5 Books I Want to Read in 2008

The Reason for God: Tim Keller
Coming out Feb 2008

"I've been working for some time on a book for the ordinary (which means very sharp) spiritually skeptical New Yorker. Ever since I got to New York nearly two decades ago I've wished I had a volume to give people that not only answered objections to Christianity (what has been called 'apologetics') but also positively presented the basics of the gospel in an accessible yet substantial way... Today

there are deep disagreements over how we know things and how certain we can be about anything. Most of the older books presenting Christianity now are only persuasive and even comprehensible to a very narrow range of people. All this means that there is a great need for new literature that speaks to our time and says, "Christianity makes sense." -Tim Keller


Vintage Jesus: Mark Driscoll
Coming out March 2008

In Vintage Jesus, one of America's most influential young pastors teams up with a seasoned theologian to lead you on a hilarious theological journey chasing Jesus through Scripture and pop culture. The authors provide timeless answers to twelve timely questions about the most important man who has ever lived. Each chapter concludes with answers to common questions about each subject.

Searching for a Better God: Wade Bradshaw
Coming out in March 2008

"The questions about God that used to center around his existence are now aimed at his morality the God who permits

diseases and natural disasters that kill innocent people; the God that allows brutal dictators to rule

with an iron fist. At best this God is aloof and uncaring; at worst he is primitive and cruel. Many of the contemporary generation have concluded, through what is called common sense theology, that we are actually morally superior to God and he is less than inadequate... Wade Bradshaw shows us that the caricatures many have drawn of God are not accurate and God, as described in the Bible, is misunderstood. Ideas about God that at first consideration seem unethical are precisely how we need God to be. He gives us ways to talk to those who doubt Gods character. By thoroughly explaining and examining this contemporary, common sense theology, Bradshaw brings us back to confident hope in God, the perfect and moral God of the Bible." Quoted from Amazon.com

Being Human: Jerram Barrs

The theme of this book is that understanding the nature of spiritual experience is the key to restoring our true humanness. For the writers of Scripture, to be human is to be in the image of God. Taking this as their organizing principle, Ranald Macaulay and Jerram Barrs discuss the nature of spiritual experience. As the pursuit of true spirituality takes us away from sinfulness, it moves us closer to what God intended us to be. When we are truly spiritual, we are fully human -- like Jesus Christ, the God-Man. Macauley and Barrs begin by underscoring that the process of sanctification -- of becoming more holy, more like God -- should be seen as a "life-affirming" activity. They then contrast the Biblical framework for understanding the Christian life with two alternatives: the materialistic view and the Platonic view. In doing so, they counter much of the false teaching about spirituality that has become so popular today -- both inside and outside of Christian circles." -Quoted from Amazon.com



Heart of Prayer: What Jesus Teaches Us
By: Jerram Barrs
Coming out in Feb 2008

Jerram Barrs writes about prayer in a book coming out this month and takes a look at Jesus's prayers and his teaching on how to pray. Watch for it on Amazon.com