As an educational ministry, many of you have asked us questions about what theological tools and resources you should have in your library. The following is an extensive listing of Bibles, Hebrew and Greek lexicons, scholastic reference sources, commentaries, books, and other tools that are useful to include within your congregational or personal library, which we ourselves use as reference material. Theological resources are listed by their appropriate category.

Obviously, a listing in this database does not imply an endorsement by our ministry, of all of the views proposed in each publication. Where necessary, some publications representing a decisively liberal perspective have been noted.

This part of our website is offered in conjunction with Amazon.com. Ordering from Amazon.com via this part of our website will help support the ministry projects of TNN Online and Outreach Israel Ministries.

Books by Charles L. Allen

Charles L. Allen (1913-2005) was the late first cousin
of Mary Ruth Franklin Jeffries (1919-), mother of Margaret McKee Huey, and grandmother of TNN Online editor J.K. McKee

The Rev. Charles L. Allen, for 23 years pastor of First United Methodist Church in downtown Houston, which during his ministry was the largest Methodist congregation in the world, died Tuesday in a Houston retirement community. He was 92.

Allen also authored more than 40 books, including the best-selling "God's Psychiatry", conducted more than 30 tours of the Holy Land, wrote a column for the Houston Chronicle and preached on five continents.

A statement from his family summarized his career:

"Those who heard him preach were blessed with a simple, honest message of love and encouragement. He brought a host of souls to the Lord, and is in fellowship with them today."

Time magazine once described Allen's style and message:

"The story of Charles L. Allen is not the story of rafter-ringing oratory. He speaks simply, seldom raises his voice, and uses few gestures. He is inclined to say: `You'll feel better if you live this way.' "

During Allen's pastorate at First Methodist, the membership grew to more than 12,000, which made it the world's largest Methodist congregation.

At the time, Allen pointed out that 12,000 is a greater number of followers than John Wesley, the founder of Methodism, had in his lifetime. At present, First Methodist has about 11,000 members.

In 1976, Allen was a candidate for bishop, but he decided against it, saying he preferred to remain at First Methodist. He retired in 1983.

Born in Newborn, Ga., raised in a succession of Methodist parsonages with six brothers and sisters, Allen came to Houston in 1960 from Grace United Methodist Church in Atlanta. During his 12 years there, Grace Methodist became the largest Methodist congregation in the state. The church is located in Atlanta at the intersection of Ponce de Leon Avenue and Charles Allen Drive, which is named for the church's former pastor.

Allen, whose sermons at First Methodist were televised, often considered establishing a nationwide TV ministry but abandoned the idea.

"I've preached on TV longer than any preacher in the world," he said in 1981. "It's become too commercial now. You have to raise so much money to do that."

He said he never appealed for money, "and that's what would be required to get something going like that."

Bishop Janice Riggle Huie, of the Texas Conference of the Methodist Church, called Allen "one of the most influential preachers in America for many years. Through his preaching and worship leadership in Houston and the nation, he deepened the faith of thousands of people and brought many people to Jesus Christ. We thank God for his life and ministry."

Charles Livingstone Allen, the son of the Rev. J. R. Allen and Lula Franklin Allen, was born June 24, 1913. He was a graduate of Young Harris College in Young Harris, Ga., Wofford College in Spartanburg, S.C., and the Candler School of Theology at Emory University. Allen was a member of Phi Beta Kappa, the honorary society.

When Allen was pastor at Grace Methodist in Atlanta and writing a column for the Atlanta Constitution, a publisher asked him to write a book.

The result was "Roads to Radiant Living", and it sold well. "God's Psychiatry", however, was Allen's greatest publishing success. "Rich's in Atlanta sold more copies of that than they did of "Gone With the Wind" ," Allen said.

One of his books was the result of a leaflet containing 31 translations of 13th chapter of I Corinthians ("Though I speak with the tongues of men and angels, and have not charity..."). Allen gave 5,000 copies of the leaflet to his congregation.

The response was so great that Allen was inspired to write a book, "The Miracle of Love", the first of a series of books on biblical themes.

Allen's wife, Leila Haynes Allen, died in 1978, and a son, John Franklin Allen, died in 2001.

...

PERSONAL
• Born: June 24, 1913
• Died: Aug. 30, 2005
• Survivors: A son, Charles L. Allen Jr. of Bluffton, S.C.; a daughter-in-law, Ann Woolsey Allen, of Schulenburg; and a daughter, Mary Jane Allen Miller, of Houston
• Service: A memorial service was held Friday.

obituary reproduced from “At First Methodist, the Rev. Charles L. Allen delivered a simple `message of love' / He led world's largest Methodist congregation”
04 September 2005 issue of The Houston Chronicle