Complete New Book List
June, 2016
A Camaraderie of Confidence: The Fruit of Unfailing Faith in the Lives of Charles Spurgeon, George Muller, and Hudson Taylor, by John Piper (series: The Swans Are Not Silent). Most people don’t realize that Spurgeon, Muller and Taylor were contemporaries who knew and loved each other. For all their differences, they were profoundly evangelical in their emphases on Scripture, the atoning work of Christ, the new birth and the importance of mission. But the suffering each would endure brought out an extraordinary confidence in the mighty goodness of God. Beneath all their talk of faith and simply trusting in God lay a massive vision of God’s right and power to govern every detail of life, the evil and the good—with nothing able to stop him. This is book 7 in The Swans Are Not Silent, Piper’s series of biographical sketches of great lives in the cause of Christ from church history.
Missional Motherhood: The Everyday Ministry of Motherhood in the Grand Plan of God, by Gloria Furman. Not your everyday motherhood book. Missional motherhood is for all women, not just physical mothers. A book of biblical theology on the subject of motherhood.
For the Glory: Eric Liddell’s Journey from Olympic Champion to Modern Martyr, by Duncan Hamilton. Takes the story from his medal to his missionary work in China, to a WWII Japanese work camp.
Unparalleled: How Christianity’s Uniqueness Makes It Compelling, by Jared C. Wilson. “A stirring reminder of just how different Christianity is from any other faith”, says Thomas Kidd, as it turns to the foundational doctrines that make Christianity distinctive. .
The Passionate Preaching of Martyn Lloyd-Jones, by Steven J. Lawson (A Long Line of Godly Men series). The man known as “the Doctor” started out as a physician, but gave up a promising medical career to preach the Word of God, and exerted an influence that is still felt today.
HISTORICAL NON-FICTION: George Washington, Benedict Arnold, and the Fate of the American Revolution, by Nathaniel Philbrick. Focuses on the relationship between Washington and Benedict Arnold, and the four years that led to the notorious fall of one and the gradual emergence of the other as a true leader; The Great Debate: Edmund Burke, Thomas Paine, and the Birth of Right and Left, by Yuval Levin. The American Revolution, the French Revolution, and how two great minds shaped the broad debate between right and left that still governs our political debates today; Edmund Burke: The First Conservative, by Jesse Norman. This 18th century British philosopher-statesman is considered one of the greatest and most underrated political thinkers of the last 300 years. He was often ahead of his time, arguing against slavery, in favor of human rights and free markets, and against arbitrary power and British oppression. He had many supporters in the American colonies (such as Alexander Hamilton), and was a fierce opponent of Thomas Paine and the French Revolution. He is considered the father of modern political conservatism.
Don’t Follow Your Heart: God’s Ways Are Not Your Ways, by Jon Bloom. “Follow your heart” is a creed embraced by millions—a gospel proclaimed in many of our stories, movies and songs. Until you consider that your heart has sociopathic tendencies. Our hearts were never meant to be followed, but to be led. This book contains 31 meditations for recalibrating your heart and seeking God’s will. Jon Bloom is co-founder of John Piper’s Desiring God.
A Heart Set Free: A Journey to Hope Through the Psalms of Lament, by Christina Fox. When beset by anxiety, pain, or a feeling of abandonment, how often do we turn to Him, rather than seeking something to take our mind off our suffering. Take a journey through the Psalms of Lament with Christiana Fox.
Core Christianity: Finding Yourself in God’s Story, by Michael Horton. The essential and basic beliefs that all Christians share, unpacked in a way that makes them easy to understand.
Seeing Christ in All of Scripture: Hermeneutics at Westminster Theological Seminary, edited by Peter A. Lillback, with contributions from Vern Poythress, Iain Duguid, G. K. Beale, and Richard Gaffin. An introduction to the Christ-centered hermeneutical method of the Westminster faculty.
The Atheist Who Didn’t Exist; Or: the Dreadful Consequences of Bad Arguments, by Andy Bannister. Many people now assume that a godless skepticism is the default position, indeed the only position for anybody wishing to appear educated, contemporary and urbane. Yet when one pokes at popular atheism, many of the arguments used to prop it up quickly unravel. Professor Mary Jo Sharp of Houston Baptist University calls this book “a wild ride” that is “both humorous and damaging” to atheist arguments.
Visual Theology: Seeing and Understanding the Truth About God, by Tim Challies and Josh Byers. We live in a visual culture, yet the visual portrayal of truth is not a novel idea. God communicated the truth visually to his people through the tabernacle, the sacraments, even the cross. This book presents the concepts and principles of systematic theology in a fresh and transformative way, using graphic displays and text that go hand in hand.
The Unseen Realm: Recovering the Supernatural Worldview of the Bible, by Michael S. Heiser. Examines the ancient context of Scripture, and shows us how its supernatural worldview can help us to understand God; highlights the unseen realm which many tend to ignore or downplay. Recommended by Darrell Bock, Tremper Longman, and Daniel Block.
The Heaven Promise: Engaging the Bible’s Truth About Life to Come, by Scot McKnight.
What Happened in the Garden: The Reality and Ramifications of the Creation and Fall of Man, edited by Abner Chou, with contributions from John MacArthur and The Master’s College Faculty.
50 Crucial Questions: An Overview of Central Concerns About Manhood and Womanhood, by John Piper and Wayne Grudem. Answers to questions about the roles of men and women, leadership roles in the church, marriage, submission, etc.
The Daniel Prayer: Prayer That Moves Heaven and Changes Nations, by Anne Graham Lotz. Unpacks a model prayer from Daniel 9.
Wrongly Dividing the Word of Truth: Ultra-Dispensationalism Examined in the Light of Holy Scripture, by H.A.Ironside. Dispensationalist Ironside shows the errors of ultra-dispensationalism, a perversion of dispensationalism which Ironside calls a harmful false teaching. Although published in 1938, this false teaching is still being taught today and “robs Christians of a great part of their Bible”.
DVDs: Alexander Hamilton, from PBS. A docudrama on the life of Alexander Hamilton, a founding father who has come back to prominence due to the record-setting success of a Broadway musical on his life. Born in illegitimacy in the Caribbean, he later rose to influence under the tutelage of George Washington. His career was marked by power, scandal, and tragedy, as his life ended in a duel with Aaron Burr. He is an underappreciated genius who laid the foundations for the American economy and system of government. He came to faith in Christ late in life (although that is not covered in this DVD.