John D. Basie’s Summer Reading

A good bit of what I have been thinking through of late has included the questions regarding courage for Christ-following church leaders in this cultural moment. More specifically, the questions that have been coming from believers in various vocations, including full-time gospel ministry. What kind of courage is needed now? What are the key formation channels that we are to steward in the effort to disciple Christ-followers who exude courage the way He did? Too many of us are fearful. We are afraid of offending. We are afraid of losing members. We are afraid of losing funding. We need courage. What would it take to stop asking “what will it cost me if I speak up” and start asking “what will it cost Christ’s bride if I don’t?” My reading list is an attempt to follow that thread toward the courage Paul describes in 2 Timothy 1:7: “for God gave us a spirit not of fear but of power and love and self-control” (ESV).

Between Heaven and Hell — Peter Kreeft 

This is one of Kreeft’s older books. I chose it because a good friend told me that God used this book as a key part of his personal conversion to historic, biblical Christianity, and, by extension, to saving faith in Christ through a campus ministry during his university years. It is one of the most intriguing apologetics books I’ve read to date, given that it is a fictional post-mortem dialogue between president John F. Kennedy, Aldous Huxley, and C.S. Lewis, who all died on the same day. Having just finished it, I can say with confidence that it is a must-read for any church or lay leader who believes intellectual discipleship is core to a robust, holistic understanding of what it means to follow Christ in a world that is hostile to his rule and reign.

Pandemic of Lunacy — J. Budziszewski 

As a believer whose graduate studies took a turn toward the intersection of faith, politics, and public life, I was genuinely thrilled to have access to the resources provided by J. Budziszewski. Once an agnostic, Budziszewski came to faith as a relatively new professor who could no longer see that his agnosticism was intellectually honest. A clear thinker and communicator, this one is essential for anyone seeking to build courage through understanding and identifying the underlying assumptions of so many lies in today’s culture.

The Desecration of Man — Carl R. Trueman 

Grove City College scholar Carl Trueman has been coming on strong in the last 10 years or so, especially with his book “The Rise and Triumph of the Modern Self”. For full-time pastors as well as lay leaders, Trueman’s work and influence are too important in this cultural moment to ignore. He argues that our crisis of meaning stems from rejecting a simple truth: that we are made in God’s image. That rejection has untethered human dignity from anything transcendent—the root, in his view, of today’s societal maladies.

America Agonistes — Os Guinness 

Like Alexis de Tocqueville, Os Guinness—born in China to British missionaries and now based in the Washington, D.C. area—has a unique gift for identifying both strengths and liabilities in the American context. Part of that gift is his extensive cross-cultural experience. As a foreign admirer of the American experiment, he draws on his cross-cultural insights and offers recommendations from a Christian perspective that insiders might miss.

Religious Freedom: A Conservative Primer — John D. Wilsey 

This is one I should have picked up as soon as it was published, given my interests and the nature of my work. But better late than never. This one is key to my work at Alliance Defending Freedom, a legal ministry that seeks to “keep the doors open for the gospel” by building a culture where religious freedom prevails.

Daily Doctrine — Kevin DeYoung 

I’ve added this one to my morning devotional routine. As with readers of Trueman and Wilsey, if you’re a pastor or a layperson constantly seeking to understand God’s world through the lens of his Word, you can’t ignore or dismiss DeYoung’s work. I may not finish it this summer, as it is designed to be spread over a year, but I am beginning it now. I hope this list sharpens my sense of what that courage looks like as I work to multiply resilient disciples in the church and the public square.