New Books–July 2011

Complete New Book List

July 2011

The Pleasures of Reading in an Age of Distraction, by Alan Jacobs. Justin Taylor said, “I started reading Alan Jacobs’ latest…and I’m having trouble putting it down”. Trevor Logan said, “it seems a rare accomplishment that a book on the pleasures of reading could actually pull off being pleasurable itself. But Alan Jacobs’ newest book…does just that”. Jacobs teaches English at WheatonCollege.

Did St. Paul Get Jesus Right? The Gospel According to Paul, by David Wenham. In recent years, some critics have charged that Paul “invented” Christianity by radically changing the message of Jesus. Wenham looks at the historical basis for such charges and shows that far from “imagining” Christianity, Paul was the faithful messenger of an inherited faith which derives from Jesus.

Resolving Everyday Conflict, by Ken Sande (author of The Peacemaker) and Kevin Johnson.

Why God Won’t Go Away: Is the New Atheism Running on Empty? by Alister McGrath.

Christians Get Depressed Too: Hope and Help for Depressed People, by David Murray.

Making the Best of a Bad Decision, by Erwin W. Lutzer. How to put your regrets behind you, embrace grace, and move toward a better future.

Erasing Hell, by Francis Chan and Preston Sprinkle. What God said about eternity, and the things we’ve made up. A response to Rob Bell.

Should Christians Embrace Evolution? Biblical and Scientific Responses, edited by Norman C. Nevin, with foreword by Wayne Grudem. Sorting out the facts in the face of aggressive attacks on the Christian faith. Co-winner of World Magazine’s Book of the Year award.

Humilitas: A Lost Key to Life, Love and Leadership, by John Dickson. The author argues that true greatness is sustained and nurtured by humility. In fact, he shows that some of history’s most inspiring and influential figures have been people of immense humility.

Am I Really A Christian? by Mike McKinley. Questions for nominal Christians. Al Mohler says “this is a truly important book in the most urgent sense—a book that serves the cause of Christ by raising the most important questions human beings face”.

One Thousand Gifts: A Dare to Live Fully Right Where You Are, by Ann Voskamp. Waking up to a thousand blessings, by leaving the parched ground of pride, fear and white-knuckle control and abandoning yourself to the God who overflows your cup.

Getting Rid of the Gorilla: Confessions on the Struggle to Forgive, by Brian Jones.

The Mighty Weakness of John Knox, by Douglas Bond (Long Line of Godly Men series). How God used a man who was small in stature, weak in body, and timid in heart, to forge the Scottish Reformation.

Old Testament Wisdom Literature: A Theological Introduction, by Craig G. Bartholomew and Ryan P. O’Dowd. The theological message of Job, Proverbs, and Ecclesiastes, in a volume which Bruce Waltke says is like “apples of gold in settings of silver”.

Redeeming Sociology: A God-Centered Approach, by Vern Sheridan Poythress. In their pursuit of social welfare, sociologists have adopted a worldview that fails to account for both the nature of God and the depravity of mankind. Ignoring both God and sin has resulted in misguided analyses and ineffective solutions to societal issues. Poythress advocates a biblically informed approach based on the Trinitarian nature of God, His governance of the world, and His redemption accomplished in Christ.

We Shall See God: Charles Spurgeon’s Classic Devotional Thoughts on Heaven, by Randy Alcorn.

The Scent of Water: Grace for Every Kind of Broken, by Naomi Zacharias. Open your eyes to the complexities of the world and the healing power of God’s grace as you follow the author as she ministers to women working in brothels in Mumbai, survivors of an Indonesian tsunami in which more than 200,000 lives were lost, a young girl waiting for an operation to save her life, and to victims of horrible domestic violence.

The Return of Christ: A Premillennial Persective, edited by David L. Allen and Steve W. Lemke. Essays and reflections in support of premillennialism and a pre-tribulation rapture.

The Deity of Christ, edited by Christopher W. Morgan and Robert A. Peterson (Theology in Community). Rick Holland says, “nothing should be more important and more interesting to Christians than Jesus, and nothing is more important or more interesting about Jesus than the fact that He is God”.

Abundant Simplicity: Discovering the Unhurried Rhythms of Grace, by Jan Johnson.

Saint Peter: The Underestimated Apostle, by Martin Hengel. Since he fades from view halfway through the book of Acts, and left no Gospel account in his own name, many biblical scholars tend to dismiss him as a vague figure and downplay his influence in the early church. Not so, says NT scholar Hengel, who shows how each of the four Gospels specifically highlights Peter’s foundational role.

For the City: Proclaiming and Living Out the Gospel, by Darrin Patrick and Matt Carter with Joel A. Lindsey. Challenges Christians and church leaders to take a second look at the church’s calling and responsibility for the renewal and restoration of the city.

Was America Founded as a Christian Nation? A Historical Introduction, by John Fea. A noted historian responds to the controversial question, with case studies of the religious beliefs and practices of seven founding fathers.

MR. PIPES SERIES ON THE HISTORY OF HYMNS AND HYMN MAKERS FOR YOUNG ADULTS, by Douglas Bond: Mr. Pipes and Psalms and Hymns of the Reformation; The Accidental Voyage: Discovering Hymns of the Early Centuries; Mr. Pipes and the British Hymn Makers; Mr. Pipes Comes to America.

TRAILBLAZERS JUVENILE BIOGRAPHY: John Bunyan: The Journey of a Pilgrim, by Brian H. Cosby; David Brainerd: A Love for the Lost, by Brian H. Cosby.

ADULT FICTION: The Lightkeeper’s Ball, by Colleen Coble (Mercy Falls #3); Hope Rekindled, by Tracie Peterson (Striking a Match #3); The Spoils of Eden and Hawaiian Crosswinds, by Tracie Peterson (Dawn of Hawaii #1-2); Twelfth Prophecy, by Bodie and Brock Thoene (A.D. Chronicles #12); Learning, by Karen Kingsbury (Bailey Flanigan #2).