The Gospel Coalition

Editor's Note: Kathleen Nielson will be leading two workshops for women at The Gospel Coalition national conference on April 13. She will discuss "Old Testament Narrative: Letting the Literature Speak" and "Literary Beauty and Gospel Truth: Celebrating the Biblical Union." We asked Nielson to suggest some books for further reading on these subjects.

What difference does it make that a psalm is a poem? How might paying attention to its literary form help us take in (and communicate) its meaning? How does a metaphor communicate truth, as it works its way deep into our imaginations? Why did God inspire such an artfully shaped Word? In my workshops at The Gospel Coalition national conference, we’ll explore the Bible’s amazing union of literary beauty and gospel truth. The topic is huge; we’ll just begin to relish it. Some of these books—from a great variety of perspectives—might help.

First, a few books that help us take in the Bible as a literary work:

Bullock, C. Hassell.  An Introduction to the Old Testament Poetic Books. Chicago: Moody Press, 1988. This is a helpful background text to have on hand for the poetic books, with thorough treatment of the biblical poetry’s historical contexts, literary aspects, and various hermeneutical issues.

Dictionary of Biblical Imagery. Ed. Leland Ryken, James C. Wilhoit, and Tremper Longman III. Downers Grove, Ill: InterVarsity, 1998. Look up a word used figuratively in Scripture and trace its path and its significance throughout the biblical books.

The Literary Study Bible. English Standard Version.  Ed. Leland Ryken and Philip Graham Ryken. Wheaton, Ill: Crossway, 2007. The editors offer helpful commentary concerning the literary nature of the biblical text, but the text itself is presented in a clear and unencumbered way.

Nielson, Kathleen. Bible Study: Following the Ways of the Word. Phillipsburg, N.J.: P&R, 2011. This book unpacks truths about what the Bible is (God speaking, a literary work, one unified book . . .) and explores the implications of these truths for how we should study it. This is essentially a book about Bible study, but throughout the book there is a clear focus on the Bible’s words and literary aspects.

Piper, John.  A Sweet and Bitter Providence: Sex, Race, and the Sovereignty of God. Wheaton, Ill: Crossway, 2010.  Piper loves the story, reads the story, and relishes the story in depth—the story of Ruth, in this case. He pays such close attention to the text that the applications grow naturally and beautifully from it. Other biblical commentators from whom I have learned to pay even better attention to the actual literary text are Don Carson, Derek Kidner, and J. Alec Motyer.

Ryken, Leland. Words of Delight: A Literary Introduction to the Bible. Grand Rapids: Baker, 1993. Ryken offers a careful overview of the literary aspects and delights of the Scriptures.

Second, a few books that help us read the Bible more effectively as one whole book:

Goldsworthy, Graeme. The Goldsworthy Trilogy: Gospel and Kingdom; Gospel and Wisdom; Gospel In Revelation. Carlisle, U.K.: Paternoster, 2000. A classic presentation of the Bible as one unified work centered in God’s redemption in Christ.

Helm, David. The Big Picture Story Bible. Illus. Gail Schoonmaker. Wheaton, Ill.: Crossway, 2004. Just about the best biblical storyline presentation for young children ever!

Roberts, Vaughan. God’s Big Picture: Tracing the Storyline of the Bible. Downers Grove, Ill.: InterVarsity, 2002. Simpler than Goldsworthy—extremely clear and helpful.

Finally, just a few books that will sharpen our taste for poems and stories:

Carmichael, Amy. Mountain Breezes: The Collected Poems. Introd. Elizabeth Elliot. Fort Washington, Penn.: Christian Literature Crusade, 1999. This abundant verse, which poured out of Carmichael’s life and ministry, is simple and full of biblical phrasing and echoes. Carmichael is a great example of one who loved words and the Word.

Elliot, Elisabeth. A Chance to Die: The Life and Legacy of Amy Carmichael. Old Tappan, N.J.: Revel, 1987. Elliot gives us a wise, witty, and thorough treatment of Amy Carmichael’s life.

Hopkins, Gerard Manley. Poems and Prose. Ed. W. H. Gardner. Middlesex, U.K.: Penguin, 1975. He was not a simple poet, this Jesuit from Victorian England, but he was one who expressed some of the deepest Christian truths in some of the most startling and beautiful verse.

The Norton Anthology of World Literature. 2 vols. 2nd ed.  New York: W. W. Norton, 2009. This is just one of many possible examples of a basic anthology to keep on your shelf (Norton Anthology of Poetry, Norton Introduction to Literature . . .)

Piper, Noel. Faithful Women and their Extraordinary God. Wheaton, Ill.: Crossway, 2005. This is a lovely book that lets us grasp the contours of the stories of five women whose faithfulness God powerfully used. A good spur to delving into biographies.

Kathleen Nielson serves as director of women's initiatives for The Gospel Coalition. She holds M.A. and Ph.D. degrees in literature from Vanderbilt University and a B.A. from Wheaton College. She speaks extensively at women’s conferences, and has directed and taught women’s Bible studies at several churches. She loves being involved with the community of Covenant College in Lookout Mountain, Georgia, where her husband serves as president.