I know you've been waiting with bated breath, but you can finally exhale a sigh of relief. Here are the best books I read in 2024:
Mere Christian Hermeneutics: Transfiguring What It Means To Read The Bible Theologically by Kevin Vanhoozer
Sample Quotes:
"Reading Scripture rightly requires not only the proper methodological procedures but also the interpretive virtues that characterize right-headed and right-hearted readers who want to be hearers and doers of God's Word, not simply purveyors of their own ideas and agendas." (335)
"The church is not like other reading communities or other peoples of the book; rather, in reading to behold and reflect the light of Christ, the church itself becomes a kind of illuminated manuscript--a lived liturgical interpretation, a beatific lectionary." (371)
Kevin Vanhoozer is one my favorite living theologians. This book opened the magnificent light of Christ to me in the Scriptures in new and fresh ways.
The Thrill Of Orthodoxy: Rediscovering The Adventure Of Christian Faith by Trevin Wax
Sample Quotes:
"The Church faces her biggest challenge not when new errors start to win but when old truths no longer wow....Familiarity is the enemy of wonder." (1-2)
"Christianity's thrilling vision of an eternal battle with epic stakes should manifest itself not in puffed-out chests but in bruised knees." (147)
Not only a insightful book in its own right, but bonus, a treasure trove of G.K. Chesterton and C.S. Lewis quotes! :)
Slow Productivity: The Lost Art Of Accomplishment Without Burnout by Cal Newport
Sample Quote: "Slow Productivity --- A philosophy for organizing knowledge work efforts in a sustainable and meaningful manner, based on the following three principles: 1. Do fewer things 2. Work at a natural pace 3. Obsess over quality....this philosophy rejects busyness, seeing overload as an obstacle to producing results that matter, not a badge of pride. It also posits that professional efforts should unfold at a more varied and humane pace, with hard periods counterbalanced by relaxation at many different timescales, and that a focus on impressive quality, to performative activity, should underpin everything." (8)
It's tempting to do things fast so that more can be done. I appreciated this book's emphasis on quality. I've applied principles from this book to my marriage, parenting, sermon prep, church planting and even this blog!
Three-Body Problem Trilogy by Cixin Liu (Audible)
Sample Quote: *My frustration with listening to books is that I can't mark moments and lines that I find particularly insightful.
These books are so interesting! They are chock full of thought experiments, ethical dilemmas, and culturally relevant commentary. I'm in the middle of the third book at the moment. If you like sci-fi, and especially physics, then you'll definitely enjoy these books.
How To Stay Married: The Most Insane Love Story Ever Told by Harrison Scott Key (Audible)
Sample Quote: *Dido on my previous comment about my frustration with listening to books. There were so many quotable lines in this book. The writing was hilarious and powerful. Although I do think listening to the author read it was a good choice for this particular book.
Warning: This book is not for the faint of heart or easily offended. It is raw, honest, inappropriate and so full of grace that it leaves you a little disoriented. I actually know some of the characters in the story which was a bit of a bonus for my reading.
Preaching To A Post-Everything World: Crafting Biblical Sermons That Connect With Our Culture by Zack Eswine
Sample Quotes:
"We live with the unfinished, and we are forced to remember ourselves. People need the same amount of time we were once given. They need an environment in which they can get answers wrong and find room to learn what is right." (15)
"Parents want to go into Jesus' presence at church in order to keep their kids safe from the world. But Jesus keeps drawing unsafe people from the world to himself." (81)
This is not the best preaching book I've ever read but Zack Eswine is always worth reading. His pastoral insight pours out of a grace-shaped heart. This book definitely adds contextualizing wisdom for preachers that can often struggle to get out of the text and into the hearts of those listening.
Make It Stick: The Science Of Successful Learning by Peter C. Brown, Henry L. Roediger III, and Mark A. McDaniel
Sample Quotes:
Learning is deeper and more durable when it's effortful. Learning that's easy is like writing in sand, here today and gone tomorrow. (3)
"Pitting the learning of basic knowledge against the development of creative thinking is a false choice. Both need to be cultivated. The stronger one's knowledge about the subject at hand, the more nuanced one's creativity can be in addressing a new problem. Just as knowledge amounts to little without the exercise of ingenuity and imagination, creativity absent a sturdy foundation of knowledge builds a shaky house." (30)
This book was a seminary class required read. It proved to be extremely beneficial. This book has profound application for preaching, training, small groups, and spiritual formation, even though its main focus is on general education.
A Change of Heart: A Personal And Theological Memoir by Thomas C. Oden
Sample Quotes:
"I had drifted toward a Christ without a cross and a conversion without repentance." (89)
"It was no longer me interpreting the texts but the texts interpreting me....I had been enamored with novelty. Candidly, I had been in love with heresy. Now I was waking up from this enthrallment to meet a two thousand year stable memory." (139-140).
A scholar's life is always so intriguing to me. I like to read but I could never be an academic. His personal journey out of a liberal Christianity to historic Christianity with a focus on global Christianity was a joy to read.
The Lost Letters of Pergamum: A Story From The New Testament World by Bruce W. Longenecker (Audible)
If you like Bible-times, historical fiction then read this book. If you've ever wondered, "what might it have been like for an upper-class Roman to convert to Christianity?", then this book is for you! You'll probably cry at the end...I did.
Pure: Why The Bible's Plan For Sexuality Isn't Outdated, Irrelevant, Or Oppressive by Dean Inserra
Sample Quote:
"Much of this book is about the tension between holding to biblical convictions and rejecting pitfalls of various movements like purity culture…it is about throwing out the bad from such movements while refusing to throw out the biblical truths that inspired them." (135)
This is a great book. It's really helpful for those seeking to navigate our present cultural moment with biblical wisdom and faithfulness. It's also a corrective to some of the "purity culture" oddities, influenced by "True Love Waits" and "I Kissed Dating Goodbye."
BONUS BOOK MEME! :)
Interesting. Curious about how our current way of belief and lifestyle differs from Orthodoxy. The comedy at the end made me laugh
Hmmm thanks for the inspiration. Gonna check out the book on Hermeneutics... As I'm a geek 🤓