Top Ten Books of 2011
Just a reminder: this is a very subjective list. It is simply a list of the
books published in the last year–Christian or non-Christian–that I found most
helpful, inspiring, or entertaining. [Note: there are a couple big reference
books below that I have not read in their entirety. But they are good and
important books so I included them in my lists. I also felt free to include
books published at the very end of 2010.]
Honorable Mentions
10. Andrew Ferguson, Crazy U: One Dad’s Crash Course in Getting His Kid
into College (Simon and Schuster). With a breezy style and a knack for
turning a phrase, Ferguson explores the madness behind college rankings, the
FAFSA application, and the great lengths parents will go to get their children
into elite schools.
9. Tobias J. Moskowitz and L. Jon Wetheim,
Scorecasting: The Hidden Influences Behind How Sports
Are Played and Games Are Won (Crown Archetype). A super fun book for
people who love sports and love
numbers.
8. Robert Lupton, Toxic Charity: How Churches and Charities Hurt Those
They Help (And How to Reverse It) (HarperOne). If you don’t
care about charity and don’t practice it in your life, don’t read this book. You
could become entrenched in your indifference. But if you are passionate about
helping the poor and doing good in your city, this is a must read. Get your
deacons, your missions committee, and your mercy ministry advocates to embrace
Lupton’s six-point “Oath for Compassionate Service.”
7
. Joshua Foer, Moonwalking with Einstein: The Art and Science of
Remembering Everything (Penguin Press). A crisply-written
journalistic account of what goes into making a memory champion. This is an
entertaining book. You’ll learn a lot and with some effort may improve your
memory. A fascinating story well told. Be on guard for an assumed evolutionary
view of the human person and references to (but not lurid descriptions of) lewd
behavior.
6. J. Todd Billings, Union with Christ: Reframing and Ministry for the
Church (Baker Academic). There are two great union with
Christ books on this list. This one shows how this neglected doctrine can help
us make sense of several current trends, controversies, and
mistakes.
5. Robert Letham, Union with Christ in Scripture, History, and
Theology (P&R). At 140 pages of text, this is not a long
book, but it is dense. Letham does a masterful job of looking at union with
Christ through the three lenses mentioned in the title. Special attention is
given to Reformed theologians.
4. Lee
Congdon, Baseball and Memory: Winning, Losing, and Remembrance of
Things Past (St. Augustine’s Press). A book
baseball fans will love. Toward the end of the book Congdon waxes philosophical
and makes some provocative statements about the role of memory and
tradition.
3. Michael Horton, The Christian Faith: A Systematic Theology for Pilgrims
on the Way (Zondervan). Horton harnesses his brilliant mind
and love for the church to produce this compendium of Reformed theology. This
book is definitely more scholarly, more in depth, and more complex than Grudem.
Whether that is a plus or minus in your column, you ought to have this book on
your shelf. This is the contemporary systematic theology I turn to first when I
have a theological question.
2. John M. Frame, The Doctrine of the Word of God
(P&R). I think more people would pick up the book if it
didn’t include 17 appendices totaling 300 pages. I was also puzzled by Frame’s
chapter on preaching. But those quibbles notwithstanding, this is a terrific
achievement–a powerful, readable, persuasive case for absolute confidence in the
Word of God. A tremendously important book for our day.
1. Paul C. Gutjahr, Charles Hodge: Guardian of American Orthodoxy
(Oxford). You don’t have to agree with every jot and tittle of
Gutjahr’s analysis to find this an inspiring volume. With the author’s
economical style and scholarly, yet sympathetic approach, I found myself
frequently moved by Hodge’s faithfulness, discipline, and good cheer. I think
I’ll be a better pastor, better student of the word, and better Christian for
having read this biography of Hodge.
Honorable Mentions
- Tony Reinke, Lit! A Christian Guide to Reading Books (Crossway)
- G.K. Beale, A New Testament Biblical Theology (Baker Academic)
- Chris Brauns, When the Word Leads Your Pastoral Search (Moody)
- David Helm, One to One Bible Reading (Matthias Media)
10. Andrew Ferguson, Crazy U: One Dad’s Crash Course in Getting His Kid
into College (Simon and Schuster). With a breezy style and a knack for
turning a phrase, Ferguson explores the madness behind college rankings, the
FAFSA application, and the great lengths parents will go to get their children
into elite schools.9. Tobias J. Moskowitz and L. Jon Wetheim,
Scorecasting: The Hidden Influences Behind How Sports
Are Played and Games Are Won (Crown Archetype). A super fun book for
people who love sports and love
numbers.8. Robert Lupton, Toxic Charity: How Churches and Charities Hurt Those
They Help (And How to Reverse It) (HarperOne). If you don’t
care about charity and don’t practice it in your life, don’t read this book. You
could become entrenched in your indifference. But if you are passionate about
helping the poor and doing good in your city, this is a must read. Get your
deacons, your missions committee, and your mercy ministry advocates to embrace
Lupton’s six-point “Oath for Compassionate Service.”7
. Joshua Foer, Moonwalking with Einstein: The Art and Science of
Remembering Everything (Penguin Press). A crisply-written
journalistic account of what goes into making a memory champion. This is an
entertaining book. You’ll learn a lot and with some effort may improve your
memory. A fascinating story well told. Be on guard for an assumed evolutionary
view of the human person and references to (but not lurid descriptions of) lewd
behavior.6. J. Todd Billings, Union with Christ: Reframing and Ministry for the
Church (Baker Academic). There are two great union with
Christ books on this list. This one shows how this neglected doctrine can help
us make sense of several current trends, controversies, and
mistakes.5. Robert Letham, Union with Christ in Scripture, History, and
Theology (P&R). At 140 pages of text, this is not a long
book, but it is dense. Letham does a masterful job of looking at union with
Christ through the three lenses mentioned in the title. Special attention is
given to Reformed theologians.4. Lee
Congdon, Baseball and Memory: Winning, Losing, and Remembrance of
Things Past (St. Augustine’s Press). A book
baseball fans will love. Toward the end of the book Congdon waxes philosophical
and makes some provocative statements about the role of memory and
tradition.3. Michael Horton, The Christian Faith: A Systematic Theology for Pilgrims
on the Way (Zondervan). Horton harnesses his brilliant mind
and love for the church to produce this compendium of Reformed theology. This
book is definitely more scholarly, more in depth, and more complex than Grudem.
Whether that is a plus or minus in your column, you ought to have this book on
your shelf. This is the contemporary systematic theology I turn to first when I
have a theological question.2. John M. Frame, The Doctrine of the Word of God
(P&R). I think more people would pick up the book if it
didn’t include 17 appendices totaling 300 pages. I was also puzzled by Frame’s
chapter on preaching. But those quibbles notwithstanding, this is a terrific
achievement–a powerful, readable, persuasive case for absolute confidence in the
Word of God. A tremendously important book for our day.1. Paul C. Gutjahr, Charles Hodge: Guardian of American Orthodoxy
(Oxford). You don’t have to agree with every jot and tittle of
Gutjahr’s analysis to find this an inspiring volume. With the author’s
economical style and scholarly, yet sympathetic approach, I found myself
frequently moved by Hodge’s faithfulness, discipline, and good cheer. I think
I’ll be a better pastor, better student of the word, and better Christian for
having read this biography of Hodge.
No comments:
Post a Comment