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Deep Church Resources

If you are interested in exploring some of the Deep Church ideas more, these resources are a good way to get started.

  • Deep Church Rising by Andrew Walker is a good and easy introduction to some of the major concerns of Deep Church advocates in the UK.
  • The Gospel Driven Church by Ian Stackhouse is a systematic application of Deep Church ideas to charismatic free-church doctrine and liturgy in the UK. It is one of the most important books of the last 40 years in British evangelicalism.
  • Spirit and Sacrament by Andrew Wilson is a more recent (and easier to read) application of some of these ideas. Andrew argues that churches with more formal liturgical lives and charismatic free-churches can learn from one another and deepen their spirituality in surprising and practical ways.
  • Classic Christianity by Thomas Oden is the best example of a systematic theology written by someone whose ideas are similar to the Deep Church project. Oden tries to present an overview of Christian doctrine drawing primarily from ancient sources and which is thoroughly ecumenical in the best way possible. The result is compelling.
  • Theological Retrieval for Evangelicals by Gavin Ortlund. Gavin is an important and helpful voice writing in an American context.
  • The Catholic Spirit by John Wesley. A masterpiece of generous, missional and truly catholic preaching by a great example of Deep Church values.

Getting to Know Each Other

If you are looking for a good way to begin to understand and engage with different Christian traditions (particularly those you might not be familiar with) then I recommend the following:

The Orthodox Church and The Orthodox Way by Kallistos Ware. These are wonderful introductions to a part of the Christian world that many have only a passing understanding of. Ware is particularly good at helping Western readers overcome the terminological and conceptual differences that exist between Eastern and Western examples of Christianity.

Baptist Theology by Stephen R Holmes. Steve presents a Baptist way of doing theology in a clear and accessible way. He overcomes the idea (which I have still heard presented, often as a punch-line) that Baptists don’t have an ecclesiology. A more detailed but still very readable treatment is given in Nigel Wright’s, Free-Church, Free State.

Why We’re Catholic by Trent Horn. Trent provides a short introduction to, and apologetic for, Roman Catholicism. This isn’t very detailed but is helpful in addressing some issues that Protestants stumble over. Similarly, I would recommend Jesus of Nazareth by Joseph Ratzinger (later Benedict XVI) and Scott Hahn’s account of Ratzinger’s theology, Covenant and Communion, as helpful resources for beginning to understand and engage Catholicism.

For readers wanting to begin to understand the theology of Magisterial Protestantism (ie the Reformed, Lutheran or Anglican churches), Alasdair McGrath’s Reformation Thought is a good jumping off point. Similarly, to begin to understand the incredibly influential but underrated theology of John Wesley, check out Ken Collins’ The Theology of John Wesley.