Complete New Book List
April, 2017
This Is Our Time: Everyday Myths in Light of the Gospel, by Trevin Wax, Foreword by Marvin Olasky. A path to faithful presence in our culture, with neither naivete nor panic.
Real Music: A Guide to the Timeless Hymns of the Church, by Anthony Esolen, with accompanying CD. A comprehensive guide, in print and song, to the great hymns of the church. The author says good music combines timeless poetry, with doctrinally sound lyrics and beautiful melody. The book is accompanied by a CD of 18 hymns recorded by the St. Cecelia Choir of St. John Cantius Church in Chicago. The author is both a scholar and a Catholic and writes from and to that tradition , but the hymns and stories behind them are timeless.
The Whole Message of the Bible in 16 Words, by Chris Bruno. Al Mohler says “biblical theology is the starting place for understanding Scripture rightly” and this short book will help you grasp the Bible’s big story from Genesis to Revelation.
HISTORICAL NON-FICTION: Agent 110: An American Spymaster and the German Resistance in WWII, by Scott Miller. The secret and suspenseful account of how OSS spymaster Allen Dulles from his base in Switzerland worked with the German resistance in hopes of removing Hitler and the Nazi leadership and bring the war to an early close before the Soviet advance.
The Life of Arthur W. Pink (Revised and Enlarged), by Iain H. Murray. Born in England in 1886, Pink was a little-known pastor of churches in the US and Australia, before returning to England in 1934, and he died there almost unnoticed in 1952. However, by then, his magazine, Studies in the Scriptures, which he started in 1922 to a small circulation, had begun to feed men like Martyn Lloyd-Jones who were leading a return to doctrinal Christianity. So after his death, his writings, in book form, began to circulate widely and became highly influential. He was known as a staunch Calvinist, and for his Puritan-like writings and preaching. Although early in his life he was dispensational, he later rejected dispensationalism. Another break with fundamentalism was seen in his view that there were two principal errors: salvation by works, and salvation without works, with the latter having led to a decline in holy living among Christians. He taught that the new birth is made manifest by a new life. Pink and A.W.Tozer were among the few at the time who spoke on that subject. Martyn Lloyd-Jones told aspiring preachers: “Don’t waste your time reading Barth and Bruner…read Pink”. We have over 20 titles by Pink in the CBC library, among the most popular have been The Attributes of God, and The Sovereignty of God.
Reformation Theology: A Systematic Summary, edited by Matthew Barrett. Contributors included Scott Swain, Carl Trueman, Kim Riddlebarger, and many others. Arranged by the key doctrines taught and defended by the Reformers centuries ago.
Between Heaven and the Real World: My Story, by Steven Curtis Chapman with Ken Abraham. Autobiography of the famed Christian singer, who tells us of his music career and Christian life, with its highs and lows, including the tragic death of his 5-year old daughter Maria.
The Lost Sermons of C.H. Spurgeon: His Earliest Outlines and Sermons Between 1851 and 1854, Volume 1, edited with introduction and notes by Christian T. George. In 1857, Spurgeon promised his readers that he would publish his earliest sermons. For almost 160 years, these sermons were lost to history, but now these rediscovered sermons can be read. Beautiful volume, lavishly illustrated with full color facsimiles of Spurgeon’s original handwriting, transcriptions of his outlines and sermons, biographical introductions and editorial commentary. Volume 1 contains an introduction to the series.
The Curious Christian: How Discovering Wonder Enriches Every Part of Life, by Barnabas Piper. Explores what curiosity is, and how it affects relationships. What if people sought to learn about each other, so that the most unlikely people became advocates and friends? Barnabas Piper is the son of John Piper.
Is the Bible Good for Women? Seeking Clarity and Confidence Through a Jesus-Centered Understanding of Scripture, by Wendy Alsup. The Bible is good for women, but many misunderstandings and misapplications harm women. It is those issues that Wendy deals with in this book. Recommended by Tim Challies, Matt Chandler, Karen Swallow Prior, Aimee Byrd and others.
The Benedict Option: A Strategy for Christians in a Post-Christian Nation, by Rod Dreher. This widely-discussed book advocates a limited strategic withdrawal of Christians from the mainstream of American popular culture, for the sake of shoring up our understanding of what the church is, and what we must do to be the church. In this period of withdrawal, we can develop the kinds of habits and practices we need.
Charles Simeon: An Ordinary Pastor of Extraordinary Influence, by Derek Prime. Simeon (1759-1836) exemplifies a faithful preacher who carried on in the face of severe opposition to his gospel preaching, to become a father of the evangelical movement in the Church of England, with an enduring influence. John Stott considered Simeon a model preacher.
A Better Story: God, Sex, and Human Flourishing, by Glynn Harrison. The abundant life that Jesus spoke about reaches all areas, including sex. We must remember that we flourish when we live in harmony with God’s design, and the Christan has a better story to tell than the world.
COMMENTARIES: Judges and Ruth, by Kenneth C. Way (Teach the Text Commentary Series); 1,2&3 John, by Constantine R. Campbell (Story of God Bible Commentary).
ADULT FICTION: The Domino Effect, by Davis Bunn; Without Warning, by Joel C. Rosenberg (a J.B. Collins novel); If I’m Found, by Terri Blackstock (If I Run #2); Deep Extraction, by DiAnn Mills (FBI Task Force); Still Life, by Dani Pettrey (Chesapeake Valor #2).
ADULT DVD’s: Silence, from director Martin Scorsese, based on the acclaimed novel by Shusaku Endo about persecution and martyrdom of Portugese Jesuit priests by feudal lords in 17th century Japan, where feudal lords forced Christians to renounce their faith or die. Note: this movie will not be easy to watch.