My Top 8 Books from 2019

Hi everyone, I know I'm a few days late, but I still wanted to share some of my favorite books I read in 2019.

#8–Exclusion and Embrace: A Theological Exploration of Identity, Otherness, and Reconciliation by Miroslav Volf

This book was a bit of a slog and is written at a fairly high philosophical level, but it had some bright moments, particularly in Volf's reflections on the biblical accounts of Cain and Abel and the Prodigal Son. His writing about Christian justice always providing provisional space for forgiveness, embrace, and redemption for sinners who repent was enlightening. Also his frankness on Jesus being the bringer of final justice and divine violence were stimulating as well.

#7–The Crucifixion: Understanding the Death of Jesus Christ by Fleming Rutledge

Much like the previous book, this book also was a slog in places and really is too long–I didn't finish it even though I read ~350 of its pages. Rutledge gives ample space for spelling out exactly how she disagrees with what seems like every theologian she's ever read, thus coming off as a bit crotchety at times. That being said, she had some important reflections on the centrality of the cross in Christian preaching and teaching. As an Episcopal priest and preaching professor, she comments on the neglect of many churches, particularly mainline churches, in preaching the cross of Christ. She examines the different motifs Scripture uses to talk about the cross, makes a defense of Anselm's satisfaction theory which she thinks many dismiss without actually understanding it, and ends up being a big fan of Karl Barth. I agree with what my friend Justin said about Barth: I appreciate the effect he had on 20th century theology, but I never much enjoyed reading him. Sorry, Barth fans. There is a lot of good material for Lent, Good Friday, and a cross sermon series in this book. I'm glad I read most of it :).

#6–First Corinthians in the Interpretation series by Richard Hays

Hays, a United Methodist Bible scholar and the former Dean of Duke Divinity School, has some wonderful insights into Paul's first letter to the Corinthian church and the nature of love. This is one of the few commentaries I've actually read in its entirety. Hays draws out Paul's willingness to identify with the weak and his challenges he was posing to Corinthian elitists, whether over matters of wealth, social standing, sexuality, food sacrificed to idols, perceived spiritual status and spiritual gifts, or the resurrection of the body. I also think he helped me understand why Paul devotes three chapters to food sacrificed to idols, which can be lost if you're not paying attention to the context of the letter (8-10), and some of the ideas and language that was floating around in Greco-Roman culture at the time. The whole commentary is very strong, though I was a bit disappointed in how he handled the portion on women's head coverings in chapter 11 and on the "women should learn in silence and submission" portion of 14:34-35. Thankfully one of my old profs, Dr. Craig Keener, is much more useful for teaching on those passages in his book Paul, Women, and Wives. This is a very good commentary that I'd highly recommend if you're preaching a series or doing a Bible study on First Corinthians.

#5–When Life Gives You Pears: The Healing Power of Family, Faith, and Funny People by Jeannie Gaffigan

Jeannie Gaffigan is an author, comedy writer, producer, and mother of five. She is married to famed comedian Jim Gaffigan. Jeannie is hilarious and made me laugh throughout the book, though her primary subject matter is quite sober indeed. She was diagnosed with a pear-sized tumor in her brain stem that was significantly impeding her functioning. She had a surgery and a months-long, painstaking recovery process. She tells her story from just before learning the diagnosis on through to her recovery. She is a devoted Roman Catholic, and she regularly weaves in aspects of how God, family members, and other friends sustained her and helped her through this journey. She also reports a miraculous vision she had at an earlier point in her life. The book is well-written, reads quickly, and I liked her incorporation of pictures throughout. Good book.

#4–Canoeing the Mountains: Christian Leadership in Uncharted Territory by Tod Bolsinger

This is a very good Christian leadership book, and interestingly enough, Bolsinger came and spoke at the Kentucky Annual Conference this summer and I got him to sign my book. He uses the Lewis and Clark expedition as his commanding metaphor from which he pulls principles for leading in uncertain situations. I particularly liked some of his illustrations (you will probably hear about the crock pot illustration in a sermon in the next several weeks St. Paul). Adaptive capacity is necessary when the maps used to prepare us look nothing like the reality in front of us. This is one of my favorite leadership books I've read.

#3–Adopted for Life: The Priority of Adoption for Christian Families and Churches by Russell Moore

Russell Moore is the current president of the Ethics and Religious Liberty Commission of the Southern Baptist Convention, and is a public theologian that I respect a great deal. Moore's book is part theological, part autobiographical, and part nuts and bolts for the adoption process. He talks about Jesus was adopted into Joseph's family and David's line, and how adoption is one of the biblical motifs of what God does at our conversion–see particularly Romans 8 where Paul speaks of being adopted into God's family through God's Spirit of adoption, and other passages that use the phrase "children of God." We are taken from being orphans, covered in the corruption and isolation of sin, and placed by the Spirit into God's family of love, the church, through repentance and faith in Jesus. He shares of his family's own struggles with miscarriages and their journey of adopting two sons from a Russian orphanage. He also shares some good things to consider if you're praying and thinking about adopting, and some pitfalls to avoid (like child-stealing/selling organizations who purport to be international adoption agencies, but don't meet Hague accreditation standards). Moore makes a winsome case for adoption being something the church should continue to do and champion, as it has throughout its history. Adoption is a living testament to God's grace and the good news. This is a very good book.

#2–Beating Guns: Hope for People Who Are Weary of Violence by Shane Claiborne and Michael Martin

I admit, I have a soft spot for Shane Claiborne in my heart. His book Jesus for President was a game-changer for me when I was in college, and was probably one of the top ten most influential Christian books I've read in my journey. He helped me recognize some of the blind spots of the Christian subcultural water I'd grown up in, though I am very grateful for the foundation I received and still hold tightly to several of the treasures it imparted to me in my youth. I'm not sure I'd be as wholehearted in my agreement with him on a couple things today, but his work found me at a ripe moment in my walk with Jesus, and I greatly appreciate his ministry and voice. He has been devoted to inner city presence, relationships, and transformation for a long time, and he walks with integrity. Michael Martin is the founder of RAWTools (RAW is war spelled backwards), and he blacksmiths and turns disarmed weapons into garden tools. This is a creative, modern-day embodiment of Isaiah 2:4 and Micah 4:3, where those prophets had visions of the people beating their swords into plowshares. The idiosyncrasies of these two authors come together effectively for this very good book.

Beating Guns is a deep dive into guns in America, taking primarily a theological approach, but also involving a deep historical, economic, social, and political look into America's relationship with guns. Claiborne and Martin divulge revealing statistics and problems the United States has around gun violence, and they are convincing in their recommendations. The book is very artfully presented, incorporating pictures, cool graphics, artwork, memorials to lives lost in mass shootings, an overwhelming amount of statistics, and several moving stories of loss, anger, and forgiveness. It reads easily as well. Claiborne and Martin for the most part do a good job being respectful of those who hold a different view from them concerning guns. A couple times Claiborne came across as trying a bit too hard to look woke, but overall this is a very important book that gives biblical wisdom and some practical political recommendations to a very important issue in our day.

#1–A Tale of Two Cities by Charles Dickens

This is a classic that I hadn't yet read. It presents a fictionalization of both English and French folks who get swept up in the French Revolution, yet with powerful personal relationships and intrigues woven throughout. The book has some interesting twists and turns along the way. This was one of my two attempts in 2019 to combat my wife's accusation that I never read fiction. Great book!