Thinking through my favorite books read in 2011, I decided to reserve a special category for great books written by good friends: Bonhoeffer and Business Ethics by Dr. Walton Padelford, and The Gospel and the Mind, by Dr. Brad Green, and the local church application chapter of The Lord’s Supper by Dr. Ray Van Neste. It felt funny trying to rank these books alongside those written by strangers, because in addition to benefitting from their content, I rejoiced in the culmination of the hard work of beloved brothers as I read. So, I have kept them separate, and highly recommend each one. Now, to the list:
10. Evangelical Spirituality, James Gordon
A good survey of evangelicals from the eighteenth century on, and how they pursued the Christian life.
9. Age of Opportunity, Paul David Tripp
I have never raised a teenager, but I bet this book will be a great help whenever I do.
8. Keep in Step with the Spirit, J.I. Packer
J.I. Packer clearly, graciously, faithfully lays out the biblical teaching of the ministry of the Holy Spirit. This should be required reading on Christian living.
7. Angels in the Architecture: A Protestant Vision for Middle Earth, Douglas Jones and Douglas Wilson
A thought-provoking collection of essays about various aspects of the medieval Christian worldview and what we can learn from it. I’d like to read it again.
6. Carry On, Jeeves! P.G. Wodehouse
Humorous stories about a supremely-competent butler named Jeeves who spends his life saving his inept employer from one scrape after another.
5. Tempted & Tried: Temptation and the Triumph of Christ, Russell Moore
A thoughtful, well-written meditation on the Temptations of Christ and what they mean for us, written by the Dean of my seminary. Dr. Moore has helped me tremendously in my own study, application, and communication of the Bible over the past several years.
4. The Thirty-Nine Steps, John Buchan (audio)
Suspense-filled page-turner about an ordinary man swept up into a plot to begin a world war. Buchan was a British statesmen in addition to talented writer; would like to read (or listen to) more of his stories in 2012.
3. That Hideous Strength, C.S. Lewis
A few folks who know a lot more about these kinds of things than me consider this one of the greatest novels in the English language. It drew me in and didn’t let me go for some weeks after I finished it, though I’m quite sure I only picked up about half of all Lewis was communicating in it. Among other things, there are some powerful insights into the drive for human approval (and how weak and irrational such behavior really is).
2. The Last Battle, C.S. Lewis
Makes my heart ache for my real Home just thinking about it.
1. George Whitefield: The Life and Times of the Great Evangelist of the 18th Century Awakening, Arnold Dallimore
I had heard for years about how good this biography is, and it did not disappoint. This is a big, two-volume work, and I only read the first volume in December, but have already excitedly begun the second. Whitefield is a giant of church history, considered one of the most remarkable preachers of the Gospel since the apostles. Aside from the wonderful content of this book, I enjoyed knowing that the author was the pastor of a small Baptist church in Canada, who just kept plugging away at researching and writing for thirty years until the job was complete. The end result is a masterpiece.
Favorite Commentaries on the Gospel of Mark
Here at Curve Baptist Church, we finished our sermon series in the Gospel of Mark this past Sunday. It was a joy to preach the resurrection of Jesus on Christmas Day! You can find the files of all the sermons form this series on the Sermons page, thanks to the diligent work of my friend Tim Blackstock.
Over the course of the six months we spent in Mark, I found five commentaries especially helpful in preparing sermons. Because I love rankings and lists at this time of year, here they are, in reverse order:
5. The Training of the Twelve, A.B. Bruce
This is an older book, written around the turn of the Twentieth Century. Bruce is seeking to vindicate the gospels as accurate, historical accounts of the life and ministry of Jesus at a time when this was increasingly coming under fire. But the way he goes about this is by harmonizing the four gospels, addressing in each chapter a different lesson in discipleship which Jesus gives to the Twelve. I did not consult this book every week, but there were some real gems along the way when I did. I think particularly of his insights into the character of Judas Iscariot, his treatment of the Sabbath and the life of liberty to which Jesus calls his followers. This would be a good book to have on the shelf for any study of any of the gospels.
4. King’s Cross: The Story of the World in the Life of Jesus, Timothy Keller.
This collection of studies in Mark (it does not cover every passage in the book) was released just before I began my sermon series. Keller writes as a pastor in Manhattan, and as expected, he was most helpful in showing how Jesus applies to twenty-first century man in all his starvation for God and the gospel. Our ministry contexts are very different, but his insights were great for my own meditation on how to apply each passage to myself and my people.
3. The Gospel of Mark, New International Commentary Series, William L. Lane.
This is a classic, and the strongest commentary in terms of filling in the historical background of each passage. But as good as Lane’s is, if I could only purchase two books on Mark, it would be the following:
2. Mark, NIV Application Commentary Series, David Garland.
This may be the most well-written commentary I have ever read. Garland is a talented, lively writer. He really knows his Bible (making all the important Old Testament connections that hover in the background of Mark’s narrative), and skillfully weaves in strong illustrations throughout. The application section was almost always immensely helpful. Garland’s book does an outstanding job of capturing the punch and power of Mark’s presentation of the victory of Jesus. His treatment of the resurrection was particularly good, where most commentaries (in this Bible-reader’s humble opinion) fail to capture the electricity of the announcement. Highly recommended.
1. Let’s Study Mark! Sinclair Ferguson.
Those who know me well will not be surprised to hear me rank anything by Ferguson, my favorite living preacher and writer, at the top of my list. The Let’s Study Series, published by Banner of Truth Trust, is designed as a doctrinally-sound devotional commentary for lay men and women, walking through passages and making heavy application. I think Ferguson, a long-time pastor as well as a systematic theology professor, is a master at this sort of thing. Broken down into 72 separate studies, this book was consistently the most helpful tool I consulted from week-to-week.