Complete New Book List
August, 2015
Hostile Environment: Understanding and Responding to Anti-Christian Bias, by George Yancey. Sociologist Yancey explores the phenomenon of Christianophobia, an intense animosity against Christians and the Christian faith. While the animosity does not typically rise to the violent levels of religious persecution in other parts of the world, Christians are often still treated in ways that perpetuate negative stereotypes and contribute to culture war acrimony.
Openness Unhindered: Further Thoughts of an Unlikely Convert on Sexual Identity and Union with Christ, by Rosario Champagne Butterfield. In her best-selling book, Thoughts of an Unlikely Convert, Rosario described her conversion from being a radical leftist English professor who was in a lesbian relationship, to the Christian faith. She is now married to a Reformed Presbyterian pastor, and goes to college campuses and churches talking about key issues of today regarding same-sex marriage, sexual orientation, gender identity, etc. and how true freedom can be found only in Jesus Christ and in union with Him.
HISTORICAL NON-FICTION: The Wright Brothers, by David McCullough. The two-time winner of the Pulitzer Prize tells the story of the courageous brothers who taught the world how to fly. Recommended by Al Mohler. When Character Was King: A Story of Ronald Reagan, by Peggy Noonan. The author, former special assistant to Reagan and now a columnist and contributing editor for The Wall Street Journal, says that the secret of Reagan’s success was no secret at all. It was his character—courage, kindness, honesty, and his almost heroic patience in the face of setbacks—that was the most important element of his success. Recommended by Kevin DeYoung. The Fall of the Ottomans: The Great War in the Middle East, by Eugene Rogan. Al Mohler says the Ottoman Empire was once the most powerful in the world–and one of the most lasting. Its demise would come only in the conflagration of the Great War. The story of the fall of the great Islamic empire, one of the most complex and fascinating in world history, was one of the most significant and lasting effects of World War I, and we now know that it set the stage for the world as we know it today, particularly the Middle East. Rogan traces the history of the Ottomans but his particular focus and skill comes as he tells the story of how the Ottoman Empire sided with the Central Powers and met disaster. Stalin: New Biography of a Dictator, by Oleg V. Khlevniuk. Stalin exercised supreme power in the Soviet Union from 1929 until his death in 1953, caused the imprisonment and execution of a million Russian citizens per year, and altered world history.
Fool’s Talk: Recovering the Art of Christian Persuasion, by Os Guinness. In our post-Christian context, many Christians still rely on cookie-cutter approaches to evangelism and apologetics. Most of these methods assume that people are open and interested in spiritual insight, but most are not. Guinness says “Jesus never spoke to people the same way, and neither should we”. Following the tradition of Pascal, Chesterton, and C.S. Lewis, Guinness demonstrates how apologetic persuasion requires a creative approach using both the rational and the imaginative.
Packer on the Christian Life: Knowing God in Christ, Walking by the Spirit, by Sam Storms. Now in his 80s, evangelical titan J.I. Packer has had a profound impact on millions. He is known especially for his classics, Knowing God and Keep in Step with the Spirit. In this book, Storms explores Packer’s legacy and profound spiritual insights.
Word-Filled Women’s Ministry: Loving and Serving the Church, edited by Gloria Furman and Kathleen B. Nielson. A practical guide to Bible-centered ministry among women, from The Gospel Coalition.
Not Just a Soup Kitchen: How Mercy Ministry in the Local Church Transforms Us All, by Dr. David S. Apple. David’s personal story of tragedy, hardship and brokenness shows how he was transformed through the powerful gospel of Jesus Christ and then called and shaped for the ministry of mercy and justice that he has pursued for the past ten years. He heads up the mercy ministry of Tenth Presbyterian Church in Philadelphia (previous church of James Montgomery Boice and Philip Ryken) where he heads up a 300-volunteer staff in outreach and evangelism, and hospitality to homeless and addicted persons, nursing home residents, incarcerated men and women, people with special needs, and others.
Praying the Bible, by Donald S. Whitney. Transform your prayer life with this method for praying the Scriptures.
A Star in the East: The Rise of Christianity in China, by Rodney Stark and Xiuhua Wang. A concise account of the growth and prospects of Christianity in the world’s largest socialist society, distinctive for its reliance on credible and strictly current quantitative evidence. Contrary to theories that reduce Christianity’s appeal to the poor and marginal, Stark and Wang find that Christianity is more favored by the affluent and well-educated.
The Dark Side of the Millennium: An Achilles Heel for Dispensational Premillennialism, by Arthur Lewis. While interpreters of Revelation 20 agree that the millennium of Rev 20 will mix good and evil, saints and sinners, Lewis stands among the few who seriously explore the implications of this fact. Through comparative studies in the OT, gospels and epistles, he shows that the millennial scene best fits into this present age. Labeling his view, “historical millennialism”, he offers a fresh form of the older, orthodox positions of amillennialism, in which he does not spiritualize away the basic features belonging to the thousand years of Rev 20. This updated edition of the original 1980 book includes “My Dialogue with Dispensationalism”.
You Must Read: Books That Have Shaped Our Lives, by Joel Beeke. Since its founding by Iain Murray in 1957, Banner of Truth has been known for its publication of classic Reformed and Puritan works, as well as contemporary Reformed books by Lloyd-Jones, Iain Murray and others. In this book, thirty well-known Christian leaders discuss books published by Banner of Truth that have impacted their lives. Contributors include John MacArthur, Al Mohler, R.C. Sproul, Alistair Begg, and many others.
Prepare: Living Your Faith in an Increasingly Hostile Culture, by J. Paul Nyquist.
What Does the Bible Really Teach About Homosexuality? By Kevin DeYoung. Challenges each of us to take a humble look at God’s Word on this issue. Examines key OT and NT texts, and answers popular questions.
COMMENTARIES: Daniel (Teach the Text Commentary Series), by Ronald W. Pierce.
ADULT FICTION: Critical Pursuit, by Janice Cantore. Hawk (#2 The Quiet Professionals), by Ronie Kendig. Digital Winter, by Mark Hitchcock & Alton Gansky.