Church Administration, Annotated Bibliography Example

Books

A.N. Wilson. Jesus: A Life. New York: W.W. Norton, 1992.

The main goal of this book is to separate the facts about Christ from the myths. In this journey, the book examines His life, the miracles, his death, and the resurrection. Major questions that the book asks is how Christianity became prominent over Judaism according to both historical and religious context and to what extent His power was political over religious. Regardless of the answers the book provides, we know for certain that He is the son of God and was powerful because of His holiness.

Derek Prime. Jesus: His life and ministry. Nashville, TN: T. Nelson, 1995.

In this book, Derek Prime attempts to look at the life of Christ from a new angle. He examines the four gospels to take a closer look at the time and which Christ was present on this Earth. In the first part of this book, Prime explains the information needed to understand His teachings. In the second, he explains the terminology used in order to give the reader a greater understanding of this work.

James Thrower. Religion the classical theories. Edinburgh: Edinburgh University Press, 1999.

James Thower’s book is an attempt to explain the theories behind many different Western religions. This is an interesting book to use because it allows us to understand the connection between many of the modern religions that consider Jerusalem to be their holy land, including Christianity, Judaism, and Islam. This book is also interesting because he associates religious values and beliefs with other well-known philosophies like that of Plato, Kant, and Hegel. I believe that it is important to understand all of these teachings because Christianity and other religions and philosophies that have similar values should be studied and understood; this similarity supports the good that Christianity brings because even though not everyone accepts Christ, they value the teachings that He gave to us.

John Brown. Christ: the way, the truth, and the life. Morgan, PA: Soli Deo Gloria Publications, 1995.

This book is significant because it was authored by Reverend John Brown when sent to Holland for banishment. Brown’s banishment allowed him to truly contemplate Christ and consider important questions such as the true path to holiness according to teachings. Using quotes from the bible, it provides instruction to those who have sinned and are unsure of how to return to the path of righteousness. The book describes Christ as the ideal teacher and the lessons that can be learned from Him.

Max E. Anders. Jesus: knowing our savior. Nashville, TN: T. Nelson, 2005.

The author uses this book to explain the life and teachings of Christ in a way that is highly relevant for people today. It attempts to explain the works of Jesus in a way that is highly understandable and that many people that are unfamiliar with Him can relate to. This is a useful source of information because it is extremely easy to read and inviting. The main goal of the book is to teach the reader who Jesus is and why he is important.

Michael Grant. Jesus: an historian’s review of the Gospels. New York, NY: Simon and Schuster, 1992.

Michael Grant uses his book as a way of looking at the gospels as a historian. The main goal of this book is to analyze the gospels in order to determine what are purely the teachings of Jesus in addition to aspects of career rather than third part accounts that may have misinterpreted or diluted His original message. The author takes a unique approach to do so; by approaching the gospel as a historian, he uses other documentation in order to study and track the life, death, and resurrection of Christ. While this source is interesting, we cannot be certain that what the author finds is actual truth. This book is an important read because it confirms many of the thing that we believe about the life of Christ, yet it shoots down other concepts that we are familiar with without enough evidence to truly state whether they are historically accurate or not.

Paul P. Enns. The moody handbook of theology. Chicago, IL: Moody Publishers, 2008.

This is a useful handbook to consult when beginning a study of Christian theology. It presents the reader with five different approaches of interpretation including biblical, systematic, historical, dogmatic and contemporary. It uses many quotes from the bible itself in order to enhance the learning process. The most important part of the book is useful charts at the end that summarize key points for easy reference.

R.J.K. Law. The Glory of Christ. Edenburgh: Banner of Truth Trust, 1994.

This book summarizes the life work of John Owen, a great Puritan pastor. Law adapts Owen’s message of Christ is a way that contemporary readers are able to understand and connect with. Owen recorded these thoughts during the final years of his life, so it reflects his complete experience of religious thought and teachings. The main goal of this book is to teach us how to see Christ more clearly and how to serve him faithfully.

Tim F. LaHaye and David Minasian. Jesus: why the world is still fascinated by Him. Colorado Springs, CO: David C. Cook, 2009.

The goal of the book is to explain that even many years after his birth, the world is still fascinated, impressed, and in love with Christ. The prevalence of people who know Him and his teachings is impressive, and it is difficult to travel very far without encountering churches, supportive bumper stickers, and the like. The book discusses moves on the topic of Christianity and Christ himself. The book is an interesting read; although it isn’t very religious in nature it does well by touching upon his popularity in this modern culture.

Timothy Dwight and Sereno Edwards. Theology: Explained and Defended. Birmingham, AL: Solid Ground Christian Books, 2005.

In this book, Dwight takes advantage of many primary sources in order to discuss the evolution of Christianity in the Americas. The main goal of the book is to demonstrate the religious beliefs that people held in this country over time, emphasizing Christianity as the basis of American law. This book includes works from many different people. I believe this book is important because it can have value to a large variety of people.

Journal Articles/Magazines

Bryan Chappell. Christ-Centered Preaching: Redeeming the Expository Sermon. Grand Rapids: Baker Book House, 1994, p. 375.

In this article, “Chapell insists that only Christ-centered preaching is able to redeem the expository sermon from its two chief enemies, erosion of authority, and mere moral instruction”. I believe that while Christocentricity is an important topic to consider when determining the value of sermons, it is important to understand other ways of spreading His message. Personally, while it is important to emphasize the teachings of Christ Himself, the Gospel is important because it gives us information about His life from the account of others. The book primarily discusses salvation by grace alone, avoidance of moralistic and legalistic preaching, and the benefit of upholding the integrity and authority of Scripture. It is important to note that many people have different preaching styles, and although Chappell provides a good point, his method is not the only way.

J.V. Fresko. A More Perfect Union? Justification and Union with Christ. Modern Reformation, 2007, p. 32-35.

This article is primarily concerned with the Christian definition of marriage and ties in this belief to current events such as current laws that are being passed in the United States that work to support gay and lesbian marriage. The specific definition that the author uses in this article is “Marriage is the union between a man and a woman where the two individuals become one flesh, as the Apostle Paul tells us in the fifth chapter of Ephesians”. He calls any situation that does not fall under this definition a “disharmony between Justification and Union with Christ”. Fresko offers an interesting analysis of the topic using the bible as his main reference.

Michael S. Horton. Preaching Christ Alone. Modern Reformation, 1993, p. 1-5.

This article is primarily concerned with ensuring that the teachings of Christ remain consistent with what we learned in the Gospels. He argues that if we are not doing so, we are not being faithful to Him. The author says that the Gospels are the most important teachings and they should be preached. I agree with the author on this topic, although I think it is important to be open minded about religious teachings and more faithfully follow the words of the bible that we know for certain were given to us by God.

Michael S. Horton. Wanted: Ministers Who Preach Not Themselves, But Christ. Modern Reformation, 2000, 13-19.

The primary goal of this article is to address the issue of ministers who do not adequately preach the teachings of Christ. Horton notes the shift of ministers’ goal of spreading His message to the ministers attempting to interpret or explain the bible and the Gospel in a way that isn’t consistent with the teachings or adding irrelevant things to these sermons. He talks specifically of church want ads for ministers and criticizes how they are phrased. In one part of the journal article, Horton says that want ads generally ask for members of pastoral staff who have “gifting in leadership, shepherding, administration, recruiting, team-building, problem solver [sic], large church experience (1,000+).” It is important to note that the primary responsibilities of a minister are not administrative tasks and popularity; his job is to convey the message of Christ to his people, join the community together in His love, and advise the people of ways to best live according to His message.

Tim Black. “Him We Proclaim: Preaching Christ from All the Scriptures” by Dennis E. Johnson. Modern Reformation, 2007, 44-46.

The main goal of this article is to provide a literature review that explains and analyzes “Him We Proclaim: Preaching Christ from All the Scriptures” by Dennis E. Johnson. The book discusses many important issues in Christianity, one of the most striking of which is the concept of conversion. The author believes that preachers should not only preach to convert; the main importance of this task obvious is spreading the message and teachings of Christ. The second part of the book examines teachings that came from the Old Testament; the author compared these old Jewish teachings to the ones that are used in modern Christianity.