Some months back, I posted a list of suggested novels, plays and collections of poetry that I thought theology students and pastors ought to read, and in response received a number of excellent additional suggestions. Thanks heaps to those who offered such! Now, I am putting together a wee course on twentieth-century Reformed & Presbyterian thought for interns training for ordained pastoral ministry, part of which means offering some pre-reading suggestions. So far I’m considering selections from some of the following:
- Karl Barth, The Göttingen Dogmatics: Instruction in the Christian Religion, Evangelical Theology, Church Dogmatics
- Jacques Ellul, What I Believe
- Helmut Thielicke, A Little Exercise for Young Theologians
- Herbert Henry Farmer, The World and God: A Study of Prayer, Providence and Miracle in Christian Experience
- Jürgen Moltmann, The Crucified God, The Trinity and the Kingdom, The Church in the Power of the Spirit and In the End – The Beginning
- Reinhold Neibuhr, Moral Man and Immoral Society and The Nature and Destiny of Man: a Christian interpretation, Volume 1: Human Nature
- Lesslie Newbigin, The Gospel in a Pluralist Society, Proper Confidence: Faith, Doubt, and Certainty in Christian Discipleship and Trinitarian Doctrine for Today’s Mission
- John Oman, Grace and Personality
I’m also considering some of the following essays:
- Karl Barth, ‘The Word of God and the Task of the Ministry’, in The Word of God and the Word of Man (trans. Douglas Horton; New York: Harper and Brothers, 1957), 183–217.
- Eberhard Busch, ‘The Closeness of the Distant: Reformed Confessions after 1945’, in Toward the Future of Reformed Theology: Tasks, Topics, Traditions (ed. David Willis and Michael Welker; Grand Rapids: Wm. B. Eerdmans, 1999), 512–31.
- John W. de Gruchy, ‘Toward a Reformed Theology of Liberation: A Retrieval of Reformed Symbols in the Struggle for Justice’, in Toward the Future of Reformed Theology: Tasks, Topics, Traditions (ed. David Willis and Michael Welker; Grand Rapids: Wm. B. Eerdmans, 1999), 103–19.
- Lynn Winkels Japinga, ‘Reformed and Feminist: Feminist Theology as a Source of Revitalization’, in Reformed Vitality: Continuity and Change in the Face of Modernity (ed. Donald A. Luidens, et al.; Lanham: University Press of America, 1998), 139–54.
- Jürgen Moltmann, ‘Theologia Reformata et Semper Reformanda’, in Toward the Future of Reformed Theology: Tasks, Topics, Traditions (ed. David Willis and Michael Welker; Grand Rapids: Wm. B. Eerdmans, 1999), 120–35.
- Douglas F. Ottati, ‘The Church In, With, Against, and For the World’, in Reforming Protestantism: Christian Commitment in Today’s World (Louisville: Westminster John Knox Press, 1995), 93–116.
- Choan-Seng Song, ‘Christian Theology: Toward an Asian Reconstruction’, in Toward the Future of Reformed Theology: Tasks, Topics, Traditions (ed. David Willis and Michael Welker; Grand Rapids: Wm. B. Eerdmans, 1999), 58–74.
- Thomas F. Torrance, ‘The Distinctive Character of the Reformed Tradition’, in Incarnational Ministry: The Presence of Christ in Church, Society, and Family: Essays in Honor of Ray S. Anderson (ed. Christian D. Kettler and Todd H. Speidell; Colorado Springs: Helmers & Howard, 1990), 2–15.
- Daniel L. Migliore, ‘The Spirit of Reformed Faith and Theology’, in Loving God with our Minds: The Pastor as Theologian (ed. Michael Welker and Cynthia A. Jarvis. Grand Rapids/Cambridge: Wm. B. Eerdmans, 2004), 352–66.
- Nicholas Wolterstorff, ‘Liturgy, Justice, and Holiness’, Reformed Journal 16 (1989), 12–20.
Am I missing anything really obvious here, particularly stuff that would be important for Presbyterian ordinands to engage with? Keep in mind that this is only one module of seven in an entire course dedicated to Presbyterian and Reformed studies, and that there is a separate module that attends to key New Zealand figures.
So what other texts ought I consider? And – to make it broader – if you’re a Pressie/Reformed minister, or even one from some lesser tribe, what twentieth-century reformed theology do you wish you had read when you were training?
jasongoroncy.com 
Jason,
A great list. “A Little Exercise for Young Theologians” was a salient influence on me in my early days of ministry, though one could argue that it is hardly Reformed. I guess the same goes for “The Crucified God,” another important book for me, but Moltmann’s most Lutheran work, don’t you think? I would vote for the Torrance essay. Why no Forsyth, too early? Same with Abraham Kuyper? I love Barth’s little “Evangelical Theology: An Introduction.” Every pastor should read it.
Best, Rick
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In slightly different vein of Presbyterian & Reformed thought, I have really been helped by John Frame, The Doctrine of the Knowledge of God and The Doctrine of God .
NC
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I think for its, dare I say, subjective and psychological insights, Barth’s Evangelical Theology should especially be highlighted. It is the sort of wisdom that ordinands (and theologians) need.
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Jason, a great list. I particularly like the inclusion of H. H. Farmer and John Oman. A central issue for Reformed thought, however, was the experience of Apartheid in South Africa and the problem that Evangelical Calvinism seemed to legitimate that. Maybe you might want to include readings from John W. de Gruchy, Liberating Reformed Theology or Nicholas Wolterstorff’s Until Justice and Peace Embrace.
Further, you could include something from David Bosch (maybe from his Transforming Mission, or one of his shorter books), Allan Boesak (Black and Reformed: Apartheid, Liberation, and the Calvinist Tradition), or Colin Gunton (e.g. The One, the Three and the Many: God, Creation and the Culture of Modernity).
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Wonderful list. When I began reading the Crucified God (for the first time) about a month ago, I called my undergraduate theology professor and chided him for never assigning it in any of the ten courses I took with him. I don’t like everything I’ve read in Motlmann – HOWEVER, he is a force to be reckoned with and I’m sorry I missed reading him earlier. On the other hand, we read Ellul pretty extensively so I suppose it’s a good trade-off.
And Newbigin – WOW – the first time I read Foolishness to the Greeks and The Gospel in a Pluralist Society was in a course on culture, theology and missiology taught by a Reformed Christian literary scholar who grew up as a missionary in Africa. We read Newbigin in conjunction – and in conversation – with books like Shusaku Endo’s Silence, Chunua Achebe’s Things Fall Apart and Barbara Kingsolver’s The Poisonwood Bible.
To experience through fiction both the darkness and the light of the modern missionary movement while simultaneously (and ravenously, for my part) devouring Newbgigin’s thought was life-changing for me. Newbigin is, because of this experience, probably my favorite theologian.
Regarding recommendations, I wonder if you’d considered adding anything by any “reformational” scholars, namely D. H. Th. Vellenhoven and Herman Dooyeweerd. While not theologians proper their ideas are exerting a wide-ranging influence on a new generation of reformational and “neo-calvinist” theologians, philosophers and political theorists.
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Rick, you’re right to identify that in this case my definition of ‘reformed’ sits a little loose, but Thielicke’s little essay is just too valuable to omit in this course and this is the module where it might best fit. I’m still thinking of whether or not to include Forsyth in this module and, if so, what to include. His value for pastors really is a whole main course! Decisions decisions. Kuyper is a great suggestion. I do use Kuyper in one of the other modules, but do you have anything specific in mind here?
Nathan, do you have any particular section in mind? These are both fairly large volumes, the latter running to just under a 1,000 pages (!) if my memory serves me correctly.
Kevin, thanks for your words. Sounds like we might be singing from the same hymnsheet.
Paul, I agree. Did you notice the de Gruchy reading I did include? I’ll certainly check out Liberating Reformed Theology, as well as your other suggestions. Thanks heaps for those Paul.
Andrew, thanks too for your comments. Both Vellenhoven and Dooyeweerd are considered, albeit briefly, in another module I teach. Love the idea of reading Newbigin (and others) in conjunction/conversation with novels like the ones you mentioned. You got my brain buzzing. Thanks.
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Kevin Davis, who commented above, has posted some excellent comments on understanding the context of theologians such as Barth, Torrance, Forsyth and others at his blog, dogmatics.wordpress.com. Absent such context and guidance it could be (at least in my judgment and my own personal experience) a confusing encounter.
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Jason, if you want something very reformed and presbyterian, Michael Horton has a bunch of books with covenant in the title. Not really my cup of tea, but there you go.
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Jason,
You are right about The Doctrine of God being quite long. The Doctrine of the Knowledge of God , however, is only about 450 pages and probably the more important. I don’t have my copy in front of me, but the first section of this book (on perspectivalism) has been very helpful to me in regards to reconciling and coordinating some of the diversity of the Christian/Reformed tradition (e.g., what do we do with the helpful insights of Kierkegaard, C.S. Lewis and Bavinck, given that they seem to be coming from such different points of departure.
NC
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