Introducing Amphora
Books Worth Reading. History Worth Remembering.
n ancient days, potters and other craftsmen fashioned amphorae—remarkably durable vessels used to transport everything from wine and grain to water and vinegar. Many have survived centuries in shipwrecks and archaeological digs, eventually finding their way into museums as prized artifacts, whether beautifully decorated or simply utilitarian. In Amphora, our own Dr. Bill Potter—Landmark Events’ Chief Historian—draws upon a lifetime of reading to pour out a little fine wine, refreshing water, and occasionally some sharp vinegar for the delectation of our readers. His reviews will introduce books worth discovering, revisit old favorites, and perhaps challenge a few prevailing interpretations of history. After all, some books deserve a wider audience—and considerably more than just a taste.
You Must Read:
Books That Have Shaped Our Lives
by 30+ Contributors
(Banner of Truth Trust, 2016)
he same year this book was published I came up with the bright idea that someone should contact the greatest living Reformed preachers, theologians and writers and ask them to write a couple paragraphs on the book outside of the Bible that changed their life or defined their ministry in some important way. Someone did, no thanks to me, and not just a couple of paragraphs but substantial essays for each of thirty-two chapters.
Books of this sort usually consist of famous or best-selling authors telling us how Catcher in the Rye or Winnie the Pooh changed their life forever. Often the book that changed a person’s life was read at the ages of 12, 18, or 21, which ought to make us more aware of the power of literature, both fiction and non-fiction, to change lives or create a vision that guides the future. How vitally important it is to teach the life-changing, God-breathed Word of God at the earliest ages and keep it up through all of life.
The Banner of Truth Trust began republishing important Reformed books, especially the Puritans, in the 1950s. The influence of those publications has had enormous impact for the Kingdom of God ever since. No Reformed library is without books kept in print by Banner of Truth (as well as Sprinkle Publications, Reformed Heritage Books, Solid Ground Christian Books, and a few others).
The Banner of Truth Trust invited thirty-two or so Reformed pastors, theologians, teachers and writers to each write an essay on a book, or books, that has “been a significant help to them in their ministry.” The result is a cornucopia of useful summaries and practical applications of the content of many of the most important books produced since the Reformation. It reacquainted me with books I read in college and since then, sending me back to the shelves to re-read convicting and powerful books, neglected too long. Some of the contributors have already passed on, which makes their contribution even more valuable: R. C. Sproul, John MacArthur, John R. de Witt, Albert N. Martin, Walter Chantry, and perhaps more.
In this book you find the continued impact of C.H. Spurgeon, Martyn Lloyd Jones, Jonathan Edwards, Thomas Watson, J.C. Ryles and especially the founder of The Banner of Truth Magazine, Ian Murray, to whom the book is dedicated.
If you are follower of prominent Calvinist preachers Albert Mohler, Joel Beeke, or Sinclair Ferguson, you will read about the books that they most value in their ministry. For those interested in the great Southern Presbyterian preachers of by-gone centuries, like Robert L. Dabney, Benjamin Morgan Palmer, and Archibald Alexander, their work appears in several essays and continues to bless current generations of pastors. The Scottish contribution in Church history and historical theology are once more shown to be as relevant today as they were in centuries past: the works of Andrew Bonar, Samuel Rutherford, Robert Haldane, William Cunningham, Richard Baxter, John Murray, and Kenneth McRae all get their due. Nor are the best of the Puritan writings neglected, especially Richard Sibbes, Thomas Brookes, and John Owen.
The modern reviewers and the authors of the books that have shaped their ministries have in common a warm-hearted Calvinism (no it’s not an oxymoron), profound and effective ministries proclaiming the Gospel of Christ, and a keen sense of the importance of studying the history of the Church. They all love and appreciate seeing the continuity of faithful men through the ages and the continuity of biblical truth for every era.
You Must Read: The Books That Have Shaped Our Lives, is an encouraging practical exercise for pastoral and lay ministry, and a seminary reading course for the average Christian who wants to apply the insights of past giants of the Faith against the ubiquitous enemies of Christ in our own culture today.