Books to Commend

I recently finished reading two books that proved to be enjoyable and helpful.  One, Christianity and Liberalism by J. Gresham Machen, is a classic that was written almost 100 years ago.  The other, The Conviction to Lead by R. Albert Mohler was written within the last year and is all the buzz among reformed evangelicals talking about leadership.

I read Machen with a friend in our church, and so that added to the joy of reading this classic.  I had wanted to read it for many years, but now I've finally completed the task.  It is very well-written and engaging.  To be sure, it is a defense of historic, orthodox Christianity in the face of modern, "liberal" Christianity.  But, I believe that it is quite possible to understand our Faith even better when it is cast against the backdrop of error.  So the book was written to be a defense of the historic faith, but it does not come across as negative in tone.  

I admit that my wife and I chuckled a bit when we first saw advertisements for Mohler's book on leadership; perhaps it is not the best dust jacket design.  But, what's inside is well worth the time and money.  There are 25 easy-to-read chapters, and almost all of them are very insightful and practical.  This is not a pragmatic book about leadership, but Mohler does not neglect application as he unpacks his most helpful theory on the subject.  I definitely recommend both books.  I would also recommend listening to John Piper's biographical address on Machen and tuning-in to Mohler's daily podcast.