The Great Work of the Gospel: How We Experience God’s Grace, by John Ensor. Forgiveness is God’s great work because sin is the greatest of problems, the cross is the most excellent of solutions, and grace produces the most extreme changes. It is all-inclusive and everlasting. In his Foreword, John Piper says this book is “God-centered good news…that will release people from the self-absorbed rationalizations that keep us from the fullest engagement in the global cause of God” and is the “kind of message that will make deep, strong people and deep, strong churches”.
Triumphant Christianity: Studies in the Book of Acts, Vol. 5, by Martyn Lloyd-Jones. In the fifth volume in his series on Acts, Lloyd-Jones demonstrates that without the miraculous, supernatural power of the Holy Spirit, there can be no triumph in the Christian life. He examines the faulty attitude of Christians both in Stephen’s day as well as our ours from the perspective given in the book of Acts, exposing the problematic spirit within Christians today and providing a strongly biblical response to the ever more prevalent unbelief we see around us.
Finding God Beyond Harvard: The Quest for Veritas, by Kelly Monroe Kullberg. The Veritas Forum is an organization that has profoundly influenced college students to consider the spiritual meaning of their lives. The focus is on Jesus Christ as Veritas—the Truth. Since founding the first Veritas Forum at Harvard in 1992, the author has traveled across the country helping others start Veritas Forums in dozens of universities.
Heaven on Earth: Capturing Jonathan Edwards’s Vision of Living In Between, by Stephen J. Nichols. Some people are too heavenly-minded to be of any earthly good, while others are so earthly-minded that they are not fit for heaven. Nichols, following Edwards, argues that the answer to the opposite extremes of escapism and earthliness is not to find some happy medium, but rather to develop a radical new perspective that transforms both our vision of heaven and our life on earth. With Edwards as our guide, Nichols teaches us the biblical art of living the vision of heaven while still on earth.
Paradoxy: Coming to Grips with the Contradictions of Jesus, by Tom Taylor. Why did Jesus teach in apparent contradictions? Taylor unfolds some of the core mysteries of Jesus as he explores eight puzzling statements whose meanings ultimately reveal critical truths about life, faith and relationships.
Anne Bradstreet: A Guided Tour of the Life and Thought of a Puritan Poet, by Heidi L Nichols. Anne Bradstreet (1612-1669), America’s first published poet, lived in England and the Colonies during a remarkable historic period marked by civil and religious strife and political upheaval. Her life and work challenge stereotypes of Puritans, revealing her vibrant intellectualism and her outspoken love for her husband.
Jesus Mean and Wild: The Unexpected Love of an Untamable God, by Mark Galli. The author aims at a more multifaceted portrait of Jesus. His vigorous presentation of the “mean and wild” aspects of Jesus arises from impatience with a faith that is too often soggy. His focus on Jesus as he is portrayed in Mark’s Gospel unveils Christ as he is revealed in his militancy, and aims to clear our vision to behold a Lord who is anything but tame.
Jesus and the Father: Modern Evangelicals Reinvent the Doctrine of the Trinity, by Kevin Giles. The author points out serious problems in the teaching that the Son is eternally subordinated to the Father and argues for the full eternal equality of the Trinity.
Cross Words: The Biblical Doctrine of the Atonement, by Paul Wells. The author faces head-on the modern (and not-so-modern) challenges to a biblical viewpoint on the atonement.
How to be a Christian in a Brave New World, by Joni Eareckson Tada and Nigel M. de S. Cameron. Drawing on an abundance of cutting edge information and life experience, the authors help you think through issues a Christian cannot afford to ignore, such as human cloning, designer babies, redefining human nature, and human harvesting. As a quadriplegic who has spent three decades advocating for the disability community out of a wheelchair, Joni is intimately acquainted with suffering and struggle, while Dr. Cameron is one of today’s foremost bioethics experts.
Too Good to be True: Finding Hope in a World of Hype, by Michael Horton. In a world of hype, we may buy into the idea that through Jesus, we’ll be healthier and wealthier as well as wiser. So what happens when we become ill, or depressed, or bankrupt? Did we do something wrong, or did God abandon us? The answer is that God reveals Himself most powerfully when we are at our weakest, and our Father keeps His promises from Scripture through every type of earthly difficulty.
The Fullness of Christ Unfolded in the History of Joseph, by Octavius Winslow (1808-1878). This is a classic devotional treatment of the fascinating history of Joseph and his brothers that is aimed at drawing our minds and hearts toward the Greater Joseph and His brethren. As it was necessary for Joseph to experience great suffering before reaching glory in order to be the savior of his brothers, so Jesus had to experience suffering and rejection in order to be qualified to be the gracious, sympathizing Head of a suffering body.
Humble Apologetics: Defending the Faith Today, by John G. Stackhouse,, Jr. The author explains how pluralism, postmodernism, consumerism, and a host of other factors create a cultural milieu resistant to the Christian message, where the perception of arrogance or dogmatism can alienate rather than attract potential converts. Indeed, the crucial experience of conversion cannot be compelled; all the apologist can do is lead another to the point where an actual encounter with Jesus can take place. Stackhouse shows how displaying an attitude of humility, instead of merely trying to win religious arguments, will help believers offer their neighbors the gift of Christ’s love.
Trapped in the Magic Mirror: Shattering Illusions About Romance and Marriage, by Deborah B. Dunn. Most of us were raised on fairy tales, and as a result a subtle message has been ingrained in American women, telling them their primary goal in life is to find the Prince who will whisk them off to a Magic Kingdom and save them from the drudgery of an ordinary life as he makes them feel beautiful and loved and meets all their emotional needs. Dunn unmasks the five fatal falsehoods that women have come to believe and shows the practical steps to getting beyond the illusions and experiencing a transformation of godly inner beauty and strength, as well as harmonious relationships.
The Da Vinci Code Controversy: 10 Facts You Should Know, by Michael J. Easley and John Ankerberg.
The Dream Giver, by Bruce Wilkinson. A modern day parable that tells the story of Ordinary, who dares to leave the Land of Familiar to pursue his Big Dream.
The Making of a Leader, by Dr. J. Robert Clinton. Recognizing the lessons and stages of leadership development.
COMMENTARIES: Numbers: God’s Presence in the Wilderness, by Iain M. Duguid (Preaching the Word series); Job, Ecclesiastes, Song of Songs, by August H. Konkel and Tremper Longman III (Cornerstone Biblical Commentary #6).
FAMILY DVDs: The End of the Spear. The movie version of Steve Saint’s book in which he tells his dramatic life story. Steve was only five years old when his father, Nate Saint, along with Jim Elliot and three other missionaries, were speared to death in the jungles of Ecuador by Waodani warriors, men from the most savage culture ever known. Decades after the spearing, Steve and his family made the difficult choice to leave behind a comfortable life in the United States and return to the jungle to live among the Waodani people, where he came to know – and even love – the very ones who drove the spears into his father's body.
ADULT FICTION: Leave a Candle Burning, by Lori Wick (Tucker Mills Trilogy #3); The Measure of a Lady, by Deeanne Gist.
CHILDREN’S BOOKS: So Who Is God? Answers to Real Questions About God, by Robert Willoughby. The author is a lecturer in NT at London School of Theology who has spent many years exploring who God is with his children, as well as with his students at LST.
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