It has been a funny year for my reading. Firstly almost all the reading I have done has been in the last 6 months due to pressures with work and OU study, and secondly because my reading has been very narrowly focussed around justification, Paul and the Law and the Reformation.
As you read more and more it seems individual books have less and less influence on you but here is my top ten list for what it is worth (BTW the criteria for judgment is how much I got out of the book combined to a lesser extent with their intrinsic worth):
- The One Year Bible-ESVYes it is just a bible that has re-arranged the passages according to the reading plan, but it has strangely been used by God to make me read more of the bible more regularly than I have since university. Therefore it means quite a lot to me.
- The Roots of Endurance: Invincible perseverance in the lives of John Newton, Charles Simeon and William Wilberforce by John Piper Beautifully written and seriously edifying. Although I knew the stories I found it really encouraging. If only John Piper always wrote so well.
- Justification: What's at Stake in the Current Debates ed by Mark A. Husbands and Daniel J. Treier a collection of exceptional essays by Don Carson, Mark Seifrid, Bruce McCormack and others. Mark Seifrid has probably been the most influential author on me this year although I have only read essays by him and dipped into Christ our righteousness which I had read before (a brilliant book).
- Through New Eyes: Developing a Biblical View of the World by James B. Jordan I still haven't finished this book but I include it on the list because I have listened to hours and hours of Jim Jordan's lectures this year. He is very eccentric but has helped me to pay attention to the details when reading the bible, and particularly to seriously think about the OT cult, the literary quality of the bible, maturity as a theme of the bible, and so much else. He is unlike anyone else you may read - a creative fundamentalist.
- The Principle of Protestantism by Philip Schaff A wonderful window onto the theology of the 19th century. An inaugural address by a 25 German scholar newly emigrated to America and to become the father of American Church History. Made me think seriously about the progressive nature of church history/theology and about ecumenicalism (see post here).
- Gospel and Wisdom by Graeme Goldsworthy After reading several books massively influenced by Graeme Goldsworthy I finally got to read Gospel and Kingdom and Gospel and Wisdom. I can now see why he has been so influential although I enjoyed Gospel and Wisdom the most. It really helped me to see the relationships between the wisdom books, and their relationship to Jesus.
- Here I Stand: A Life of Martin Luther by Roland H. Bainton A wonderfully written account of a very engaging character and a fascinating time.
- A Journey Worth Taking: Finding Your Purpose in This World by Charles D. Drew Tim Challies the king of Christian book reviews included it in his top 7 saying that it was "the only book [he] read twice this year. It is a book that deals superbly with the notion of calling and finding our place in this world. Written by a pastor who is in the thick of things, planting a church in New York City, it provides a biblical perspective on the 'self-help' genre." I couldn't say it any better. It is a self-help book in a way and a little too inoffensive, but it is also quite inspiring.
- Immortality of the Soul or Resurrection of the Dead? by Oscar Cullmann a short little book to shake up anyone who thinks in a disparaging way about the physical, and dreams of becoming a disembodied spirit after death. You can read it online and find out that most of what Tom Wright is now famous for saying has been around for a while.
- The Spirituality of the Cross: The Way of the First Evangelicals by Gene Edward, Jr. Veith a frankly beautiful book that is designed to be an introduction to Lutheranism (something you don't come across much in the UK), although I think that frankly it could be an good introduction to Christianity. Probably the best written book I've read this year, and the one I would most heartily recommend.
- HIGHLY COMMENDED: A Reformation Debate by John Calvin and Jacopo Sadoleto; Reformers in the Wings: From Geiler Von Kaysersberg to Theodore Beza by David C. Steinmetz; The Saving Righteousness of God: Studies on Paul, Justification and the New Perspective by Michael Bird
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