Andrew Wilson, God of All Things: Rediscovering the Sacred in an Everyday World(Zondervan, 2021). I love Christian writers that immerse us into the world of the Bible rather than use the Bible to speak to our lives, and Andrew Wilson is one of the best—here he sings.
George Packer, Last Best Hope: America in Crisis and Renewal (Farrar, Straus and Giroux, 2021). Strong in its diagnosis of the problems we face, though a little underwhelming with the proposed solutions. Still, a fascinating read if for nothing else than for understanding this fourfold division: Free America, Smart America, Real America, Just America.
Iain Murray, The Puritan Hope: A Study in Revival and the Interpretation of Prophecy(Banner of Truth, 1971). I’m researching evangelical views of Jewish conversion and restoration in the 17th and 18th centuries, so I read many books on Christian Zionism (I’d recommend The Origins of Christian Zionism: Lord Shaftesbury and Evangelical Support for a Jewish Homeland). Unlike in our day where study of the end times either is ignored or overinterpreted, the Puritans and those that followed in England in the 18th and 19th centuries reveled in Christ’s return. But rather than produce complacency, their postmillennial expectation (the majority view) resulted in ambitious missionary endeavors — especially after the 1790s with the rise of various missionary societies — that also made room for Jewish conversion as an aspect of unfulfilled prophecy. By 1892 with Charles Spurgeon’s death (though he was a premillennialist), this optimistic “Puritan hope” was eclipsed by a more pessimistic outlook, one that saw Christ’s return as imminent and therefore, apart from “saving souls,” there was little reason to engage in other labors. I think Murray is probably overly skeptical about premillennialism in the 20th century, but it’s hard to not see his point.
Eugene Peterson, Run with the Horses: The Quest for Life at Its Best (IVP, 1983). A pastoral meditation on the biblical prophet Jeremiah, full of rich insights on the text and incisive application for our day. This is the kind of book that comes from decades of grazing on God’s Word.
Michael Berg, Vocation: The Setting for Human Flourishing (1517 Publishing, 2021) and Gordon T. Smith,Courage and Calling: Embracing Your God-Given Potential(IVP, 1999). I read every book I can get my hands on that addresses the doctrine of vocation. Berg comes from a more Luthern perspective and is filled with insights on how vocation intersects with justification while Smith has written a classic on the subject.
Oliver Burkeman, Four Thousand Weeks: Time Management for Mortals(Farrar, Straus and Giroux, 2021). If we live to 80, that’s a little over 4,000 weeks. Oliver Burkeman, a “productivity geek,” puts his finger on the undercurrent of anxiety that drives our busyness and calls us to embrace our finitude. Lord, teach us to number our days (Ps. 90:12).
George Marsden, Fundamentalism and American Culture(Oxford University Press, 1981). I don’t know why it took me this long, but this book along with Nathan Hatch’s The Democratization of American Christianity(Yale University Press, 1991) and Mark Noll’s The Civil War as a Theological Crisis(University of North Carolina Press, 2006) have been helpful and instructive. As we’re observing further divides and re-sorting among evangelical believers, knowing our past is vital. It can be dizzying in the present, but looking backward can provide perspective. In the quote oft-attributed to Mark Twain, “History may not repeat itself. But it rhymes.”
Svetlana Alexievich, Secondhand Time: The Last of the Soviets(Random House, 2017). Poignant and powerful oral history of Russians over the last half-century. As a son of Cuban exiles, much resonated with me in this book.
Jon Acuff, Soundtracks: The Surprising Solution to Overthinking (Baker, 2021). As a chronic over-thinker, I appreciated this book a lot. Several of the self-talk bits are overdone (too much power or positive thinking), but on the whole it’s a good reminder that the soundtracks we play in our heads aren’t always helpful and can be replaced.
Jeff Bibro, Reading the Times: A Literary and Theological Inquiry Into the News (IVP Academic, 2021). With the advent of social media, where seemingly everyone has become their own pundit and reality TV star, we’re all drowning in triviality. We need help understanding the kinds of practices that shape us — like news that along with informing us is also forming us.
Daniel Silva, A Death in Vienna (Penguin, 2005). Of the Gabriel Allon series, the fourth entry on the Israeli spy master might be my favorite. I’m nearly caught up.
