My 4000 books post was getting too long, so I decided to start a new post this year, and every new year, to record the books I read. This is the post for the books I read in 2011.
Also, I am going to keep count in a different way. I did a quick count of all the books in my current library that I have read. I came up with just over 1200 books I have already read. I am going to guess that there might be about another 600 or so that I have read which are not in my personal library (it might be much more), but I will only give myself half that, bringing the total to 1500 books read so far. This does not count the books I read in 2010, which by a rough estimate, seems to be about 45 books.
So, here is the the total so far:
- Initial Estimate: 1500
- 4000 Books 2010: 45
- 4000 Books 2011: 69 – See Comments Below
- 4000 Books 2012: 52
- 4000 Books 2013: 57
- 4000 Books 2014: ??
- Total so Far: 1723
I will add to this total as I go along. Hopefully, by the time I reach 95 years old, I will have read more than 4000 books!
To get things started off…, by my count, I have already read 8 other books in 2011, so I’m starting this year’s count with #9.
9. Washed and Waiting by Wesley Hill
See full review at: https://redeeminggod.com/blog/2011/02/08/gay-and-christian/
10. Finding our Way Again by Brian McLaren
Read full review at: https://redeeminggod.com/blog/2011/02/05/book-review-finding-our-way-again/
11. The Challenge of Jesus by NT Wright
See full review at: https://redeeminggod.com/blog/2011/02/17/the-one-book-you-should-read-before-easter/
12. Keep Your Greek by Constantine R. Campbell
See full review at https://redeeminggod.com/blog/keep-your-greek/
13. Rome and Jerusalem by Martin Goodman
This book surveys the cultural and social backgrounds of Jewish and Roman societies in the First Century AD, looking for possible clues as to what led to the clash in 70 AD and the destruction of the Jewish Temple in Jerusalem.
The book was chock-full of fantastic background information, which I normally love reading. But for some reason, I cannot put a finger on why, I had trouble reading the book. I never connected with it.
It is still a good introduction to Cultural Backgrounds to the New Testament.
14. Following Jesus, the Servant King by Jonathan Lunde
See the full review at https://redeeminggod.com/following-jesus-the-servant-king/
15. Stories that Feed your Soul by Tony Campolo
See the full review at https://redeeminggod.com/stories-that-dont-feed-my-soul/
16. Is God a Moral Monster? by Paul Copan
This was a fantastic book! Several books have been published in recent years by “The New Atheists” which present challenges to Christians about God as presented in the Scriptures. To some, God seems bloodthirsty, vengeful, and not at all like a God who is worthy of our love and worship. Instead, He seems more like a moral monster on the level of Hitler.
Paul Copan writes a masterful book refuting all of these accusations, dealing with the Scriptural texts that are often presented as proof of God’s immorality. He shows that with a little understanding of the cultural background of these passages, God is not a bloodthirsty warlord, but a merciful God who wants only the best for His creation.
I will admit that not all of Copan’s arguments are convincing. For example, his theological rationale for why Canaanite woman and children were killed is terribly weak (p. 189). I personally think there is a much better explanation than the one he presents (I’m writing a book to explain it). But despite a few such weaknesses, the book presents a strong case overall, and will help many Christians gain an understanding of some of these tough texts in Scripture. I highly recommend this book.
17. Cultural Tools for Interpreting the Good News by John Pilch
This was a fantastic little book. It is only about 80 pages, so it is a quick read, but the ideas found within these pages will get your minds spinning about concepts like honor and shame, how Jesus was brought up, the rule and reign of God as the Kingdom of God, and other topics. If you enjoy reading about the cultural background of the New Testament, this book provides some great insights on the subject.
18. Sitting at the Feet of Rabbi Jesus by Ann Spangler and Lois Tverberg
I love reading books on Bible backgrounds, and this volume is a welcome addition to the growing field as it contains many numerous insights and ideas that will be helpful to the aspiring student of Scripture. The book delved into the Jewish customs and culture in which Jesus lived and ministered.
My only complaint with the book is that many of the chapters showed little in the way of organization. They seemed kind of patched together in an almost “stream-of-consciousness” way. Nevertheless, it contains some good information for Bible study and the Jewishness of Jesus.
19. He Loves Me! by Wayne Jacobson
I am not fond of the title of this book. I found myself hiding from others what I was reading as I carried this book around. I’m not sure why. I think it’s because I felt a little strange as a guy, reading a book called, “He loves me.”
But the content of the book was helpful. Jacobson does a masterful job of showing how God is not angry with us, but loves us, no matter what, simply because of who we are. In a time when most Christians struggle with legalism and understanding grace, a book like this will help them come to a knowledge of how much God loves them.
20. Jesus
by Eduard Schweizer
Schweizer is a premier biblical scholar, and has numerous insights into the life and mission of Jesus. However, this book is thirty years old, and is answering questions about Jesus that few are asking any more. Furthermore, Schweizer is somewhat liberal in his understanding of the inerrancy of Scripture.
Nevertheless, there were several portions of the book that were simply breathtaking, and will doubtless find their way into my future research and writing.
21. The Cultural World of Jesus – Cycle B by John Pilch
This is a great series of books by John Pilch. They reflect great insights into the Greco-Roman Mediterranean world and Jewish backgrounds of Jesus so that modern readers can better understand the biblical text, and what it means for today. The book contains 52 chapters, each focusing on a text of Scripture. The chapters are short and easy to read, and would provide a source for great devotions, Bible studies, or sermon aids.
22. The Essential Bible Companion to the Psalms by Brian Webster and David Beach
I wish this book had a been a blog instead of a book.
See the full review here: https://redeeminggod.com/essential-bible-companion-psalms/
Wow, you read more than me! I prided myself on 2 books a month, but I’ve slowed down of late. I focused on reading the entire CCEL, well, the Anti-nicene fathers at least 🙂
Wow. You are reading CCEL? I always wanted to do this, but never had the courage to try!
Most of it is very dry…
Didn’t you have to read some of it in seminary?
Yes, I had to read some of it. Like you say…very dry.
I was thinking of retranslating some of the older ones (Like Ignatius or Iranaeus) into a more modern English, but I figured there was no market for it…
Hmm. You never know. The church fathers are starting make a comeback in some emerging churches. It would be a lot of work.
I read a modern English version of Imitation of Christ by Thomas a Kempis about 1 year ago and LOVED it. (called Growing in His Image)..it gave me whole new sense of awe for the early works that I never had before. The other book called “Faith Under Fire” was a new translation of the church fathers. More of a compilation/daily devotional but that gave me the idea.
23. The Cultural World of Jesus – Cycle A by John Pilch
This is a great series of books by John Pilch.
They reflect great insights into the Greco-Roman Mediterranean world and Jewish backgrounds of Jesus so that modern readers can better understand the biblical text, and what it means for today. The book contains 56 chapters, each focusing on a text of Scripture. The chapters are short and easy to read, and would provide a source for great devotions, Bible studies, or sermon aids.
This volume is primarily focused on insights from the Gospel of Matthew.
My only complaint is that I wish he had put the Biblical text next to the chapter titles in the Table of Contents.
24. The Cultural World of Jesus – Cycle C by John Pilch
This is a great series of books by John Pilch.
They reflect great insights into the Greco-Roman Mediterranean world and Jewish backgrounds of Jesus so that modern readers can better understand the biblical text, and what it means for today. The book contains 56 chapters, each focusing on a text of Scripture. The chapters are short and easy to read, and would provide a source for great devotions, Bible studies, or sermon aids.
This volume is primarily focused on insights from the Gospel of Luke.
My only complaint is that I wish he had put the Biblical text next to the chapter titles in the Table of Contents.
25. Naming the Powers by Walter Wink
A Great, great book. One of my “Burning Books.”
See the full review here:
Naming the Powers
26. Finding Organic Church by Frank Viola
A great book for answering some of the questions you might have about organic church life.
Read the full review here:
Finding Organic Church
27. The Practice of Love edited by Jonathan Brink
A great book on helping us learn to love as Jesus loved.
See the full review here:
The Practice of Love
28. Throwing Hammers by Bonar Crump
An edgy, squirm-in-your-seat good book.
Read the full review here:
Throwing Hammers
29. The Cultural World of the Apostles: Year A by John Pilch
30. The Cultural World of the Apostles – Year B by John Pilch
31. The Cultural World of the Prophets: Year A by John Pilch
32. The Cultural World of the Prophets: Year B by John Pilch
33. The Cultural World of the Prophets: Year C by John Pilch
The entire “Cultural World” series by John Pilch is great.
Each chapter contains insights into the Greco-Roman Mediterranean world and Jewish backgrounds of Scripture so that modern readers can better understand the biblical text, and what it means for today. The book contains 56 chapters, each focusing on a passage of Scripture. The chapters are short and easy to read, and would provide a source for great devotions, Bible studies, or sermon aids.
My only complaint is that I wish he had put the Biblical text next to the chapter titles in the Table of Contents.
34. Unmasking the Powers by Walter Wink.
A theological tornado. When everything settles, nothing looks the same.
Read the full review here: Unmasking the Powers.
35. A Tale of three Kings
by Gene Edwards
This is a short little book and a quick read, but highly engaging and thought provoking.
Using the stories of King Saul, King David, and King Absalom, Edwards shows that we can never be certain who is a Saul and who is a David. So instead, we must not defend ourselves or attack others less we become like Saul and Absalom. Instead, like David, we must trust God and wait for God’s timing.
I am not sure the concepts of this book always apply in ever situation, but then again, I am not sure that I am not a Saul or Absalom either. Maybe if I were more like David, I would see things the way Gene Edwards does.
36. The Provincial Letters
by Blaise Pascal.
Using high irony, detailed research, and quoations from his opponents in their own words, Blaise Pascal wrote eighteen letters in France during the Seventeenth century attacking some of the moral abuses and laxities of the Jesuit priests. While his letters were widly distributed and read, the letters were condemned by the King and by the Pope as heresy, before later, after reforms were enacted, being praised by a later king and later Pope.
The style and content is very similar to Soren Kierkegaard’s Attack Upon “Christendom”
.
Though irony is not often used today as a method for theological inquiry and challenge, I would love to see it implemented more, as it makes for great reading while at the same time making powerful and pointed thelogical critiques of one’s opponents.
37. Down We Go
by Kathy Escobar.
A call to follow Jesus into the glorious mud and muck of life.
Read the full Review here: Down We Go
38. The Prophetic Imagination by Walter Bruggemann.
Rethinking the prophetic role in Scripture and history. If he is right, we desperately need more prophets today.
See full review here.
39.The Story of the Amulet by Edith Nesbit.
An interesting story which bears a striking resemblance to The Magician’s Nephew by C. S. Lewis. Did he copy her?
40. Straight Talk to Pastors by Frank Viola.
A great little (FREE) book about pastoral ministry in Scripture and today. The book will challenge you and how you view pastoral ministry.
41. Rethinking the Will of God by Frank Viola.
Everybody wants to know about how to know God’s will. Frank removes some of the mystery and provides great freedom in our pursuit of following God.
42. Engaging the Powers
by Walter Wink.
A great book which every Christian should read. It challenges how you read Scripture, and how you live your life. Learn to see the spiritual side of everything, and engage in what is really happening in the universe.
Read the full review here.
43. The Bible Made Impossible
by Christian Smith.
The traditional way of viewing Scripture is impossible to actually live out. It simply does not work. Christian Smith shows why, and proposes some new directions for reading and following God’s Word. A great book!
Read the full review here.
44. From Plato to Jesus
by C. Marvin Pate.
A great book which is both an introduction to philosophy, and an introduction to theology, showing how philosophy guided and informed our theology, and why this is not bad, as long as we maintain a balance between “the one and the many” or God and humanity. In other words, an incarnational filter helps guide proper philosophy and theology.
See the full review here.
45. The Silmarillion
by J. R. R. Tolkien
This is a fascinating story of the creation and early millennia of Tolkeien’s universe. It tells of how the Creator, Illuvatar, made the Ainur, the Holy Ones, who helped him create and guide the universe. It talks about the creation of the various races of Middle Earth, and some of the battles among the Ainur, which also resulted in battles among the inhabitants of Middle Earth. The book concludes with Sauron and the making of the Rings of Power.
The book is not easy reading and the myriad of characters makes the story somewhat difficult to follow, but if you want background information about the Lord of the Rings Triology, this is the book to read.
46. The Bible in Human Transformation
by Walter Wink.
Walter Wink believes that the modern methods for studying and teaching Scripture are broken. He believes that the historical critical method of Bible study is bankrupt. This method arose as a result of the enlightenment and post-enlightenment eras as an attempt to discredit and disprove the historical accuracy of the Bible, and Christian academia has taken the weapons and tools of the enemy and converted them to our own use, in an attempt to prove the accuracy and truthfulness of Scripture.
But Wink does not believe it worked, and we are now more separated from the text of Scripture than ever before.
I would not state the problem quite so seriously as Wink does, but in general, I agree. We have studied the text into oblivion.
The solution, however, is harder to come by. Wink proposes a form of Bible study which uses Socratic dialogue as a way of finding what the text says to us today. But frankly, I just cannot understand how Wink’s method differs from what happens in most Bible studies I have taken part of in the past. Part of the problem might be Wink’s writing style. I have read other books by Wink, which are generally not easy to read, but still highly engaging. This book was beyond not easy to read. It is written with an academic language and style.
To show what I mean, let me randomly open the book, stab my finger down on the page, and record the sentence below that my finger lands on. Okay, here is where I landed (from page 28):
“Interpretation must now pass through a second negativity; the loss of our own emotional predisposition not to be unsettled, our easy acquiescence to contemporary questions, languages, and perspectives.”
The entire book is written with this sort of terminology and language. What Wink says may be correct, but who can understand him except those who are academically trained? This, actually, is the problem with most Bible Study today. It is not so much the historical-critical method (though it does have problems), but the way that the results of this method are presented. Scholars rarely write for the masses, and so it is no wonder that the masses can rarely understand what the scholars say.
Wink says we need to study the Bible within the context of our culture and age. Yes. But we also need to study the Bible with the people of our culture and age, so that we not only ask their questions, but also speak their language.
47. A Severe Mercy
by Sheldon Vanauken
This is a biography by Sheldon Vanauken about how he met his wife, got married, met C. S. Lewis, converted to Christianity, and then experienced the tragedy of having his wife get sick and die. It is a touching story, but I must admit that the reason I read it was for the copies of correspondence between himself and C. S. Lewis that Sheldon included within the text.
And I was not disappointed. There are some real gems from C. S. Lewis in this book. For example, in regard to a question about why God does not make His existence more clear, C. S. Lewis responds by saying “Are we sure that He is even interested in [that] kind of Theism?” Apparently, He is not.
Which raises the interesting question: What is God’s theology of God?
In another place, C. S. Lewis gave Sheldon some very good career advice, which I felt was spoken directly to me. Sheldon was considering leaving his current career path to join the pastorate. Lewis advised against it, stating that while interest in Scripture and theology is healthy, having it as your career can ruin the pursuit of it. Lewis advised the “tentmaking” route.
I have left the pastorate so that I can better learn and study theology, but some days, as I spend hours on boring paperwork and mindless meetings, I think to myself, “I could be studying theology right now.” The words of Lewis were encouraging to me.
I thank Sheldon Vanauken for making these letters, and his story, available to the public.
48. The Dark Tower and Other Stories
by C. S. Lewis
I don’t care what C. S. Lewis has written — it is worth reading. This book contains some short stories written by Lewis.
The main story, after which the book is titled, is “The Dark Tower.” Somewhat like the stories of Narnia, a friend of Lewis travels to a parallel world and gets trapped there. Lewis includes in this story some interesting remarks about the nature of time. Sadly, it is unfinished, and leaves the reader wondering how the story would have continued.
The book contains several other stories as well. I really enjoyed reading “Ministering Angels” which is the story of how our world sends prostitutes to help boost the morale of men at a colony on Mars. It sounds perverse, but the story is quite humorous and touching. The five insights of the priest at the end of the story make this short story one of the best I have ever read.
For pure entertainment sake, I also enjoyed “Forms of Things Unknown.” It has a surprise ending, which I will not spoil for you here.
49. The World’s Last Night: And Other Essays
by C. S. Lewis
If you want to be challenged and entertained all at once, you can never do better than read C. S. Lewis. His fiction contains great theological truths, and his s are not purely informative.
The writing of C. S. Lewis is more like poetry. It sings. It glides. It pulls you in, and moves you on. It makes you laugh in surprise. It makes you think. And once you have read a book or by Lewis, you never view the world the same way again.
The s in this book are a good companion to God in the Dock: Essays on Theology and Ethics.
His on “The Efficacy of Prayer” is one of the best explanations of prayer I have read. There are same great quotes about religion in “Screwtape Proposes a Toast” and I believe that the ideas in “Religion and Rocketry” form the background for Lewis’s Narnia series and the Space Trilogy.
If you like C. S. Lewis, you will like this book.
50. An Experiment With Time
by J. W. Dunne.
I read this book because it seems to form the basis for the plot line of C. S. Lewis’ short story, “The Dark Tower” (See my review of this book).
The premise of the book is that in our dreams, we see the past and the future. When we see into the past, we call it “memory.” When we see the future, we call it “a strange dream.” Dunn says that usually, our dreams are an odd mixture of past and future events, which is why we so often fail to recognize the future events when they occur.
So Dunne proposes an experiment to help you record your dreams, and notice the future events we dream about when they actually occur. I half-heartedly tried the experiment for a few days, and did actually dream of one future event, which happened the very next day after I dreamed of it.
In this regard, the book is quite fascinating, and Dunne may be right. However, the book is extremely difficult to read. Most of it is like trying to swim through mud. You cannot read a sentence or two without getting lost. Some of this might be because the book was written about 100 years ago, and Dunne was an aeronautical engineer.
But all of these difficult parts to read are his explanation for why and how we can “see” into the future. If you don’t care about the scientific “how” and just want to replicate the experiment, the book pretty clearly and simply explains how to do it on your own.
If you do try the experiment, and see results, I would love to hear about them!
51. Walking on Water
by Madeleine L’Engle
Some of the writers I read highly recommended this book as “THE book which inspired them to write.” I have never been much for “inspiration books” and was a little skeptical about buying and reading the book.
I should have listened to myself. I did not enjoy this book, nor did I find it helpful or inspiring for my own writing goals.
Maybe my skepticism got in the way of enjoying the book. Maybe I just don’t like the style of L’Engle (I have not enjoyed the other books of hers which I have read either). Maybe I am just not supposed to be a “creative writer.”
Who knows?
Regardless, lots of people seem to love this book, and if you are looking for a way to get inspired about writing, apparently, this is a good book to read. It just wasn’t for me.
52. The Shape of Sola Scriptura
by Keith Mathison
In “The Shape of Sola Scriptura” Keith Mathison suggests we should use tradition to help interpret Scripture.
I somewhat agree, but I think that Mathison did not go far enough.
While his diagnosis of the problem is correct, his prescription is insufficient to correct the problem. There are uses for doctrinal statements, and while one of the uses is to provide guidance and boundaries in our biblical interpretation, there are pitfalls to this approach, especially when we include some of the later doctrinal statements of church history.
Click here for the full review of this book.
So glad I found you. Hoping you can save a lot of time and money spent on books that don’t deliver. A couple of my “wish list” books are on you list. Looking forward to reading your assessment and hopefully discovering some new books to add to the list.
I don’t have much time to read but I did just read Rachel Held Evans book “Evolving in Monkey Town” which I really enjoyed. I also tried to read Scot McKnight’s book “The King Jesus Gospel: The Original Good News Revisited” last night but ran into some challenges which I shared on his Jesus Creed blog and will be blogging on tomorrow.
Wish I had more time to read…maybe I can live vicariously through you!
Wendy,
I have not read Rachel’s book, and I really want to read McKnight’s new book. I will check out your blog to see what you say about it.
Jeremy,
If you read all the comments on the post Scot did about the book a few days ago, you will get a feel for my frustrations and that of others. I did not really post much of that on my blog because I did not want to have to give all the details of the book. I look forward to reading your assessment. I had pretty much decided not to finish the book because it frustrated me so much but your series on preaching made me curious to read McKight’s position on what he calls the “method.” I have not read that chapter but I am hoping he moves beyond a simple “preach the word” on Sunday boldly kind of position.
I got a copy of the book, and will be reading it soon.
53. C. S. Lewis’ Letters to Children
Edited by Lyle Dorsett and Marjorie Lamp Mead
I am pretty much trying to read through nearly everything C. S. Lewis wrote. I love the way he thinks, and the way he writes. Plus, I’m searching for something in his writings…. but that is a different story.
This was a great little book. It contains several hundred letters that C. S. Lewis wrote to children over the years. As he responded to every single letter ever written to him (according to the editors), I am sure this is not all the letters.
Since the letters are to children, each one is short and simple. Lewis answers their questions, provides insights into Narnia, and asks about them and their interests.
There are numerous great little tidbits in his letters. For example, on page 35, he responds to a little girl who told Lewis that his stories didn’t have a point. Lewis responds by saying that good stories should not have a point, any more than a good symphony does. Just as one ruins a symphony by looking for “a point,” so also, one ruins a good book by trying to write (or read) it with “a point.”
Of course, Lewis’ books are never without “a point,” but I think he was just trying to make a point to this little girl about enjoying life.
On page 52, he tells a young boy that is is okay if he loves Aslan more than he loves Jesus, since in reality, they are one and the same, and will find that as he grows up, the love for Aslan will transform into love for Jesus. I have found this to be true for myself.
On page 64, he provides five great writing tips for aspiring authors (I will post them on this blog tomorrow). On page 100, he provides the secret to living fully within the purpose God gave us, even if we are a “toenail.”
This is just a small sampling of the gems in this great little book.
Jeremy, I just discovered you via a link a friend placed on Facebook about the 5 tips on writing. I then read your review of C. S. Lewis’s book. I would definitely like to keep reading your comments and reviews.
I also have a request. I also am a book reviewer for a couple magazines and for my own “News & Reviews” website. I sometimes have “Guest Reviewers” on my site, in fact, I have a seperate tab for them. I would love to feature this review on my site – giving you whatever accredation you would like. Would this be possible?
Jackie,
Yes, that would be fine. I looked through several of the reviews on your site, and you can format the review pretty much the way you do the others. Just my name and a link to this website at the bottom of the review is fine.
Thanks for asking!
54. The Naked Church
by Wayne Jacobsen
As I write my own book, Close Your Church for Good I am trying to read several other books that seem to have similar content and themes.
The Naked Church
by Wayne Jacobsen was one of those books.
The book is relatively easy to read, and Wayne had many great things to say about how church has become the way it is today, and what sorts of changes we can make to return to the friendship with Jesus Christ and with each other that should be central to a living and vibrant church.
Much of the material was helpful, though I did not agree with everything, especially his sections on miracles and spiritual gifts. However, I really appreciated his chapters on Restoring a Personal Touch (chapters 15-16) as these seem to be some of the main areas where churches today are lacking.
If you are looking for a good, introductory book to help you think about how to “do church” in a different way, this book by Wayne Jacobsen might be a good place to start.
55. The Omen Machine by Terry Goodkind
Every once in a while, I read a book of fiction. When I do, I usually go with Fantasy novels. Yes, I like to read to knights, and wizards, and dragons. Juvenile? Not at all. Imaginative!
Anyway, these books by Goodkind are not your Junior High fiction. Goodkind is a great storyteller, and the novels are often filled with suspense and twists in the plot.
I have read his entire “Sword of Truth” series, the first several books of which are some of the best fantasy books I have ever read. The series kind-of started to go downhill, and this present book, which is the first book of a new series, continues to story line where it left off from the Sword of Truth series.
However, as with the last several books in the series, I was somewhat disappointed. I found some of the dialogue forced, and the plot line was often predictable. I will probably continue to buy and read the rest of the books, if only because every couple years, I need to stop reading books about Bible and theology, and read something that takes my mind elsewhere.
56. The King Jesus Gospel
by Scot McKnight.
What is the Gospel? This is the question of Scot McKnight in this book.
He argues that the Gospel is not just about how to go to heaven when you die, and I agree.
This has been a sorely needed book for hundreds of years, and I hope everybody reads it.
I have written two posts as a review of this book:
King Jesus Gospel
King Jesus Gospel Redux
57. The Human Faces of God
by Thom Stark.
This book is not for the faint of heart or the weak of theology. It will dig a pit under everything you think you know about the Bible, and then toss you down there to wallow in despair about ever knowing anything for sure about Scripture.
If you read it, you will both love and hate this book. But in the end, if you survive, and whether you agree or disagree with the author, you will be stronger in your faith and conviction about Scripture.
Full Review is here:
The Human Faces of God
58. The Theology of the Book of Revelation
by Richard Bauckham.
This book is about the major theological themes in the Book of Revelation and how modern readers can understand and apply this difficult book to our lives today.
It is written from a Preterist perspective, but the book is not primarily a defense of Preterism.
Here are the blog posts I wrote about this book:
Herman Cain – 999 or 666?
Revelation, 144,000, and the Millennium
Theology of Revelation
59. Till We Have Faces
by C. S. Lewis
This is one of my favorite novels by CS Lewis, more even than The Chronicles of Narnia.
It is a riveting, winsome, sad story of the frustrations of life, honesty about ourselves, and the redemption of both by God.
CS Lewis is a master story teller and an insightful theologian, and both find their perfect combination in this novel. It is a book I have enjoyed reading multiple times.
My full review of this book can be read here:
Till We Have Faces
60. Simply Jesus
by N. T. Wright may simply be the best book about Jesus I have ever read.
But the book is not just about Jesus. It is about the church, the Gospel, the Kingdom of God, Israel, history, government, social involvement, eschatology, and a mind-numbing array of other topics, all of which swirl around and center upon the person and work of Jesus Christ.
But don’t be scared. N. T. Wright may be one of the world’s leading New Testament scholars, but this book is highly readable. Unlike some of his academic-level books (such as The Resurrection of the Son of God
), this book contains almost no footnotes, scholarly discussion of Greek words, or involved critique of ideas from other scholars.
If you have been hearing about N. T. Wright and are curious about his ideas, but have not wanted to tackle the 800 pages of The Resurrection of the Son of God
or the 800 pages of Jesus and the Victory of God
, this book is the the place to start. It is a concise summary of everything written up to this point by N. T. Wright about Israel as the people of God, Jesus as the Son of God, the significance of His resurrection, and the role of the church within the Kingdom of God.
My full review of this book can be read here:
Simply Jesus
61. The Kingdom New Testament
by N. T. Wright.
I think this is the first book by NT Wright that I did not like.
Some of the sections are great, but for the most part, his contemporary translation of the New Testament suffered from the same two problems that most other contemporary translations suffer from.
They are too…contemporary, and they often reflect the culture and times of translator more than that of the original text.
I deal with both of these issues in more detail at the full review here: Kingdom New Testament.
In the end, however, I do appreciate the book as a condensed commentary on the New Testament, and will use it as such in my own research and writing.
62. Not Alone
ed. by Alise Wright.
If you are struggling with depression or know someone who is, this would be a great book to get. Though many of the stories are painful and sad, the book is filled with hope simply by knowing that you are not alone in your struggles.
There are numerous tips and pieces of practical advice as well to help those who are dealing with depression.
The stories are broken up into four sections: Becoming aware of depression, accepting depression, recovering from depression, and post-recovery reflections.
63. Bible Matrix
by Michael Bull.
This book suggests that the entire structure of the Bible is based on a Chiasm. That is, an ABCBA structure. The author argues that this structure is found in Genesis, in the Feasts of Israel, in the Temple, and in pretty much every story in the Bible, including that of Jesus and the church.
The 7-part structure is this:
A. Creation
B. Division
C. Ascension
D. Testing
C. Maturity
B. Conquest
A. Glorification
While it certainly appears that a lot of personal study went into the writing of this book, I remain unconvinced. It just seemed that the structure was forced upon the text in unnatural ways. I did not see the parallels, even when the author pointed them out.
64. Why the Bible Cannot Be the Word of God
by Andre Jacobs.
This book contains an attempt by a former pastor to prove that the Bible is not actually the Word of God, but is nothing more than a human book.
Let me be blunt: Although the book contains an impressive catalog of difficult texts in Scripture (let’s admit it…there are many), the author seems to only be aware about the most unsophisticated explanations of these texts, and even then, provides unsophisticated refutations.
In other words, he has set up an army of straw men, but then has trouble knocking them all down.
At the end of the book, he includes five myths which he sought to dispel:
1. The Bible is the greatest moral code ever written.
2. The Bible contains no contradictions.
3. The Bible is scientifically sound.
4. The Bible proves that God is a God of love and justice.
5. If everyone believed the Bible, the world would be united.
I don’t think he disproved these, but even if he did, I do not think this would prove that the Bible is not the Word of God. Honestly, there are a few of those “myths” which I don’t believe, but I still believe the Bible is inspired of God.
If you want a book that attempts to discredit the Bible, this is not the book for you.
65. Get Known Before The Book Deal
by Christina Katz.
I was hoping for a book that would help me develop my online platform. This was the wrong book to get. It only had one chapter on developing an online platform, and the information was very basic. So I was fairly disappointed.
However, this is not the author’s fault, but completely mine.
If you are looking for ways to develop your whole platform, and not just the online platform, this is a great book. Christina provides numerous practical suggestions for ways you get your name known, get in print, develop a following, and gain some raving fans before you ever send in a manuscript proposal.
Many of her suggestions will take a lot of time and effort, and many years to see fruition, but for the person who wants to get published, it takes a lot of hard work and effort.
I will certainly be keeping this book, and as I get time to develop my real-world platform, will make sure I follow some of the suggestions.
66. Every Writer’s Dream by Jeff Goins.
I don’t know if this really counts as one of my 4000 books, since it is a fairly short ebook. But I did read it, and I did learn from it, so…I guess it counts.
Jeff Goins argues that if you do a few simple things like he did, the editors and publishers will come knocking on your door, and you will not ever have to go begging them to get your ideas into print.
Let me be honest: I am pretty skeptical. I know a teeny bit about Jeff’s story, and it didn’t seem to me that he was telling the whole story in this little ebook.
Like, for example, he is somehow connected with Michael Hyatt of Thomas Nelson publishers. That relationship has surely been influential in getting Jeff his recent book deal. Maybe I’m wrong. But even if so, that relationship has definitely been helpful in helping Jeff grow his blog readership.
And who knows? In this little book Jeff talks about pursuing relationships with other authors and leaders. Maybe that is what Jeff did with Michael Hyatt. But even if so, few of us have even small leads on where to begin developing relationships like this.
I suppose all of this is just excuses…
I just feel like I am once again the small church pastor who is being told by the mega church pastor “Well, duh… if you just do these three things, you too can have a mega church.” Never mind that I’m living in a town where the population is 127 people, and I barely have time to work at my job, and spend time with my wife and kids, and take care of the house, and write a blog post every now and then.
Anyway…it’ll come, but I think I’m more of a slow-but-sure approach. I’m a turtle, not a hare.
67. Reflections on the Psalms
by C. S. Lewis
Have you ever struggled with the Psalms where the author calls down curses on his enemy? Have you ever struggled with Psalms about God judging others? How about Psalm 137:9 where a blessing is pronounced on those who take babies and dash their brains out against the rocks?
C. S. Lewis deals with all these issues in the Psalms, and more. As with everything he writes, he tackles the issues head on, and writes about them with lucidity and grace. And there are no pat answers or easy solutions from C. S. Lewis. He makes you think, and at the end of the chapter, your mind is gasping for breath after the shock of seeing something in a whole new way.
The book closes with three chapters on what C. S. Lewis calls “Second Meanings in Scripture.” These three chapters alone are worth the price of the book as they provide a big-picture overview of how to read and view Scripture, and give us insight into what C. S. Lewis thought about the Word of God and specifically, about the fulfillment of prophecies.
This is a challenging, insightful, and thought-provoking book. But does C. S. Lewis write anything else?
68. Paul Through Mediterranean Eyes: Cultural Studies in 1 Corinthians
by Kenneth Bailey
The study of Scripture in its cultural background has always been a primary interest to me. Even more than grammatical context, the cultural context of Scripture provides keys to properly understanding and applying the Scriptures. I believe that when we begin to understand the culture and history behind a Scriptural figure or book of the Bible, the Scriptures not only come to life but are also more easily applied to life.
Kenneth Bailey is one of the leading scholars in the world on cultural background studies of, and his books on Jesus
and the parables
have been extremely helpful in my own research of Scripture.
Read the full review of this book here.
69. Letters to Malcolm: Chiefly on Prayer
by CS Lewis.
This books consists of several letters written by CS Lewis to his friend and fellow author, Malcolm Muggeridge, on the topic of prayer. They write about some other issues as well, but (as the title indicates), chiefly about prayer.
I love everything by CS Lewis, but this book would have been slightly better if it also contained the letters from Muggeridge. As it is, we only hear half of the conversation between the two men. Nevertheless, Lewis does a fairly good job filling in the blanks. He often summarizes the point or question of Muggeridge which Lewis then responds to.
Not surprisingly, the ideas and thinking from Lewis on prayer is often surprising and intriguing. He addresses the issue of how to pray according to the will of God, and whether our prayers truly matter or not from the divine perspective, since God already know what we need and what we are going to pray for. He also talks about the dangers of prayer, and praying to the dead, and a variety of other topics.
If you want to learn more about prayer, or want to get another perspective on prayer, this book is a good place to start.