New Books–August 2010

Complete New Book List

August 2010

The Apostles’ Doctrine of the Atonement, by George Smeaton. This and its companion volume, Christ’s Doctrine of the Atonement, comprise a classic work which deals with each passage in the NT on the subject of Christ’s work, Christ’s Doctrine focusing on the Gospels, and The Apostles’s Doctrine focusing on the rest of the NT. . First published in 1870. Combines biblical exegesis, doctrinal exposition, and spiritual meditation.

A Day’s March Nearer Home: Autobiography of J. Graham Miller, edited by Iain H. Murray. Seldom is a day of national mourning appointed for an evangelical, as happened in the island nation of Vanuatu (formerly the New Hebrides) on the death of Graham Miller in 2008. He had contributed to the nation’s history and elsewhere, especially in New Zealand and Australia. Many were his roles during 94 years: lawyer, missionary, preacher, author and intercessor.

The God Who Is There: Finding Your Place in God’s Story, by D.A. Carson. Takes you through the big story of Scripture to help you know what you believe and why you believe it. Not only lays out the doctrine of God, but gives the reader a basic grounding in biblical beliefs and behavior.

Collected Writings on Scripture, by D.A. Carson. Essays and reviews on the doctrine of Scripture by the premier evangelical theologian today. John Woodbridge says it is sure to “become a classic as an evangelical defense of Holy Scripture’s authority”.

The Glory of God, edited by Christopher W. Morgan and Robert A. Peterson. A talented team of writers demonstrate how focusing on the all-encompassing theme of God’s glory impacts our thinking about God, the self and the world, including questions about meaning, purpose and salvation. Includes chapters focusing on the theme of God’s glory in the OT, the NT, the Gospels, Paul’s Epistles, Revelation, etc.

Why Johnny Can’t Sing Hymns: How Pop Culture Rewrote the Hymnal, by T. David Gordon. The author says pop music has impoverished our culture and worship in so many churches, and makes a vigorous case for traditional forms of worship.

Six Days of War: June 1967 and the Making of the Modern Middle East, by Michael B. Oren. Dramatic day by day account of the Israel-Arab war that was one of the major turning points in the history of the modern Middle East.

Has Christianity Failed You? By Ravi Zacharias. Tackles head-on the question of why so many people have given up on faith, In the end, he asks whether it is God or whether it is the church—God’s representative—who has failed. And he asks if the irrational ends of the of the skeptic’s view of a world without God place at risk the very existence of humanity.

From the Resurrection to His Return: Living Faithfully in the Last Days, by D.A. Carson.

The Heresy of Orthodoxy: How Contemporary Culture’s Fascination with Diversity Has Reshaped Our Understanding of Early Christianity, by Andreas J. Kostenberger and Michael J. Kruger. Daniel Wallace says this is a “comprehensive critique of the Bauer-Ehrman thesis that the earliest form of Christianity was pluralistic, that there were multiple Christianities, and that heresy was prior to orthodoxy”. D.A. Carson praises this book for showing the Bauer-Ehrman thesis to be “historical nonsense”.

The Unshakable Truth, by Josh McDowell and Sean McDowell. How you can experience the 12 essentials of a relevant faith. A book for every believer wanting to deepen their faith and reveal Christ’s power and relevance to those around them, which J.I. Packer refers to as a “very successful catechism”.

To the Glory of God: A 40-Day Devotional on the Book of Romans, by James Montgomery Boice.

Hipster Christianity: WhenChurch and Cool Collide, by Brett McCracken. What happens when our concern with appearances or with being “cool” in relation to popular culture, outweighs our concern with sound doctrine or faithful practice?

The Battle: How the Fight Between Free Enterprise and Big Government Will Shape America’s Future, by Arthur C. Brooks. This book was recently named World Magazine’s Book of the Year for 2010.

The Invisible Gorilla: And Other Ways Our Intuitions Deceive Us, by Christopher Chabris and Daniel Simons. Not a Christian book, but an important book about the way we think, as recommended on Justin Taylor’s blog. This book shows how our minds don’t work the way we think they do. We think we see ourselves and the world as they really are, but we’re actually missing quite a lot.

Now My Eyes Have Seen You: Images of Creation and Evil in the Book of Job, by Robert S. Fyall (New Studies in Biblical Theology). A holistic reading of Job, with particular reference to its depiction of creation and evil.

You Never Stop Being a Parent: Thriving in Relationship with Your Adult Children, by Jim Newheiser and Elyse Fitzpatrick. You may have always expected your job as a parent would end once your children reached adulthood. But you are quickly finding out that you never stop being a parent.

Bringing Up Girls: Practical Advice and Encouragement for Those Shaping the Next Generation of Women, by Dr. James Dobson. The highly anticipated companion book to the best-selling Bringing Up Boys.

Dietrich Bonhoeffer: A Life in Pictures, edited by Renate Bethge and Christian Gremmels. This volume, edited by Bonhoeffer’s niece, gives in pictures a brief and unusually vivid portrait of the life and work of Dietrich Bonhoeffer.

Last Things First: Unlocking Genesis 1-3 with the Christ of Eschatology, by J.V. Fesko. We know that Genesis 1-3 deals with creation and the fall. But have we stopped to consider that in Revelation, Jesus is called the “the last Adam”? Should this make a difference to how we look at early Genesis? Dr. Fesko says it should. If you are tangled up on origins in Genesis, this may be a way through the maze.

Leading With a Limp:Turning Your Struggles Into Strength, by Dan B. Allender. Taking full advantage of your flaws and your most powerful weakness. The author says flawed leaders are often successful because they are not preoccupied with protecting their image.

Meaning at the Movies: Becoming a Discerning Viewer, by Grant Horner. Applying your faith to watching movies.

Evidence for God: 50 Arguments for Faith from the Bible, History, Philosophy, and Science, edited by William A. Dembski and Michael R. Licona. Contributors include Craig Blomberg, Darrell Bock, Phillip E. Johnson, Daniel B. Wallace, Ben Witherington, et al.

with Words: What Women Should Know About the Power They Possess, by Christin Ditchfield. Words can either hurt or heal. This book teaches women how to harness their words for redemptive purposes.

The Jewish World Around the New Testament, by Richard Bauckham. NT texts cannot be adequately understood without careful attention to their Judaic and SecondTemple roots. The author also discusses the “parting of the ways” between Judaism and early Christianity

The Puritan Gift: Reclaiming the American Dream Amidst Global Financial Chaos, by Kenneth Hopper and William Hopper. The authors say the current financial crisis has an old-fashioned cause: bad management. The authors show the Puritan origins of the American managerial culture which was so successful for three centuries. By distancing itself from those core values, America has sacrificed its future prosperity and security.

The Radical Disciple: Some Neglected Aspects of our Calling, by John Stott. Explores eight serious yet often neglected aspects of Christian discipleship.

The Forgotten Founders on Religion and Public Life, edited by Daniel L. Dreisbach, Mark David Hall, and Jeffry H. Morrison. This book is based on the premise that it is artificial to limit the “Founders’ views” to those of only a few individuals, since several of our founding leaders possessed a more orthodox Christian faith than the Deist views of some of their more famous contemporaries. So this volume explores the views of John Jay, Roger Sherman, Samuel Adams, and others.

The Loser Letters: A Comic Tale of Life, Death, and Atheism, by Mary Eberstadt. A witty satire which chronicles the conversion of a young adult Christian to atheism. A Screwtape Letters for atheists.

Crossway ESV Bible Atlas, by John D. Currid and David P. Barrett. In addition to maps, this new resource includes narrative descriptions of biblical events and 3-D recreations of biblical objects.

The Church History ABCs: Augustine and 25 Other Heroes of the Faith, by Stephen J. Nichols and Ned Bustard. A fun way for kids to learn about great figures in Christian history. Includes Calvin, Luther, Lady Jane Grey, Tertullian, and many others.

ADULT FICTION: Nowhere, Carolina, by Tamara Leigh; Deceit, by Brandilyn Collins; Missing Max, by Karen Young; Licensed for Trouble, by Susan May Warren (PJ Sugar); Take Four, by Karen Kingsbury (Above the Line); Licensed for Trouble, by Susan May Warren ( aPJ Sugar novel).