Last year was a different kind of year, in a lot of ways, and one was in the amount of books that I read, and listened to, during the year. According to my “Goodreads” account, I read or listened to 230 books last year, and that amounted to 68,800 pages. According to my figures 84 of those were audiobooks (and the vast majority of those were through Audible), 79 were ebooks on Kindle, 37 were hardback, and 25 were paperbacks. My goal on “Goodreads” for the year had been 100 books, so this was not really something that I was planning. Now I had read 166 books in 2019, that amounted to 37,554 pages – but those were mostly really easy and short books, and I was determined to challenge myself for more quality in 2020. I had read a lot of different things; 77 of those had been westerns (Louis L’Amour, Zane Grey, Max Brand, etc.), and 33 were of the action and adventure genre. There was a lot of entertainment value, but not a lot substance. BUT, I was rekindling my desire of the love to read.
Something really strange happened in 2020, about the time we were all told to stay home, I quit watching TV and started losing myself in my books. Also, I terminated my Pandora account, quit listening to podcasts, and started listening to books while I was driving. Although we were “staying at home,” I still went to the office 2 or 3 days a week, and that gave me at least two hours of windshield time to spend listening (and by the way, my office is a single person office, so I was still isolated). Part of the reason that there were so many Audible books, is probably 25 to 30 of them were really short, from 1 to 4 hours. In fact, there were 13 of those books that made a complete series of one story. It would have been like watching 13 one hour episodes of a television show. So your volumes add up in a hurry that way.
There is no need for me to list all those books, but I do want to share some things. SO, what I am going to do is give you four lists. I want to list the 10 best Christian books (that would include theology, devotional, biography, or history); the 10 best non-fiction volumes, the 5 best fiction, and the 5 best fiction series that I read. These lists may not be in your wheelhouse, but these are the books that tripped my trigger and got me totally involved. In Part #1, I want to share with you the top 10 Christian books that I read this year, and a little bit about each one of the them.
1. Matthew Bates Gospel Allegiance “What Faith in Jesus Misses for Salvation in Christ” — In December of 2019, I listened to this book on Audible; and I was so intrigued by it, that I bought the book and read it. I must tell you after reading it, I became more and more convinced that Bates is right in his approach to the Gospel. It is now my intention to go through the book again, using a highlighter and pen to make notations about the really good (and note the things that I disagree with).
I have never agreed with what Bates called “easy believism”, as it pertains to our salvation. I also knew that the gospel was not about “us”, but what Jesus had done that made it the Gospel. He methodically lies out his model (picture) of the what Jesus had done that became “good news”. If you have ever struggled with some of the teachings about salvation, and your relationship with Jesus, you owe it to yourself to read this book.
2. Gene Shelburne The Quest for Unity “An Appeal for Oneness Among All Believers in Christ” — As a member of the fellowship that traces its roots back through the Stone-Campbell Movement (or the Restoration Movement), I am one of those that has struggled with all the things that I have been taught to believe. Gene Shelburne traces his roots back through that same movement, but through a different stream. Still, I relate to so many things that he says, and have profited greatly from the reading of this book.
I would recommend this book to everyone, and I am sure that they would find something within its pages that would be of benefit — encouraging and/or teaching some important lesson. But, I really believe it would have the most benefit to those that have the same roots as Gene Shelburne, they will understand the language, the inferences, and the difficulty of what is implied.
3. William Cook and Chuck Lawless Spiritual Warfare in the Storyline of Scripture — This book is about a subject that has intrigued me for years. Usually, when you get a book on this subject they have a tendency to lean to one of two extremes: (1) they go to the extreme of not staying with Scripture, and their writings become an exercise in emotions and experiences; and (2) they want to explain away the Scripture to the point they don’t recognize this being something that happens in our day. I really appreciate the way that Cook and Lawless handle the subject; and they may have been too far one way for me, but never to the point that I ever thought about not finishing.
I really thought that Cook did a better job with the Bible and Theological foundations, than Lawless did with the practical application. Part of that may be that I was looking for something like Cook did, and wish that I could find a thick volume devoted to that subject. Truthfully, when you get down to practical application, it is difficult to write something that would appeal to everyone. But for those that are looking for a fairly level-headed approach to the subject of “Spiritual Warfare”, I would recommend this book.
4. Ben Brewster Torn Asunder “The Civil War and the 1906 Division of the Disciples” — This book began as a Master’s Thesis in Church History from Cincinnati Bible Seminary, and contains some really good material about a very difficult time in the history of the American Restoration Movement. Personally, I have long believed that the Mason-Dixon line had as much to do with the division between the churches of Christ and the Disciples of Christ, as any doctrinal argument. After reading this volume, I still believe that. It seems to me, that the animosity between the north and the south spurred on the disagreement over certain doctrinal areas. As the rhetoric grew stronger over the doctrinal discussion, the animosity crystallized the division. I appreciate the research that Ben Brewster did for this volume, and the order in which he arranged the material. As a continuing student of the history of my fellowship, it was interesting, and fascinating. Any one that has an interested in this particular vein of church history, in my opinion, would be enriched by reading this material.
5. Elizabeth Elliot Through Gates of Splendor — has been over 50 years since I first heard of this book, and learned of the story behind it. I really can’t remember if I read the book then or not. But I have remembered the gist of the story, and a saying from the college age, Jim Elliot — “A man is no fool to give what he cannot keep, to gain what he cannot lose.” Reading the book this time, I gathered a new quote from him — “When it come time to die, be sure that all you have to do is die.” Reading the pages of this book, will make you doubt if you really understand what devotion and commitment are all about. The five men of this book, their story, the story of Auca Indians of Ecuador, their families, and their Lord; will bring you to tears, and make you want to be a better servant of King Jesus. May everyone read this book, and be blessed by it. If it has been many years since you have read it, you may want to read it again.
6. Dallas Willard Renewing the Christian Mind — It has just been in the last couple of years that I have become acquainted with Dallas Willard, and then only through Twitter posts. This book is a collection of essays, interviews, and talks that he has written or given, about a variety of subjects, throughout his lifetime. It seemed to me that would be a good way to be introduced to the thoughts of Dallas Willard. I want you to know that he has rocked my world! His discussions about Spiritual formation, the spiritual disciplines, and discipleship have really been inspiring to me! So inspiring, that I have ordered a hard copy of this volume — so I could read some of things that he was says a little slower and closer. I also have ordered three more of his books, that discuss the topics that are mentioned earlier.
7. Douglas Foster A Life of Alexander Campbell — Foster’s last paragraph, in this book, says: “People who write biographies are often tempted to begin with a preconceived notion of the ideas that they want to promote and then proceed to look for a ‘usable history’ to promote them. I am not free from that tendency. Yet hope that this treatment of Campbell provides readers with a picture of a gifted yet flawed man driven to discover and follow the will of God and to teach it as he saw it to as many people as he could. That is not a bad desire.” (page 332) That says it better than I could, and I felt that he did what he set out to do. I read two other biographies of Campbell in ’20, and felt that they were pushing an agenda. I did not feel that way while reading Foster’s.
8. John Mark Hicks Women Serving God — All of my life, particularly my adult preaching life, it seems like the churches of Christ (the fellowship to which I belong) have been involved in one controversy after another. It has been said about us; that we would fight at the drop of a hat, even if we had to drop the hat. That characteristic may be inherent in being a “Restoration” movement — the feeling that we have to be right about everything. The role of women in our gathered assemblies is one of a couple that is on the front burner right now. It is one that has troubled me for a long time, and have often said that what I believe may depend on what side of the bed I got up on that morning. John Mark Hicks has for the past 20 years (or so), has been one of my favorite authors to read. I have great admiration for his scholarship, his ability to tackle difficult subjects, and his loving spirit. This book is no exception on any of those counts. I’m not sure how much I agree with him, probably on most; but he has given me a lot to think about and work through. I’m not going to get into a discussion about what he said, and why he said it, and how I reacted. I would rather you read it and wrestle with his observations and conclusions by yourself, and then make your own mind up. I will tell you that I really liked the responses at the end of the book, as they opened up a whole new world to my thought process about this subject. If you are a part of the Restoration Movement, or the Stone-Campbell Movement, or the churches of Christ; and you have thought about this subject, and considered studying it — right after you read ALL the pertinent Biblical texts, this is the book to start with.
9. David Baird Churches of Christ in Oklahoma: A History — Having lived in Arkansas most of my life, and having lived in towns within 30 miles of the Oklahoma border, I have always been interested in the state of Oklahoma. David Baird has done a really good job of describing the history of the churches of Christ in Oklahoma, beginning with the mission efforts among the Indian tribes through about 2006. Our fellowship has a really unique, and interesting history, and that uniqueness has been magnified in the state of Oklahoma; and Baird makes a sincere effort to tell that story. I am sure that many will say that it is not detailed enough, and many more details could have been offered; but what Baird has done is sufficient for me. If someone has interest in the history of the churches of Christ, and the history of Oklahoma; this will be the book for them. It will be a good book for those trying to get a broad view of the picture of how we ended up where we are today. I recommend it highly.
10. Michael Bird What Christians Ought to Believe: An Introduction to Christian Doctrine through the Apostles’ Creed — Christianity 101, using the framework of the Apostles’ Creed as the tool for teaching. Very interesting, very well-written, and something I want to use further in the teaching ministry where I am the preacher. I don’t agree with everything, but feel like it would be something that I recommend to almost everyone.
You might have ascertained that I have not read much over the last 25 years, and you would be correct. I was a bi-vocational minister for most of that time, and time was limited. I hope this list helps you, and the next won’t be this long, I promise.
Hoot's Musings 