Summer reads recap
Recapping the theological tomes from my summer reads!
Back in May, I shared my plan for summer reading and since it is the end of the summer I wanted to recap the theological tomes I read! Below this paragraph I include a summary of each book, a bit about the author, my likes and dislikes of the book, as well as my favorite quotes.
These are the books I read this summer in chronological order:
Orthodoxy - G.K. Chesterton (1908) (April 8th-May 9th)
On the Incarnation - Athanasius (318) (May 11th-June 20th)
Delighting in the Trinity: An Introduction to the Christian Faith - Michael Reeves (2012) (not a theological tome per se, but it was a bonus theological summer read) (May 7th-July 20th)
The Rare Jewel of Christian Contentment - Jeremiah Burroughs (1648) (May 14th-August 4th)
Confessions - Augustine (397) (June 26th-August 11th)
1. Orthodoxy - G.K. Chesterton (1908)
I listened to
’s podcast from several years ago as I was reading this book. It definitely helped with comprehension of some of the denser sections to have someone walk through it and pull out the golden nuggets. I definitely encourage reading of this book in community or listening to a podcast to help parse through it as it can be dense at times.G.K. Chesterton was a prolific English writer who wrote this book in response to someone calling him out and saying he liked to poke fun at the religious views of others but not define his own. Chesterton seeks to explain how he became a Christian in this book and walk the reader through his thought process in a both logical, but meandering way full of rabbit holes.
This book is a beautiful explanation of how Chesterton found God and reads similarly to Mere Christianity by C.S. Lewis. I especially appreciated the chapter on contradiction where Chesterton discusses how Christianity can seem like a contradiction as we seek to be in the world, but not of the world. At the end of the book he acknowledges that “Christianity is a super human paradox whereby two opposite passions may blaze beside each other.” I often feel that my life is a life of contradictions (Substack for another day!) and found myself very heard and understood through Chesterton’s discussion on paradox. Chesterton uses a lot of logic to walk the reader through understanding Christianity, but does so in a way that is not dry, but full of examples and creative explanations. He also talks about reason and faith in a way that does justice to both which I appreciated as a scientist who can often prioritize reason over faith.
There were some elements of the book that were hard to work through because of how it was written. At times it felt like I was a meandering through the dense forest of Chesterton’s thoughts without a light. But at the end of every chapter Chesterton brings it back around and you see the purpose of the rambles and through the wandering there are bright glimpses of beauty and hope. Even though it was a hard book to work through it was beneficial and I could see returning to it one day and getting a lot out of it on a second read.
Favorite quotes:
It is exactly this balance of apparent contradictions that has been the whole buoyancy of the healthy man
It is idle to talk always of the alternative of reason and faith. Reason itself is a matter of faith
Every act of will is an act of self-limitation. To desire action is to desire limitation. In that sense every act is an act of self-sacrifice. When you choose anything, you reject everything else
Thinking in isolation and with pride ends in being an idiot. Every man who will not have a softening of the heart must at least have a softening of the brain
I had always felt life first as a story: and if there is a story there is a storyteller
The proper form of thanks to it is in some form of humility and restraint: we should thank God for beer and Burgandy by not drinking too much of them
The Christian optimism is based on the fact that we do NOT fit into this world
2. On the Incarnation - Athanasius (318)
My husband and I read this book together over a month as it was a shorter book and we set aside time every weekend to discuss the book and our thoughts! This was another book that benefited from reading it with others to help work through some of the theological arguments.
Athanasius is known as an early church father and most well known of his defending of Christian orthodoxy (Nicene creed) and arguments against the views of Arius (Arianism) which said that Christ was created by God the Father, but was not God. Athanasius was a champion of the divinity of Christ.
We read the version that had an Introduction by C.S. Lewis and the introduction alone was worth buying and reading this book. Lewis champions reading old books so that one can look back on other ages and see where they got things right and wrong. He also emphasizes the importance of reading the primary literature as opposed to books that may try to simply sum up a more difficult book, but lose nuance in the process. Lewis values reading deep theology and believes it draws us closer to God than a devotional book could.
This short book walks through the theology of God becoming man through Jesus (the Incarnation) and how Jesus did this 'so that as a human he might bring humans to himself and return their sense of perception to himself, and then, by their seeing him as a human being, he might persuade them through the works he effected that he is not a man only, but God and the Word and Wisdom of the true God.' There were a lot of good arguments in this book and I appreciated how Athanasius emphasized why Christ must die on a cross and how he had to wait three days to rise again.
At one point Athanasius says 'it is better to submit to the blame of repetition than to omit anything that should be laid down.' And wow does Athanasius like to repeat himself. It is a short book and he likes to say the same argument multiple times which was sometimes grating. However, I have already seen the knowledge of this book be useful and relevant to other books I am reading which has been really satisfying.
Favorite quotes:
In the same way the all-holy Son of the Father, being the Image of the Father, came to our place to renew the human being made according to himself, and to find him, as one lost, through the forgiveness of sins as he himself says in the Gospels ‘I came to seek and to save that which was lost’ (Luke 19:10)
In reference to why Christ died on a cross versus being dying by sickness: For it was neither fitting for the Lord to be ill, he who healed the illnesses of others, nor again for the body to be weakened, in which he strengthened the weaknesses of others
For only upon the cross does one die with hands stretched out. Therefore it was fitting for the Lord to endure this, and to stretch out his hands, that with the one he might draw the ancient people and with the other those from the Gentiles, and join both together in himself
And, in short, the achievements of the Savior, effected by his incarnation, are of such a kind and number that if anyone should wish to expound them he would be like those who gaze at the expanse of the sea and wish to count its waves
3. Delighting in the Trinity: An Introduction to the Christian Faith - Michael Reeves (2012)
I read this short book with a group of women from my church and since the trinity is a difficult piece of theology to wrap your mind around, I really appreciated being about to do theology in community!
I had not heard of Michael Reeves before reading this book, but I really appreciated how he communicated clearly about a complex topic. He is also British and his Britishisms were delightful and helped bring some levity and fun to this deep discussion.
This was a great dive into the trinity in an understandable, but deep manner. I am not going to attempt to hash out his explanations here since the doctrine of the trinity is complex and I could not do it justice. Reeves clearly lays out how God the Father loves God the Son which is why Jesus goes out from God the Father to share that love and God the Sprit anoints Jesus and is sent out from the Son.
Favorite quotes:
For it is only when we see that God rules his creation as a kind and loving Father that we will be moved to delight in his providence
That is why the Son goes out from the Father, in both creation and salvation: that the love of the Father for the Son might be shared
And so, by sharing their Spirit with us, the Father and the Son share with us their own life, love, and fellowship
The Spirit brings assurance of the Father’s love and the Son’s perfect salvation
“Love the Lord your God” and “Love your neighbor as yourself.” For that is being like this God - sharing the love the Father and the Son have for each other, and then, like them, overflowing with that love to the world
4. The Rare Jewel of Christian Contentment - Jeremiah Burroughs (1648)
As mentioned in the previous post, I read this book alongside a sweet woman from my church who loves diving into deep reads. There is something very special about discussing a difficult and challenging book with someone to help process ideas and uncover elements of the text you would not have seen otherwise!
Burroughs was a Puritan pastor in the 1600s and he most well known for this book where he details what contentment is, how difficult it is for us to have contentment as Christians, and how to seek contentment. Originally, these chapters were sermons, so the book does read like a sermon at some points.
Burroughs is a very organized, logical, and methodological writer which I appreciated. Every point he makes has subpoints and sub subpoints so even by looking at the table of contents, you can understand the flow of his arguments. With this, Burroughs is very thorough, but can tend to get a little repetitive at times. There were certain chapters where I and my reading buddy were not sure what new point Burroughs was attempting to make.
Christian contentment is described as 'the sweet, inward, quiet, gracious frame of spirit, which freely submits to and delights in God's wise and fatherly disposal in every condition' which is such a beautiful and all encompassing definition. Much of Burroughs argumentation is that God has given us great mercy and we should be thankful. Knowledge of our sin and what we deserve should drive us towards contentment even in affliction. We understand that we will go through trials but that God is sovereign and helps us through them.
I did have a few qualms with the book. Being a Puritan, Burroughs could be a bit heavy handed at times and towards the latter third of the book I felt sufficiently aware of how discontent I was. Some of his arguments felt more works-based than grace-based. In several places, Burroughs elevated learning contentment to being the most important thing for a Christian to do - I believe contentment is important, but it is not the end all be al, highest calling for a Christian.
This book a was a huge kick in the pants for me in revealing my discontented heart in so many areas. Burroughs does a very thorough job of unpacking contentment and how we are extremely bad at it. The last chapter does a great job of encouraging us with how we can be content which I found that insightful and very practical. In finishing the book, I am still left with the question of how to find the balance between asserting everything is good all the time because God is good and I should be content because I desire nothing with the element of some things being hard and still acknowledging that and finding contentment in God. But as Burroughs says in the first chapter: “Contentment in every condition is a great art, a spiritual mystery. It is to be learned and to be learned as a mystery’
Favorite quotes:
It is one thing to be satisfied in one’s own judgment and understanding, so as to be able to say, ‘This is the hand of God, and is what is suitable to my condition or best for me. Although I do not see the reason for the thing, yet I am satisfied in my judgement about it’
For if a man is to be free from discontent and worry it is not enough merely not to murmur but you must be active in sanctifying God’s name in the affliction
And the truth is, I know nothing more effective for quieting a Christian soul and getting contentment than this, setting your heart to work in the duties of the immediate circumstances that you are now in, and taking heed of your thoughts about other conditions as a mere temptation
The promise tells me that if it does befall me [suffering] yet it is for some notable end, and because God has a use for my life and intends to bring about his glory some way that I do not know of
But grace teaches such a mixture, [in reference to being content in affliction but also aware that is is an affliction] teaches us how to make a mixture of sorrow and a mixture of joy together; and that makes contentment, the mingling of joy and sorrow, of gracious joy and gracious sorrow mixed together
The Lord does not so much look at the work that is done, as at the faithfulness of our hearts in doing it
And so there is nothing outside us that can keep our hearts in a steady, constant way, but what is within us: grace is within the soul, it will do this.
Retain good thoughts of God, take heed of judging God to be a hard master, make good interpretation of his ways, and that is a special means to help you to contentment in all one’s course
5. Confessions - Augustine (397)
This was the one book I read solo! While I could have definitely benefitted from talking with others about this book, it was also the longest of the ones I read so it would have been a long book club to do so. Since finishing the book, I would like to do some reading about other people’s thoughts about Confessions as it was different than I expected and because of that I was surprised at its popularity.
This book is considered a classic for Christians and Catholics because Augustine is an early church father for both as he lived before the Catholic/Protestant split. In this book, Augustine details how he came to faith from a life of licentiousness and in the latter 1/4 of the book he muses about particular things that interest him (eg, the concept of time, creation, etc).
Augustine basically pens an emotional love letter to God which was not what I expected. It did remind me of the Psalms and how we read those and love God more through the words of the writers of the Psalms.
Augustine could be a bit heavy handed with lambasting his past. He really throws himself in the dust in self-flagellating way due to his previous sin. It was interesting to read some of the theological beliefs of Augustine that I did not agree with (his emphasis on chastity, waiting to baptize until right before death). I had higher hopes that I would enjoy this book based on the prominent place it holds in the upper echelon of Christian thought. However, there were definitely some beautiful passages and I am interested to read some of Augustine's other works.
I read the translation from Sarah Ruden based on a recommendation from the Knowing Faith podcast. The translation was enjoyable and it seemed to be a translated into a little more colloquially than other translations which made it easier to read. The Introduction by Ruden was delightful as she described her method of translation and some of the confusing intricacies with the latin Augustine used. Throughout the book you could see her wit come through the footnotes which greatly amused me: “*The passage is moving from signs or wonders through sacraments. The pronouns (though one expresses mild contempt) are even more obscure than in most places. Unable to slap the author until he explains, I can merely construe that he is still talking about the material elaboration of eternal abstractions.”
Favorite quotes:
In yourself you rouse us, giving us delight in glorifying you, because you made us with yourself as our goal, and our heart is restless until it finds rest in you
From this, it’s clear enough that free inquisitiveness has a greater power for learning than timorousness under compulsion
To live in the emotion of desire, is to live in the murk of emotion, and this is to live a long way from your face
Why then, is sweet fruit plucked from life’s bitterness, from groaning and weeping and sighing and lamenting
Return to the heart, you double-crossers, and cling to the one who made you. Stand with him, and you’ll stand indeed. Rest in him, and restfulness will be yours
Oh, Master, our God, we must find hope in the shelter of your wings: cover us over and carry us. You’ll carry us even as lowly children, and you’ll carry us until our hair is white, because when you are our firm support, then we truly have that; when the “firm support” is our own, it’s weakness
But if anybody recites to you a list of his genuine good deeds, what’s he giving you if not a list of your good gifts to him?
There’s a joy that isn’t given to the irreverent, but to those who worship you with no exception of a reward - those whose joy you yourself are. This is the happy life itself: to rejoice in your presence, and through you, and because of you
What have I learned?
There is nothing like a good challenge to help me focus, prioritize, and remain committed. I have really enjoyed this summer of deep theological reads and am excited to see how the books I read will continue to shape me and where they are referenced in other Christian books I read in the future.
Throughout this summer, I did notice it was easy for me to focus on the reading, but forget that I was doing this whole challenge to know God better and be more well versed in theology. One friend asked me about midway during the challenge what I was learning about God and I did not have a clear response. Yes, I learned about God from a knowledge perspective, but was I letting the truths I was learning shape my heart to love Him more? Reading Confessions in the latter half of the challenge was helpful for that as I had to read pages and pages of a man confessing his deep and abiding love in my God.
Overall, I again reinforced to myself the value of reading old books and the merit it has even though it is an investment and takes a lot of work and effort. I saw that all these men (I wish there had been a woman author in there, but maybe that is for next summer) are flawed and had some theological issues even though they are heralded as theological heroes. It is such a good reminder that we all are messed up in our own little ways, but that God still uses flawed men and women. I also saw how Christianity persisted through all different ages - from 218 to 2012 - and continues to persist to this day. That is truly encouraging to me as I continue to carry the torch in my own life and so look forward to a day when I can meet all these authors in heaven as we rejoice and praise our God together.