Complete New Book List
March, 2016
The Jesus We Missed: The Surprising Truth About the Humanity of Christ, by Patrick Henry Reardon. Russell Moore, who did the Foreword, says: “This book…is the best treatment of the humanity of our Lord Jesus Christ that I’ve ever encountered. Patrick Reardon is one of the most Bible-saturated, Christ-intoxicated writers and preachers I have ever met, and I believe this is his finest work.” This book is stunning in its insight, and you will never read the Gospels in the same way again.
The Forgotten Fear: Where Have All the God-Fearers Gone? by Albert N. Martin. The fear of God is an important theme in the Bible, yet many Christians today overlook it or treat it carelessly. Fearing God is the soul of godliness, and those who claim to love God should desire to understand what it means to fear him. This book revisits this important but largely forgotten topic. At the end of the book, the author gives eight guidelines for maintaining and increasing in the fear of God.
HISTORICAL NON-FICTION: The ISIS Apocalypse: The History, Strategy, and Doomsday Vision of the Islamic State, by William McCants. The Islamic State is one of the most lethal and successful jihadist groups in modern history, surpassing even al-Qaeda. Thousands of its followers have marched across Syria and Iraq, subjugating millions, enslaving women, beheading captives, and daring anyone to stop them. Thousands more have spread terror beyond the Middle East under the Islamic State’s black flag. Based almost entirely on primary sources in Arabic, including ancient religious texts and secret al-Qaeda and Islamic State letters that few have seen, and goes into detail about the apocalyptic vision and theology underlying ISIS’ appeal. An outstanding account. The author has a PhD in Near Eastern Studies from Princeton and directs the project on US relations with the Islamic world with the Brookings Institution. Churchill’s Trial: Winston Churchill and the Salvation of Free Government, by Larry P. Arnn. No statesman shaped the 20th century more than Churchill. Explores the greatest challenges he faced, both in war and peace, and always with an abiding dedication to constitutionalism, while being an examplar of courage, duty and honor.
Experiencing the Presence of God: Teachings from the Book of Hebrews, by A.W. Tozer, with Foreword by Randy Alcorn. Newly published in 2010.
The Enduring Authority of the Christian Scriptures, edited by D.A. Carson. In this monumental volume of nearly 1,200 pages, 37 first-rate evangelical scholars present a thorough discussion of biblical authority and issues related to it, with insights into key disputed topics. Among the contributors are Carson, Douglas Moo, Craig Blomberg, Bruce Waltke, Henri Blocher, Simon Gathercole, John Woodbridge, and many others.
Parables: The Mysteries of God’s Kingdom Revealed Through the Stories Jesus Told, by John MacArthur.
Was America Founded as a Christian Nation? A Historical Introduction, by John Fea. A noted historian tackles a controversial question. His aim is not to arrive at a clear yes or no answer, but to encourage Christians to think through the issue historically, rather than proof-text to provide ammunition for preconceived opinions. America has a more mixed heritage than is often acknowledged. Historian Thomas Fleming (author of The Great Divide) says Fea explores this question with “remarkable objectivity and scholarship”.
Seven Summits in Church History, by Jason Duesing. The history of Christianity is like a great mountain range with peaks and valleys. Certain figures stand out as the highest peaks, and the author provides biographical sketches of seven of them: Augustine, Luther, Calvin, Hubmaier, Edwards, Carey, and Henry.
How to Be an Atheist: Why Many Skeptics Aren’t Skeptical Enough, by Mitch Stokes. Encourages skeptics to follow their skepticism to the logical conclusion of their own presuppositions. As one reviewer says: “skeptics should be far more skeptical about the certainty of their skepticism from their own skeptical grounds”.
Love Kindness: The Power of a Forgotten Christian Virtue, by Barry H. Corey. Kindness isn’t what we have been taught it is. It isn’t a soft virtue practiced only by sweet grandmothers or nice Boy Scouts. It is neither timid nor frail. Instead it is brave and daring, and willing to be vulnerable to those with whom we disagree. It is the way Jesus called us to live.
Unchanging Witness: The Consistent Christian Teaching on Homosexuality in Scripture and Tradition, by S. Donald Fortson III and Rollin G. Grams. Articulates the consistent orthodox view on homosexuality by presenting primary sources throughout Christian history and by interpreting the biblical texts in their cultural contexts. The first part of the book examines church history from the patristic period to the present day, and the second part engages biblical texts in light of Ancient Near Eastern, Jewish, Greek, and Roman primary sources. In light of revisionist arguments, it presents overwhelming evidence that the real issue is not interpretation, but biblical authority and Christian orthodoxy.
The Study Quran: A New Translation and Commentary, edited by Seyyed Hossein Nasr. The text of the Quran, along with commentary on the interpretation, and how the text has been understood by Muslims throughout the centuries. The text is considered a “meticulous new English rendering” and a significant scholarly undertaking, which gives attention to a wide range of commentators. A valuable tool for those witnessing to or involved in discussions with Muslims. It is like a study Bible, except based on the Quran.
COMMENTARIES: Leviticus and Numbers, by Joe M. Sprinkle (Teach the Text); Joshua, by Kenneth A. Mathews (Teach the Text).
ADULT FICTION: If I Run, by Terry Blackstock; Always Watching, by Lynette Eason (Elite Guardians #1); Beyond the Silence, by Tracie Peterson and Kimberly Woodhouse; Cold Shot, by Dani Pettrey (Chesapeake Valor #1); Mermaid Moon, by Colleen Coble (Sunset Cove #2).
CHILDREN’S BOOKS: Voyage to the Star Kingdom, by Anne Riley.