DE QUINCEY, the great essayist, claimed that all literature can be divided into two groups, the books of knowledge and the books of power; the books that inform and the books that move and inspire. The mind and ministry of the evangelist should be enriched by both kinds of reading.
First and foremost, of course, whatever else he reads, he must study and know how to handle his Bible. It is the evangelist's textbook above all others. The Word of God must be central, like the hub of a wheel, and then we shall place other books at the proper circumference and in their true perspective.
As soul winners we should seek to keep abreast of the times in our reading, to know what men are doing and thinking. We must constantly be enlarging the range of our knowledge. "They who do not read," said Dr. Johnson, "can have nothing to think and little to say." But there lies a danger in wide reading. Multiplied thousands of volumes are pouring from the presses today, many of them from the pens of able scholars and the finest writers. Hundreds of these good books almost seem to cry out, "We must be read." The art of advertising has reached such a degree of perfection that a minister can hardly open any periodical, be it secular or religious, but that, before he has finished reading the book reviews, he finds himself almost convinced that here are new books that are "indispensable" and "epochal." Some pages of book reviews in a number of non-Adventist religious journals are misleading in their too-enthusiastic and glowing book notices. Do not be hurried into sudden acquisition. Buy books that have passed through their probation. We have time only for the best.
As we roam about in the kingdom of literature there are certain works that stand out in our thinking and that to us personally seem to be of more permanent value. Our own peculiar tastes and fancies will largely influence us in making their selection. Bacon reminds us of this when he says, "Some books are to be tasted, oth-
ers to be swallowed, some few to be chewed, and digested." We should follow Martin Luther's advice, given in his Table Talk, to have some "sure and certain books" always close at hand. We ought to be on intimate terms with them. When we think of what we owe to such a selected circle of tried friends we may enter into the feelings of Charles Lamb, who "wished to ask a grace before reading more than a grace before meat."
I have been asked to list a number of books that have helped me in my evangelistic ministry. The volumes here submitted have stimulated the mind to creative thought, stirred the soul with quickening energy, and roused to action in the service of Christ and lost souls. While there are some statements in the non-Adventist books with which I cannot agree, yet I shall be eternally grateful for the instruction, inspiration, and incentive caught from their pages.
The Preacher and Prayer, E. M. Bounds, Nazarene Publishing House, Kansas City, Missouri, new ed., 104 pages.
Of all the books on prayer that it has been my privilege to read, none has touched me so deeply as this burning message. It is one of the most passionate pleas ever written, aimed at getting the minister into the place of power. A preacher who will live in this book for a reasonable length of time will tap the resources of eternity. It will transform his life.
Soul-winning, George B. Thompson, Review and Herald, 1916, 192 pages.
Written by one of our own great soul winners, this book will help to banish the curse of unconcern and will light the fires of a consuming passion for souls in the heart of anyone who desires to be used in the saving of the lost. Although now possibly out of print and not so well known as in the earlier days, this book is for me a perennial source of soul-winning fire.
Quest for Souls, George W. Truett, Harper and Brothers, New York, 1928, 389 pages.
Any who heard George Truett preach will need no reminder that he was a prince of the pulpit, one of the greatest pastor-preachers of our generation. This volume is made up of revival and evangelistic sermons that he preached in one campaign. There is a strength, an earnestness, an eloquence, a tender, heart-moving appeal about these sermons that is redolent of the winsome personality that produced them. These sermonic classics, with their telling use of illustration, can be a guide and help to any evangelist.
Soul-Saving Preaching, Thomas Cook, Charles Kelly, Paternoster Row, London, 98 pages.
I have read through the years many helpful volumes on the art of preaching, but nothing has quite helped me as this little book did when I first started to conduct efforts thirty years ago. It taught me that neither piety nor learning can ever take the place of knowing how to pull in the net when fishing for souls. Young preachers need instruction in this particular more than in any other.
Thomas Cook gave these talks to the students of Cliff College, England, where the fiery, soul-winning zeal of primitive Methodism has been kept alive through the years. In his chapter entitled "The Evangelistic Gift," he shows that God has endowed some men with a certain magnetic power that is not to be used for selfish ends but as a spiritual force to push forward the interests of Christ's kingdom. To possess this gift puts one in a position of exceptional honor and peril. It is ever true that "a polished preacher may be the product of theological schools, but an evangelist is the gift of God to His church." The chapters on "Definiteness of Aim," "The Art of Persuasion," "Pulling in the Net," and "Pentecostal Power" will act like spiritual vitamins in the life of one who desires to be all-out in the winning of men for God.
Evangelism, Ellen G. White, Review and Herald, 1946, 747 pages.
I had not intended to mention any Spirit of prophecy books in this group, as it is assumed that every evangelist possesses these writings and ranks them next to the Scriptures in importance. But I am constrained to make mention of the blessing that this compilation of evangelistic counsel has brought to my own ministry. Its publication marks an epoch in Adventist soul-winning endeavor. This valuable volume makes available to us a wealth of guiding principles that constitute a blueprint for doing God's work in God's way. None need fail who follow faithfully its inspired directives. Keep it close at hand.
The Shepherd-Evangelist, R. Allan Anderson, Review and Herald, 1950, 672 pages.
From the heart and pen of Roy Anderson has come this treasured manual. It is a veritable encyclopedia on evangelistic work. To receive the enlargement of vision, the challenging constraint, the illuminating guidance that comes from a thoughtful reading of this book is an experience that should be shared by every laborer in God's cause. When first I made my way through its pages the tears would often start; as I finished reading the last words I found myself on my knees in prayer. There is nothing else like it in our evangelistic literature. This is a must book that should be widely circulated and widely read. Let every theological student absorb the message and methods and spirit of this great work. Let those who have been in the ministry for some time, who are getting just a trifle prosaic, find in these pages the needed antidote. With a wide and rich experience, the author speaks to us from a heart burdened with an all-compelling love for the souls of men.
How to Have a Revival, six of America's leading evangelists, Sword of the Lord Publishers, 1946, 399 pages.
It was my privilege to be present at Winona Lake, Indiana, when the messages that constitute this book were preached to a large congregation of ministers and Christian workers of many different denominations from all parts of America and Canada in July, 1945. The power of God was mightily manifested in this conference on evangelism. (See my report in THE MINISTRY, November, 1945, page 19.) These heart-stirring chapters constitute a practical guidebook in the work of mass evangelism. The Holy Spirit-empowered, sin-condemning, Christ-centered preaching contained in this book serves as a model for soul-winning preachers. There is helpful instruction on organization, preparation, advertising, and music for evangelistic meetings.
Without Excuse, Sherman A. Nagel, Pacific Press, 1925, 179 pages.
Every active gospel worker has to meet objections and excuses from both the sincere and the insincere when he presses the claims of Christ upon the souls of men, in either public or personal evangelism. Here are gathered in a helpful volume twenty-five of the most common excuses raised by unbelievers. In a very practical way we are shown how to deal with those who seek to hide from an accusing conscience in a "refuge of lies." Here also are good samples of what an appeal should be like. Workers, both
old and young, will find in these pages some powerful weapons for storming the defenses of those who are undecided about the claims of God.
The Greatest Theme in the World, F. E. Marsh, Marshall Brothers, England, 1908.
"Christ crucified" is the greatest theme in the universe. It is the greatest fact of Christianity
Without it the evangelist would have no message. In this fine book an outstanding English
Bible teacher has given us eleven rich chapters centering around the blood-red truth of vicarious atonement. In the great -words of Dryden, Dr. Marsh makes us
"See God descending in the human frame, The offended suffering in the offender's name: All thy misdeeds to Him imputed see,
And all His righteousness devolved on thee."
In his introduction the writer shows that Christ's atonement "is embodied by the holiest memories, as it has been consecrated by the loftiest talent of Christendom. It fired the eloquence of Tertullian and gushed in honied periods from the lips of Chrysostom; it enlisted the zeal of Athanasius; the sublimity of it commanded all the resources of the mighty soul of Augustine; the learning of Jerome, and the energy of Ambrose were committed to its defence; it was the pillar of Luther's soul; it inspired the beautiful humility of Fenelon and kindled the deep and steady rapture of Wesley's heart. All the great enterprises of Christian history have been born from the influence, immediate or remote, which the vicarious theory of redemption has exercised upon the mind and heart of humanity."
In opening, the author dwells on the meaning of atonement, and in subsequent chapters he relates this mighty theme to the Scriptures, God, Christ, the Holy Spirit, Satan, sin, holiness, service, and the final glory. He says, "All Christ had to say pointed to the cross, as the sign-post points to the city. All God has to give emanates from the cross, as all light and warmth come from the sun. All Christ is now doing is founded on the cross, as the building rests upon the foundation; and all that Christ will be as King is secured by the cross of His atoning sacrifice. His cross secures His crown. His passion is the price of His glory."
The splendid expositions of the Scriptures bearing on Christ's sacrifice, found in this book, provide some excellent seed plots for a cross-centered ministry.
The Trial and Death of Jesus Christ, James Stalker, Zondervan Publishing House, 1950, 192 pages.
The Death of Christ, James Denney, Inter Varsity Christian Fellowship, Chicago, 1951, 207 pages.
I have placed these two volumes together because to me they have always seemed to supplement each other. Both are written by great Scottish theologians and preachers. Both are classics in religious literature. Both are profound works on the central truth of our Lord's atoning death.
The first book is a devotional history of Christ's last hours. It pictures the scenes of the Saviour's passion from the time of His betrayal until His burial. Vividly Dr. Stalker portrays the personalities surrounding Jesus in His last hours. The seven words from the cross are illuminated by the author's reverent treatment.
On the other hand, Dr. Denney's book strives to show the place and interpretation which the death of Christ has in the New Testament. He maintains that this subject does not have the place in theology and preaching that it should have. Through the Epistles of Paul and the Johannine writings he examines the great truths of redemption, propitiation, and justification.
I stood one day in an art salon in New York City. A famous artist was exhibiting to the public a beautiful picture, the work of a medieval painter, which had just arrived from Europe. It showed the tragedy of the cross. So enthusiastic did the artist become as he described the beauties of this great masterpiece that he picked up the picture and held it high so all in the group could see it. Then, remaining completely hidden behind it, he eloquently discoursed on the wonderful oil painting. What a picture of a true evangelist who in faithful ministry holds before the waiting throng the picture of a crucified Lord!
"Happy if with his latest breath, He may but speak His name;
Preach Him to all, and gasp in death, Behold, behold the Lamb!"
