Best Books of 2007—A Late Homework Assignment

#10 The Deerslayer by James Fenimore Cooper
If you are looking for history, realism, clear crisp fiction, or fast paced narratives, look elsewhere. Cooper is a plodding writer; his descriptions are often well-done, but just as often tedious; his use of dialog is painful; his plot resolutions contrived; his action usually repetitive, implausible, and slow. Why read Cooper? He was a novelist of manners and he exalts the role of the Christian gentleman.

#9 Fire in the Minds of Men: Origins of the Revolutionary Faith by James Billington
This is a detailed, long serious study of the ideology that gave us the French Revolution and the century of revolutionary movements, thinkers and ideas that followed. The seeds of the revolutionary spirit that are still sprouting can be discovered in this book.

#8 The Scandal of the Evangelical Mind by Mark Noll
Like Jonah’s preaching at Nineveh, this book has in the decade since it was written begun to change the way evangelicals have viewed intellectual pursuits. Still, we have only made a few small steps in a long journey. Christians educators must read this book.

#7 Cities of God: The Real Story of How Christianity Became an Urban Movement and Conquered Rome by Rodney Stark
Rodney Stark has now written several books on church history that are proving to be valuable resources for understanding the impact of Christianity on history. Dr. Stark continually reminds us that he is a sociologist and not a historian, but by his bringing in the tools of his particular trade, he develops angles on church history that have not been stressed.

#6 Contours of a Christian Philosophy by L. Kalsbeck
Christian worldview thinking centers in large part on a remarkable group of Dutch thinkers in the 19th and 20th centuries. The man often ranked as the greatest of Dutch Christian thinkers is Herman Dooyeweerd. Dooyeweerd is quite difficult to read due to the philosophical nature of his writings, the particular terms and concepts he used, and ideas he was interacting both with and against. Kalsbeck’s book is subtitled An Introduction to Herman Dooyeweerd’s Thought and is essential for beginning studies of Dooyeweerd.

#5 Lectures on Calvinism by Abraham Kuyper
Prior to reading Dooyeweerd or Kalsbeck, one simply must read Kuyper. He is the best known, most widely read, and most popular (and controversial) Dutch thinker. These lectures were originally delivered at Princeton University in 1898. They constitute the most foundational work on Christian worldview thinking around. Kuyper discusses Reformed theology, politics, science, art, and the future. His insights are very Dutch Calvinist centered and limited by the time he originally spoke, but this work is well worth repeated readings.


#4 America: The Last Best Hope, Vol. 1 & America: The Last Best Hope, Volume II by William Bennett
Dr. Bennett, former education secretary under President Reagan, is a brilliant, remarkably conversant, conservative, Catholic political and social commentator, author, and speaker. His two volume history of the United States, perhaps better than anyone else’s history including Paul Johnson, has restored the concept of the narrative to American history. History is a story, and our nation’s story—“God mend her every flaw”—is a great one.

#3 Big Chief Elizabeth by Giles Martin
This book highlights the great story of America beginnings, particularly that near failure, Jamestown, which was preceded by a total failure, Roanoke. While reading this account, my continual thought was that this venture in the Virginia colony in the late 16th and early 17th centuries could not succeed, but it did, thanks in large part to Sir Walter Raleigh’s vision and to the conversion of Pocahontas, who married John Rolfe. This conversion and marriage brought a greater degree of peace and coexistence between the native American tribes and the English than had ever existed before.

#2 Princeton Seminary: Volume 2 by David Calhoun
Princeton Seminary produced a whole legion of great Calvinistic Presbyterian pastors, preachers, theologians, writers, and teachers. Names like Alexander, the Hodges, Warfield, Vos, and Machen still constitute a Who’s Who among American theologians. Princeton Seminary stood strong and valiant in the fight against naturalism, Darwinism, theological liberalism, and humanistic progressivism during 19th century. Yet, the liberals captured the seminary.

#1 Roots of Western Civilization: Pagan, Secular, and Christian Optionsby Herman Dooyeweerd
As stated above, Dooyeweerd is hard to read. This book is the best way to begin the ascent up the high peaks of Dooyeweerdian thought. Dooyeweerd is usually categorized as being a philosopher, but he was also a historian. This book is a broad cultural analysis of history as a whole. I have described this book as a high octane version of Francis Schaeffer’s How Should We Then Live? Dooyeweerd wrote this originally as a series of newspaper articles in the wake of a culture war erupting in the Netherlands after World War II. After the Netherlands suffered from Nazi occupation and the evils of that regime, many Dutch Christians left the country. The battles between secularists and Christians for the heart of the country were quite severe. As a Christian way of thinking about history and culture, this is a worthwhile study. Consider these selected quotes:
“[T]he excessive expansion of power within a given cultural sphere always occurs under the guidance of an apostate faith….” Page 106

“Sparks of the original glory of God’s creation still shine in every phase of culture, to a greater or lesser degree, even if its development has occurred under the guidance of apostate spiritual powers.” Pages 38-39

“Religion is not determined by national culture, but vice versa; it is religion that brings its formative power to bear on national culture.” Page 84

Christopher Dawson

Those of you who have discovered the brilliant insights of Catholic historian Christopher Dawson will really want to get this book: Sanctifying the World: The Augustinian Life and Mind of Christopher Dawson by Bradley Birzer. I read the introduction last week and have been awed by both Dawson and Birzer's coverage of his subject. In the opening section, he dealt with how Dawson influenced a wide range of writers and thinkers, including Tolkien, Russell Kirk, C.S. Lewis, T.S. Eliot, Allen Tate, and more (although I don't understand why he left me out). Dawson once wrote, "All my life for fifty years I have been writing on one subject and one cause--the cause of Christendom and the study of Christian culture."

Dawson's writings are simply indispensible for the Christian who wants to study world history, and especially the history of the more Christianized parts of the world, from a Christian perspective. From the same place in Rome where Edward Gibbon conceived the idea of constructing his Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire, Dawson came to a commitment to rewrite history from a Christian perspective. This book by Birzer, who also wrote a fine study of J.R.R. Tolkien, is a good introduction to Dawson or a good follow-up for those who have read from his many books and essays.