Editor’s Note from September 09, 1977

This is our fall book issue. In it we offer guidelines to help readers decide what to read in certain areas. Christians, after all, should be well read.

We also carry a large number of book advertisements in this issue. The publishers want you to know what they have available. Our acceptance of an advertisement does not mean editorial endorsement either theologically or literarily.

With the end of summer and the promise of indoor weather, we urge our readers to pick up a book and practice the reading habit.

Also in this issue

The CT archives are a rich treasure of biblical wisdom and insight from our past. Some things we would say differently today, and some stances we've changed. But overall, we're amazed at how relevant so much of this content is. We trust that you'll find it a helpful resource.

Christianity Today September 9, 1977

Editorial

The Paradox of J.R.R. Tolkien

Eutychus and His Kin: September 9, 1977

Book Survey: The Church and How It Grew

Donald Tinder

Book Survey: More Psychological Insights

Cecil B. Murphey

Key How-to Books: Right Reading for Right Actions

Donald Tinder

The Almost Reconciled

Carole Sanderson Streeter

How to Beat the Beaten Path

An Interview With Clyde Kilby

Paradoxes of Prayer

Frank E. Gaebelein

Paul, Apostle of Love

Leon Morris

Refiner’s Fire: Alexander Calder: Casting Seeds into the Wind

Bill Bristow

From Myth to Myth

Edith Schaeffer

On Saying Good-Bye

Carl F. H. Henry

A Visit to Latin America

John W. Stott

Book Briefs: September 9, 1977

Viewing the Family from the Oval Office

Assemblies of God: A Leader Upheld

Edward E. Plowman

Our Latest

A compass.

Public Theology Project

Your Understanding of Calling Is About to Change Radically

You can do little about what artificial intelligence is doing around you, but you can do something about you.

A pastor holding a bowl of ashes.

Late to a 1,400-Year-Old Church Tradition? Me Too.

My nondenominational church is having its first Ash Wednesday service today. But why start now?

Fragments of Psalm 110 with paintings from the Bible.

Christian Doctrine in 70 Hebrew Words

Martin Luther called Psalm 110 the core of Scripture for its 7 short verses of foundational doctrine.

recovering-bible-literacy-jen-wilkin

The Russell Moore Show

Jen Wilkin on Recovering Bible Literacy

What if the church’s biggest discipleship problem isn’t disbelief—but disinterest in learning?

Federal Agents arrest a man after scanning his face as they stopped and questioned him in the street during an Immigration Enforcement Operation in Minneapolis, Minneapolis, MN, U.S., January 13, 2026.

News

Refugees Disappeared. Churches Prayed and Lawyered Up.

Emily Belz in Minnesota

Christians who fled violence in Myanmar were largely Trump supporters. Then ICE started arresting their congregants.

The book on an orange background.

Excerpt

How the Lord’s Supper Heals Church Hurt

Hannah Miller King

Communion makes us face our relational conflicts.

The book cover on a green background.

Review

We’ve Still Got Heaven Wrong

Claude Atcho

N.T. Wright’s Homecoming hits familiar notes, but they’re still needed.

The book on an orange background.

Review

Emotions Don’t Just Happen to You

Our society tends to treat feelings as inevitable and authentic. A new book explores an older understanding in the Bible and the church.