Best Books from 2011

Books I read in 2011

I read 69 books in 2011.

Here are my 5 favorite:

1. Simply Jesus by N. T. Wright

This book may simply be the best book about Jesus I have ever read (Yes, yes. Apart from the Bible. Does it really need to be said?)

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. Read the full review here.

2. Till We Have Faces by CS Lewis

Though I love The Chronicles of Narnia, this is my favorite novel by C. S. Lewis.

He wrote that it was his favorite as well, though when the book came out, it was not well received by the public, and never gained much notoriety. Even today, few people even know that he wrote the book. Learn more about the story, and read my full review here.

3.  Engaging the Powers by Walter Wink

This is the third book is a three part series which addresses the biblical, theological, and practical issue of Satan, demons, the demonic, and the world of spiritual powers.

Of the three books, this one is the the most practical, though the other two lay the biblical and theological groundwork for the ideas in this book. Unless you read the first two, the ideas of this book may sound outlandish, unsupported, and even extreme. Read the full review of this book here.

4.  The King Jesus Gospel by Scot McKnight.

Scot McKnight is concerned that that most evangelicals have a very narrow and unbiblical understanding of the Gospel.

Most of us, he believes, hold to something which he calls “a soterian Gospel” which is the idea that the Gospel message primarily concerns me and my salvation. Read the full review here.

5. Finding Organic Church by Frank Viola

This book is a good guide to help people find or develop a community of like-minded people with whom they can live and worship. While I haven’t read everything on the subject, I know of no other book like it on the market, and it really helped answer some of my own questions and provide me some direction as I seek to follow Jesus by loving and serving others in my community. The book provided a fairly clear picture of Viola’s experience with the organic church and the Scriptural basis for this model. Read the full review here.

Reading plans for 2012

Below are some books that I plan to read in 2012. Look for reviews of them on my “4000 books 2012” blog post.

• Cruciformity: Paul’s Narrative Spirituality of the Cross by Michael Gorman
• The Innocence of God: Does God Ordain Evil? by Udo Middelmann
• Christian Reflections by CS Lewis
• Pilgrim’s Regress by CS Lewis
• Exclusion & Embrace: A Theological Exploration of Identity, Otherness, and Reconciliation by Miroslav Volf
• Rituals and Power: The Roman Imperial Cult in Asia Minor by S.R.F. Price
• Inspiration and Incarnation: Evangelicals and the Problem of the Old Testament by Peter Enns
• Third Way Allegiance: Christian Witness in the Shadow of Religious Empire by Tripp York
• The Relational Way: From Small Structures to Holistic Life Connections by M. Scott Boren
• Engaging God’s World by Cornelius Plantinga

Do any of these interest you? Maybe we can read and blog through the book together. Let me know!

Also, if you want me to read and review your book, contact me through the contact form on my About page.