New Books
November 5, 2008 8:31 pm Blogs
So since it’s almost been a year since I’ve done one…it’s time for another new books entry. I’ll highlight some new things that are out…some I am currently reading, some I just finished reading, as well as some books I want to read. Reading goes hand in hand with being a Christian for this simple reason, God chose to reveal himself through words which he intended to be collected together into a book we call the Bible. The Bible is the primary means God has given for us to know him and grow in our faith. Reading other books alongside the Bible is a great aid in helping us be spiritually minded, gospel driven, Bible believing, Jesus loving Christians. So here’s some suggestions from Pastor Duane…
New books I want to read/purchase:
The Prodigal God, by Tim Keller.
I have come to appreciate Dr. Tim Keller very much. He probably would not remember me but I met him back in February at an Acts 29 event where he preached on the biblical basis for gospel contextualization. More than anyone else I have studied, he is able to show how the gospel effects everything in our lives in profound and practical ways. If you haven’t already read, “Reason for God” it is a must read, New York Times best seller, and excellent book. This is his latest book working primarily with the parable of the prodigal son. Tim Keller is the Pastor of Redeemer and does a lot of work in conjunction with Acts 29 Network that The Resolved Church is a part of.
When Grace Comes Home, by Terry Johnson
I have not read anything by Terry Johnson yet. However this book sounds intriguing. Many people tend to think Calvinism is just for the intellectual and is merely a set of impractical “dry and dusty doctrines” which make men arrogant, hard, fatalistic and unkind. Sadly, I have seen this happen with people. This book sets out as it’s agenda to see how the doctrines of grace within Calvinism, rightly understood ought to have the opposite effect and radically influence the way we view “worship, humility, adversity, outlook, evangelism, holiness, assurance, law & liberty, prayer, guidance & living faith.”
The ESV Study Bible
It is no secret that I am a big fan of the ESV translation of the Bible. A while back I wrote an entry entirely devoted to why (which you can read here: http://www.theresolved.com/?p=294). For some, the differences might seem minut or nitpicky. That may be true at times and yes I agree there is no perfect translation including the ESV. The chief reason for me boils down to the fact that as I translate the text of the Bible week after week for my sermons, I am most consistently impressed and pleased by what the ESV does over and against other translations. The study Bible adds notes by a team of scholars and pastors of whom many are those I have come to respect the most when it comes to biblical exegesis and sound theology.
Books I am reading right now:
Death by Love, by Mark Driscoll & Gerry Breshears
This is Mark’s latest book and probably the most theological book he has put out yet. But those who have grown to love his easy reading, culturally in tune, and clever writing style will not be disappointed it is still classic Driscoll. The book is arranged as a group of letters written to several different people dealing with different issues that the cross of Jesus speaking into in a very real and vivid way. It is a great book and helps us see how the power of Jesus blood can so mightily work in people’s lives. Mark is a friend of mine and one of the people I look up to the most for his work in the gospel in our day. Read it, it’s a great book. One last note on it is you may be surprised to find a chapter presenting “unlimited limited atonement,” where Mark confesses he is really only a 4.5 point Calvinist. I disagree as many of you might have guessed about me, a 7 pointer myself :), but that’s okay…I’m willing to be open-handed with my reformed brother about .5 of the doctrines of grace as long as those 4.5 are there. Much love to you Mark.
Christian Philosophy, by Gordon Clark
This book was given to me to read by one of our church members. It is a compendium of three of his books, “Three Types of Religious Philosophy,” “Religion, Reason, and Revelation,” and “An Introduction to Christian Philosophy.” So far I am extremely impressed. I am primarily reading it to better understand his presuppositional epistemology. The late Mr. Clark can come across pretty harsh at times but for the most part I am pretty impressed and he definitely falls within the camp of reformed theologians I love. This is heady stuff, so if you are not able to read at a high theological level, you might want to start out with something a little easier than this at first.
Leading With Love, by Alexander Strauch
This is a great leadership book on love being the guiding principle of all Christian discipleship and pastorate. Alexander Strauch is the author of the magnum opus on plural eldership titled, “Biblical Eldership.” I contacted Pastor Strauch when I was writing our Plural Eldership document for the church and in our leadership development process. He was a great help and sent me “Leading With Love” as a gift. Many today pursue and participate in leadership in either a quest for power or an enjoyment of it. This book digs out the motivations behind ministry and what it really takes to be a pastor like Jesus and to serve under him. It is helping me a lot.
Books I recently finished:
Humility, by C.J. Mahaney
This is a small book in size but enormous in its weight regarding Christian character. So much of life and sin has to do with pride. The beginning of humility begins at belief in the gospel and becomes the character of a man who matures in true biblical wisdom. Recently, I assigned this book for all the men in leadership development with me. It was a great book inspiring me to have all my words and attitude coated with the grace of humility.
Total Church, by Tim Chester and Steve Timmis
I first met Steve Timmis when I went out to lunch with him and the director of Acts 29 a couple years ago up in Seattle. Steve Timmis has become a figure and a force for church planting in Europe. The strength of this book is in the picture it gives of the church living in community together for the sake of a city. There are some great stories to help give an idea and example to what a truly gospel driven church looks like. This was one of the main books which helped me form our theology of community groups before launching them this fall.
Brisnger, by Christopher Paolini
This book has nothing really to do with God or the gospel. If anything it is faintly against the idea in a few latent references. The book is about a war between good and evil, fought with elves, dwarves, men, and dragons in a fantasy world known as Alagaesia. It is sort of Lord of the Rings-ish only with fire-breathing dragons and more magic. It is the third book in the “Inheritance Series” which began with Eragon. I love fantasy books so I was hooked after the first book. The book was like 800 pages and I blew through it in three days, reading into the late hours of the night…my nerdness completely coming out.
There’s more but that’s all I feel like writing about write now. Happy reading.
- Pastor Duane