Avoiding a Lopsided Christianity
The last few years have produced a “Lopsided Christianity.” I’ve seen this in many of the new believers or, more often, newly serious believers who were shaken awake by the pandemic. They have developed views on biblical sexuality, church-government relationships, and/or end times theology. That’s not a bad thing. As we’ve seen, these doctrines are consequential. The problems begin to arise when these doctrines aren’t anchored in historical biblical Christianity.
Consider a few illustrations.
Imagine someone who builds a structure up higher and higher into the sky. Each story places more stress on the structure’s base. The destabilizing power of the winds only increase as you ascend upward. Without a well-laid foundation, theological skyscrapers tumble to the ground.
Imagine someone who only works out part of their body. This results in what is known as an asymmetrical musculoskeletal system. It’s fairly common in self-coached amateur athletes. Their imbalanced workouts can produce impressive results. However, it can, over time, result in intense and chronic pain. Someone without a strong doctrinal core, will find themselves suffering from chronic theological instability.
One last illustration which is a bit of a pivot.
Imagine someone who is overweight. They decide to take radical measures. Perhaps they go on a 40 day water fast or get gastric bypass surgery. As a result, they lose massive amounts of weight. Fast forward to 2 years later and they have gained most if not all of the weight back. Why? Because they only addressed the symptom (being overweight) and not the underlying problem (lifestyle habits).
Many of the unstable Christians I know have bad discipleship habits. They do deep dives on some trendy or fringe issue that they are interested in. They primarily consume the “fast food” which is short form media (e.g. reels, podcasts, most social media). They don’t read books on foundational issues that require a slower pace of consumption and consequently require a degree of meditation. Hence, they are spiritually unhealthy and often only interested in quick fixes.
While there are no shortcuts in life, there are more direct pathways.
There is nothing as helpful to laying a sure foundation as strengthening the habit of daily bible reading, daily prayer, and attending weekly public worship. You should start there. However, I think the next step would be to grow in your knowledge of core confessional theology, systematic theology, and church history. With that in mind, I want to recommend three accessible and moderately short books that will anchor you into biblical historical Christianity.
Confessional Theology - The Westminster Shorter Catechism: For Study Classes
This study guide by G.I. Williamson is fantastic. He devotes 2-4 pages to each of the Shorter Catechism’s 107 questions with a handful of questions for reflection at the end. Williamson’s writing is accessible, irenic, and full of helpful illustrations. This makes the book something that can be slowly worked through in bite-size pieces. Doing so will build the habit of importance of routine reading and meditation. It’s great as a devotional aid for a married couple or even family worship. I’m convinced that you will be more theologically educated than 99% of America if you simply go through this book and answer the questions.
Systematic Theology - Concise Theology: A Guide to Historic Christian Beliefs
This short work by J.I. Packer isn’t a proper systematic theology. However, it does introduce the reader to most of the major systematic doctrinal categories in a concise and understandable way. Similar to Williamson, each chapter tackles a topic in a mere 2-3 pages. This, again, makes it an easy daily read. I don’t think I’d use it for family devotions. It could be good for a married couple to read together.
Church History - Trial and Triumph: Stories from Church History
History doesn’t repeat but it does rhythm. A knowledge of church history will imbibe you with gratitude towards your God-fearing forefathers and also impart to you the discernment to avoid some of the ditches into which they fell. Richard Hannula has done an excellent job in selecting key stories from the early church, middle ages, reformation, post-reformation, modern missions, and recent eras of church history. His writing is clear and the chapters are short. We use this in our home-schooling curriculum but it also would be suitable for bedtime stories.
Conclusion
I know many others will suggest different books. I’d recommend you post those on your platform and not here. Long reading lists tend to stay unread and stacks of books you never read are worthless. I recommend you first build the habit of starting and finishing books. I’ve chosen these three because they are short, irenic, and cover the fundamentals. They are doable. You can read them and you won’t regret doing so. They help level you and deepen your foundation.
Remember a steady, plodding, and focused practical Christianity is one that will stand the tests of time. Storms will come. The waters will rage. The winds will blow. Anchor yourself to the rock of Christ’s teaching and you will not collapse on the day of your testing.