2009 Reading Reflections

Well, 2009 is almost over so I thought that I'd post my readings for the year. As usual, some books were better than others. I read some of these books because they were requirements for seminary, while I read other for different reasons. I'm happy to say that a few fiction works finally made their way into my reading list. I really do love to read fiction, but I usually don't have time to fit them in with all of the non-fiction that I have to read. I hope that during 2010 I'll be able to keep this trend going. I'd like to finish the Harry Potter series, and then find another fantasy series to jump into. (Recommendations anyone?)

Of the books that I read, here are a few that I really enjoyed:

• Salvation Belongs to Our God by Christopher J.H. Wright - In this book, Wright begins with the end; meaning, he takes us to the book of Revelation where we see the vision of people from every tribe, tongue, and nation gathered and worshiping Go. Then Wright shows how God's "global vision" is everywhere throughout the OT and NT. (And in turn, our vision and mission must likewise be to see God's kingdom spread globally.) He also helps us to have a deeper understanding of "salvation language" as we read the Scripture.
  

• Samson and the Pirate Monks by Nate Larkin - This autobiographical book about Larkin's struggle with sin (i.e. sexual sin in particular) was interesting, humorous, gritty, and honest. Every man should read this book. Larkin reminds us of the vital role that Christian community plays in each of our lives as we seek to live for Jesus.

• Ministires of Mercy by Timothy Keller - In this book, Keller helps to remind us that showing mercy is the responsibility of every believer, every church. It is not optional. Keller helps to answer questions that always seem to arise as we talk about helping the poor and needy: Is it proper to distinguish between the "deserving" and "undeserving" poor? What is the relationship between word and deed, evangelism and mercy?
  

Here's the complete list of book readings for the year:

• 36. Ministries of Mercy by Timothy Keller
• 35. How We Got the Bible by Neil R. Lightfoot
• 34. Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets by J.K. Rowling
• 33. A Lover's Quarrel with the Evangelical Church by Warren Cole Smith
• 32. Christian Worship by Segler and Bradley
• 31. The Erosion of Inerrancy in Evangelicalism by G.K. Beale
• 30. Preaching by John MacArthur
• 29. On Being Presbyterian by Sean Michael Lucas
• 28. Education That Is Christian by Lois E. LeBar
• 27. Revelation and Reason by K. Scott Oliphint and Lane G. Tipton
• 26. The Christians as the Romans Saw Them by Robert Louis Wilken
• 25. Humility by C.J. Mahaney
• 24. The Creative Word by Walter Brueggemann
• 23. Christian Apologetics in a Postmodern World by Timothy R. Phillips and Dennis L. Okholm
• 22. Mere Christianity by C.S. Lewis
• 21. Paul and First-Century Letter Writing by E. Randolph Richards
• 20. Meaty Tales by Gary DeMar
• 19. ReJesus by Michael Frost and Alan Hirsch
• 18. Intellectuals Don't Need God & Other Modern Myths by Alister E. McGrath
• 17. The Word of God and the Mind of Man by Ronald H. Nash
• 16. Apologetics to the Glory of God by John Frame
• 15. Why Johnny Can't Preach by T. David Gordon
• 14. Is Christianity Good for the World? by Christopher Hitchens and Douglas Wilson
• 13. Reading the Bible and Praying in Public by Stuart Olyott
• 12. The Prodigal God by Timothy Keller
• 11. Inspiration and Incarnation by Peter Enns
• 10. Giving Counsel by Donald Capps
• 9. Samson and the Pirate Monks by Nate Larkin
• 8. Seeing with New Eyes by David Powlison
• 7. What is Providence? by Derek W.H. Thomas
• 6. An Old Testament Theology by Bruce Waltke
• 5. Salvation Belongs to Our God by Christopher J.H. Wright
• 4. The God of Promise and the Life of Faith by Scott J. Hafemann
• 3. The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr Hyde and Other Short Stories by Robert Louis Stevenson
• 2. Old Testament Theology: Basic Issues in the Current Debate by Gerhard Hasel
• 1. Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone by J.K. Rowling