Complete New Book List
August, 2018
Honoring the Son: Jesus in Earliest Christian Devotional Practice, by Larry W. Hurtado (Snapshots series). Before the NT or the creeds of the church were written, the devotional practices of the earliest Christians show that they worshipped Jesus alongside the Father, demonstrating their view of the deity of the Son. This refutes critical theories that viewing Jesus as divine was a later development. Condenses material from Hurtado’s earlier and more detailed scholarly works into a book of less than 100 pages.
Disruptive Witness: Speaking Truth in a Distracted Age, by Alan Noble. In an age of distraction, Noble displays the disruptive resources of Christ’s kingdom that are at hand. Recommended by Derek Rishmawy and Michael Horton.
12 Faithful Men: Portraits of Courageous Endurance in Pastoral Ministry, edited by Collin Hansen and Jeff Robinson. Church history is filled with stories of men who persevered faithfully through profound and persistent affliction. These 12 biographical sketches include Andrew Fuller, Calvin, Charles Simeon, J.R. Ryle, Spurgeon, and others, including some you might not have heard of.
HISTORICAL NON-FICTION: Indianapolis: The True Story of the Worst Sea Disaster in US Naval History and the 50-Year Fight to Exonerate an Innocent Man, by Lynn Vincent (former World Magazine feature editor) and Sara Vladic. In July 1945, the Indianapolis dropped off on a Pacific island the components of an atomic bomb that would soon fall on Hiroshima, and was then struck by Japanese torpedoes. 300 men died right away, 900 went into the water, and during the next five nights nearly 600 succumbed to sharks, injuries and insanity. But 316 men survived, including the Captain, Charles McVay III, who was then unjustly court-martialed. Survivors began a 50 year fight for justice for McVay, so the book also entails courtroom drama. Picked by Marvin Olasky of World as one of the top summer reads. Reconstruction: A Concise History, by Allen Guelzo A brief (190 page) history of the traumatic period following the Civil War and the assassination of Lincoln, in which harsh conditions were imposed on the South, prolonging needed healing and giving rise to racial animosities and violent resistance groups such as the Ku Klux Klan.
Vindicating the Vixens: Revisiting Sexualized, Vilified, and Marginalized Women of the Bible, edited by Sandra Glahn. Sandra Glahn is an associate professor of media arts and worship at DTS, as well as a journalist and author or coauthor of more than 20 books. The church has a long history of viewing prominent women of the Bible thru a skewed interpretive lens. In this book, a team of male and female scholars seeks to challenge these superficial treatments, noting that while the tendency has been to marginalize them, Scripture speaks to their outsider status. Contributors include Lynn Cohick, Tony Malouf, Eugene Merrill, Carolyn Custis James, Glenn Kreider (DTS), Timothy Ralston (DTS), and others, including Sandra Glahn.
How to Be a Perfect Christian: Your Comprehensive Guide to Flawless Christian Living, by The Babylon Bee. From the most popular source of Christian satire, this trusted fountain of humor shines a spotlight on modern Christian cultural quirks. Recommended by Karen Swallow Prior and J.D. Greear.
Can’t We Be Friends? Avoidance Is Not Purity, by Aimee Byrd. Aimee calls us back to the Bible’s vision of believers in the family of God—a family of spiritual brothers and sisters. Our culture tells us that we are sexual beings who can’t be trusted to have friendships between men and women without sex, and so we trade fear of adultery for appropriate sibling friendships within the body of Christ.
Reading the Bible with Rabbi Jesus: How a Jewish Perspective Can Transform Your Understanding, by Lois Tverberg.The historical Jesus is situated in his divinely designed Second Temple period Jewish context, and the author leads us across cultures to envision a different worldview more consistent with the world of most of Scripture. Recommended by Craig Keener.
The God Who Gives: How the Trinity Shapes the Christian Story, by Kelly Kapic and Justin Borger. Fred Sanders says “this book takes us all the way back through the history of salvation and doctrine of creation, back into the heart of the Triune God”, and Bruce Waltke says “sparkling quotes enliven each chapter”.
How to Ruin Your Life and Starting Over When You Do, by Eric Geiger. Many great and godly people have imploded, and none of us are above the risk. Takes a look at the famous implosion of King David, and how to find grace when we need it.
Kingdom Through Covenant: A Biblical-Theological Understanding of the Covenants, Revised 2nd Edition, by Peter J. Gentry and Stephen J. Wellum. A thoroughly revised and expanded second edition of the influential book which presents a viable alternative to both covenant theology and dispensationalism. The authors have responded to the reviews and discussions of the first edition.
Believe Me: The Evangelical Road to Donald Trump, by John Fea. CONTROVERSIAL ADVISORY. Mark Noll says this book demonstrates “how legitimate concerns from white evangelical Protestants about a rapidly secularizing American culture…led so many white evangelicals not only to cast their votes for Donald Trump but also to regard him as a literal godsend”. John Fea is a history professor at Messiah College.
The Joy Project: An Introduction to Calvinism, by Tony Reinke with Foreword by John Piper. We think of joy as something we chase after, but true joy from the sovereign God instead finds us. Rosaria Butterfield says “this is applied reformed theology at its best”.
False Positive: A Novel, by William Cutrer, M.D., and Sandra Glahn. A dramatic and thrilling fictional account of what happens when crime finds fertile ground at a local abortion clinic and a resident physician tries to bring the perpetrators to justice. The novel is set in Dallas and filled with medical realism. Sandra Glahn is an associate professor at DTS.
COMMENTARIES: The Letter to the Colossians, by Scot McKnight (NICNT).
ADULT FICTION: The House at Saltwater Point, by Colleen Coble (Lavender Tides).