Complete New Book List
February 2013
The Great Evangelical Recession: 6 Factors That Will Crash the
Godly Ambition: John Stott and the Evangelical Movement, by Alister Chapman. David Bebbington says, “the global evangelical movement was moulded by a wide range of individuals in the later 20th century, but none was more important than John Stott who, by his lucid writing and strategic vision forged attitudes that were intellectually mature but still spiritually vibrant”. Stott died in 2012. Top 10 Books of 2012 selection by Kevin DeYoung.
The Wide, Wide World, a novel by Susan Warner. First published in 1850, this book was exceeded in popularity at the time only by Uncle Tom’s Cabin, and has been called a female Huckleberry Finn. It is the story of the seven-year pilgrimage of a girl sent out into the world at age 10 by a dying mother and careless father. Shunted from relative to relative, the young girl astonishes the reader by remaining true to her mother’s Christian teaching of complete selfishness in the face of brutality and contempt from those she encounters in her wanderings. The values she held on to fly in the face of everything the modern feminist movement has taught women about the need for self-assertion and challenge the modern hierarchy of the importance of self-realization over self-sacrifice.
Fit to Burst: Abundance, Mayhem and the Joys of Motherhood, by Rachel Jankovic. Tony Reinecke says, “in her second book, I think she does an even better job centering motherhood on the perfect work of Christ. It was one of my favorite reads of the year, if such a pronouncement can by made by a guy about a book by a woman for women”. Top 12 Books of 2012 Selection.
Risk Is Right: Better to Risk Your Life Than to Waste It, by John Piper. A choice lies before you: either waste your life or live with risk. Either sit on the sidelines or get in the game.
Setting Our Affections Upon Glory: Nine Sermons on The Gospel and the Church, by Martyn Lloyd-Jones.
The Insanity of God: A True Story of Faith Resurrected, by Nik Ripken. Will you follow Jesus even when it doesn’t make sense? How does faith survive, let alone flourish, in the places of life that are overcome with the darkness of sin, despair, and hopelessness? The ashes of
Sensing Jesus: Life and Ministry as a Human Being, by Zack Eswine. A book about recovering our humanity in Jesus as those who are called to lead others in ministry. It takes a candid behind-the-scenes look at the pressures to do everything at once, notably and immediately, while also seeking to recover a stamina for doing the small things, unnoticed, over the long haul. With over 20 years of experience in ministry, Zack shares with honesty his own failures, burnout and pain, all the while addressing the complexities of leadership decisions, church discipline, and family dynamics. Top Ten Books of 2012 selection by Kevin DeYoung.
Why Does the World Exist? An Existential Detective Story, by Jim Holt. #1 Book of the Year by Theologian Sam Storms; 10 Best Books of the Year selection by the NY Times Book Review. Jim Holt is an unbeliever, who takes on the role of cosmic gumshoe, exploring new and sometimes bizarre angles to the mystery of existence. Why is there a universe at all and why is there Something rather than Nothing? In the course of his narrative, he interrogates Nobel winning physicists, Christian theologians, mathematicians, and even novelists like John Updike. Sam Storms says: “I know it seems strange that I should think so highly of a book written by an unbeliever, a man who at the end of his investigation refuses to acknowledge the existence of the God of the Bible as the only answer to his question. But this book actually turns out to be a marvelous, though unintended, apologetic for Christian monotheism. So why won’t unbelievers concede the obvious? Storms’ answer: “To acknowledge His existence and creative power is to come under His lordship, both intellectually and morally, and they can’t bear the thought of it”. Storms says that Holt is an excellent writer, and that he plans to read the book several more times in the years to come. (see full review in the library).
The Quest for the Trinity: The Doctrine of God in Scripture, History and Modernity, by Stephen R. Holmes. The doctrine of the Trinity was settled in the 4th century and maintained with only minor disagreement by all strands of the church—Western and Eastern, Protestant and Catholic—until the modern period. In the 20th century, there arose a sense in which the doctrine had been neglected and stood in need of recovery. Holmes guides us on a journey through 2,000 years of the Christian doctrine of God.
Sojourners and Strangers: The Doctrine of the Church, by Gregg R. Allison (Foundations of Evangelical Theology). Explores and synthesizes all that Scripture affirms about the new covenant people of God, capturing a full picture of the biblical church. Top 10 Books of 2012 selection by Sam Storms.
ADULT DVDs: October Baby: Every Life is Beautiful, from American Family Studios (rated PG-13). Medical tests point to a difficult birth of Hannah’s baby, but that is nothing compared to the revelation from Hannah’s parents that she was adopted after a failed abortion attempt.
FAMILY DVDs: The Miracle Worker: The Story of Jesus. In clay-animation with an all-star cast.
OTHER ADULT FICTION: The Fiddler and The Bridesmaid, by Beverly Lewis (Home to
CHILDRENS BOOKS: The Tale of Twinette the Spider, and The Tale of Firefly the Foal, by Pat Wynnejones (Village Tales).
CHILDREN’S CDs: Five new CD albums in the Adventures in Odyssey series from Focus on the Family.
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