These authors write Bible study guides and Bible-centered Christian Living materials for the average believer. Most of these focus on applying the Bible to one's every day life.
Jennifer Kennedy Dean, T. W. Hunt, Thomas D. Lea, and Joni Eareckson Tada are the strongest writers in this category.
Kay Arthur (b. 1933) - conservative evangelical creator of Precept Ministries and the Precept Upon Precept Bible study program, which helped popularize inductive methods of Bible interpretation. She also hosts the TV/radio program How Can I Live? and is a strong advocate of Lordship salvation. Titles: As Silver Refined; How Can I Ever Be Righteous?; How to Study Your Bible; Israel, My Beloved; Jesus: God's Gift of Hope; Lord, Heal My Hurts; Lord, I Want to Know You; Lord, Only You Can Change Me; Lord, Teach Me to Pray (and other similar Lord titles); A Marriage Without Regrets; Our Covenant God; and the New Inductive Study Bible.
Henry Blackaby (b. 1935) - conservative evangelical who has written many successful Bible studies for Baptists. Blackaby approaches Christianity as an experiential relationship and focuses on taking the initiative in serving God wherever He is seen working. For Blackaby, Christians are called to be instruments for God-sized works with visible results. He also advocates a consensus model for finding God's will within the local church. Titles: Called to Be God's Leader; Chosen to Be God's Prophet; Created to Be God's Friend; Experiencing God; Fresh Encounter; The Man God Uses; On Mission with God; The Power of the Call; Spiritual Leadership; The Ways of God; What's So Spiritual About Your Gifts?; When God Speaks; Worship: Believers Experiencing God.
Tal Bonham (1934-1992) - conservative evangelical pastor and former executive director of the Ohio Baptist Convention. Strong defender of the faith who stressed the need for a sense of humor in the Christian life long before humorists became common in evangelical life and literature. Titles: Humor: God's Gift; The Treasury of Clean Jokes; Another Treasury of Clean Jokes; The Treasury of Clean Business Jokes; The Treasury of Clean Children's Jokes; The Treasury of Clean Church Jokes; The Treasury of Clean Country Jokes; The Treasury of Clean Sports Jokes; The Treasury of Clean Teenage Jokes.
Stuart Briscoe (b. 1930) - evangelical and independent Baptist pastor of Elmbrook Church in Wisconsin. Briscoe strongly opposes most left-leaning elements within evangelicalism, though he is an egalitarian with regard to gender roles. He is active in Promise Keepers and writes in the area of Christian counseling, subscribing to the temperament theory of personality advanced by Florence Littauer. Titles: Bound for Joy; Expository Nuggets from the Epistles; The Family Book of Christian Values; The Fruit of the Spirit; Getting into God; Hearing God's Voice Above the Noise; Meet Him at the Manger; Preach It; Taking God Seriously; Vital Truths to Shape Your Life. He also edited the Daily Study Bible for Men and was one of several editors of IVP's New Testament Commentary series.
Frederick Buechner (b. 1926) - Known as a "teacher of preachers" and a master wordsmith; whose writings are humorous and slightly cynical in tone. His works include theological and inspirational writings as well as biblical fiction and satire. Emphasizes the "power and mystery" of the gospel. Also a Pulitzer prize-winning secular novelist of historical fiction. Titles: The Alphabet of Grace; Beyond Words; The Book of Bebb; Godric: A Novel; Listening to Your Life; The Magnificent Defeat; The Sacred Journey; Son of Laughter; Telling Secrets; Telling the Truth; A Theological ABC; Whistling in the Dark. (Note: the name Buechner almost rhymes with weakener.)
Jennifer Kennedy Dean - conservative evangelical founder of the Prayer Life Foundation. Dean stresses the need for prayer as a way of life and not merely as an activity. The statement of faith on her website strongly affirms inerrancy and substitutionary atonement. Her teaching on prayer is traditional and non-charismatic. Titles: He Leads Me Beside Still Waters; He Restores My Soul; Heart's Cry; The Life-Changing Power in the Blood of Christ; Legacy; Live a Praying Life; My Heart's Cry; Power Praying: Prayer that Produces Results; Riches Stored in Secret Places; The Secret Place of the Most High.
Tony Evans (b. 1949) - conservative evangelical with slight charismatic influence. Pastor of Oake Cliff Bible Fellowship in Dallas, and founder of The Urban Alternative ministry. Described as a protege of James Dobson, he is a frequent guest at Promise Keepers meetings and places great stress on racial reconciliation and godly living. Titles: The Battle Is the Lord's; Dry Bones Dancing; Fire that Ignites; Free at Last; God Is More Than Enough; God Is Up to Something Great; Guiding Your Family in a Misguided World; The Kingdom Agenda; No More Excuses; Our God Is Awesome; The Promise; Returning to Your First Love; Seasons of a Woman's Life (w/ Lois Evans, pictured); Time to Get Serious; and the Tony Evans Speaks Out booklet series.
Herschel Hobbs (1907-1995) - Arminian evangelical Baptist statesman and former president of the SBC known for his diplomatic efforts to maintain peace and toleration between liberals and conservatives in the decades before the conservative resurgence. An amillennialist and uncompromising inerrantist. Hobbs oversaw the revision of the Baptist Faith and Message in 1963. Titles: The Baptist Faith and Message; The Epistles of John; An Exposition of the Four Gospels; The Fundamentals of Our Faith; Herchel H. Hobbs: My Faith and Message; The Illustrated Life of Jesus; Welcome Speeches and Responses (Ed.); What Baptists Believe. Not to be confused with pastor James Randolph Hobbs or musician Darwin Hobbs.
T. W. Hunt (b. 1929) - conservative evangelical scholar, former music and missions professor at Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary 1963-1987. He then led seminars as a prayer specialist for the SBC's LifeWay Christian Resources until his semi-retirement in 1995. He spends hours each day in prayer and continues speaking to encourage Christians to meditate on the Bible. Hunt's ministry covers all aspects of the life of Christ. Titles: The Disciple's Prayer Life; The Doctrine of Prayer; From Heaven's View; In His Presence; The Life-Changing Power of Prayer; The Mind of Christ; Music in Missions. Not to be confused with fundamentalist Dave Hunt.
Phillip Keller (1920-1997) - Canadian agrologist whose time as a shepherd gave him insight on certain aspects of biblical life. He has shared this insight in a number of devotional books. Titles: A Child's Look at the 23rd Psalm; A Gardener Looks at the Fruits of the Spirit; His Way to Pray; A Layman Looks at the Lord's Prayer; Lessons from a Sheep Dog; Outdoor Moments with God; Rabboni; A Shepherd Looks at Psalm 23; Triumph Against Trouble; Walking with God; Wonder O' the Wind.
Thomas D. Lea (1938-1999) - conservative evangelical Baptist writer of introductory and how-to materials on Christian living. Also served as dean of Southwestern Seminary's School of Theology. In his writings for youth he was credited as Tommy Lea. Titles: God's Transforming Word: How to Study Your Bible; The New Testament: Its Background and Message; Step by Step Through the Bible; The Survival Kit for New Christians. Not to be confused with revivalist Larry Lea.
Anne Graham Lotz (b. 1948) - conservative evangelical preacher (and thus egalitarian with regard to women's roles in the church). Also the daughter of Billy Graham. AnGeL ministries is named after her (even though there's no e in Graham), and she is a leading figure in the non-denominational Bible Study Fellowship. Her mission is to make biblical exposition relevant to lay people through a greater focus on applicaton. Her theology focuses on the relationship aspect of salvation, drawing primarily from experience, and her writing employs a rather lightweight version of the inductive method. used by Kay Arthur and Beth Moore. Titles: Daily Light; God's Story; Heaven: My Father's House; Just Give Me Jesus; My Heart's Cry; The Vision of His Glory; Why?: Trusting God When You Don't Understand.
Max Lucado (b. 1955) - Arminian evangelical Church of Christ pulpit minister for Oak Hills Church who uses his skills as a master storyteller to present his ideas. Both his adult and children's titles are generally best-sellers. He places a strong emphasis on the person of Christ and substitutionary atonement. He has moved away from distinctive Church of Christ beliefs by embracing eternal security and teaching that baptism does not wash away sin. Titles include: And the Angels Were Silent; The Applause of Heaven; Because I Love You; The Crippled Lamb; Experiencing the Heart of Jesus; God Thinks You're Wonderful; Grace for the Moment; The Great House of God; He Chose the Nails; He Still Moves Stones; In the Grip of Grace; It's Not About Me; Just in Case You Ever Wonder; Just Like Jesus; Let the Journey Begin; A Love Worth Giving; Mocha with Max; Next Door Savior; No Wonder They Call Him the Savior; On the Anvil; Safe in the Shepherd's Arm; Six Hours One Friday; Traveling Light; Turn; When Christ Comes; When God Whispers Your Name; You Are Mine; You Are Special. (Note: the name Lucado rhymes with Play-Doh, not bravado.)
James McDonald - conservative evangelical founding pastor of Harvest Bible Chapel and host of the radio program Walk in the Word. He is also a frequent guest on Hank Hanegraaff's Bible Answer Man radio program. MacDonald believes charismatic spiritual gifts may still operate but does not encourage their use in his church. His view of the ordinances and church government is similar to that of early Baptists, with a senior pastor, local elders, and deacons. He is also a young-earth creationist and a complementarian with regard to the place of women in ministry. Titles: God Wrote a Book; I Really Want to Change; Lord, Change My Attitude; 7 Words to Change Your Family While There's Still Time.
Beth Moore (b. 1957) - conservative evangelical Baptist founder of Living Proof Ministries. Moore prepares Bible studies using an inductive method. Her works teach greater joy in Christ and commitment to a biblically informed faith, though her desire for depth occasionally goes beyond her limited training. She is also critical of the influence of psychology on Christian living. Titles: The Beloved Disciple; Breaking Free; Feathers from My Nest; A Heart Like His; Jesus, the One and Only; Living Beyond Yourself; A Parable About the King; Praying God's Word; Things Pondered; To Live Is Christ; When Godly People Do Ungodly Things; Whispers of Hope; A Woman and Her God (Ed.); A Woman's Heart, God's Dwelling Place.
Watchman Nee (1903-1972) - broadly evangelical dispensationalist. A Chinese evangelist who came to America in the 1930s. Nee had no formal training but spent more than a third of his income on theology books. He warned against the influence of charismatics but had a mystical approach to spirituality. He also wrote strongly on substitutionary atonement. Nee spent his last twenty years imprisoned by the Communists. Unfortunateley, his successor Witness Lee led his organization into heresy. Titles: The Latent Power of the Soul; The Normal Christian Life; Release of the Spirit; Spiritual Authority.
John Ortberg - moderately evangelical teaching pastor at Willow Creek Community Church. As such he is fully in support of the seeker sensitivity movement and is egalitarian with regard to church roles. He writes frequently for Christianity Today and the Leadership Journal. Titles: Everybody's Normal Till You Get to Know Them; Fully Devoted; God Is Closer Than You Think; If You Want to Walk on Water, You've Got to Get Out of the Boat; The Life You've Always Wanted; Love Beyond Reason; An Ordinary Day with Jesus.
Joni Eareckson Tada (b. 1950) - conservative evangelical artist and speaker who leads JAF Ministries to encourage disabled Christians to become leaders in their churches. Tada is a defender of substantive worship, Lordship salvation, and evangelical doctrine with a focus on God's faithfulness. Titles: Choices...Changes; Diamonds in the Dust; The God I Love; Heaven: Your Real Home; Joni; More Precious Than Silver; O Worship the King (w/ John MacArthur); Ordinary People, Extraordinary Faith; A Quiet Place in a Crazy World; Secret Strength for Those Who Search; A Step Further; When God Weeps; When Your Doctor Has Bad News; You've Got a Friend. She also helped edit The Encouragement Bible.
Bruce Wilkinson (b. 1947) - conservative evangelical founder of Walk Thru the Bible Ministries. Focuses on teaching the Bible, especially the Old Testament, to a visually oriented culture. His books cover a wide range of topics and recently emphasize a two-tiered view of salvation. Titles: Beyond Jabez; The Dream Giver; The Dream Planner; Experiencing Spiritual Breakthroughs; A Life God Rewards; Personal Holiness in Times of Temptation; The Prayer of Jabez; Secrets of the Vine; Set Apart; The Seven Laws of the Learner; The Vision of the Leader. He also edited the Daily Walk Bible. (Click here for my review of the Jabez phenomenon.) Not to be confused with revivalist Dave Wilkerson, apologist David Wilkinson, or Bible handbook author Bruce Wilkerson.
Dallas Willard (b. 1935) - conservative evangelical professor of philosophy at USC. He writes basic Christian living materials aimed at following the will of God and practicing Christian disciplines such as prayer and regular Bible study. Willard believes that true Christian living depends on a solid foundation of biblical knowledge and intimacy with God. Titles: The Connecting Church; The Divine Conspiracy; Hearing God; In Search of Guidance; Renovation of the Heart; The Spirit of the Disciplines.
Avery T. Willis (b. 1934) - conservative evangelical; former missionary to Indonesia and leading figure on Southern Baptists' International Mission Board. Willis has produced some of the most popular small-group Bible studies on discipleship. Titles: The Bible Guide to Discipleship and Doctrine; Indoesian Revival: Why 2 Million Came to Christ; Lifeguide to Discipleship; MasterBuilder; MasterLife; On Mission with God (w/ Henry Blackaby).This is the "catch-all" category for contemporary authors. Many others are classified according to doctrinal commitments prominent in their writings. For these, see the sections for Reformed, and dispensational, and charismatic writers. Several authors who write most directly to women's issues are listed in the women's section.
For a statement of my beliefs, see my Declaration of Faith.
Return to the Christian Authors Database index.
