New Books–December 2012

Complete New Book List

December 2012

Who Is Jesus? Linking the Historical Jesus with the Christ of Faith, by Darrell L. Bock. Bock tests the authenticity of Jesus’ claims against the rules of history to determine if He truly is the Christ of Faith. To get there, he examines twelve events, sayings, and teachings of Jesus, using ten well-accepted historical rules. Discover how fascinating the discussions of the historical Jesus can be.

Jesus the Son of God: A Christological Title Often Overlooked, Sometimes Misunderstood, and Currently Disputed, by D.A. Carson. What does it mean for us to confess that Jesus is the Son of God?

The Man Christ Jesus: Theological Reflections on the Humanity of Christ, by Bruce A. Ware. What does it mean for Jesus to be human?

A Puritan Theology: Doctrine for Life, by Joel R. Beeke and Mark Jones. An editor of The Gospel Coalition says, “it’s not every day you hear accomplished scholars gush”, but that has been the case over this groundbreaking overview of Puritan thought over Scripture’s major doctrines, historically and systematically considered. No other previous work has ever woven the threads of Puritan teaching into a unified tapestry of systematic theology. Michael Horton said he couldn’t put it down, J.I Packer called it a “landmark book in every way”, and Michael Haykin called it an “indispensable guidebook to Puritan thought and practice for years to come”.

The Mormonizing of America: How the Mormon Religion Became a Dominant Force in Politics, Entertainment, and Pop Culture, by Stephen Mansfield. A century ago, there was only one Mormon celebrity in the United States, a member of Congress so controversial his confirmation hearing lasted four years. Today Mormons number in the millions, and their members include some of the most prominent people in the world: the Marriott family, Glenn Beck, Mitt Romney, the Osmonds, David Neeleman (founder of JetBlue), and more than a dozen members of Congress. This book tells the story of the faith that has become one of the most influential religions, and how it has ascended to such astonishing power in American society.

Mind and Cosmos: Why the Materialist Neo-Darwinian Conception of Nature is Almost Certainly False, by Thomas Nagel. An atheist philosopher predicts scientific naturalism will one day be laughable. The basis of his criticism is that materialism is unable to account for consciousness.

In Search of the City on a Hill: The Making and Unmaking of an American Myth, by Richard M. Gamble. Traces the “city on a hill” metaphor originally used of believers in Matthew 5, to its use by Puritan John Winthrop in 1630, and later resurrection by John Kennedy in the 1960s and Ronald Reagan in the 1980s and applied to America’s exceptionalism and in the service of civil religion, where it has been misused and abused. As reviewer Thomas Kidd says, “no Christian may properly see America as the divine city in the kingdom of God”. A nation like ours may be a force for good in the world under God’s providence, but we have no messianic role to play.

Fateful Lightning: A New History of the Civil War and Reconstruction, by Allen C. Guelzo. Justin Taylor says, “I have been enjoying Guelzo’s new book…in which the two time Lincoln prize winning historian offers a marvelous portrait of the Civil War and its era, covering not only major figures and epic battles, but also politics, religion, gender, race, diplomacy and technology. And unlike other surveys, it extends the reader’s vista to include the postwar Reconstruction period and discusses the modern-day legacy of the Civil War in American literature and popular culture.”

The Terrible Speed: A Spiritual Biography of Flannery O’Connor, by Jonathan Rogers. She wrote about a dark and terrifying world, but a world which is also the place where grace is made known, and her fiction was shaped by a thoroughly Christian vision. Ralph Wood called her “the most important Christian writer this country has yet produced”, while Russell Moore said “reading these pages, one can sense the spirit of the writer herself…and the religious vision that drove her on”.

The Presidents Club: Inside the World’s Most Exclusive Fraternity, by Nancy Gibbs and Michael Duffy. A fascinating look inside one of the world’s most unique clubs—the brotherhood of former presidents of the United States. Beginning with Hoover and Truman, this book reveals the relationships among the few men who know what it is like to be a president. Even more interesting is the fact that the relationships have been so utterly unpredictable, such as how “George H.W. Bush became a surrogate father to Bill Clinton”, with that relationship helped along by none other than George W. Bush. Highly recommended by Al Mohler (who calls it “impossible to put down”, and by Kevin DeYoung). (Note: contains some coarse language).

Embracing Obscurity: Becoming Nothing in Light of God’s Everything, by Anonymous. Jesus lived and died unnoticed by most of humanity. Doesn’t that seem a great injustice? This book is a call to stop imitating the world’s formula for success, and instead follow the model of our Humble King. The author said he couldn’t think of any way to reconcile that message while simultaneously promoting himself, so he chose to take up the challenge of embracing his own obscurity by not even giving his name as author, but listing it as written by “Anonymous”.

Meditation and Communion with God: Contemplating Scripture in an Age of Distraction, by John Jefferson Davis. Meditating on Scripture as if the Triune God is living, active and present. One reviewer said that if we take Davis’s challenge seriously, “we will never again read Scripture without an increasing sense of the risen Christ in our midst”.

Eyes Wide Open: Enjoying God in Everything, by Steve DeWitt. Like a bread-crumb trail, earthly beauty chaperones us on a path to “see “the beauty of Christ. Philip Ryken says “in this practical book, Steve explores the deep purposes of God in displaying His beauty in the things He has made”, and “helps us to see the world the way God designed us to see it”.

A Tale of Two Governments: Church Discipline, The Courts, and Separation of Church and State, by Robert J. Renaud and Lael D. Weinberger. There is no excuse for the church not to practice church discipline, and this book tells why.

The Art of Neighboring: Building Genuine Relationships Right Outside Your Door, by Jay Pathak and Dave Runyon.

Serving God and Country: U.S. Military Chaplains in World War II, by Lyle W. Dorsett.

Every Good Endeavor: Connecting Your Work to God’s Work, by Timothy Keller. Biblical wisdom for our questions about the work we do, and its relation to God’s overall purposes.

Word Versus Deed: Resetting the Scales to a Biblical Balance, by Duane Litfin. A timely call to pursue the much-needed balance of preaching the gospel and living it out.

Everyday Church: Gospel Communities on Mission, by Tim Chester and Steve Timmis. How does the church reach the unchurched? Based on 1 Peter.

COMMENTARIES: 1 & 2 Thessalonians, by Gary S. Shogren (Zondervan Exegetical Commentary on the NT); Acts, by Eckhard J. Schnabel (Zondervan Exegetical Commentary on the NT).

ADULT/FAMILY DVDs: The Complete Anne of Green Gables Series, now on DVD; The Holiness of God, by R.C. Sproul (a classic, now on DVD).

CHILDREN’S CDs: Take It From the Top and The Green Ring Conspiracy, from Focus on the Family (Adventures in Odyssey).

ADULT FICTION: While We’re Far Apart, by Lynn Austin.