Tuesday, December 11, 2007

BOOK OF THE YEAR - 2007

Many good Christian books have been published this past year. I make it one of my priorities to acquire and thoroughly read as many of these as I can (though certainly I generally favor books from prior centuries).

Out of the hundreds of Christian books published in 2007, the vast majority are not worth the paper they're printed on. However, generally several dozen are valuable contributions to Christendom, and a few dozen earn the desired description of 'exceptional'. Out of that last category, I try to decipher which book I believe meets the following criteria:

1. Has the greatest potential for advancing Christian thinking, or Christian living.

2. Is biblically faithful & orthodox in its teachings, even though it may creatively reassert the Christian faith for the present age.

3. Is published within the 2007 calendar year.

4. Is overtly Christian in orientation and intent.

5. Covers an area of Christian spirituality, biblical studies, or theology (Christian literature, while valuable to the Christian life, is not covered here).

6. Has the potential to become a standard classic of the faith.

7. I have actually read the book. While I read an average of 15-25 books per month, I can't get to everything (though not all of this reading is from new works). Plus, I can't exactly buy everything that comes out on the market. There might be another book out there that deserves the award, but if I haven't read it, it isn't included here.


This year's Ephemeros' Book of the Year goes to Bruce Waltke's "An Old Testament Theology". [See Note 1]

At over 1,000 pages, this large volume is the culmination of the life-work of one of the most important reformed Old Testament scholars of this century. Of all the Old Testament histories and theologies on my self (from scholars of all veins), this one has already proven to be the most useful. It is thoroughly scholarly, yet accessible to anyone who wishes to seriously study God's word.

Bruce Waltke offers highly valuable outlines, and provides the reader a detailed understanding of the various Old Testament narratives and overall theology. Thus, the readers not only will understand the literary structure and historical background of a particular Old Testament book, but more importantly will be firmly grounded in the theology (i.e. "intended teaching") of that portion of Scripture.

In my opinion, this is the best Old Testament Theology currently in print.

Title: An Old Testament Theology: An Exegetical, Canonical, and Thematic Approach
Author: Bruce Waltke
Publisher: Zondervan Publishers
Year: 2007
Cover: Hardcover
Pages: 1,020
Binding: Glued (sorry, it is not smyth-sewn).
Dust-Jacket: Yes
Reading Level: 3.5-4.0 (above average, moderately-difficult)
ISBN-10: 0310218977
ISBN-13: 978-0310218975
Full Retail Price: $44.99


Two other books also stand out as distinctive. In fact, the first one mentioned below (Communion with the Triune God) came within a hair of being awarded the big prize. These books are also excellent, and will undoubtedly make a mark on the Evangelical landscape for years to come.

The first book is Communion with the Triune God, which is a reprint & edited reproduction of a work by John Owen. Owen is not known for his user-friendly writing style. Of all the puritans, Owen is generally considered (1) the most difficult, and (2) the most rewarding. Justin Taylor and Kelly Kapic have done an excellent job editing this work to make it more smooth and readable in contemporary English. This is a fantastic way to access one of the most important theological minds of the Puritan era.

Title: Communion with the Triune God
Author: John Owen (1616-1683)
Editors: Kelly M. Kapic, Justin Taylor
Publisher: Crossway
Year: 2007
Cover: paperback
Pages: 448
Binding: glue
Dust jacket: no
Reading level: 3.5 (above average)
ISBN-10: 9781581348316
Price USD: $22.00 from Crossway.

The second work is by John Piper, pastor of Bethlehem Baptist Church and the catalyst behind Desiring God Ministries. An author of scores of books, this latest work is a theological and exegetical treatise humbly combating N.T. Wright's views on the doctrine of justification. Wright, the foremost Anglican scholar in the world, is immensely popular, particularly among younger 'emergent' evangelicals. Piper, who was in extensive dialogue with Wright during the preparation for this book, challenges Wright's views with scripture and sounds an alarm regarding Wright's departure from biblical orthodoxy on this issue. However, Piper's tone is warm and loving towards Wright throughout the work, as he considers the Anglican bishop his true brother in Christ. An excellent, yet challenging book.

Title: The Future of Justification: A Response to N.T. Wright
Author: John Piper
Publisher: Crossway
Year: 2007
Cover: paperback
Pages: 240
Binding: glue
Dust jacket: no
Reading level: 4.0-4.5 (moderately-difficult to difficult)
ISBN-10: 9781581349641
Price USD: $17.99 from Crossway


[Note 1: Special Thanks to The Shepherd's Scrapbook, where I found this beautiful picture of Waltke's book.]

Posted by at 8:04 AM
Labels:

13 comments:

  1. Hi Josh:
    You are visible to worlds way beyond the upper lower peninsula! I found your site via a Justin Taylor link. Looks like you have put a lot of work into this. I will check it out.

    Hope you are all well. Say hi to all for us.
    Paul Johnston
    ReplyDelete
  2. I would add for consideration Commentary on the New Testament Use of the Old Testament edited by Beale and Carson. I believe this book will contribute greatly to the current discussion on hermeneutics.
    ReplyDelete
  3. Paul, it is great to hear from you. A warm hello from all of us to you and your family.

    As for the Commentary you mentioned below, I admit it is inexcusable that I have not yet read (or even purchased) this work. My mouth has been watering for some time just thinking about it, but the Puritans have been consuming my book buying budget lately.
    ReplyDelete
  4. You know there are other people who are Christians, contribute to Christianity, and are deep and profound besides the Puritans, Luther, Calvin, Augustine, Piper, and Spurgeon. Just throwing that out there. You really limit yourself on your reading.
    ReplyDelete
  5. You mean men and women like:

    Philo
    Josephus
    Augustine
    Clement of Alexandria
    John Cassian
    Eusibius
    Athanasius
    John Arndt
    John Climacus
    Bonaventure
    Anselm
    Aquinas
    Ockham
    The Wesley Brothers
    Watchman Nee
    John Stott
    Toxer
    Robert Webber
    Cymbala
    J.I. Packer
    Richard Foster
    St. Francis of Assisi
    Dietrich Bonhoeffer
    Dallas Willard
    J.B. Phillips
    James Dunn
    John Schneider
    Brian McLaren
    Thomas Oden
    Benedict
    St. Basil
    Cyril of Jerusalem
    Hans Kung
    Gordon Fee
    Vladimir Berzonsky
    James Beck
    Stanley Grenz
    Bruce Wilkinson
    Rodney Clapp
    Rob Bell
    John Eldredge
    Sally Morgenthaler
    Vanhoozer
    Bruce Metzger


    ..just to name a few.

    I never said I didn't read anything other than Puritans and Reformed guys. In fact, the vast majority of my 3,500 volume library are non-reformed writers.

    A number of years ago I was deeply influenced by Richard Foster's "Streams of Living Water", where he challenges Christians to read widely in all "streams" of Christianity. I have made this my life's practice, and read widely & deeply in Catholic, Arminian, Pentecostal, Liberal, Agnostic, Eastern Orthodox, Rabbinic, and (yes) Reformed streams.

    With all that said, I choose to interact most closely with the Reformed vein on this blog because I believe this system of thought is the most biblical.

    Furthermore, I would encourage you to interact with a broader reading horizon, while simultaneously feeling the freedom to choose a particular path of belief.
    ReplyDelete
  6. Point well taken bro, I just gathered from what I had read on your blog and the books you recommend that these were the only people you ever read.

    So I'm sorry to have this misconception about you. In fact, it makes me have a great deal of respect for you that you read other writers outside of the reformed camp, and not just for the sole purpose of refuting them through a sermon or book review, but to actually learn from them!

    I wish more Christian leaders were like you in their reading choices, b/c I think it's a big mistake to never read authors outside of reformed, conservative, evangelical Christianity. As I'm sure you know, even liberal scholarship has a great deal to offer on the biblical text and have things we can learn from. Being in reformed circles all my life has caused me to become bitter to them at times b/c all they read are Piper, Luther, Calvin, Augustine, Edwards, Warfield, Spurgeon, Macarthur, Sproul, etc. Then if they ever read an author like James Dunn or John Goldingay, it's only to make a point of how wrong they are or how liberal we are becoming.

    Keep it up bro, you are certainly somebody I can learn from
    ReplyDelete
  7. Your so right. For example, some of the best language and historical background scholarship comes from Liberal minds. There are also many Catholic commentators who are of immense value (Joseph Fitzmyer and the beloved Raymond Brown). NT Wright is incredibly profound, and has challenged my thinking in many ways. The Post-Liberal moment out of Yale has added a much needed dimension to the ongoing theological discussion.

    The West is just beginning to wake up to the Eastern Orthodox authors, and hopefully their will be a resurgence of interest in Rabbinic Judaism (especially with the reprinting of the multi-volume Babylonian Talmud).

    Probably one of the most influencial books on how to be a pastor (since I just finished my first year in ministry) was "Leaves From The Notebook Of A Tamed Cynic" by Reinhold Niebuhr. Classically liberal, yet undeniably brilliant.

    I would value your book recommendations. Sadly, I see an unnread copy of Goldingay's "Models of Scripture" sitting on my self. I know him only by name.
    ReplyDelete
  8. Thanks for sharing. I've still got two more books to finish (Kite Runner & Paul and Palestinian Judaism) but here's my favorite list so far of what I've read this year that didn't necessarily come out this year...

    1. We Wish to Inform You That Tomorrow We Will Be Killed with Our Families: Stories from Rwanda by Philip Gourevitch

    2. The River of Doubt by Candice Millard

    3. The Cost of Discipleship by Dietrich Bonhoeffer

    4. New Testament Textual Criticism: A Concise Guide by David Alan Black

    5. Through Gates of Splendor by Elisabeth Elliot

    6. The Politics of Jesus by John Howard Yoder

    7. Exclusion and Embrace by Miroslav Volf

    8. The Scandal of the Evangelical Mind by Mark Noll

    9. The Fountainhead by Ayn Rand

    10. Commentary on Romans by N.T. Wright
    ReplyDelete
  9. Alex,

    I would covet your thoughts on Yoder's book. I've "almost" book it four times on Amazon (it was even in my Shopping Cart and everything). But....my wife does keep a watchful eye on my book-buying habits....

    What did you think of the book?
    ReplyDelete
  10. Josh,

    Thank you for responding. I think Goldingay is amazing. He goes a little too far on some things (God not knowing everything in the present, it seems like he denies any affect of the Adamic fall, et al), but he is brilliant and has a lot to offer nonetheless. His 2 OT theology volumes are absolutely amazing. When reading them, I feel like I am listening to a wise old sage that has incredible insight.

    I have also benefited from a more liberal Lutheran named Terence Fretheim. His book called "The Suffering of God" is an absolute must (unless you believe in impassibility!). A book that has possibly had the most impact on me is Kenneth Bailey's "Poet and Peasant and Through Peasant Eyes". Though I don't think he would be considered as liberal, he is certainly not an extreme reformed conservative. His culture studies on the Gospels are simply outstanding (though he takes his method a little too far sometimes).

    Personally, I think James Dunn is amazingly brilliant. Say what you want about the new perspective, but this guy has profound insight. His Theology of Paul the Apostle book is sure to become a classic in Pauline studies (and helps clarify certain Pauline terminology that we commonly misunderstand). Also his "Unity and Diversity" is simply outstanding.

    Other authors I enjoy reading (both conservative and moderate) are Ralph Martin, John Hartley, Walter Brueggemann (though I'm not his biggest fan), N.T. Wright, Darrell Bock, Brad Young, and Gordon Fee. I have read about 4 Piper books, but honestly find him the most redundant author I have ever read and simply refuse to purchase any more of his books b/c of this.

    Also, something that has helped me out alot is Bruce Malina's works over the social sciences. His insights and methods have much light to shed on the biblical text ("New Testament World", his Social Science commentaries, etc.)

    I appreciate your candor and wish there were more reformed individuals like you. Your eclectic approach is very healthy and I admire it.
    ReplyDelete
  11. By the way (sorry to post again), Yoder's book should be read by all Christians I believe. Growing up in a right-wing fundamentalist reformed southern baptist church caused me really have an unbalanced view of pacifism and war. Yoder's book is brilliant.

    One author I forgot to mention is Ben Witherington. Though a bit too prolific (it seems like he writes too much and thus the quality of some of his books may be sub-par), he is an excellent scholar coming from an Arminian perspective. He has great insights and offers good refutations to the extreme reformed view of the biblical text. Many of his social science commentaries are good, as well as his "New Testament History". I highly admire Dr. Witherington b/c he is not afraid to write what he believes. He is conservative, but doesn't seem to have an agenda of constantly defending theological systems, catechisms, and doctrinal statements. Something I personally admire.

    God bless you Josh
    ReplyDelete
  12. I've only read Witherington's commentaries, which I have found very valuable.
    ReplyDelete
  13. Enjoyed reading both of your comments. Wonderful to see such balanced thoughts.
    ReplyDelete

Subscribe to: Post Comments (Atom)