Nov
12
Top 5 Non-Fiction Authors Who Impacted My Life & Thinking
It is not uncommon for bloggers and other article-writers to put out a Top 5 (or other number) list for something. I have done a few myself. A “Top X Books …” is a favorite — both to read and to write — for those of us who like to read books.
A few years back, I participated in a Facebook challenge in which you were to identify the ten books that most strongly influenced you and then post the title and cover of one of them each day for the next ten days. Each day, you were also supposed to challenge a different FB friend to do the same with their ten picks. Being recently reminded of this challenge (thank you, Facebook Memories) gave me the idea of presenting my ten books in a blogpost. But, despite what I decided on for the FB challenge, it was really hard to narrow it down to ten. Plus, a couple more contenders had been published in the meantime.
I noticed that certain authors had written more than one book apiece among my favorites. So, I opted to do a list of authors instead of books. Without further ado, then, and in no particular order, here are the five authors — aside from those through whom God wrote the Bible, of course — who have had the most impact on my life and thinking:
1) Hugh Ross, Canadian astrophysicist and Christian apologist, founder and former CEO of Reasons to Believe
Back around 1999/2000, I was really getting interested in Christian apologetics, especially the Creation/Evolution debates. I was never fully comfortable with the Young Earth Creationist position and knew there had to be a “middle position” between YEC and Theistic Evolution. That’s when I came across The Genesis Question by Hugh Ross. It sat on my bookshelf for many months, though, before I was brave enough to read it. Over time (which included reading and listening to more material from Ross’s ministry, RTB), I decided I was an Old Earth Creationist.
In the years that followed, Ross and the rest of the RTB scholar team have written many more books. (I’m currently reading one by Ross, in fact.) But I’d say the most influential ones for me were from the earlier years. The Genesis Question (1999/2001) was later expanded, rewritten, and re-titled Navigating Genesis (2014). Ross teamed up with Kenneth Samples and Mark Clark to write Lights in the Sky & Little Green Men (2002), which I used for my 3-part blogpost series on “The RUFO Phenomenon”. Ross also expanded/rewrote his Creation and Time (1994) and re-titled it A Matter of Days (2004), which was in turn expanded for a 2nd edition in 2015.
Besides his books, I will always appreciate Ross’s calm, logical, and irenic nature even under fire.
2) Greg Koukl, American radio talk show host and Christian apologist, founder and president of Stand to Reason
After a couple years or so of following RTB, I heard them mention (and then interview, I think) Greg Koukl of STR. I checked out his ministry and became an avid reader and listener of its materials, too. One of STR’s early mottos was “Clear-thinking Christianity”, and Koukl and his staff really do strive to help Christians think through biblical and cultural issues, as well as learn to be more effective in conversations with non-believers.
“Pro-Life Persuasion” was one of the first issues they really helped me learn about. But, the first book of theirs to impact me on an intellectual level was Relativism: Feet Firmly Planted in Mid-Air (1998), co-authored by Greg Koukl and Frank Beckwith. Several years later, Koukl published the first edition of his Tactics: A Game Plan for Discussing Your Christian Convictions (2009), which was revolutionary for tons of us who are not naturally comfortable in sharing our faith. (The updated and expanded 10th Anniversary edition (2019) is even better.) In 2017 Koukl came out with another book that I love, The Story of Reality: How the World Began, How It Ends, and Everything Important that Happens in Between. Koukl only recently came out with his latest masterwork, Street Smarts (2023), which is a “sequel” of sorts to Tactics. (I’m currently half-way through it.)
Like Ross, Koukl has been a virtual mentor in my Christian walk for over two decades.
3) James R. White, American Reformed Baptist theologian, pastor, apologist, director of Alpha and Omega Ministries
I think I may have initially become familiar with James White from an old John Ankerberg show on which White and several others participated in a discussion about Bible translations. It was probably a while after that when I purchased the first edition of White’s The King James Only Controversy (1995). It’s a terrific, scholarly book, though I would now recommend the updated & expanded, second edition (2009).
At some point, I was turned onto White’s weekly broadcast/podcast by a friend at my local RTB chapter. White is not an Old Earth Creationist, but he does address other topics that I am interested in. In addition to being a regular viewer of the podcast, I have purchased several of White’s books over the years, though I haven’t read them all, yet. Besides the two editions of the book I already mentioned, the ones I have read and can recommend include Debating Calvinism (with Dave Hunt), The Potter’s Freedom, Scripture Alone, and The Forgotten Trinity. White books coming up in my reading queue include Letters to a Mormon Elder and The Roman Catholic Controversy.
White has been instrumental in my improved understanding of issues to do with Bible translation, Christian church history, and, of course, Reformed theology, which I continue to investigate.
4) Norman Geisler, American Christian systematic theologian, philosopher, apologist, co-founder of two non-denominational evangelical seminaries
My familiarity with Norm Geisler’s name goes back to my early research into Christian apologetics in the 1990s. For example, he was one of the primary architects of the Chicago Statement on Biblical Inerrancy. He co-authored a trilogy of books regarding Christian evidences (When Skeptics Ask (1990) with Ron Brooks), Bible difficulties (When Critics Ask (1992) with Thomas Howe), and cultic misinterpretations (When Cultists Ask (1997) with Ron Rhodes), and I still refer to them on occasion. (At least two of these have newer editions with different titles.)
In 2004, the prolific Geisler published a terrific apologetics book (co-written by Frank Turek) titled I Don’t Have Enough Faith to Be an Atheist. It remains one of my favorites, because it begins with epistemology and logic, followed by intelligent design in nature, then moves into topics like miracles, reliability of the Bible, who Jesus is, etc. Geisler put out Christian Ethics in 1989, and I picked up a copy of the 2nd edition (2010) a few years ago. It was very helpful in understanding ethics systems and how to define and apply Christian moral thinking on various controversial topics.
Since becoming much more Reformed in my theology, I have problems with some of his positions and reasoning in certain areas. But, I still greatly appreciate and respect the late Dr. Geisler for the above works and others besides.
5) Garry Friesen, pastor, Bible professor, former Academic Dean at Multnomah University
Friesen was primary author (with J. Robin Maxson) of the controversial Decision Making & the Will of God, which presents a biblical alternative to the “traditional” method that many Christians today — especially Evangelicals — are taught or socialized into believing. I was introduced to Friesen’s book and teaching by Greg Koukl, who adapted much of it (with his own style) into articles and talks and much discussion on STR podcasts. Friesen’s book (and Koukl’s associated teaching) were a much-needed breath of fresh air in the area of making biblically-informed decisions and knowing God’s will, which I (like most Christians) struggle(d) with.
6) Honorable Mention: Lee Strobel, American Christian apologist, former investigative journalist
Early in my investigation into Christian apologetics, I read a few of Strobel’s “The Case for…” books. I found them to be engaging, helpful, and a great introduction to other Christian apologists and resources.
Given my interests and beliefs and some of the things I have posted on this blog in the past, it should be no surprise that the books I listed have to do with Christian theology and/or apologetics. All but Friesen have written several more books, some or most of which I have also read. But, the ones named above are those that changed and/or clarified my thinking on a number of issues, as the authors in question continue to do.
Do I ever disagree with something these authors write/teach, or at least hold some reservations? Sure. Do they ever disagree with one another? Definitely. And that’s fine. No one agrees 100% on everything, not even among traditional, conservative Christians. But, we can read different authors and use our best judgement in determining what seems to be the most reasonable and consistent interpretation of the evidence, regardless of topic. Then, as Koukl says (and he’s probably not the only one), “Eat the meat and spit out the bones.”
You know, it occurs to me that I could have written this as a “Thanksgiving post”, because I am immensely thankful to God for these men and their efforts in service to God’s Kingdom.
