Summer Reading List

Stopping Church Decline and Cultural Decay | Jeff Struecker’s Summer Reading Recommendations

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This summer, we want to help you craft the perfect Summer Reading List. We asked Southeastern Seminary professors what books they would recommend, and we’ll share their recommendations in coming weeks.

Today, Dr. Jeff Struecker recommends two books for your summer reading list.

Only the Great Commission will stop the decline of church involvement and the cultural decay of modern society.

The Disciple Dilemma: Rethinking and Reforming How the Church Does Discipleship
by Dennis Allen (Morgan James Faith, 2022)

I love this guy and agree with most of the convictions he arrives at regarding the Great Commission. Allen is a former USAF fighter Pilot. After leaving the military he became a CEO that turned around several successful companies. Allen’s thesis is that The Church has lost its mission. Only the Great Commission will stop the decline of church involvement and the cultural decay of modern society.

Constantine’s Sword: The Church and the Jews, A History
by James Carroll (Mariner Books, 2002)

In light of the current war in Gaza, I found this book compelling. This former Roman Catholic priest with some Oedipus issues takes a comprehensive look at Christian violence against Jews. The book begins with the gas chambers of Auschwitz. He moves from Roman Emperor Constantine all the way to the present with an emphasis on the role the Catholic church has played in antisemitism. This is not a history book. Carroll describes the theology and the cultural influences which precipitated Jewish violence.

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The L. Russ Bush Center for Faith and Culture seeks to engage culture as salt and light, presenting the Christian faith and demonstrating its implications for all areas of human existence.

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