begin by emphasizing the place of the Bible in my formation. The other books I will mention are basically guides to my understanding of what and Whom the Holy Scriptures are revealing. Naturally, works of biblical scholarship, especially biblical theology, have been very influential, but I will not try to single out specific volumes. The Fathers of the early Church and of the Anglican classical period of the 16th and 17th centuries are also especially important to me.
The works of C. S. Lewis have played a special role in my life. In high school Mere Christianity had a profound influence on my thinking. His line of argument was clear and convincing to me. Lewis’ fiction baptized my imagination. I find myself constantly using illustrations from the space trilogy, the Chronicles of Narnia, The Screwtape Letters, and The Great Divorce. J. R. R. Tolkien’s The Hobbit and The Lord of the Rings have had a similar impact. Lewis put me on to George MacDonald, for which I am very grateful.
Another major influence since high school has been the writings of Andrew Murray, such as Absolute Surrender, and With Christ in the School of Prayer. Oswald Chamber’s My Utmost for His Highest is another book from high school days that continues to speak to me. More recently I have benefited greatly from the writings of Leanne Payne, including Real Presence, The Healing Presence, and Listening Prayer.
Much of my formation has taken place as I have tried to find where I belong in the Church. Eastern Orthodoxy has shaped me through such books as Timothy Ware’s The Orthodox Church, Alexander Schmemann’s For the Life of the World, Vladimir Lossky’s The Mystical Theology of the Eastern Church, The Way of the Pilgrim, Igumen Chariton’s The Art of Prayer, and Tito Colliander’s The Way of the Ascetics. Anabaptist authors have added to my development, including Menno Simons, Eberhard Arnold, and John Howard Yoder.
Among key works of my Anglican mentors are Michael Ramsey’s The Gospel and the Catholic Church, Stephen Neill’s Anglicanism, Eric Mascall’s Christ, the Christian and the Church, H. C. G. Moule’s, Outlines of Christian Doctrine, William Law’s Defense of Church Principles, and his later mystical works, and many of Evelyn Underhill’s writings. Especially beloved is George Herbert, The Temple and The Priest to the Temple, whose spiritual wisdom, powerful expressions, and delightful typology of Scripture continue to nourish me greatly.
David Bercot’s brief Will the Real Heretics Please Stand Up? exemplifies on a popular level something of my own mixture of classic Anglicanism, with a strong attachment to the early (pre-Nicean) Church and a dash of Anabaptist influence. The three authors I keep coming back to as solid touchstones are C. S. Lewis, H. C. G. Moule, and George Herbert.
Books to Avoid
I won't mention any of the innumerable books that are filled mostly with either poison or banality and so really should be avoided. There are other books from which I have benefited greatly but which should contain a warning label, since they contain some material that will stunt one’s growth if discernment is not exercised. The books that come to mind are those that are New Age, or lean in that direction, for example, Jacob Needleman’s Lost Christianity and the writings of Bede Griffiths, Thomas Keating, and George Maloney.
The Rev. Dr. Rodney A. Whitacre is Professor of Biblical Studies. He is the author of Johannine Polemic: The Role of Tradition and Theology (Scholar’s Press) and has completing a commentary on St. John’s Gospel for the IVP New Testament Commentary Series, to appear in September 1999. This list of the books that formed him appeared in early 1997 in the "Reading for Renewal" issue of Trinity's magazine Mission & Ministry.
This page was posted 22 December 1998.
