As summer begins, we want to help you craft the perfect Summer Reading List. We asked Southeastern Seminary professors what books they would recommend, and we’ll share their recommendations in coming weeks.
This week, Dr. Kristin Kellen, Jeremy Bell, and Lauren Pratt recommend three books for your summer reading list.
Man’s Search for Meaning
By Viktor Frankl (Beacon Press, 2006)
Kristin Kellen: I’d recommend reading it not because it is a pleasant read, but it’s such an interesting glimpse into mankind’s response to deep pain and suffering. Frankl is a survivor of a Nazi concentration camp and he shares his insights on how we make meaning of and cope with struggle. It’s definitely worth reading and sticking with to the end of the book.
Dr. Kristin Kellen is Assistant Professor of Biblical Counseling at Southeastern Baptist Theological Seminary.
Suffering: Gospel Hope When Life Doesn’t Make Sense
By Paul David Tripp (Crossway, 2018)
Lauren Pratt: This is a book that is both cathartic and honest about the reality of suffering. Paul David Tripp doesn’t hold back on writing about how he has sought to work through his perceptions of God while suffering deep loss and pain. I think in light of the past year we’ve all walked through, it’s a good reminder of how to approach God when he feels distant or unapproachable in the midst of our pain. This is a read that allows us to be honest with ourselves about what we are suffering, how we are suffering, and how to see God in the midst of it all.
Lauren Pratt is the News and Information Specialist at Southeastern Seminary.
Between Life and Death A Gospel-Centered Guide to End-of-Life Medical Care
By Kathryn Butler (Crossway, 2019)
Jeremy Bell: The advancement of modern medicine has created confusion among the evangelical community—especially, as it pertains to our moral obligations at the end-of-life. Perhaps many Christians only begin to ask these questions when either they or someone close to them experiences the effects of the Fall in the dying process.
Kathryn Butler, a trained trauma and critical-care surgeon, writes a compelling book about how the gospel informs and guides Christians facing the tragic scenarios of dying. At a minimum, this book will get you thinking and discussing with your loved ones about how the gospel will help you and those in charge of your end-of-life care make gospel guided decisions in these emotional, confusing, and difficult moments of life.
Jeremy Bell is Director of Certificate Services at Southeastern Seminary.
Previous Summer Reading Lists
- Ken Keathley: The Controversial First Evangelical
- Benjamin Quinn: How We Got Here, and Where We’re Going
- Penny Keathley: Thriving in a Godless Culture
- Matt Mullins: From Poetry to the Trail of Tears
- Keith Whitfield: Responding to a “Dizzying” New Reality
- Karen Swallow Prior: “As Refreshing as a Summer Breeze”
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