Complete New Book List
May, 2017
Turning Points in the History of American Evangelicalism, edited by Heath W. Carter and Laura Rominger Porter. This book contains contributions from an impressive cast of historians to commemorate the magnificent career of Mark Noll. Contributors include Nathan Hatch, George Marsden, Harry Stout, Grant Wacker, and a number of others, each of whom deals with a particular turning point.
The Gospel According to Paul: Embracing the Good News at the Heart of Paul’s Teachings, by John MacArthur. Al Mohler says, “20 years ago, John MacArthur sounded an alarm that nothing less than the loss of the gospel was at stake. In The Gospel According to Jesus, he prophetically called the church to the affirmation of the gospel preached by Christ. Now, facing a new crisis in evangelical Christianity, he sets the record straight again…in the right book by the right author at the right time.”
Reading the Bible Supernaturally: Seeing and Savoring the Glory of God in Scripture, by John Piper. Shows us how God works thru his written Word when we pursue the natural act of reading the Bible, so that we experience his sight-seeing power—a power that extends beyond the words on the page.
Coming Home: Essays on the New Heaven and New Earth, edited by D.A. Carson and Jeff Robinson, Sr. Contributors include John Piper, D.A. Carson, Tim Keller, Voddie Baucham, Jr., and others. Essays which offer a vision of the new heaven and new earth that changes how we live today.
Chasing Contentment: Trusting God in a Discontented Age, by Erik Raymond. Helps us understand what biblical contentment is–the inward gracious spirit that joyfully rests in God’s providence—and then how we can learn it.
The New City Catechism: 52 Questions and Answers for Our Hearts and Minds, from The Gospel Coalition, with Introduction by Kathy Keller. A modern day resource aimed at introducing the ancient use of catechisms for instruction in the faith to Christians today. Ideal for family use.
How to Understand and Apply the New Testament: Twelve Steps from Exegesis to Theology, by Andrew David Naselli; and How to Understand and Apply the Old Testament: Twelve Steps from Exegesis to Theology, by Jason S. DeRouchie. An incredible comprehensive, 2-volume resource for anyone who wants to understand and apply the Bible. For pastors, scholars, teachers, and laypeople. It is hard to describe how thorough this resource is. You need to see it for yourself.
The Person of Jesus: Radio Addresses on the Deity of the Saviour, by J. Gresham Machen. These radio addresses, delivered over 80 years ago, are classics on the divinity of Christ, by one of the great Reformed thinkers of the 20th century. Machen died in 1937.
Chasing Contentment: Trusting God in a Discontented Age, by Erik Raymond. Helps us understand what biblical contentment is–the inward gracious spirit that joyfully rests in God’s providence—and then how we can learn it.
May We Meet in the Heavenly World: The Piety of Lemuel Haynes, edited by Thabiti Anyabwile (Profiles in Reformed Spirituality). This selection of writings represents a significant part of the earliest African-American engagements with the Reformed theological tradition. Haynes (1753-1833) was a patriot who served in the American Revolution, a faithful preacher for over 40 years, a literary genius who challenged slavery, a trainer of men for the ministry, a public theologian, and the first African American to receive a Master of Arts degree.
Hidden in Plain View: Undesigned Coincidences in the Gospels and Acts, by Lydia McGrew. Opens a window into 18th and 19th century apologetics reintroducing the concept of “undesigned coincidences”, showing how different passages can complement each other in ways that support their historicity. Recommended by Craig Blomberg, Darrell Bock, C. John Collins, Craig Keener, William Lane Craig, and others.
Transformation: The Heart of Paul’s Gospel, by David A. DeSilva (Snapshots series, edited by Michael Bird). The author demonstrates that the “gift of righteousness” that Paul was so eager to share was far richer than the “get-out-of-hell-free” card that some Christians have unintentionally reduced it to today, and guides the reader into expanding their definition of Paul’s gospel message. He shows that the “gift of righteousness” Paul speaks about in Romans is nothing less than “the means to transform and renew all creation—including ourselves”.
Salvation by Allegiance Alone: Rethinking Faith, Works, and the Gospel of Jesus the King, by Matthew W. Bates, with Foreword by Scot McKnight. Michael Bird says that “Bates argues that faith or believing is not mere assent, not easy believism, but covenantal loyalty to the God who saves his people through the Lord Jesus Christ”. In the process, he “forces us to rethink the meaning of faith, the gospel, and works with a view to demonstrating their significance for true Christian discipleship”. Bird concludes by noting “this will be a controversial book, but perhaps it is the controversy we need”. (See librarian for Thomas Schreiner’s critique of the book with his reservations).
God and the Faithfulness of Paul, edited by Christopher Heilig, J. Thomas Hewitt, and Michael Bird. Paul and the Faithfulness of God was N.T. Wright’s magnum opus, a landmark study on the history and thought of the Apostle Paul. This volume brings together a stellar group of international scholars to critically assess an array of issues in Wright’s work. Recommended by Thomas Schreiner.
The Divinity School, by Michael Bird. NT theologian Bird’s satirical novel about the goings on at an inter-faith divinity school whose faculty members include an Episcopal priest, a Catholic priest, a female Muslim, and a Jewish Rabbi. Tackles the problem of religious freedom in a pluralistic world. Karen Swallow Prior says it is “wickedly funny and subversively good” as it shatters some of the dearest idols of modern culture. Note: Contains coarse language.
COMMENTARIES: Mark 9-16, by John MacArthur (MacArthur NT Commentary).
ADULT FICTION: Pursued, by Lisa Harris (Nikki Boyd Files #3); Sandpiper Cove, by Irene Hannon (Hope Harbor).