New Books–May 2011

Counterfeit Gospels: Rediscovering the Good News in a World of False Hope, by Trevin Wax. This book examines six common counterfeit gospels: therapeutic, judgmentless, moralist, quietist, activist, and churchless.

Rediscovering the Church Fathers: Who They Were and How They Shaped the Church, by Michael A.G. Haykin.

Truth Endures: Landmark Sermons from 40 Years of Unleashing God’s Truth One Verse at a Time, by John MacArthur. Collection of the “best of the best” messages from John MacArthur.

The Fiery Trial: Abraham Lincoln and American Slavery, by Eric Foner. Winner of the 2011 Pulitzer Prize for History.

The Pastor as Scholar and the Scholar as Pastor: Reflections on Life and Ministry, by John Piper and D.A. Carson.

The Book That Made Your World: How the Bible Created the Soul of Western Civilization, by Vishal Mangalwadi. The author was born and educated in India, and James Sire says “the Indian perspective is a breath of fascinating fresh air for American readers”. Dallas Willard says this book “enables anyone willing to see how our “Western” world depends entirely on the Bible”.

Truth and Transformation: A Manifesto for Ailing Nations, by Vishal Mangalwadi. A succinct analysis of where the West lost its way, by a writer from India whose life experiences include jail for civil disobedience, church planting, debate with great gurus and grassroots community development.

Making Haste from Babylon: The Mayflower Pilgrims and Their World: a New History, by Nick Bunker. An epic account of the Pilgrims’ experience in both the Old and the New Worlds. Michael Wood calls it “the most grounded and convincing portrait yet achieved of what drove the Pilgrim Fathers to seek their faith and fortune in the New World”.

The Barbarian Conversion: From Paganism to Christianity, by Richard Fletcher. Reviewers have called this “a work of splendid scholarship that often reads like a detective story”, and “an absorbing account of the most important event in the history of Europe: its conversion to Christianity”.

A Glorious Army: Robert E. Lee’s Triumph, 1862-1863, by Jeffry D. Wert. From the time Lee took command of the Army of Northern Virginia on June 1, 1862, until the Battle of Gettysburg 13 months later, the Confederate army compiled a record of military achievement almost unparalleled in our nation’s history. This new book focuses on the battles of that victorious period.

Benedict Arnold’s Navy: The Ragtag Fleet That Lost the Battle of Lake Champlain but Won the American Revolution, by James L. Nelson. His name is synonymous with treason, yet few men did more to prevent America’s defeat in 1776, at a time when he was a fearless and talented officer and a favorite of George Washington.

Costly Grace: A Contemporary View of Bonhoeffer’s The Cost of Discipleship, by Jon Walker. A contemporary engagement with one of the most influential books of the 20^th century. In these reflections, Walker explains what Bonhoeffer meant when he taught that grace is free, but will cost us everything.

Gods Behaving Badly: Media, Religion, and Celebrity Culture, by Pete Ward. Is celebrity the West’s new religion?

The Whole Bible Story: Everything That Happens in the Bible in Plain English, by Dr. William H. Marty. A Bible college professor makes the stories of the Bible accessible by placing them in chronological order and simplifying the language.

David, Saul, and God: Rediscovering An Ancient Story, by Paul Borgman. In an age of numerous deconstructions and reconstructions of the Hebrew Bible’s David, Borgman presents a detailed and thoughtful close reading of the text, making pointed use of the text’s significant patterns of repetition which shape the narrative in quite intentional ways.

The Next Story : Life and Faith After the Digital Explosion, by Tim Challies. Al Mohler says this book offers “insightful guidance for engaging the digital world without surrendering to the digital mind”. Challies is a popular Christian blogger.

KJB: The Book That Changed the World, presented by John Rhys-Davis (DVD). The amazing tale behind arguably the most important manuscript in history. Acclaimed actor Rhys-Davis visits landmarks, explains relics, and takes us back into a darker time to discover this fascinating tale of saints and sinners, power and passion, as the greatest translation of Holy Scriptures emerges into a world that would never the same again.

Historical Theology: An Introduction to Christian Doctrine: A Companion to Wayne Grudem’s Systematic Theology, by Gregg R. Allison. Shows the rich historical development of Christian doctrine according to a topical-chronological arrangement, setting out the history of theology one element at a time.

No Argument for God: Going Beyond Reason in Conversations About Faith, by John Wilkinson. The author turns the tables on the cult of reason, as he argues that rationalism itself limits conversation to what happened, when what we really want is the why behind it, so that we settle for investigation when what we really need is revelation.

Seeking Spiritual Intimacy: Journeying Deeper with Medieval Women of Faith, by Glenn E. Myers. Introduces us to the Beguines, a network of faith communities in medieval Europe where women organized their world around the one thing needed—a simple life with Christ at the center.

Perspectives on the Sabbath: Four Views, edited by Christopher John Donato. The views presented are Christian Sabbath (Joseph Pipa); Fulfillment View (Craig Blomberg); Seventh Day View (Skip MacCarty); Lutheran View (Charles Arand).

The Evidence for God: Religious Knowledge Reexamined, by Paul K. Moser. A case for God based on what the author calls “personifying evidence of God”, because it requires the evidence to be personified in an intentional agent—such as a human—and thereby to be inherent agent of an intentional agent. Moser contrasts this approach with skepticism, scientific naturalism, fideism, and natural theology.

Making Sense of the Future, by Wayne Grudem. One of seven parts taken from Grudem’s acclaimed Systematic Theology. This portion will focus on eschatology, including the different millennial views, the return of Christ, and final judgment.

Last Things Revealed: Hope for Life and the Hereafter, by Dr. Jim Dixon, with foreword by Lee Strobel. Thoughtfully and carefully addresses overly dogmatic beliefs about the end times, based on his years of experience teaching on these subjects.

Justified: Modern Reformation Essays on the Doctrine of Justification, edited by Ryan Glomsrud and Michael S. Horton. A collection of essays on Justification from the pages of Modern Reformation magazine.

I Can Begin Again: Inside the Mind of an Adult Who Was Abused as a Child, by Nola Katherine Trewin.

COMMENTARIES l -2 Peter, by R.C. Sproul (St. Andrew’s Expositional Commentary); Ezekiel/Daniel, by David L. Thompson and Eugene Carpenter (Cornerstone Biblical Commentary); Acts, by Derek W.H. Thomas (Reformed Expository Commentary); Joshua, by Pekka M.A. Pitkanen (Apollos OT Commentary).

ADULT FICTION: The Priest’s Graveyard, by Ted Dekker; Over the Edge, by Brandilyn Collins.