Some books just make a profound impression upon you. I saved The Reformed Pastor for the last month of recommendations because it is my favorite Christian book I have ever read. The reason it is my favorite is for the constant convicting barrage it offers the reader. Look through my copy and you will see underline after underline where I have made a note of a powerful statement or a stinging reprimand. Yes, the book is full of powerful rebukes to lazy and unserious pastors and while I hopefully am not one of those, the rebukes haunt me as I read them. This book constantly reminds me of the serious nature of pastoral ministry and what it means to ‘have charge’ over souls.
I want to let Mr. Baxter speak and you can see some of what I am talking about. These are some quotes from the book. On the need to faithfully teach each and every person in your church he says, “If there are (spiritually) ignorant people in your parish or congregation, it is a poor discharge of your duty” (pg 42). He calls on preachers to be sure that they are saved before they try to save others, “many a preacher is now in hell, who hath a hundred times called upon his hearers to use the utmost care and diligence to escape it” (pg 53). He says also, “God never saved any man for being a preacher” (pg 54). When confronting unholy ministers Baxter says, “an unsanctified man, who loveth the enemy, is very unfit to be a leader in Christ’s army” (pg 84). In discussing the need for pastors to study well to preach well he says, “Remember they must be awakened or damned, and that a sleepy preacher will hardly awaken drowsy sinners” (pg 148).
Richard Baxter was a Puritan pastor in a small town called Kidderminster in England in the 1600’s. His ministry transformed the population there from an ignorant, rude and reveling people to a godly, worshiping community because of his personal theological instruction and commitment to each individual.
If you are a pastor looking for a book that will tell you how great a job you are doing, The Reformed Pastor is not the book for you. If you enjoy rebuke and correction, then you need to read this book. It is good to be shaken out of complacency every now and then. I believe every pastor should read this book every year of his ministry to be reminded of how serious a job it is to be a pastor over God’s flock.
But maybe you aren’t a pastor and you can’t see a reason to read this particular book. That’s a fair point. But, I would lobby that it is good to be rebuked and corrected frequently, in general. It is a soul-stirring grace for believers to be spiritually beaten up every now and then. Pride and arrogance are the sins with the most subtlety. They creep in and we don’t even know it. So, it is good to read a book or two that jars us out of being content with our spiritual progress and speaks to what is lacking. If you resist any type of personal rebuke or confrontational preaching then you should check your heart for pride because it is probably there. As one long-time pastor said, “hard preaching softens hearts but soft preaching hardens hearts.” It is always good to be reminded of how and where we need to grow and the dangers of what ‘could be’ true of us.
Richard Baxter’s book is definitely ‘hard preaching’ to pastors everywhere, but it is good in that it will stir men to try and do better. The same can be said for us when we read Christian books. We should look for those titles that will shake us, confront us, and spur us on towards greater spiritual maturity. As Proverbs 12:1 says, “Whoever loves discipline loves knowledge, But he who hates reproof is stupid.”
I tried this year in the recommendations to select books from different categories. We saw a theology book, a family book, a biography, etc.. Here are some more recommendations that I would give to you all:
Follow Me by David Platt. A sobering call to what it really means to follow Christ.
9 Marks of a Healthy Church by Mark Dever. Reads like a textbook for making your church a healthy church.
The Disciple Making Pastor by Bill Hull. Gives clarity to what is involved in the command to ‘Make Disciples.’
The Gospel Comes with a House Key by Rosaria Butterfield. A former lesbian who turned to Christ gives an explanation, through personal stories, about what it means to be hospitable.
Shepherding a Child’s Heart by Tedd Tripp. The best book on parenting that is out there.