Complete New Book List
May, 2019
The Apostles’ Creed: Discovering Authentic Christianity in an Age of Counterfeits, by R. Albert Mohler, Jr., with Foreword by John MacArthur. Summarizes the theology carried along by each phrase or clause of the creed.
Confronting Christianity: 12 Hard Questions for the World’s Largest Religion, by Rebecca McLaughlin. Probes some of the trickiest cultural challenges to Christianity of our day and clearly demonstrates the breadth and richness of a Christian response.
Maturity: Growing Up and Going On in the Christian Life, by Sinclair B. Ferguson. Shows that a deep-seated concern of the writers of the NT was to see Christians grow to spiritual maturity.
A Company of Heroes: Portraits from the Gospel’s Advance by Tim Keesee, known for his outstanding video series, Dispatches from the Front. In this book he chronicles stories of endurance and audacity as Christ’s servants go to hard places around the world with the gospel message. Rosaria Butterfield says “all Christians should read this book”.
HISTORICAL NON-FICTION: Lost in Shangri-La: A True Story of Survival, Adventure, and the Most Incredible Rescue Mission of World War II, by Mitchell Zuckoff. After a plane with 24 American servicemen and WACs crashed in Dutch New Guinea, the survivors faced cannibals, jungle terrors, and enemy Japanese, until eventually rescued by American paratroopers.
40 Favorite Hymns on the Christian Life: A Closer Look at Their Spiritual and Poetic Meaning, by Leland Ryken. Like a River Glorious; Be Thou My Vision; And Can It Be; The Church’s One Foundation; and many others.
Interpreting Eden: A Guide to Faithfully Reading and Understanding Genesis 1-3, by Vern S. Poythress, with Foreword by D.A. Carson. Derek Thomas says “no interpreter of the creation narratives can avoid interacting with this book.” Poythress teaches NT theology at Westminster and has six earned degrees in various fields.
A Handbook on the Jewish Roots of the Christian Faith, edited by Craig A.
Evans and David Mishkin. Articles on the Jewish origins of the early church by a diverse range of scholars on such varied subjects as Jewish institutions and festivals, the relation of the covenants, how the OT relates to the NT, how Jesus and the apostles related to other Jews, etc. Recommended by Mike Bird.
The Power of Christian Contentment: Finding Deeper, Richer Christ-Centered Joy, by Andrew M. Davis. D.A. Carson says this is not a mere update of Puritan Jeremiah Burroughs’ classic, The Rare Jewel of Christian Contentment, but “is written with a similar theme and stance”. It will help us rediscover the remarkable truths found in this largely forgotten work (Note: the original book by Burroughs is our library).
The Gospel-Driven Church: Uniting Church-Growth Dreams with the Metrics of Grace, by Jared C. Wilson, author of The Prodigal Church. A road map to shake off the shackles of “cultural relevance” and transform our churches into what God has always intended them to be.
The Doctrine on Which the Church Stands or Falls: Justification in Biblical, Theological, Historical, and Pastoral Perspective, edited by Matthew Barrett, with Foreword by D.A. Carson. An array of 24 scholars from various backgrounds present an enduring defense of justification by faith alone with 26 essays on various aspects, resulting in a comprehensive study in nearly 900 pages. See the table of contents for the breadth of the presentation.
The Kingdom of God, by Nicholas Perrin (Biblical Theology for Life). Explores this dominant biblical metaphor, one that is paradoxically the meta-center and the mystery in Jesus’s proclamation.
Evangelism as Exiles: Life on Mission as Strangers in Our Own Land, by Elliot Clark, with Foreword by D.A. Carson. Proclaiming the good news about Jesus in an increasingly hostile culture.
Becoming Mrs. Lewis, by Patti Callahan. The tale of the unlikely friendship between Joy Davidman and C.S. Lewis that turned into true love. Though based on a true story, this novel is written as biographical fiction.
TWO NEW BOOKS ON THE CANONS OF DORT: This is the 400th anniversary of the Synod of Dort at which the foundation statement of Calvinism–the Canons of Dort–was formulated, and two new books remind us what this was all about: Grace Defined and Defended: What a 400-Year-Old Confession Teaches Us About Sin, Salvation, and the Sovereignty of God, by Kevin DeYoung, and Grace Worth Fighting For: Recapturing the Vision of God’s Grace in the Canons of Dort, by Daniel R. Hyde. The Canons of Dort consist of much more than the familiar Five Points of Calvinism.
Complete In Him: A Guide to Understanding and Enjoying the Gospel, by Michael P.V. Barrett. Correlates what the whole Bible teaches about the gospel in a way that is clear and organized, with individual chapters on key aspects including Regeneration, Union with Christ, Justification, Sanctification, Adoption, Assurance, Glorification, etc.
Witness: A True Story of Soviet Spies in America and the Trial That Captivated a Nation, by Whittaker Chambers, with Foreword by William F. Buckley, Jr. A true classic, first published in 1952. Part spiritual autobiography, part spy thriller, and part trial drama as it also documents the famous Alger Hiss trial. Conservative Michael Novak said it changed his philosophical perceptions, his world view, and, literally, his life, while George Will called it “one of the dozen or so indispensable books of the century”.
COMMENTARIES IN THE “GOD’S WORD FOR YOU” SERIES: 1 & 2 Timothy for You, by Phillip E. Jensen.
OTHER COMMENTARIES: Colossians and Philemon, by G.K. Beale (Baker Exegetical Commentary on the NT).
ADULT FICTION: Driftwood Bay, by Irene Hannon (Hope Harbor); Two Weeks, by Karen Kingsbury (Baxter Family).
JUVENILE FICTION: Best Family Ever, by Karen Kingsbury and Tyler Russell ( Baxter Family Children).